The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the 7th century. For three hundred years, it benefited from the patronage of a succession of rulers, and was the most powerful institution in Luxembourg.

The abbey is now a popular tourist attraction, and owes much of its modern fame to an annual dancing procession that is held every Whit Tuesday. Tens of thousands of tourists, day-trippers, pilgrims, and clergy visit Echternach to witness or participate in the traditional ceremony.

Tintern Abbey is a national icon — still standing in roofless splendour on the banks of the River Wye nearly 500 years since its tragic fall from grace.

It was founded in 1131 by Cistercian monks, who were happy to make do with timber buildings at first. Abbot Henry, a reformed robber, was better known for his habit of crying at the altar than for his architectural ambitions.

A simple stone church and cloisters came later. But then, thanks to the patronage of wealthy Marcher lords, the white-robed monks began to think bigger.

In 1269 they began to build a new abbey church and didn’t stop until they’d created one of the masterpieces of British Gothic architecture. The great west front with its seven-lancet window and the soaring arches of the nave still take the breath away.

So grateful were the monks to their powerful patron Roger Bigod that they were still handing out alms on his behalf in 1535. But by then King Henry VIII’s English Reformation was well underway.

Only a year later Tintern surrendered in the first round of the dissolution of the monasteries — and the great abbey began slowly to turn into a majestic ruin.

INDIEN, Varanasi (Benares) frühmorgends entlang der Ghats

Als besonders erstrebenswert gilt es für strenggläubige Hindus, in Varanasi im Ganges zu baden, sowie dort einmal zu sterben und verbrannt zu werden. Entlang des Flusses ziehen sich kilometerlange, stufenartige Uferbefestigungen hin, die Ghats, an denen auf der einen Seite die Gläubigen im Wasser des für sie heiligen Flusses baden und wenige Meter weiter die Leichen der Verstorbenen verbrannt werden. Die Asche streut man anschließend ins Wasser. Ein Bad im Ganges soll von Sünden reinigen, in Varanasi zu sterben und verbrannt zu werden, ist der hinduistischen Mythologie zufolge, der Ausbruch aus dem ständigen Kreislauf der Wiedergeburt.

The Ghats in Varanasi are world-renowned embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. The ghats are an integral complement to the Hindu concept of divinity represented in physical, metaphysical, and supernatural elements.[90] Varanasi has at least 84 ghats, most of which are used for bathing by pilgrims and spiritually significant Hindu puja ceremony, while a few are used exclusively as Hindu cremation sites. Steps in the ghats lead to the banks of Ganges, including the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, and the Harishchandra Ghat, where Hindus cremate their dead. Many ghats are associated with Hindu legends and several are now privately owned.

Many of the ghats were constructed under the patronage of the Marathas, Shindes (Scindias), Holkars, Bhonsles, and Peshwas. Most are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation sites. A morning boat ride on the Ganges across the ghats is a popular tourist attraction. The extensive stretches of ghats in Varanasi enhance the riverfront with a multitude of shrines, temples, and palaces built "tier on tier above the water's edge".[

Small public libraries, BIG community impact!

JWellington County in celebrating Carnegie libraries and their continuing impact on small town Ontario.

These libraries are revered by citizens and have enjoyed the patronage of generations since Andrew Carnegie's initial investment in the early 1900s. The buildings and friendly service stands as a beacon of community engagement.

Wellington County is fortunate to have five Carnegie library branches in the system. They are the Elora Branch, Harriston Branch, Fergus Branch, Mount Forest Branch and the Palmerston Branch.

"A library outranks any one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert." Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)

Tintern Abbey is a national icon — still standing in roofless splendour on the banks of the River Wye nearly 500 years since its tragic fall from grace.

It was founded in 1131 by Cistercian monks, who were happy to make do with timber buildings at first. Abbot Henry, a reformed robber, was better known for his habit of crying at the altar than for his architectural ambitions.

A simple stone church and cloisters came later. But then, thanks to the patronage of wealthy Marcher lords, the white-robed monks began to think bigger.

