View allAll Photos Tagged Medievalarchitecture
The village of Urchfont (pop. 1,181) near Devizes in Wiltshire is centred on its pond. Behind it stands the attractive Grade II listed Mulberrry House, dating to the early-to-mid 18th Century. Over it peeps the late 15th Century tower of the 15th Century parish church of St Michael and All Angels.
Krak des Chevaliers - wikipedia - Qal’at Salah El-Din
Il Krak des Chevaliers domina il passo, strategicamente determinante, che divide il Mediterraneo dalle città dell’entroterra mediorientale di Homs e Hama, e sorge sulle rive del fiume Oronte.
Noto fra gli Arabi con il nome di Hisn al Akrad, o Fortezza dei Curdi, venne costruito sulle fondamenta di un preesistente castello mussulmano.
Arroccato su di una montagna costantemente sconvolta e modellata dai venti e che strapiomba vertiginosamente su tre lati, il Krak, sia per il suo modello costruttivo, sia per la particolare collocazione geografica scelta per la sua ubicazione, per lungo tempo fu il più inespugnabile dei castelli crociati in Terra Santa.
E non possiamo non dare una prima menzione delle meravigliose architetture che lo compongono, se non attraverso gli occhi di un giovane studioso dei primi del ‘900, T.E. Lawrence, meglio noto come Lawrence d’Arabia : “…è questo forse il più meraviglioso dei castelli del mondo…”.
The fortifications of the town were built after the Mongol Invasion. It had four gates, which opened to the south, west, north and northeast. The plain of the town slightly slopes north, so the southern gate, which was located on the highest point, was called Upper Gate, while the northeastern gate, which was located on the lowest point, was called Lower Gate. The walls were defended by wide moats.
The wooden bridge leading across the moat in front of the Upper Gate was demolished in 1770 and a new stone bridge was built with five 4.5-metres wide arches.
www.explorecarpathia.eu/en/slovakia/bartfa-bardejov/stone...
Street photography in Chur, Switzerland. One of the many medieval passages in Chur. I especially like the light here.
The path vanished into white. Every step uncertain, every step necessary.
Only the sound of our own steps proved we were still on the way.
👉 Discover more on www.photohikers.de (German Website)
Der Pfad verschwand im Weiß. Jeder Schritt unsicher, jeder Schritt notwendig.
Nur das Geräusch unserer Schritte zeigte, dass wir noch unterwegs waren.
👉 Mehr findest du auf www.photohikers.de
The restored medieval castle of Hollókő lies on the edge of a prominent cliff between the Cserhát mountains, near the UNESCO World Heritage Palóc site, on the edge of a rocky outcrop.
Tintern Abbey (Welsh: Abaty Tyndyrn) was founded on 9 May 1131 by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow. It is situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. It was the first Cistercian foundation in Wales, and only the second in Britain (after Waverley Abbey).
The west front of the church, with its seven-light Decorated window, was completed around 1300. The abbey fell into ruin after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. Its remains have been celebrated in poetry and painting from the 18th century onwards. In 1984, Cadw took over responsibility for managing the site. Tintern Abbey is visited by approximately 70,000 people every year.
This description incorporates text from the English Wikipedia.
Holy Cross is the parish church in the Wiltshire village of Seend (pop. 1,132), just outside Devizes. It is part of the Church of England Diocese of Salisbury. The west tower dates to the 14th Century (with a 15th Century bell stage), most of the church dates slightly later, to around 1450, with the North Aisle rebuilt in 1498, and the chancel much more modern, being largely the product of an 1876 ‘restoration’ by A.J. Style.
The church has a rich collection of Georgian and Victorian memorials, and some pleasant Victorian and Edwardian glass.
The lovely Grade II*-listed Church of St Edmond in Castleton in Derbyshire Peak district dates from the early 1100s with the tower being completed in the 14th century. The church features a beautiful Norman chancel arch and box pews inscribed with dates ranging from 1661 to 1722. There are five three-branched brass oil lamps, now converted to electricity. The three memorials on the north wall date from 1725 to 1863.
Not quite a full moon, but a nice gibbous one on the wane.
St John's Church in the Wiltshire town of Devizes, dates from 1130 when it was constructed as a chapel to the recently completed castle. It is rumoured that the altar relic at its foundation was a feather from the wing of the Angel Gabriel. The feather has yet to be discovered!
Simon Jenkins points out the strong contrast between the - unexceptional - English Perpendicular style of the nave and the decidedly French Norman style of the east end of the church. The north and south chapels that flank the Norman chancel make up a third focus of interest.
