View allAll Photos Tagged Confessional
(No, I didn't photoshop her in.)
I have serious reservations about the Catholic church. Not being particularly religious in any secular sense of the word, and glad of it, I guess I can look at various beliefs with a more accusatory stance - blaming them for the problems their followers directly experience. This is part ignorance on my part I suppose, but there is also a large part of it which is accurate, and truthful. The church rules(d) through fear, intimidation, and it does it a great job of it. Considering the massive wealth enjoyed by particularly the Catholic church corporate entity known as the Vatican, they do jack shit to better the world. I was trying to work out based on the number of daily visitors to the Vatican museum, and the average admission cost, how much they take in on a daily basis. The lowest estimate I could come up with was about 4million euros per day. 4million euros which no doubt goes into maintaining the massive infrastructure of crumbling churches, but also simply goes into bank accounts to continue gaining interest and simply making money.
At least the Catholic church of old did something opulent with its money, and spent it on monolithic monuments to god, saints, patrons, etc - the modern Catholic church is a husk of its former self in terms of ability, but somehow not in terms of influence and power. This boggles my mind. The only explanation to motivate people to remain so fiercely loyal to an entity so bereft of its own values is they have cornered the market on fear. And that they have. People often confuse this with faith. Faith exists, but on a much smaller scale than fear, in the Catholic church. I'm basing this statement on nothing scientific, simply the discussions I've had with catholics in my life compared to people who follow basically any other religion.
To this end, I present the most terrifying photo I took inside the Basilica in Rome. I didn't even notice the woman when I shot it since she was so shrouded in shadow, but as I understand it confession is frightening enough - now imagine confessing your sins in this environment. Intimidated?
Best viewed large.
TRF - For those of you who don't know I am in the process of buying my first house, there have been many sleepless nights and plenty of anxiety - I have no doubt I will love it when I finally move in, but the month of transfer, banks, agents and lawyers is pure torture.
Somehow I managed to mis-number the last 10 photos, so this is actually 226 not 236???
For FGR - Self Portrait Confessions
chris carrabba of dashboard confessional - pnc bank arts center, holmdel, nj
shot a couple of videos:
swiss army romance - the places you have come to fear the most (2 for 1)
1 5 Somerville [1.9.17 noon] its for 1.5.17 when no one listened.
qwikLoadr™ Videos...
Boston EMS | 911 [1.5.17 (noon)] gwennie2006! • YouTube™
Transit Police | Haymarket [1.5.17 (eve)] gwennie2006! • YouTube™
Boston Fire | Ladder 24 [1.5.17 (evening)] gwennie2006! • YouTube™
[blue] | Tedeschi's [12.7.16] gwennie2006! • YouTube™
NOTE: it was just hours before John Glenn passed away
Tedeschi Trucks Band & Grace Potter | Angel from Montgomery
Live at Red Rocks! • YouTube™
Blogger GrfxDziner | Total Eclipse [Thank You Molly]...
GrfxDziner.blogspot.com/2016/12/total-eclipse-thank-you-m...
blogger gwennie2006 | Night of Khadija Eternal Indigo [4Amber!!]...
gwennie2006.blogspot.com/2016/11/night-of-khadija-eternal...
Confessional at abandoned Baptist church in Detroit, MI.
I am giving a talk on 'modern ruins' at the Toronto Camera Club, 587 Mount Pleasant Road, this Thursday, Feb. 26, starting at 8pm. You're more than welcome to join us!
From signage in the church:
Between 1764 and 1781 the church was fitted with an ensemble of late Baroque fixtures: the pulpit, confessionals, pews and eleven altars. The ensemble displayed stylistic harmony, as well as a singleness of purpose-drawing attention to the main altar.
[The main altar] now contains the Crucifix that had previously hung above the altar of the Holy Cross. The cross was known to bestow special grace, and it was at this time that the fresco depicting this Crucifix was painted on the façade of the church. The identity of the person who designed the new interior furnishings is not now known. The interior was executed by several joiners (Giotto, Holtzas, Valteris and others are mentioned). Paintings for the altars were done by . . . a person with the surname Motiejus.
Between 1764 and 1768 Mikaloju Jansonas, a renowned organ builder of the day, restored the church organ and moved it from the side nave to a platform constructed at the back of the presbytery (choir). (At the end of the 19th century the organ was reconstructed once again and moved to the old balcony of the Bernardines.)