In 1269 they began to build a new abbey church and didn’t stop until they’d created one of the masterpieces of British Gothic architecture. The great west front with its seven-lancet window and the soaring arches of the nave still take the breath away.

So grateful were the monks to their powerful patron Roger Bigod that they were still handing out alms on his behalf in 1535. But by then King Henry VIII’s English Reformation was well underway.

Only a year later Tintern surrendered in the first round of the dissolution of the monasteries — and the great abbey began slowly to turn into a majestic ruin.

Als besonders erstrebenswert gilt es für strenggläubige Hindus, in Varanasi im Ganges zu baden, sowie dort einmal zu sterben und verbrannt zu werden. Entlang des Flusses ziehen sich kilometerlange, stufenartige Uferbefestigungen hin, die Ghats, an denen auf der einen Seite die Gläubigen im Wasser des für sie heiligen Flusses baden und wenige Meter weiter die Leichen der Verstorbenen verbrannt werden. Die Asche streut man anschließend ins Wasser. Ein Bad im Ganges soll von Sünden reinigen, in Varanasi zu sterben und verbrannt zu werden, ist der hinduistischen Mythologie zufolge, der Ausbruch aus dem ständigen Kreislauf der Wiedergeburt.

The Ghats in Varanasi are world-renowned embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. The ghats are an integral complement to the Hindu concept of divinity represented in physical, metaphysical, and supernatural elements.[90] Varanasi has at least 84 ghats, most of which are used for bathing by pilgrims and spiritually significant Hindu puja ceremony, while a few are used exclusively as Hindu cremation sites. Steps in the ghats lead to the banks of Ganges, including the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, and the Harishchandra Ghat, where Hindus cremate their dead. Many ghats are associated with Hindu legends and several are now privately owned.

Many of the ghats were constructed under the patronage of the Marathas, Shindes (Scindias), Holkars, Bhonsles, and Peshwas. Most are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation sites. A morning boat ride on the Ganges across the ghats is a popular tourist attraction. The extensive stretches of ghats in Varanasi enhance the riverfront with a multitude of shrines, temples, and palaces built "tier on tier above the water's edge".

This photograph of the church in South Dalton is a bit of a joint effort . Mary took the original photo on her phone I just made a couple of slight adjustments to the shadows in Lightroom. The light was was very strong on this late December morning

St Mary's Church in South Dalton is not a particularly historic building . The church, in Early English style throughout, was begun in 1858 to replace an old medieval church located nearby. It stands high above a row of lovely Victorian almshouses.

The new church was built by JL Pearson under the patronage of Beaumont, 3rd Baron Hotham. Pearson must have been glad that his patron had deep pockets; to complete the church cost fully £25,000, a staggering sum for the time, when even a new central London church would have cost only £8,000.

For me the real attraction of this Victorian church is the magnificent spire rising 208 feet above the surrounding countryside .You can see it for miles around, and when the sun catches it, it can take your breath away.

THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT TO MY STREAM.

I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD NOT FAVE A PHOTO

WITHOUT ALSO LEAVING A COMMENT .

The Norwegian Church Arts Centre (Welsh: Canolfan Gelfyddydau'r Eglwys Norwyaidd) is a point of cultural and historical interest located in Cardiff Bay (Tiger Bay), Wales. It was a Lutheran Church, consecrated in 1868. Under the patronage of The Norwegian Seamen's Mission provided home comforts, communication with family and a place of worship for Scandinavian sailors and the Norwegian community in Cardiff for over a hundred years.

In light of developments in Cardiff Bay in the late 1980s, and the proposed building of new roads around Atlantic Wharf, the now derelict and vandalised church was threatened with total destruction.

The community formed the Norwegian Church Preservation Trust, to save the building in the redeveloped docks. In partnership with the Norwegian Support Committee in Bergen, the trust raised £250,000, enabling the church to be dismantled in 1987, preserved and stored pending reassembly. The remaining original features were rescued, including the pulpit, one side-window, the chandelier and the model-ship; all of which were returned to the church.

