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I am looking back at the gateway we just came through on our way to look around this monastery.

Hosios Loukas is an historic walled monastery situated near the town of Distomo, in Boeotia, Greece. It is one of the most important monuments of Middle Byzantine architecture and art, and has been listed on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The monastery of Hosios Loukas is situated at a scenic site on the slopes of Mount Helicon. It was founded in the early 10th century by the hermit, Venerable St. Luke, whose relics are kept in the monastery to this day. The hermit (not the Evangelist of the Gospel of Saint Luke, but a hermit who died on 7 February 953) was famous for having predicted the conquest of Crete by Emperor Romanos. The main shrine of the monastery is the tomb of St. Luke, originally situated in the vault, but later placed at the juncture of the two churches.

Hosios Loukas is the largest of three monasteries surviving from the Middle Byzantine period in Greece. The Katholikon contains the best preserved complex of mosaics from the period of the Macedonian Renaissance.

Stavropoleos Monastery during the last century when the monastery was dissolved, was an Eastern Orthodox monastery for nuns in central Bucharest, Romania. Its church is built in Brâncovenesc style. The patrons of the church are St. Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The name Stavropoleos is a Romanian rendition of a Greek word, Stauropolis, meaning "The city of the Cross".

One of the oldest and most fascinating monasteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina, specially known for its fresco paintings.

Capriana Monastery - Moldova

 

Căpriana monastery is a monastery in Căpriana, Moldova, located 40 km north-west of Chişinău.

 

One of the oldest monasteries of Moldova, Căpriana is located 40 km (25 mi) to the north-west of the country's capital Chișinău in a picturesque forested area once called Codrii Lăpușnei.

 

The first significant reference dates from a document issued in 1429 that gave Căpriana the status of royal monastery on behalf of Alexander the Good. In this deed the holy abode was referred to as "mănăstirea de la Vâșnovăț unde este egumen Chiprian" (the monastery of Vâșnovăț where the hegumen is Chiprian) and was given in the possession of Alexander's wife - princess Marena.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Căpriana_monastery

Nekresi monastery complex in Kakheti region with a beautiful view of the Alazani valley was founded by St. Abibo Nekreseli, one of the Thirteen Syrian monks who came to Georgia in the 6th century to strengthen Christian faith. But already in the 4th century one of the first Christian churches was built here. The oldest church is a tiny basilica with the open arches in the facade to conduct service from outside. The main church of Assumption of the Virgin was built in 6-7th cc.

Buddhist Monastery district gates in inner Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma) 2017.

Hayravank (Armenian: Հայրավանք) is a 9th-12th century Armenian monastery located just northeast of the village of Hayravank along the southwest shores of Lake Sevan in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia. The monastic complex consists of a church, chapel, and gavit.

  

Surrounding the monastery are numerous khachkars and gravestones that are part of a small cemetery. To the northwest a short distance from the site, are the remains of Bronze Age through medieval fortification walls and foundations of a settlement. A polished black vessel of the Early Bronze Age was discovered during archaeological excavations in the area. Weapons of metal and stone, tools, clay idols, numerous vessels, fireplaces and two tombs, all from the Iron Age were discovered in the vicinity as well.

The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery (Bulgarian: Рилски манастир, Rilski manastir) is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River ("Rila River") at an elevation of 1,147 m above sea level, inside of Rila Monastery Nature Park. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila (876 - 946 AD), and houses around 60 monks.

 

Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe.

Holy Transfiguration Monastery. Russian Orthodox Monastery near Bombala, NSW

Waar de Vorotan-rivier zich een weg zoekt door het zachte gesteente tussen de dichte wouden bevindt zich het klooster van Tatev. Op een grote vooruitspringende rots en met een wijds zicht op de oprukkende bergen en het dal begon men reeds in de 9de eeuw met de bouw van dit klooster. Dit werd later beroemd als een voorname universiteit en het spirituele en politieke centrum van Sjunikh. Het was de bisschopszetel en gedurende duizend jaar het levendigste klooster van Armenië.

