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Installed on the southern nave of the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church, the Great War memorial window was commissioned by the Saint George's Presbyterian Parish in 1921 and dedicated to the fallen. There were twenty fallen men from the congregation who died in the conflict between 1914 and 1918. The names are listed on a polished brass plaque beneath the window. The window was done by successful British born, German trained, Melbourne stained glass artist William Montgomery. The window features an Australian soldier in army uniform with his gun and slouch hat at his side in the left-hand main panel. In the right the heavenly vision of a beautiful woman in classical robes and long flowing blonde hair. The line from the bible quoted in Chronicles 29:1 "Thine o Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty" is quoted at the top of the dedication panels. This window obviously eludes to the sacrifices made by the men of the parish during the Great War. Not only does it depict a Great War Australian soldier, but the maiden in splendid robes holds a laurel wreath aloft in her right hand and a martyr palm frond in her left hand. The Laurel wreath symbolises martial victory, crowning a successful commander during his triumph. The martyr palm frond represents the victory of spirit over flesh, and its depiction in this window indicates that it is dedicated for the fallen martyrs on the brass plaque beneath the window. The lady also walks amid a bed of lilies of the valley, also known as the May lily. This means "return to happiness" and most often symbolizes chastity, purity, happiness, luck and humility, eluding again to the sacrfifice the fallen men made for their country and the people of the congregation. The quatrefoil of the stained glass window features two martyr palm fronds and a crown, symbolising the place in heaven these twenty martyrs received.
Rising proudly on the rise of a hill, the former Saint George’s Presbyterian Church, which stands on the corner of Latrobe Terrace and Ryrie Street on the outskirts of the Geelong central business district, began its construction in 1860. Designed by architect Nathaniel Billing in Victorian English Gothic style, the original large nave of the church, with vestry and apse were constructed of irregularly coursed basalt with Hawksbury River freestone dressings. The initial build was erected and completed in 1861 by contractors Brown and Gibson. The foundation stone was laid on 12 June 1861. The large and finely constructed church reflects the wealth of many of the church's foundation patrons, which included Francis Ormond and other Western District Squatters. The former Saint George’s Presbyterian Church is a significant and intact work of Nathaniel Billing, who was well known for ecclesiastical architecture. The original church was expanded with the addition of transepts in 1908, and finally a spire and tower in 1936. The tower and spire were donated as a seventy-fifth anniversary gift by wealthy parishioners James McPhillimy and his sister Louise. The McPhillimy family were not only wealthy parisioners, but were also long time worshipers at Saint George’s Persbyterian Church. They began worshiping there in 1886.
The inside of the former Saint George’s Presbyterian Church is quite plain, with white painted walls and three rows of blackwood pews separated by two aisles. The church features examples of its original latticed quarry glass lancet windows with one band of coloured glass, as well as several figurative stained glass windows installed later. This includes two pairs of lancet windows manufactured by Ballantyne and Company of Edinburgh, which are perhaps the church’s most beautiful windows for their wonderful colours and beautiful hand-painted details. There is also two windows by Melbourne stained glass manufacturers Brooks Robinson and Company installed in the 1930s, and a fine heritage listed stained glass window by one of Melbourne’s leading stained glass artists, William Montgomery, which commemorates the fallen of the Great War. The church’s rose window and great western window created by Melbourne stained glass manufacturer Ferguson and Urie are the oldest windows, and like the quarry glass windows, are original.
Saint George's Presbyterian Church was forced to close its doors in 2015 owing to dwindling congregation numbers, and whilst the Presbyterian Church still owns the church and manse, the manse is now rented out and has been used for both commercial and residential purposes. The church itself sits idly, its slowly weathering exterior requiring significant restoration, its garden sinking into neglect and its interior lying beneath a sheet of thick dust.
I am very grateful to the retired Presbyterian Reverend Andrew Bray, caretaker of the church at the time of photographing, for giving me an hour of his time and for letting me photograph the interior and stained glass windows so extensively.