From the middle of the 18th century until the end of the 20th century the architecture and furnishings of the church remained largely unchanged. When the church was closed during the Soviet years, the painting over the altar, the liturgical vessels and other fixtures were scattered among museum collections or given to other churches.
The altar ensemble, which was disassembled for reconstruction has only been partially restored. In response to present-day liturgical requirements, a new altar created by Rimas Skakalauakas was constructed in 1998 and placed in the central nave of the church. The altar echoes the lines and shapes of the old Gothic belfry.
=====================
The Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard (also known as Bernardine Church) is a Roman Catholic church in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania. It is located next to St. Anne's Church. Dedicated to Saints Francis of Assisi and Bernardino of Siena, it is an important example of Gothic architecture in Lithuania.[1]
History
After their arrival in Vilnius, Bernardine monks built a wooden church in the second half of the 15th century, and at the end of the same century - a brick one. In the early 16th century it was reconstructed, apparently with the participation of a master from Gdansk (Danzig) Michael Enkinger.
In the beginning of the 16th century the church was incorporated into the construction of Vilnius defensive wall, so there are shooting openings in its walls.
Afterwards it was renewed many times, particularly after the 1655-61 war with Moscow, when the Cossacks ravaged the church killing the monks and citizens who had taken shelter there.
In the times of the Soviet occupation it was closed down and handed over to the Art institute.
In 1994, the brethren of St. Francis returned to the church. According to the legend, the Bernardine monks used to tell such good sermons that crowds would come to listen. That is why the church is so large.
Architecture
Church and Monastery are some of the largest sacral buildings in Vilnius, although in the 17th and 18th centuries they acquired the Renaissance and Baroque features. Being much larger and more archaic than the St. Anne's Church, it forms and interesting and unique ensemble with the latter. Gothic pointed-arch windows and buttresses stand out on the façade.
Above them rises a pediment with twin octagonal towers on the sides and a fresco depicting the Crucifix in the middle niche. A Gothic presbytery is the oldest part of the church. Eight high pillars divide the church interior into 3 naves. There are many valuable 16th-century wall paintings in Bernardine church and the oldest known artistic Lithuanian crucifix sculpture from the 15th century. [2]
The walls of the naves are decorated with Gothic polychrome frescoes, partly uncovered in 1981 - dynamic, colourful figural compositions on biblical and hagiographic themes, with occasional inscriptions in Gothic characters, floral ornaments, heraldic insignia etc. These mural paintings date from the early 16th century and are considered unique in the world: their composition and type of presentation of the subject matter belongs to Renaissance, and the stylistics - to the Gothic style. [3]
The Bernardine monastery north of the church, built simultaneously with the church, was renovated and reconstructed several times. Since its founding, a novitiate and a seminary operated at the monastery, a rich library had been accumulated, and a scriptorium operated. There artists, craftsmen and organists among the monks. The monastery was closed in 1864, and the building housed soldiers' barracks. In 1919 it was given to the art faculty of the university, later - to the Art Institute (now the Art Academy).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Francis_and_St._Berna...
From signage in the church:
Between 1764 and 1781 the church was fitted with an ensemble of late Baroque fixtures: the pulpit, confessionals, pews and eleven altars. The ensemble displayed stylistic harmony, as well as a singleness of purpose-drawing attention to the main altar.
[The main altar] now contains the Crucifix that had previously hung above the altar of the Holy Cross. The cross was known to bestow special grace, and it was at this time that the fresco depicting this Crucifix was painted on the façade of the church. The identity of the person who designed the new interior furnishings is not now known. The interior was executed by several joiners (Giotto, Holtzas, Valteris and others are mentioned). Paintings for the altars were done by . . . a person with the surname Motiejus.
Between 1764 and 1768 Mikaloju Jansonas, a renowned organ builder of the day, restored the church organ and moved it from the side nave to a platform constructed at the back of the presbytery (choir). (At the end of the 19th century the organ was reconstructed once again and moved to the old balcony of the Bernardines.)
From the middle of the 18th century until the end of the 20th century the architecture and furnishings of the church remained largely unchanged. When the church was closed during the Soviet years, the painting over the altar, the liturgical vessels and other fixtures were scattered among museum collections or given to other churches.