   

The monastery of Tatev (Armenian : Տաթեվ, Russian: Татев) - established in 895 - is located in the Tatev village. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. The monastery always performed an important role in the history of the region, becoming its political, spiritual and cultural center.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatev

 

Humor Monastery - Humorlui village - Suceava County - Romania

The Bell Tower

 

Monument on the UNESCO Woeld Heritage List code 598002

 

Humor Monastery located in Mănăstirea Humorului, about 5 km north of the town of Gura Humorului, Romania. It is a monastery for nuns dedicated to the Dormition of Virgin Mary, or Theotokos. It was constructed in 1530 by Voievod Petru Rareş and his chancellor Teodor Bubuiog. The monastery was built over the foundation of a previous monastery that dated from around 1415. The Humor monastery was closed in 1786 and was not reopened until 1990.

 

The church has been inscribed by UNESCO on its list of World Heritage Sites, as one of the Painted churches of Moldavia.

  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humor_Monastery

There are many monasteries in Greece

Here the Preveli in Spili

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preveli

   

better view

Alaverdi St. George Cathedral (first half of the 11th century) is located 18 km from the town of Telavi in the Alazani-River valley. Earliest structures of Alaverdi Monastery date back to 6th century. The present day Cathedral is part of an 11th century Georgian Orthodox monastery. The Monastery was founded by the monk Joseph [Abba] Alaverdeli, who came from Antioch and settled in Alaverdi, then a small village and the former pagan religious centre dedicated to Moon. At the beginning of 11th century, Kakhetian King Kvirike the Great built a cathedral in the place of a small church of St. George.

Alaverdi is the highest cathedral in Georgia (up to 50 meters). It dominates the surrounding landscape in a fertile river valley against the backdrop of the Caucasus Mountains.

Monastery of St. Simian the Tanner, Cairo. November 2000.

We hadden het geluk om een namiddagdienst bij te wonen. Priesters werken en studeren ter plaatse. Voor de lokale en heel devote bevolking is er steeds een priester in de dichte nabijheid.

 

The monastery of Tatev (Armenian : Տաթեվ, Russian: Татев) - established in 895 - is located in the Tatev village. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. The monastery always performed an important role in the history of the region, becoming its political, spiritual and cultural center.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatev

 

The walled Garitsky monastery is along the southern edge of Pereslavl-Zallesky and the nearby Lake Pleshcheevo. Originating in the 1300s, the monastery feudally controlled over 20 surrounding villages and rural settlements. A 1722 fire ensured that most of the buildings are no more than 300 years old. The monastery was turned into a local bishop's mansion in 1744 and subsequently disbanded in 1788, until the Bolsheviks turned it into the museum that it is today in 1919.

 

Pereslavl-Zallesky is one of the Golden Ring towns to the north-northeast of Moscow that guidebooks describe as the core of medieval Russia's cultural heritage. Less impressive in itself than Sergiev-Posad, Perslavl sits on the east coast of a lovely lake (supposedly the inspiration for Peter the Great's naval ambitions).

 

Surrounding the monastery-museum are people's private dachas (country houses).

Waar de Vorotan-rivier zich een weg zoekt door het zachte gesteente tussen de dichte wouden bevindt zich het klooster van Tatev. Op een grote vooruitspringende rots en met een wijds zicht op de oprukkende bergen en het dal begon men reeds in de 9de eeuw met de bouw van dit klooster. Dit werd later beroemd als een voorname universiteit en het spirituele en politieke centrum van Sjunikh. Het was de bisschopszetel en gedurende duizend jaar het levendigste klooster van Armenië.

   

The monastery of Tatev (Armenian : Տաթեվ, Russian: Татев) - established in 895 - is located in the Tatev village. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. The monastery always performed an important role in the history of the region, becoming its political, spiritual and cultural center.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatev

 

Matho Monastery.

 

Lama Dugpa Dorje founded the Matho Gompa of Ladakh in the 16th century. It is situated on the opposite bank of the River Indus, at a distance of approximately 26 km to the southeast of Leh town. Matho is the only gompa of Ladakh that belongs to the Saskya order of Tibetan Buddhism. The oracle of the monastery is a priest, who resides in the monastery itself. Also situated near the monastery, are a number of sacred shrines, of which one is dedicated to the guardian deities.