Nathaniel Billing was born in Brightwell, Oxfordshire in 1821. Articled to the prestigious office of Sir Gilbert Scott in London, he later commenced his own architectural practice in Slough under his own name. Nathaniel married his first wife, Henrietta in 1850. Three years later the pair and their family immigrated to Australia. he was appointed to the Colonial Architect's Office in Belfast (now known as Port Fairy), but commenced his own practice there in 1855. In Port Fairy he designed Saint John's Church of England in 1856 and the Bank of Australasia in 1857. That same year, Nathaniel left Port Fairy and moved to Melbourne, where he soon had a thriving practice. In Melbourne, most of his commissions were ecclesiastical. He designed All Saints Church of England on Chapel Street in 1861 which with a seating capacity of 1,500 is the largest Church of England in the southern hemisphere, Saint Margaret's Church of England in Eltham in 1861, alterations to Melville House in Collins Street in 1881, "Steamshall" a Victorian Italianate villa in Kew in 1882, Saint Paul's Cathedral in Sale in 1884, Saint Matthias' Church of England in Richmond in 1885, the Fitzroy Cricket Ground grandstand in 1888, and extensions to Saint George's Church of England in 1889 in conjunction with the architects firm Dalton and Gibbons. Nathaniel's first wife Henrietta died in 1867 after nineteen years of marriage, four sons and five daughters. Nathaniel remarried in 1869, taking Mary Anne Hooke as his wife. They had no children together. Nathaniel's fourth child, William Urban Billing, joined his firm in 1880 and practiced as Billing and Son. They worked together until 1895 when Nathaniel retired. Nathaniel died at his home in Westbury Street East St Kilda in 1910 at the age of 88.
William Montgomery (1850 - 1927) was an artist who specialised in stained glass painting and design. He was born in England in 1850, and studied at the School of Art in Newcastle-on-Tyne. In his final year William was awarded one of only three National Art Scholarships that year to study at South Kensington School of Art (now the Royal College of Art). He was employed by the leading London stained glass firm, Clayton and Bell, before joining Franz Mayer and Company in Munich, Germany. Over the next seven years he not only designed windows he also trained others in the English style of glass painting. William arrived in Melbourne, Australia, in 1886 during the Boom Period provided by the Gold Rush. Melbourne was at the time one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and was in the throes of a building boom. He quickly set up his studio at 164 Flinders Street in the heart of Melbourne, bringing with him the latest in European style and design and achieving instant success amongst wealthy patrons. He worked equally for Catholic and Protestant denominations, his windows being found in many churches as well as in mansions, houses and other commercial buildings around the city. This extended to the country beyond as his reputation grew. A painter as well as stained glass window designer William was a founding member of the Victorian Art Society in Albert Street, Eastern Hill. William became President of its Council in 1912, a position he held until 1916. He was a trustee of the National Gallery of Victoria. His commissions included; stained glass windows at Christ Church, Hawthorn: St. John's, Heidelberg, St. Ignatius', Richmond: Christ Church, St Kilda: Geelong Grammar School: the Bathurst Cathedral and private houses "Tay Creggan", Hawthorn (now Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar), and "Earlsbrae Hall", Essendon (now Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School). The success of William Montgomery made Melbourne the leading centre of stained glass in the Southern Hemisphere. William Montgomery died in 1927.
"Dedicated in all Humility to those who Blazed the Trail".
This well known panorama is a landmark of Harolds Club, the largest gambling establishment in the world. The seven-story structure includes the greatest known collection of early American firearms - over two million visitors come annually."
Reno News Agency
Curteichcolor Card
6DK-1922
CAPA-012226
Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.
Where are you going? Wait! Don’t you see how beautiful I am?!
WHAT? That the true beauty is hidden inside? …
Don’t go away - PLEASE - stay here for a while with me.
I … I will learn a humility …
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My author crochet brooch:-)
Please, respect copyright - thank you:-)
This is a close-up of a sculpture I found in Duesseldorf today. This sculpture is part of a bigger group of sculptures called the "Stadterhebungsmonument" (Monument about the founding of the city), created by the local artist Bert Gerresheim. This group depicts important events in the history of the city of Duesseldorf.
For some more background information you can go here: http://www.fkoester.de/denkmaeler/Stadterhebung/index.php#Beschreibung (in German).
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HUMILITY is knowing you are a sacred part of creation.
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The great humility of this saint appeared amidst the honors and applause which followed him.
During his life Saint Vincent freed more than seventy people from the Devil and many more were freed at his tomb. He raised more than twenty-eight people from the dead and four hundred sick people were cured by resting on the couch where he had lain during his illness.
The change of a sinful heart is even a greater miracle than wondrous temporal benefits. Saint Vincent was not wanting here as we have seen; thousands of sinners became penitent, including Jews and Moors.