The altar ensemble, which was disassembled for reconstruction has only been partially restored. In response to present-day liturgical requirements, a new altar created by Rimas Skakalauakas was constructed in 1998 and placed in the central nave of the church. The altar echoes the lines and shapes of the old Gothic belfry.
=====================
From Wikipedia:
The Church of St. Francis and St. Bernard (also known as Bernardine Church) is a Roman Catholic church in the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania. It is located next to St. Anne's Church. Dedicated to Saints Francis of Assisi and Bernardino of Siena, it is an important example of Gothic architecture in Lithuania.
History
After their arrival in Vilnius, Bernardine monks built a wooden church in the second half of the 15th century, and at the end of the same century - a brick one.
In the early 16th century it was reconstructed, apparently with the participation of a master from Gdansk (Danzig) Michael Enkinger.
In the beginning of the 16th century the church was incorporated into the construction of Vilnius defensive wall, so there are shooting openings in its walls.
Afterwards it was renewed many times, particularly after the 1655-61 war with Moscow, when the Cossacks ravaged the church killing the monks and citizens who had taken shelter there.
In the times of the Soviet occupation it was closed down and handed over to the Art institute.
In 1994, the brethren of St. Francis returned to the church.
Church and Monastery are some of the largest sacral buildings in Vilnius, although in the 17th and 18th centuries they acquired the Renaissance and Baroque features.
Being much larger and more archaic than the St. Anne's Church, it forms and interesting and unique ensemble with the latter.
Gothic pointed-arch windows and buttresses stand out on the façade. Above them rises a pediment with twin octagonal towers on the sides and a fresco depicting the Crucifix in the middle niche.
A Gothic presbytery is the oldest part of the church. Eight high pillars divide the church interior into 3 naves.
There are many valuable 16th-century wall paintings in Bernardine church and the oldest known artistic Lithuanian crucifix sculpture from the 15th century. [2]
The walls of the naves are decorated with Gothic polychrome frescoes, partly uncovered in 1981 - dynamic, colourful figural compositions on biblical and hagiographic themes, with occasional inscriptions in Gothic characters, floral ornaments, heraldic insignia etc.
These mural paintings date from the early 16th century and are considered unique in the world: their composition and type of presentation of the subject matter belongs to Renaissance, and the stylistics - to the Gothic style. [3]
The Bernardine monastery north of the church, built simultaneously with the church, was renovated and reconstructed several times. Since its founding, a novitiate and a seminary operated at the monastery, a rich library had been accumulated, and a scriptorium operated. There [were] artists, craftsmen and organists among the monks. The monastery was closed in 1864, and the building housed soldiers' barracks. In 1919 it was given to the art faculty of the university, later - to the Art Institute (now the Art Academy).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Francis_and_St._Berna...
went to a wedding this past weekend. very nice building, with a couple of confessional booths set up at the back of the sanctuary. i'd never sat in one before so..i did. wierd feeling, kinda smelt a little like old wood, or like a cabin. this photo is from inside looking out.
Confessional - Cathédrale notre Dame de Québec - Notre Dame Cathedral - Quebec City, 2015/05
L’aïeul
L’aïeul mourait froid et rigide.
Il avait quatre-vingt-dix ans.
La blancheur de son front livide
Semblait blanche sur ses draps blancs.
Il entr’ouvrit son grand oeil pâle,
Et puis il parla d’une voix
Lointaine et vague comme un râle,
Ou comme un souffle au fond des bois.
Est-ce un souvenir, est-ce un rêve ?
Aux clairs matins de grand soleil
L’arbre fermentait sous la sève,
Mon coeur battait d’un sang vermeil.
Est-ce un souvenir, est-ce un rêve ?
Comme la vie est douce et brève !
Je me souviens, je me souviens
Des jours passés, des jours anciens !
J’étais jeune ! je me souviens !
Est-ce un souvenir, est-ce un rêve ?
L’onde sent un frisson courir
A toute brise qui s’élève ;
Mon sein tremblait à tout désir.
Est-ce un souvenir, est-ce un rêve.
Ce souffle ardent qui nous soulève ?
Je me souviens, je me souviens !
Force et jeunesse ! ô joyeux biens !
L’amour ! l’amour ! je me souviens !
Est-ce un souvenir, est-ce un rêve ?
Ma poitrine est pleine du bruit
Que font les vagues sur la grève,
Ma pensée hésite et me fuit.
Est-ce un souvenir, est-ce un rêve
Que je commence ou que j’achève ?