With the Wales Millennium Centre built on its original site, with land donated by Associated British Ports, in 1992 reconstruction on the current site was started. In April 1992, the church was re-opened by Princess Märtha Louise of Norway.

The building is now used as an arts centre, and is known as the Norwegian Church Arts Centre. The centre includes a café and an art gallery. In May 2011 the church underwent a £500,000 refurbishment, including a new outdoor terrace and a DDA compliant lift. The Grieg room hosts a diversity of local arts and culture.

Text Ref: Wikipedia

The Sacred Heart Church is a Catholic church in the old town of Koblenz, which was built as part of the southern expansion of the city from 1900 to 1903. It is one of the most important neo-Romanesque religious buildings in Germany. North of the parish church is the Löhr-Center, an inner-city shopping center. It bears the patronage of the veneration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as Pienza (rebuilt as an "ideal town" in the 15th century under the patronage of Pope Pius II), Radicofani (home to the notorious brigand-hero Ghino di Tacco) and Montalcino (the Brunello di Montalcino is counted among the most prestigious of Italian wines). Its landscape has been depicted in works of art from Renaissance painting to modern photography.

Within the Val d'Orcia is a strip of land following the Orcia river between the DOCG zones of Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Here Sangiovese and Trebbiano-based wines are produced under the Orcia Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) status.

The DOC red wine is composed of at least 60 percent Sangiovese with other local varieties, such as Abrusco, permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend. The dry white wine and Vin Santo style DOC wines are composed of at least 50 percent Trebbiano filled out with other local varieties. All grapes destined for DOC wine production are limited to a maximum harvest yield of 10 tonnes/hectare, with the finished wines required to have a minimum alcohol level of at least 12 percent

Die Kathedrale Santa Maria Nuova in Monreale

ist die Bischofskirche des Erzbistums Monreale auf Sizilien. Die dem Patrozinium der Aufnahme Mariens in den Himmel geweihte Kathedrale ist eine Basilica minor. Berühmt ist die Kathedrale für die byzantinischen Mosaiken und den Kreuzgang. Zusammen mit dem arabisch-normannischen Palermo und der Kathedrale von Cefalù wurde die Kirche 2015 von der UNESCO zum Weltkulturerbe ernannt.

@Wikipedia

_____________________

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Nuova in Monreale

is the episcopal church of the Archdiocese of Monreale in Sicily. The cathedral, dedicated to the patronage of the Assumption of Mary, is a minor basilica. The cathedral is famous for the Byzantine mosaics and the cloister. Together with the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral of Cefalù, the church was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015

The Collegio di Spagna (Royal Spanish College or Royal College of Spain in Bologna) (officially Real Colegio Mayor de San Clemente de los Españoles) is a college for Spanish students at the University of Bologna, Italy, which has been functioning since the 14th century. It has been under the Royal patronage of the Spanish Crown since 1488, as authorized by Pope Innocent VIII.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegio_di_Spagna

Restenneth Priory was a monastic house of Augustinian canons founded by Jedburgh Abbey, with the patronage of King Malcolm IV of Scotland, in 1153. Although there is little literary evidence, archaeological evidence strongly indicates that there was a monastery at Restenneth from very early times. There is also speculation that Restenneth may even have been the Pictish church dedicated to St Peter (mentioned in Bede) built in 710 for Nechtán mac Der Ilei, King of the Picts.

Augustinian Restenneth was always a small priory and very dependent on its mother-house at Jedburgh. In 1501 there were only two canons and an annual income of £120 (compare Arbroath Abbey, which had £10,924 in 1561). There was an attempt to incorporate it into the Royal Chapel in this year, but this failed to occur, and King James IV of Scotland suggested its incorporation into the archbishopric of St Andrews. This too evidently did not occur, as priors continue to be on record. The priory was, however, turned into a secular lordship for Thomas Erskine, Viscount Fentoun, in 1606. Among the owners of Restenneth following the Reformation was George Dempster of Dunnichen (1732-1818), who chose part of the choir as a burial site for his family.