Gloucester Cathedral Cloisters, handheld iPhone Panorama, tweaked in Snapseed on iPad Pro. Not as easy as it seems....took about 15 attempts before I finally got this one.
The Lady Chapel of Tewkesbury Abbey is to die for. I also love the effect of the different light colours, particularly rich from the candles.
The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury – commonly known as Tewkesbury Abbey – is located in the English county of Gloucestershire. A former Benedictine monastery, it is now a parish church. Considered one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Britain, it has the largest Romanesque crossing tower in Europe. Tewkesbury had been a centre for worship since the 7th Century. A priory was established there in the 10th Century. The present building was started in the early 12th Century. It was unsuccessfully used as a sanctuary in the Wars of the Roses. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it became the parish church for the town. George Gilbert Scott led the Restoration of the building in the late 19th Century.
The churchmanship of the Abbey is strongly Anglo-Catholic.
This description incorporates text from the English Wikipedia.
According to local legend, Helfštýn is named after the robber Helfried of Linva, who founded it. The castle was probably built in the last quarter of the 13th century. Around 1320 Vok of Kravař, a member of a prominent Moravian noble family, became the owner of the castle. Helfštýn remained in the possession of the Kravař family for more than a hundred years and underwent far-reaching structural changes during this period. Construction work began on a larger scale in the first half of the 14th century, but the main reconstruction of the castle into a Gothic fortress did not take place until the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. The Kravařs mainly improved the fortifications of Helfštýn. They replaced the makeshift fortification of the old parkland with a thick stone wall with four bastions, built a prismatic tower over the entrance to the castle itself and secured it with a drawbridge, built a fortified forecourt on the south side and cut the ridge of the hill with a moat carved into the rock.
The era of the Pernštejn family
In 1474, William of Pernštejn took over the castle estate and proceeded to its further reconstruction. In the last quarter of the 15th century,
Helfštýn Castle was enlarged with a thoroughly fortified, extensive farm forecourt (completed in 1480) and another forecourt, which formed a new outpost defending the entire enlarged building. At the same time, the fortifications of the old Kravaře castle were improved with bastions and a new system of towers and gates. The castle's ground plan was definitively given an elongated shape, and in its external form the perfect fortification system significantly overlapped all the other architectural elements.
Renaissance reconstruction
At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, the inner core of the castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence. The old castle palace was demolished, along with part of its original Gothic fortifications, and a magnificent Renaissance palace was built on the vacant space, in sharp contrast to the extensive system of late Gothic fortifications that surrounded it.
The destruction of the castle
In 1656, quite extensive demolition work was carried out, which, although it did not damage the fortifications of Helfštýn too much, definitively deprived it of the character of a manor house. And thus began the long-term destruction of the castle. The destruction was accelerated in the second half of the 18th century by the Ditrichstein family with demolition works. These attempts culminated in 1817, when part of the inner castle was destroyed by artillery fire.
Present day
The present-day character of the castle is that of a fortress with six gates and a series of 18th-century buildings and ramparts. Since the 19th century, the castle has been presented as a tourist and heritage site. Nowadays it has become a natural cultural centre of the region, with various cultural events taking place here throughout the season
Palazzi signorili, elegant noble residences that once housed the ruling families of Siena lining Piazza del Campo - one of Europe's most stunning medieval squares.
While most great European cathedrals were built in fits and starts over many centuries, Salisbury was essentially completed in just 32 years from 1218-1250. Some people find it just a bit too perfect on the inside as a result: I don't agree (but then I was ordained here, it's special to me). But from the outside, there can be no doubting the magnificence of its harmonious Early English design and gracile spire.
Worcester Cathedral, Tripod, Hisy remote, Zeiss ExoLens (Wide-Angle), ended up having to edit this one on the Flickr app, don't know why but when uploaded it lost the editing, this doesn't look as good..oh well!!!
The Gloucestershire town of Lechlade-on-Thames (population 2,850) on an evening of sunshine and rainstorms. Dominating the classically Cotswold High Street is the eight-sided spire of the Parish Church of St Lawrence, which was built in 1476 on the site of an early 13th Century church and which is Grade I listed.
Perle des sizilianischen Barock und UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe.