Yes, the blind see; the deaf hear; paralytics walk; the plague-stricken are healed; the faithless believe; sinners repent; the unstable grow steadfast; the idle find energy; sworn enemies embrace; the hard of heart find their hearts on fire. And beside the miracles that affect men, storms are stilled, rain stops, rocks are split, lightning flashes from the sky. Heaven itself opens and saints, angels, the Mother of God and her Son come forth. What must be must be – God will have it so. The prayer of a saint is omnipotent – if God decides to grant it.
"Once humility is acquired, charity will come to life."
ST. VINCENT FERRER (1350 – 1419) PRAY FOR US!
A detail crop of the full Sized Grace and humility. (scaled down to 66% of full res).
Two ideals to strive for.
O God, we need your help...please let Heaven open and fill us with Your Divine Grace and blessings...we need to be strengthened...and in humility that we are always awed by Your Mighty Power and Love...
- Henry David Thoreau
Today I braved the early rise and fresh crisp air to catch a sunrise, something I haven't done for a while because of laziness.
There has been no manipulation to this image except for the Apertures conversion to jpeg on export.
Don't forget to check out my blog - full frame sensor
“Humility is the most fertile soil from which spirituality can grow and unfold. Learn to always remain humble and you will see how people are transformed by your presence."—Amma, Immortal Bliss, 3rd qtr. 1998
“The best, like water;
Benefit all and do not compete.
They dwell in lowly spots that everyone else scorns.
Putting others before themselves,
They find themselves in the foremost place
And come very near to the Tao.”
—Lao Tzu, “Words to Live By”, p. 279, Eknath Easwaran
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”—Luke 14
It was with great humility that one day I asked my mother if I could have these water chimes from her overgrown and neglected garden. Years ago when she bought the chimes I thought they were the dumbest things and did not waste anytime in letting her know this.
Now they have become one of my most cherished objects to photograph. I love the shapes and lines that they create, the way objects are captured and held captive till the wind moves them on their journey. And the light that they collect during the coarse of the day is so intriguing.
Simple and humble they now have a cherished spot in my garden and heart.
Twofer I hope - for ODC2 Picture Tells a Story and Group TOTW - Seven Virtues, showing Patience Diligence and Humility (or it could be interpreted that way), but you could put any number of stories to this shot I think, I just loved the light on the stone, my husband's face, happy, thoughtful and very dirty!!!! I should mention the poor chap on the floor is our friend and builder Scott, you have to guess what it is exactly he is doing in that position, and it's not praying.
Endless selfies at the top of the Dom, Koln, Germany. She was truly there for over ten minutes doing this.
“At that time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, ‘Who then is [really] the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Truly I say to you, unless you repent [change, turn about] and become like little children [trus...
Have you noticed the grass? Even if somebody steps on it, it never gets hurt, it never hurts other too. When a wild storm attacks, all the big trees get uprooted but the simple grass survives.
So be noble and humble like the grass, simple but strong.
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Hello to all! Sorry to have posted this photos and ran this morning without visiting your streams. I've been to Abra the whole day for an official travel. I wish i was able take photos there too but with our busy sched it was difficult to take extra curricular activities. I'll be coming back to take photos and share it you. The province of Abra is also interesting and amazing! =)
For all my friends who visited my stream today, thank you very much! All your comments, faves, critics, suggestions etc are much appreciated. I love hearing from you, guys.
I'll catch up with your streams tonight. HBW! =)
Taken in Magapit, Cagayan
Humility take charge of me
Drown me in truth's modest waters
Loosen your grip identity
Free me from an ego's falter
(Cynic - How Could I)
Velvia50/RB67/50mm/0.9GND
this image is from September 2014, and i truly wonder how i could ignore it until today. does this also happen to you?
Humble man or fierce leader?
Macro Monday project – 06/20/11
"Humility"
This is a macro detail of a Rosary I bought in my last vacation to Brazil when visiting the amazing St. Benedict Monastery in Olinda – PE.