Matho Monastery of Leh Ladakh hosts the Matho Nagrang Festival, on an annual basis. The festival takes place on the 14th and 15th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar. All the monks participate in the sacred dances, performed at this annual event. It is believed that, during Matho Nagrang Festival, two gods, known as the Rongtsan, descend to visit the monastery. Matho Monastery also boasts of housing an amazingly rich collection of four hundred years old Thankas.

On the right side of the monastery courtyard, is the entrance to the Dukhang (the main assembly hall). Paintings of the Guardians of the Four Directions adorn the verandah of the Dukhang. Inside are two rows of seats for the lamas, along with a throne seat that is reserved for the Rimpoche, the head lama of Matho. There are four statues behind the throne seat, that of the thousand-armed Avalokitesvara, Maitreya, Sakyamuni and a blessing Buddha. The entrance wall displays Mahakala, the fiercest Buddhist guardian divinity, on the left and other protecting deities, on the right.

   

Noravank (Armenian: Նորավանք, meaning "New Monastery" in Armenian) is a 13th century Armenian monastery.

The gorge where the monastery is located is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery.

The monastery is best known for its two-storey Surp Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) church, which grants access to the second floor by way of a narrow stone-made staircase jutting out from the face of building.

Noravank was founded in 1205. The monastic complex includes the church of S. Karapet, S. Grigor chapel with a vaulted hall, and the church of S. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God). Ruins of various civil buildings and khachkars are found both inside and outside of the compound walls.

 

For more information:

www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Noravank_Monastery

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noravank

Vvedensky Monastery. Bridge over Lake Vvedenskoe

Свято-Введенский Островной монастырь. Мост через Введенское озеро

Monastery in Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China

Lhatse - Sakya - Shigatse - Tibetan Plateau - Tibet Autonomous Region - China

 

Narthang Monastery - Sakya Monastery

  

Narthang Monastery is a monastery located 15 km west of Shigatse in Tibet. Founded in 1153 by one of the disciples of Atisha, Nathang was the fourth great monastery of Tsang with Shalu Monastery, Sakya and Tashilhunpo. Narthang was first famous for its scriptual teaching and monastic discipline. After the fourteenth century it gained great eminence as the oldest of Tibet's three great printing centres (the other being the Potala and the Derge).

 

The Fifth Panchen Lama took control of the monastery and it continued printing the Buddhist scriptures the Kangyur and the Tengyur up until 1959. Narrthang's five main buildings and large chanting hall were razed to the ground by the Chinese in 1966. They had contained priceless 14th century murals possibly painted by the artist scholars of nearby Shalu Monastery. Today only the mud-brick foundations can be discerned although parts of the Mongolian styled high-fortress walls are still standing.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narthang_Monastery

 

Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê, is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, It is located within the historical Tsang province of Tibet.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigatse

 

With jeep on the road.

 

The Tibetan Plateau, also known in China as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qingzang Plateau or Himalayan Plateau, is a vast elevated plateau in Central Asia or East Asia, covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in western China, as well as part of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir state of India. It stretches approximately 1,000 kilometres north to south and 2,500 kilometres east to west. With an average elevation exceeding 4,500 metres , the Tibetan Plateau is sometimes called "the Roof of the World" and is the world's highest and largest plateau, with an area of 2,500,000 square kilometres (about five times the size of Metropolitan France). Sometimes termed the "Third Pole", the Tibetan Plateau is the headwaters of the drainage basins of most of the streams in surrounding regions. Its tens of thousands of glaciers and other geographical and ecological features serve as a "water tower" storing water and maintaining flow. The impact of global warming on the Tibetan Plateau is of intense scientific interest.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Plateau

a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery near the city of Novi Pazar. It's on the UNESCO World Heritage List from 1979, currently is undergoing reconstruction and renovation.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  

Tatev monastery is located in Armenia Tatev monastery

Shown within Armenia

Basic information

LocationTatev, Syunik Province, Armenia

Geographic coordinates39.379367°N 46.250031°ECoordinates: 39.379367°N 46.250031°E

AffiliationArmenian Apostolic Church

Architectural description

Architectural styleArmenian

Groundbreaking8th century

The Tatev monastery (Armenian: Տաթևի վանք Tat'evi vank' ) is a 9th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located on a large basalt plateau near the Tatev village in Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. The monastic ensemble stands on the edge of a deep gorge of the Vorotan River. Tatev is known as the bishopric seat of Syunik and played a significant role in the history of the region as a center of economic, political, spiritual and cultural activity.