Je me souviens, je me souviens !
On va m’étendre près des miens ;
La mort ! la mort ! je me souviens !
Des vers - Guy de Maupassant
[...]
NIkon F100 @ IL+1
Micro Nikkor 60mm
Ilford hp5 @800
Kodak D76 (stock)
Nikon Coolscan LS5000
CS5 : Contrast and unsharp mask
The crowd surrounding Banksy's Concrete Confessional piece, on the twelfth day of his Better Out Than In show in NYC. E 7th St and Cooper Sq.
Artist Willem Vermandere with one of his sculptures in the confessional of the church in Lauwe where he exhibited his works.
From the autumn 2016 trip to Vietnam:
If ever there were a good way to finish up a trip, this particular Sunday in October would be it. Before arriving in Hanoi, I honestly had exceptionally low expectations. A bit like Saigon, if you are to go online and try to look up a list of places to visit – basically a tourist’s stock photography checklist, as it may be – you don’t find much that’s appealing. Well…I didn’t, anyway, and as a result, I had pretty low expectations for Hanoi.
The charm and beauty of Hanoi, however, isn’t in any one particular place. It’s in the experience of the entire city. (I’d say the same for Saigon, but multiply that a few times for Hanoi.) On this day in the Old Quarter in particular, I kept finding myself thinking, “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t be this lucky as a photographer…” Today ended up being mostly about people, with a little food and historical locations mixed in.
As I mentioned in the last set of posting, today would start off a bit sad with Junebug leaving for China a day before I would. So, we were checked out of our room by 6:00 in the morning or so. The breakfast at the Art Trendy was wonderful. Buffet with a mix of made-to-order omelets mixed in. Strong work, Art Trendy, strong work…
When June left, I really had nothing to do since it was still six in the morning and I was temporarily homeless as I had to switch hotels. So…I sat around the lobby for about two hours (possibly slightly awkward for the poor girls working there, but oh, well; I had to sit somewhere).
Around 8:00, I finally dragged my old bones out of the hotel and walked the five to ten minutes down the street to the Aquarius, where I politely asked them to hold my non-camera bag until I come back around 1:00 in the afternoon to check in.
After that, I was finally off with my cameras to enjoy an early Sunday morning in the bustling Old Quarter. On the street where the hotel is situated are a number of restaurants where locals were jammed in to enjoy noodles, steamed buns, and the like. It was wonderful to be among that crowd (though someone tried to scold me ever so slightly for taking pictures of people eating).
Since this was right next to St. Joseph’s Cathedral – and it was Sunday morning – I found my way back into the church where we crashed the wedding the afternoon before and realized that I almost got locked into Sunday mass while walking around taking pictures. So…I stayed. I prayed. And my prayer was answered when I realized the side doors and even the back door were open. (Ok…I didn’t really think I was locked in a church, but it did feel like it a little bit.)
Upon exiting the church, a handful of frames under my belt, I walked along the lovely streets photographing shops and people. At Caphe, I piggybacked on someone else’s photo shoot – it looked like they were doing a promo for the place, or possibly just a personal shoot for five women, though I have a feeling it was the former. At any rate, I was quite pleased with that little set and am presenting quite a few of those here, even if they’re a little redundant.
My ultimate goal with this wandering was to find my way to the Hanoi Hilton. Now, I’m not taking about the hotel chain, of course, but rather the prison that U.S. prisoners of war sarcastically called the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam War. (This is the prison where Senator John McCain was interred while a POW, and there are one or two pictures to that effect here.)
This prison has a particularly interesting history (and morbid since…well…it’s a prison). It’s about a hundred years old and was founded by the French colonialists around the turn of the 20th century. During the first 50 years of its history, the French imprisoned Vietnamese insurgents and those who wanted independence. In the eyes of the French…renegades (hence the imprisonment). In the eyes of the Vietnamese – especially the current government – patriots and national heroes. If they were truly freedom fighters, then I would probably side with the current government on that one.
The French even had a guillotine installed here and overcrowding was a major problem. There were plenty of escape attempts, and more were successful than you may think, which is a little peculiar.
After the battle of Bien Dien Phu and the ejection of the French from the north (and before the U.S. got involved in the south), the prison changed hands and was under control of Ho Chi Minh. During the Vietnam War, it became one of the main prisons for U.S. POWs, as I alluded to above.