"St. Benedict: Born to the Roman nobility. Twin brother of Saint Scholastica. Studied in Rome, Italy, but was dismayed by the lack of discipline and the lackadasical attitude of his fellow students. Fled to the mountains near Subiaco, living as a hermit in a cave for three years; reported to have been fed by a raven. His virtues caused an abbey to request him to lead them. Founded the monastery at Monte Cassino, where he wrote the Rule of his order. His discipline was such that an attempt was made on his life; some monks tried by poison him, but he blessed the cup and rendered it harmless. He returned to his cave, but continued to attract followers, and eventually established twelve monasteries. Had the ability to read consciences, the gift of prophesy, and could forestall attacks of the devil. Destroyed pagan statues and altars, drove demons from groves sacred to pagans. At one point there were over 40,000 monasteries guided by the Benedictine Rule. A summation of the Rule: “Pray and work.”
009/365
Humility:
What it is: “Humility is considered the first virtue inasmuch as it removes the obstacles to faith. It removes pride and makes a man subject to and a fit recipient of grace; according to the words of St. James, "God resisteth the proud, and giveth his grace to the humble" (James 4:6)
"True humility" is distinctly different from "false humility" " which consists of deprecating one's own sanctity, gifts, talents, and accomplishments for the sake of receiving praise or adulation from other – Personified by Uriah Heep in David Copperfield. In this context legitimate humility comprises the following behaviors and attitudes
1.submission to God and legitimate authority;
2.recognition of the virtues and talents that others possess, particularly those which surpass one's own, and giving due honor and, when required, obeisance;
3.recognition of the limits of one's talents, ability, or authority; and, not reaching for that which is beyond one's grasp.”
Humility is not to think less of oneself but to think of oneself less.
A common misconception is that humility involves having a low self-esteem, a sense of unworthiness, and/or a lack of self-focus. However, true humility involves an accurate self-assessment, recognition of limitations, keeping accomplishments in perspective, and forgetting of the self. Humble people do not distort information to defend or verify their own image, and they do not need to see-or present- themselves as being better than they actually are.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
- Pablo Picasso
Don't sell yourself short, maximise your presence in life by making use of your top strengths. But first, you need to know what they are. To take the only free scientifically backed personality test available today visit www.revisedperception.com/
David Luddy
Revised Perception
The scale of virtues
We have reached the fourth Sunday of Lent and our Church projects the face of San Giovanni del Sinai, the so-called Scala. He was born in the 6th century in Syria. At the age of sixteen he became a probationary monk in the holy monastery of Sinai. He practiced obedience and humility at Abba Martirio, having previously acquired secular circular wisdom. At the age of twenty, after four years of constant struggle, he became a monk and was renamed John. He then received the first two degrees of priesthood, deacon and elder, to serve the needs of the monastery. He remained in the Sinai Monastery for nineteen consecutive years.
Then, at the age of thirty-five, he retired to a deserted place in the Sinai where he practiced in silence and studied his father's books. At the age of seventy-five he became Abbot of the Sinai Monastery where he remained in this position for four years. He then retired to the desert and at the age of eighty he died on March 30th.
The Honorable Santo was today a great scholar and anatomist of the human soul, he was. Man of prayer, temperance, constant love for God, man with ardent divine love and always lit by the fire of divine love, as Synaxari tells us. He was a man who led his soul along the paths of Christ, who led him whole from hell to heaven, from the devil to God, from sin to sin, as Saint Justin Popovic tells us. It is no coincidence that our Holy Church has named this day in honor of St. John. In the sea that we cross during Lent, in the phase of struggles and spiritual virtues, St. John of Sinai is an example to imitate for each of us.
The reason why the Saint is called with this name is because he wrote an important book, considered one of the masterpieces of our Ecclesiastical Secretariat, the famous "Scala", a spiritual and ascetic book. It consists of thirty reasons of virtue, each of which includes a virtue, which he wrote himself.
The ladder, that is, the ladder, describes the path to divinization as an ascent like an ascent to a ladder that leads to heaven. Every step of him is a virtue that the believer in difficulty must conquer to achieve his goal. This book begins with the more practical virtues, the virtues that are easily acquired and have mainly a practical character, such as the virtue of repentance, obedience, and ends with the theoretically elevated ones, such as humility and discrimination. Each virtue is classified to presuppose the previous one and this is a condition for the next.
The first three reasons, which constitute the introduction of this book, refer to the self-denial of the worldly and concern the monks. The next four reasons, which highlight the same number of fundamental virtues, and these are those of obedience, repentance, remembrance of death and joyful mourning, which appear like the roots of a tree that offers its fruits to his faithful in difficulty. From 8 to 25 discourse the hard passions that every Christian must fight and the corresponding virtues that he must recover are described. The 26th discourse generally mentions their passions, virtues, thoughts and simple distinctions. The latter reasons are the fruits of labor and toil and are the symbolic ascent to the top of the ladder of virtues.