 

In the 14th and 15th centuries the monastery hosted one of the most important Armenian medieval universities, the University of Tatev, which contributed to the advancement of science, religion and philosophy, reproduction of books and development of miniature painting. Scholars of the Tatev University contributed to the preservation of Armenian culture and creed during one of its most turbulent periods in its history.

 

The monastery is the "best-known site" in Syunik. Wings of Tatev, a cableway from Tatev to Halidzor village was opened in October 2010.

It was included in the Guinness World Records as world's "longest non-stop double track cable car."

 

Ризоположенский монастырь

The Mt. Carmel Monastery is a historic house located at Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland, United States. It is a two-part frame house, the main block of which was built about 1790 and restored in 1936-37, and consists of a two-story structure with a moderately pitched gable roof. The entire house, devoid of any extraneous ornamentation, reflects the austerity of the life of the Carmelite nuns who are believed to have used this house as their residence. The monastery was founded on October 15, 1790, by four Belgian Carmelite nuns, three of them former natives of Charles County. In 1831 the nuns then in residence were ordered to transfer the convent to Baltimore, Maryland, and this property was abandoned. In 1933 an organization called the Restorers of Mt. Carmel in Maryland, formed to aid in the restoration of the site.

 

The monastery is still the active home of the discalced (shoeless) Carmelite Nuns of the Carmel of Port Tobacco. The Carmelite life is a call to prayer, tempered with hard work and shared community. As there is a great need in the Church for both Marys and Marthas, the Carmelite is called to be that Mary--serving the Church by prayerfully sitting at the feet of our Lord. She is the intercessor in an age that cries out for intercession.

 

The public is invited to visit the monastery. The grounds and the church are open to all. Mass is held daily at 7:15 a.m. in the red brick church. There is also a gift shop that is filled with religious and informational items as well as objects that are hand-crafted by several of the nuns. The nuns rely solely on the generosity of the public for their survival. The gift shop is one source of revenue for them. The shop is often not staffed and works on the honor system. So, be sure to bring plenty of small bills or you can also write a personal check.

 

The nuns spend most of their day sequestered so that they can tend to their primary mission of prayer and intercession. They are happy to receive prayer requests. When visiting the Monastery, you may leave items or communications for the nuns via a turnstile that is located inside the building.

  

The Mt. Carmel Monastery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland, is a famous Polish shrine to the Virgin Mary and one of the country's places of pilgrimage for many the monastery is a spiritual capital. The image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is one of Jasna Góra's most precious treasures.

Jasna Góra Monastery was founded in 1382 by Pauline monks who came from Hungary at the invitation of Władysław, Duke of Opole. The monastery has been a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of years, and it contains an important icon of the Virgin Mary. The icon, depicting the Mother of God with the Christ Child, is known as the Black Madonna of Częstochowa or Our Lady of Częstochowa, which is widely venerated and credited with many miracles.[3] Among these, it is credited with miraculously saving the Jasna Góra monastery during a siege that took place at the time of The Deluge, a 17th-century Swedish invasion. The event stimulated the Polish resistance. The Poles could not immediately change the course of the war, but, after an alliance with the Crimean Khanate, they repulsed the Swedes. Shortly thereafter, in the cathedral of Lviv, on April 1, 1656, Jan Kazimierz, the King of Poland, solemnly pronounced his vow to consecrate the country to the protection of the Mother of God and proclaimed Her the Patron and Queen of the lands in his kingdom.

Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have both prayed in this Chapel.