Pearl of Sicilian Baroque and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
photo rights reserved by Ben
The David Gareja Monastery complex lies in a remote and isolated part of the rugged, semi-desert landscape of eastern Georgia, near the border with Azerbaijan. The surroundings are marked by dry hills, barren plains, and steep rock formations — far removed from any village or town. This very secluded location enhances the spiritual atmosphere of the site, which has served for centuries as a retreat for monks seeking to withdraw from the world. The monastery was founded in the 6th century by the Syrian monk David Garejeli and is partially carved into the soft sandstone cliffs. On the left side of the photo, you can see the dramatic, sloping rock wall with carved cells, chapels, and caves that once served as living and prayer quarters for the monks. Some of them are still adorned with delicate, centuries-old frescoes. On the right, the fortified walls and round watchtowers can be seen — silent witnesses to the monastery’s defensive function throughout history. In the center, a green, open courtyard connects nature and architecture in a harmonious way. Beyond its historical and architectural value, David Gareja is still a living religious site. Today, it is home to Georgian Orthodox monks who lead a modest, secluded life devoted to prayer, study, and the maintenance of the monastery. Their presence reminds us that David Gareja is not merely a ruin, but an active spiritual community. Their daily routines continue almost undisturbed — in silence, in stone, and in harmony with the land. During our visit, we were the only visitors, allowing us to explore the entire site in complete peace. From the monastery, there is a breathtaking view over the silent, endless semi-desert plains — a place of stillness, reflection, and mysticism.
Hidden in Georgia’s remote semi-desert near the Azerbaijani border, the David Gareja Monastery is a centuries-old complex carved into sandstone cliffs. Still home to Orthodox monks, it blends ancient history with quiet spiritual life. Surrounded by stark, rugged landscapes, the site offers solitude, breathtaking views, and a deep sense of timelessness.
Het David Gareja-kloostercomplex ligt afgelegen en geïsoleerd in het ruige, halfwoestijnachtige landschap van Oost-Georgië, vlak bij de grens met Azerbeidzjan. De omgeving wordt gekenmerkt door droge heuvels, kale vlaktes en steile rotspartijen — ver verwijderd van dorpen of steden. Juist deze verlaten ligging versterkt de spirituele sfeer van de plek, die eeuwenlang een toevluchtsoord is geweest voor monniken die zich wilden terugtrekken uit de wereld. Het klooster werd in de 6e eeuw gesticht door de Syrische monnik David Garejeli en is deels uitgehouwen in de zachte zandsteenrotsen. Links op de foto zie je de spectaculaire, schuin oplopende rotswand, vol uitgehouwen cellen, kapellen en grotten die ooit dienden als woon- en gebedsruimten voor monniken. Sommige zijn nog versierd met verfijnde, eeuwenoude fresco’s. Rechts zijn de versterkte muren en ronde wachttorens zichtbaar — stille getuigen van de verdedigingsfunctie die het complex door de eeuwen heen ook heeft vervuld. In het midden ligt een groen, open binnenplein dat op harmonieuze wijze natuur en architectuur met elkaar verbindt. Naast zijn historische en architectonische waarde is David Gareja nog altijd een levendige religieuze plek. Er wonen vandaag de dag nog steeds Georgisch-Orthodoxe monniken, die er een teruggetrokken en sober leven leiden, toegewijd aan gebed, studie en het onderhoud van het klooster. Hun aanwezigheid onderstreept dat David Gareja geen verlaten ruïne is, maar een actieve spirituele gemeenschap. Hun dagelijkse rituelen gaan haast ongestoord verder — in stilte, in steen, en in verbondenheid met de natuur. Tijdens ons bezoek waren we de enige bezoekers, wat het mogelijk maakte het hele terrein in volledige rust te verkennen. Vanaf het klooster strekt zich een adembenemend uitzicht uit over de stille, eindeloze semi-woestijnvlakten — een plek van verstilling, bezinning en mystiek.
St John's Church in the Wiltshire town of Devizes, dates from 1130 when it was constructed as a chapel to the recently completed castle. It is rumoured that the altar relic at its foundation was a feather from the wing of the Angel Gabriel. The feather has yet to be discovered!
Simon Jenkins points out the strong contrast between the - unexceptional - English Perpendicular style of the nave and the decidedly French Norman style of the east end of the church. The north and south chapels that flank the Norman chancel make up a third focus of interest.
Sunset on the Rhine Promenade in the little port town of Emmerich am Rhein (pop. around 31,000), just a few kilometres east of the Dutch border. The church is the historic St Martini, originally built around 1040, destroyed and rebuilt many times thanks to floods and war. In the background, the Emmericher Rheinbrücke is the longest suspension bridge in Germany—on average, 500 ships per day pass under its 500 metre span, many of them cargo barges heading back and forward between the enormous ocean port at Rotterdam and the huge inland port at Duisburg.