At this point I would like to refer to three of the Saint's speeches mentioned in the Scala. The first reason refers to the apostasy of this vain life. That is, as the author of the book says, to begin life in Christ, one must renounce the vanity of the present world. And the word world in the Bible does not have the meaning we perceive in the world today. It means the worldly mind, the worldly life and not our fellow men, those around us. One cannot approach God without saying no to sin and above all to his selfish desires. Because these wills hold us captive in the sinful world. According to the Holy Shepherd, man's will is a bronze wall that separates him from God.
So, getting away from the world means changing your worldly mind, the worldly way of thinking about life and getting the mind of Christ, that is, the spiritual way in which you see things around you. We see, therefore, that St. John places it as the basis of life in Christ. This also refers us to the word of the Lord "whoever wants to return to me, I renounce myself and see his cross and follow me" [2]. The word of the Lord is understandable. It is the same as our Saint says, to save his own vain life. What the Lord says "I renounce myself" does not mean that man denies himself, his existence, his body, but he renounces sin, the old, his passionate and sinful self "plus sufferings and desires" [3].
The other reason I would like to mention is the ninth reason for resentment. Revenge means remembering with disgust the evils that have been done to me by others and finding it difficult to forgive them. Unfortunately, sometimes we also want their revenge. The evangelist John mentions "you go half brother of him is a murderer" [4]. That is, if we want to hurt our brother, it is as if we wanted to kill him. Saint Chrysostom states: "God is not abhorred as a man of vengeance and anger". That is, nothing disgusts God as much as he does not like the man who is vindictive and holds his anger against the other.
Passion is fought with forgiveness, which is the most effective medicine that cures this disease. How will God forgive us if we do not forgive those who have wronged us? So, in order for God to forgive us, it is necessary to forgive our enemies. Love them, so that God can love us too. St. Maximus the Confessor says that we find forgiveness for our transgressions by forgiving our brothers and we find God's mercy by having mercy on our brothers. The more long-suffering we show our brothers that they have offended us, the more we enjoy divine long-suffering.
Through the Bible we see that the spirit prevails over revenge. In the Old Testament there are several testimonies that condemn resentment. The prophet Zechariah says: "Don't let each of you take revenge on this brother." In the book of Proverbs we read that the vindictive are illegal "he who does not resent, illegal" [7] and their end will be physical and spiritual death "the way of the vindictive to death" [8]. In the New Testament, resentment is unequivocally condemned and forgiveness is taught.
The last word refers to love, hope and faith. These virtues are the last because all three maintain the connection of all the other virtues, according to the apostle Paul, faith, hope, love "and love is greater than these" [9]. As John of Klimakos says, I see one as a ray, the other as light and the other as your solar disk, but all three together as a luminous splendor and the same brilliance. Faith can accomplish anything, hope is surrounded by God's mercy and does not shame the hopeful. Love never falls from his height, nor does it stop running, nor does it allow those who have been wounded by its arrows to calm down from the blissful mania it caused them. [10]
Love is a cornerstone of the Orthodox faith. Love is a good disposition of the soul, which makes it prefer none of beings more than the knowledge of God [11], says St. Maximus the Confessor. And he goes on to say that without love, salvation is problematic.
The New Testament promotes love not only as a good human sentiment, but as a mystery determined by the essence of God and imbued with the cross of Christ. God's love was expressed to the world through the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity, our Lord Jesus Christ. With love man becomes perfect and according to love we will be judged on the Day of Judgment, as the evangelist Matthew tells us [12].
Hope in God removes despair, takes away divine mercy and salvation, redeems all men who sin, raises the wounded and the afflicted, rejuvenates man, tones hearts and highlights them strong and courageous to face adversity . Hope is the original creative force of all goods, according to Saint Nektarios.
What is faith? Our definition is given by the apostle Paul in the letter to the Hebrews: "Faith is in you, the hope of your being, the control of things seen" [14]. Faith is absolute certainty and unshakable conviction, that I as a believer will enjoy in the future goods that do not exist now, it seems that they do not exist, but I hope, that is, I wait for them with lively hope, I wait to realize them and enjoy them, like the resurrection of the dead, the Second Coming, the eternal judgment.