Paul VI wanted to use his visit at Jasna Góra to offer to the custodians of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa the gold rose, the highest distinction to be granted by the pope. His absence prevented this and the golden rose was donated only by John Paul II during his first pilgrimage to Poland. The other rose for Our Lady of Częstochowa was offered by Benedict XVI in 2006

The 6th World Youth Day was hosted in Poland in the city of Czestochowa. The theme for WYD1991 was taken from St. Paul's letter to Romans: "You received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out 'Abba, Father!'" (Rom 8, 15).

Pope Francis will pray here on

on 28 July during WYD

© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

Gelati Monastery

The Monastery of the Virgin - Gelati near Kutaisi (Imereti region of Western Georgia) was founded by the King of Georgia David the Builder (1089-1125) in 1106.

The Gelati Monastery for a long time was one of the main cultural and intellectual centers in Georgia. It had an Academy which employed some of the most celebrated Georgian scientists, theologians and philosophers, many of whom had previously been active at various orthodox monasteries abroad or at the Mangan Academy in Constantinople. Among the scientists were such celebrated scholars as Ioane Petritsi and Arsen Ikaltoeli.

Due to the extensive work carried out by the Gelati Academy, people of the time called it "a new Hellas" and "a second Athos".

The Gelati Monastery has preserved a great number of murals and manuscripts dating back to the 12th-17th centuries.

In Gelati is buried one of the greatest Georgian kings, David the Builder (Davit Agmashenebeli in Georgian).

 

Imereti / იმერეთი

Matho Monastery.

 

Lama Dugpa Dorje founded the Matho Gompa of Ladakh in the 16th century. It is situated on the opposite bank of the River Indus, at a distance of approximately 26 km to the southeast of Leh town. Matho is the only gompa of Ladakh that belongs to the Saskya order of Tibetan Buddhism. The oracle of the monastery is a priest, who resides in the monastery itself. Also situated near the monastery, are a number of sacred shrines, of which one is dedicated to the guardian deities.

Matho Monastery of Leh Ladakh hosts the Matho Nagrang Festival, on an annual basis. The festival takes place on the 14th and 15th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar. All the monks participate in the sacred dances, performed at this annual event. It is believed that, during Matho Nagrang Festival, two gods, known as the Rongtsan, descend to visit the monastery. Matho Monastery also boasts of housing an amazingly rich collection of four hundred years old Thankas.

On the right side of the monastery courtyard, is the entrance to the Dukhang (the main assembly hall). Paintings of the Guardians of the Four Directions adorn the verandah of the Dukhang. Inside are two rows of seats for the lamas, along with a throne seat that is reserved for the Rimpoche, the head lama of Matho. There are four statues behind the throne seat, that of the thousand-armed Avalokitesvara, Maitreya, Sakyamuni and a blessing Buddha. The entrance wall displays Mahakala, the fiercest Buddhist guardian divinity, on the left and other protecting deities, on the right.

   

Wine press house

 

Eberbach Abbey (German: Kloster Eberbach) is a former Cistercian monastery near Eltville am Rhein in the Rheingau, Germany. On account of its impressive Romanesque and early Gothic buildings it is considered one of the most significant architectural heritage sites in Hesse, Germany. In the winter of 1985/86 the interior scenes of The Name of the Rose were filmed here.

 

Kloster Eberbach was founded in 1136 by Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian monastery on the east bank of the Rhine, on the site of a previous monastic foundation of Adalbert of Mainz, which had been occupied at first by Augustinian canons and then by Benedictine monks, which had however failed to establish itself.

 

Eberbach soon became one of the largest and most active monasteries of Germany. From it a number of other foundations were made: Schönau Abbey near Heidelberg in 1142; Otterberg Abbey in the Palatinate in 1144; Gottesthal Abbey near Liege in 1155; and Arnsburg Abbey in the Wetterau in 1174. At its height in the 12th and 13th centuries, the population is estimated to have been about 100 monks and over 200 lay brothers.

(c) Wikipedia

These are some test shots from todays architectural shoot, I shot 5 rolls of bw transparency, but had the digital camera with me too...

 

Benedictine Monastery in Rostrevor, very nice place, spent most of the day there, it's very serene and I seemed to be blessed with a good day...