The propaganda claims that the Vietcong were absolutely humane and decent with U.S. prisoners, allowing them to observe their religious rites (Christmas celebrations, etc.), allowed prisoners to smoke and enjoy leisure (board games, basketball, etc.), and claimed they were well-fed.
This is certainly how it’s presented in the prison/museum currently. If you were to go online, though, and try to find a contrary report, you would find that this was all coerced and staged to make it appear as if things were on the up and up. (For anyone curious, per my Vietnamese friends, the general education in Vietnam today is how terrible the French and U.S. were for colonizing and torturing the country and keeping it from its independence.)
So, what’s the truth of what really happened? Who knows? Outside of firsthand accounts, it’s impossible to know for certain and even then, memory can be a tricky thing. I tend to like to say the truth is always somewhere between two opposing viewpoints, no matter what the topic may be.
From an impartial and purely photographic point of view, the prison, currently a museum/memorial, is an interesting place to spend an hour or two. Some of the exhibits seem a bit cheesy, but some are quite tasteful and well done. There’s also an informational video. You’ll have to see this with a bit of imagination (the prison, that is), as at least half of it has been leveled for high rise buildings. At least there’s some tangible piece of it left to visit, including the main gate (Maison Centrale).
After about two hours here at the Hanoi Hilton, I walked over towards the Opera House to get a few daytime shots but, really, to get lunch at El Gaucho. I was looking forward to a proper steak. The prices were astronomical (though justifiable based on what I ate), though I just opted for a steak salad. It was so good I contemplated going back for dinner, but had other plans.
With a happy stomach, I went back to finally check in at the Aquarius Hotel and got my workout huffing up six flights of stairs each time I went out. I relaxed here for a few hours until 4:00 when a dear friend of mine came to town to see me.
Ngan and I had an ice cream at Baskin Robbins right in front of St. Joe’s before heading over to the Temple of Literature. This is a temple dedicated to education and, bless my soul, it’s a place where university graduates come for graduation pictures.
On this particular day – a warm, sunny, late Sunday afternoon – it was packed with college students. And it was beautiful to see that many people happy, full of hopes and dreams, and dressed in either cap and gown or traditional Vietnamese clothes. In short…I had a field day shooting for an hour here.
Around 5:00, Ngan had to head back to school, and I went back to my hotel. I had one more meeting. Hoa, who traveled around Thailand & Cambodia with me in May, flew back to see me this evening. She picked me up at 6:00 on her scooter and rode me all around Hanoi by evening.
She started by taking me to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum (which I consider a lot more photogenic in its setting than the Great Gangster’s Mausoleum on Tiananmen Square). This one, at least, was in a parklike setting. At evening, it’s well-lit and you can find people relaxing in the grass in front of it. During the day, you can visit and there are quite a few buildings behind the mausoleum that you can also see.
After a few minutes here, Hoa took me by West Lake – the largest lake in Hanoi, as I mentioned yesterday – and just drove me around for over an hour, it seemed. My impressions that Hanoi (even out of the Old Quarter) seemed to be a good place to live – though I’d be concerned about the air pollution – and people here seemed to be happy. Also…Vietnamese really love their coffee.
We finally returned to the Old Quarter for dinner at one of the famous restaurants she recommended and she treated me to a wonderful dinner. I can’t recall what we ate (the Vietnamese names of it, anyway), but it was nice.
After dinner, she drove me over towards the Opera House and then, finally, we stopped by Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the Quarter and walked around the lake. It was getting close to 10:00 by this time, and I wanted to get back to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before waking up for my early flight in the morning. Hoa came to the airport with me to see me off.
If ever there were a great way to finish a great trip, this was it. I absolutely loved Vietnam – honestly, a lot more than I imagined I would, even with every single person I know who’d ever come here saying what a fantastic country this is – and would gladly come back. This seems to be one of the kinds of countries that you would never get tired of or, if you did, it would sure take a long time. With that, I’ll bid goodbye to Vietnam for now with the hopes that I’ll someday return to this land of amazing food, landscapes, and people.
As always, thanks for dropping by and viewing these pictures. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments and I’ll answer as I have time.
positive scanned::Rolleiflex 2.8e::Carl Zeiss Planar 80mm f2.8:: Fujichrome Astia 100F [RAP] :: Orchid Park Kuala Lumpur ::
the soundtrack Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animal