Faith is the key with which the divine treasure is opened, it is the spiritual mouth, says St. John of Krostand [15]. And the same father goes on to say that the more the mouth of faith moves, the more ruthlessly we believe in the omnipotence of God, the more divine mercies will be upon us. The Holy Successor of the Light says that faith without works and works without faith will be rejected by God in the same way. This is why the believer must offer God the faith that is manifested through works.
My dear brothers and sisters, our celebrated Saint, Saint John of Klimakos, is a great example for every Christian in need. He urges us not to hesitate, but also not to be shy in the arising of our spiritual struggle. Let us strive every day to carry on our spiritual struggle, so that, by the grace of God, we can claim to ascend to spiritual levels, just like him. Amen!
Her name is "No Moccasins" and she is a legendary hero to her clan
(from the book ""The Lakota Way" by American Indian author Ohitiya Otanin..[Joseph M.Marshall III])
All Saints, Bingley, West Yorkshire.
East Window, 1890 - detail.
Charity - Purity - Love - Truth - Humility.
Designed by Henry Holiday (1839-1927).
Made by James Powell & Sons.
Henry George Alexander Holiday entered the Royal Academy Schools at the age of 15 and was soon drawn to the ideas, and the artists, of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. He succeeded Edward Burne-Jones as the chief designer for the stained glass firm James Powell & Sons in 1863 and his style had a long-lasting effect on their production into the 1920s. Some of his windows were made by Lavers & Barraud and Heaton, Butler & Bayne, and after eventually ending his association with Powells, he established his own workshop in 1890. From about 1900 he even made his own glass at the workshop. His later work was made at the Glass House, Fulham.
Henry Holiday also worked as a painter, illustrator and sculptor, and his broad range of interests led to involvement in the campaign for Irish Home Rule, women's suffrage and dress reform.
Humble abode of a simple farmer family in a village, Dieng Plateau, Central Java, Indonesia.
Although diminished, firewood is used for cooking, essential for life sustenance.
A life with a home without fences and window iron bars is still possible in this part of the world.
Picture taken from a village in a narrow slope, Dieng highlands, Central Java, Indonesia.
"In his humility Christ entered the dark regions of our fallen world and he is glad that he became so humble for our sake, glad that he came and lived among us and shared in our nature in order to raise us up again to himself. And even though we are told that he has now ascended above the highest heavens - the proof, surely, of his power and godhead - his love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven."
– St Andrew of Crete.
This painting is in the National Gallery, Washington DC. Today is Passion Sunday.
In his book, Screwtape Letters, (a book of imagined correspondence between a major devil and his nephew, Wormwood, a junior devil), he writes the following to Wormwood, about humility:
"I see only one thing to do at the moment—as your patient (a young Christian) has become humble. Have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is especially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, 'By Jove, I'm being humble!' And almost immediately pride, pride at his own humility, will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt. Through as many stages as you please, but don't try this too long for fear you will awaken his sense of humor and proportion. In which case he will merely laugh at you and go to bed."
In Gatchina, the former residence of the Russian emperors in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, on the shore of the "Black Lake", stands a small palace which bears the name "Priory Palace". Although it was originally intended to serve for only twenty years, it is already in its third century of existence. The Priory Palace is so exceptional that it surely ought to be in the "Guinness Book of Records". Everything about this building is unusual: its name, its architectural appearance, the materials and techniques of its construction, as well as the legends which are bound up with it.
Constructed for a prior of the Maltese Order, the palace never actually became a priory, although it was presented to the Order of St. John of Jerusalem by a decree of Paul I dated 23 August 1799. In the 19th century, the Priory was occupied first by the Court choristers, then by the master of the royal hunt; in Soviet times it became a place for outings, a "house of rest", a Pioneers' house, then a museum of local history. Then the palace was closed, being by now in a state of such disrepair that it seemed about to collapse into the Black Lake. At that time the palace bore a new name - people called it the "Crumbling Castle".
A romantic page of Russian history is bound up with the knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta. The year 1999 was the 900th anniversary of the founding of the order, which today numbers about 12,000 members, as well as the 200th year since the election of Tsar Paul I as the order's Grand Master.