The Arkadi Monastery (Greek Μονή Αρκαδίου) is an orthodox monastery in Crete. It is the island's most important national monument. The monastery played a prominent role in the Cretan struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire. The monastery church was depicted on the 100 drachma note until the introduction of the euro.

 

Don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved.

The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland, is a famous Polish shrine to the Virgin Mary and one of the country's places of pilgrimage for many the monastery is a spiritual capital. The image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is one of Jasna Góra's most precious treasures.

Jasna Góra Monastery was founded in 1382 by Pauline monks who came from Hungary at the invitation of Władysław, Duke of Opole. The monastery has been a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of years, and it contains an important icon of the Virgin Mary. The icon, depicting the Mother of God with the Christ Child, is known as the Black Madonna of Częstochowa or Our Lady of Częstochowa, which is widely venerated and credited with many miracles.[3] Among these, it is credited with miraculously saving the Jasna Góra monastery during a siege that took place at the time of The Deluge, a 17th-century Swedish invasion. The event stimulated the Polish resistance. The Poles could not immediately change the course of the war, but, after an alliance with the Crimean Khanate, they repulsed the Swedes. Shortly thereafter, in the cathedral of Lviv, on April 1, 1656, Jan Kazimierz, the King of Poland, solemnly pronounced his vow to consecrate the country to the protection of the Mother of God and proclaimed Her the Patron and Queen of the lands in his kingdom.

Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have both prayed in this Chapel.

Paul VI wanted to use his visit at Jasna Góra to offer to the custodians of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa the gold rose, the highest distinction to be granted by the pope. His absence prevented this and the golden rose was donated only by John Paul II during his first pilgrimage to Poland. The other rose for Our Lady of Częstochowa was offered by Benedict XVI in 2006

The 6th World Youth Day was hosted in Poland in the city of Czestochowa. The theme for WYD1991 was taken from St. Paul's letter to Romans: "You received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out 'Abba, Father!'" (Rom 8, 15).

Pope Francis will pray here on

on 28 July during WYD

© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk

Rizong Monastery (Ladakh).

 

Ladakh at a height of 9,800 feet surrounded by the Himalayas and Karakoram Range houses incredible monasteries in its folds. On your tour to Ladakh you can spot monks in maroon robes silently plodding their ways to the monasteries. Rizong Monastery is situated at a distance of about 73 kilometers from the Leh town. Founded by the great Lama, Tsultim Nima in the year 1831, the Rizong Monastery belongs to the Gelukpa order. Monasteries, which are the centers of worship for the monks, are also great seats of learning. Where 40 monks reside, Rizong Monastery educates monks who have chosen the path to God as their goal on life. Strict rules are adhered to and monks follow a daily course of life following the Buddhist principles and learning the scriptures and texts. A number of shrines are located within the premises of the Rizdong Monastery and a rich collection of scriptures, texts and biographies of great Lamas like Tsultim Nima are preserved here. Books composed by first Sras Rinpoche are also kept here.

 

Built in 1705; it is one of the oldest and premier monasteries of Sikkim, near Pelling and some 140km west of Gangtok. This Tibetan Buddhist monastery survived two earthquakes one in 1913 and again in 1960 and presently houses about 100 monks. It sits on a hilltop at an elevation of 2085 meters and the view of Mount Khanchendzonga is truly commanding and impressive from this monastery.

The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a Grade II* listed former Franciscan friary in Gorton, Manchester, England. It was designed by the noted Victorian architect Edward Welby Pugin and built 1866–1872. Gorton Monastery is a noted example of Gothic Revival architecture.

 

The monastery closed for worship in 1989. The building was sold to a property developer, who stripped the monastery of its furnishings and fittings, including mahogany pews, oak doors and sculptures. A pipe organ built by the Wadsworth Bros of Manchester was sold for scrap. The property developer subsequently went bankrupt and the scheme to convert the monastery into flats was abandoned. The monastery lay empty and derelict for many years and suffered from vandalism and looting.

 

In 1997, Gorton Monastery was placed on the World Monuments Fund Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World alongside Pompeii, the Taj Mahal and the Valley of the Kings.

After a restoration programme, it reopened as a secular events venue in 2007.

 

Olympus 9 mm 1:8.0 Body Cap Lens

 

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