It is in Jerusalem, the "city of cities", that the tomb of Our Lord is located. Thousands of Christian pilgrims made their way to the Holy Land to visit it. In the pilgrims' refuge attached to the church of St. John the Baptist, not far from Jerusalem, monks tended the pilgrims and received donations from them as a mark of their gratitude. The emblem of the order is a white eight-pointed cross, symbolising the eight virtues - faith, charity, truth, justice, innocence, humility, sincerity and patience. The monks were bound by their rules not only to provide help for the injured, but also to defend Christianity against the followers of Islam. Thus the order became an order of warrior-monks, who were known as "Knights of St. John" or "Knights Hospitallers". But the crusades undertaken by the order ended in failure and they were forced to flee to the island of Rhodes, which was their home for two centuries. In the year 1522 the forces of the Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent attempted to capture Rhodes. After a six-month siege the Grand Master of the order, Philippe de l'Isle-Adam, surrendered the island. Full of admiration for the knights' courage, Suleiman allowed them to leave the island by ship.
A new place of refuge for the knights was found in 1530, when Charles V, king of Spain and Sicily, gave the island of Malta to the order in return for a symbolic annual payment of one hunting falcon. During the years of its residence in Malta the order of St. John developed into a very powerful and wealthy community; its knights combined a high degree of monasticism with a code of knightly honour. In the north-east of the island they built a fortress which, during the 400 years of its history, no-one has ever succeeded in taking by storm. The name of its builder - Grand Master Jean de La Vallette - has been immortalised in the name of Malta's capital, Valletta.
The French Revolution drove the knights from Malta and deprived the order of its wealth; its estates were confiscated for the benefit of the people. On 6 June 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte, on the way to Egypt, raided Malta. The order allowed the general's forces to enter the harbour, and the invulnerable fortress of Valletta fell without a shot being fired. By Napoleon's decree, all the silver from the churches built by the Hospitallers was melted down. The Grand Master von Gompesch was exiled, and the knights were compelled to leave the island within 72 hours.
Relations between the Russian state and the Maltese order were first established in 1698, when Peter I's ambassador Boris Petrovich Sheremetev was received with honour in Valletta by the head of the order Grand Master Raymond de Pereylos, and, though he was not a Catholic, became the first Russian knight of this Catholic order. During the reign of Catherine II an alliance was formed between Russia and Malta against Turkey. In the Turkish war several officers of the order fought on Russia's side. One of these was Count Yuliy Pompeevich Litta, who received a golden sword "for valour" and the third degree of the Order of St. George. And it was Litta who brought the insignia of the order to Russia for Paul I, with the request that he should take the order under his patronage. On the 29th November 1798 the solemn ceremony took place by which the Russian emperor assumed the title of Grand Master. From Malta certain holy relics were brought to Gatchina - a piece of Christ's cross, the icon of the Mother of God from Philerma, the right hand of John the Baptist.
Paul I was a great admirer of the order. From childhood he had read and re-read the Abbot Vertot's "History of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem". He was shaken by the fate of Malta and came to the aid of the order. An agreement was signed by which the Polish priorate became the Great Russian priorate. Two priorates were established - a Polish, Catholic priorate and a Russian, Orthodox priorate. The Maltese knights came to Russia, where they were granted lands and high office. The residence of the order was transferred to St. Petersburg. Paul judged that this powerful knightly order would be of assistance in the struggle against the revolutionary ideas which were then spreading in Europe. An institute of honorary commanders was established, admission to which was not dependent on proof of noble origin. The cross of the order was awarded for services to the state, either military or civil.
Paul gave to the knights of the Russian priorate the church of St. John the Baptist on St. Petersburg's Stone Island, and the Vorontsov Palace (now the Suvorov Military Academy). Next to the Vorontsov Palace the architect Giovanni Quarenghi built a Maltese chapel, and in Gatchina the architect N. A. Lvov created the Priory Palace for the French emigre Prince Conde, a former prior of the order. (A "prior" is one of the main officials of the order, and "priory" is the designation of a prior's residence.) Before succeeding to the throne, during his travels in Europe Paul had visited the country residence of Prince Conde at Chantilly. He recalled that in Paris Louis XVI had received him as a friend, but that in Chantilly Prince Conde had received him as a king. Mindful of the prince's hospitality, Paul wanted to construct a palace for him in his beloved Gatchina. But Conde never came to Gatchina, and the palace was used by the Maltese knights for meetings of the order under the presidency of their Grand Master, and as a "spare" palace.