The site was excavated in 1883 by William Galloway and Dr John Stuart.

All except the tower is now in ruins, which are a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

For the tourist, Restenneth Priory is just outside the medium-sized town of Forfar. It shares an access road with the Angus Archives. There is a short path from the closest parking area to the priory. While at the priory, the town and the roads nearby are not visible, so the fields and the medieval (or maybe earlier) architecture are the only things to be seen.

No trip to Rome is complete without a visit to the heart of it, St Peter’s the big Kahuna of all of the many churches scattered across the city so big in fact it needed its own country to house it. Church coffers filled from around the world have been the patron of much of the cities beautification, artists from all over the Empire came to Rome to find fame and secure patronages. Overall I quite enjoyed the architecture of St Peter’s and the art that fills its museums but found the rest a little ostentatious for my personal tastes.

I took this on May 13, 2009 with my D70s and Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Lens at 125mm, 1/500s, f13 ISO 200 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia ,Topaz, and DXO Nik

Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress

The Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne under the patronage of the Apostle Peter.

It is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Cologne and the Metropolitan Church of the ecclesiastical province of Cologne.

It is one of the largest cathedrals in the Gothic style.

the construction began 1248 and was not completed until 1880.

Some art historians have called the cathedral the “perfect cathedral” because of its uniform and balanced design.

*The eastern side of the cathedral, in black and white drama.

Die in den Jahren 1858 bis 1864 erbaute große Wallfahrtskirche wurde 1923 zur Päpstlichen Basilika erhoben. Das Patronat der „Aufnahme Mariens in den Himmel“ soll daran erinnern, was das Ziel irdischer Pilgerschaft ist.

1991 wurde mit der Innenausmalung in Anlehnung an Sainte-Chapelle in Paris eine Restaurierung abgeschlossen und damit einer der farbenprächtigsten Kirchenräume des Rheinlandes wiederhergestellt.

The large pilgrimage church built between 1858 and 1864 was elevated to the status of papal basilica in 1923. The patronage of the "Assumption of Mary into Heaven" is intended to remind us what the goal of earthly pilgrimage is.

In 1991, a restoration was completed with the interior painting based on Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and one of the most colorful church interiors in the Rhineland was restored.

Die Legende berichtet von sieben jungen Männern, die während der Christenverfolgung Mitte des dritten Jahrhunderts in eine Höhle flüchteten und dort eingemauert wurden. Etwa 200 Jahre später, als man den Höhleneingang wieder öffnete, gab Gott den Sieben das Leben zurück. Sie werden sowohl in der christlichen als auch in der islamischen Tradition als Zeugen der Auferstehung verehrt. Dieses ungewöhnliche Patrozinium geht auf zwei in die Außenmauer eingelassene Grabsteine der Römerzeit zurück, die drei bzw. vier Personen zeigen. Sie wurden im Barock fälschlicher Weise als Siebenschläfer gedeutet.

The legend tells of seven young men who fled into a cave during the persecution of Christians in the middle of the third century and were walled up there. About 200 years later, when the cave entrance was reopened, God gave life back to the seven. They are venerated as witnesses of the resurrection in both the Christian and Islamic traditions. This unusual patronage goes back to two gravestones from Roman times set into the outer wall, which show three or four people. In the baroque era they were wrongly interpreted as dormice.

The Church of Dimitri on the Blood is a temple of the Uglich Kremlin erected on the picturesque steep bank of the Volga, which marks the place of the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry of Uglich (The name Dmitry comes from the Church-Slavonic name Dimitri and from the Greek name Demeter.).

Since 2001, the church has been a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In 2017, the British newspaper The Telegraph included the church among the 23 most beautiful churches in the world.

A wooden chapel was cut down at the site of the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry in the first years of the XVII century. In 1630, it was replaced by a wooden church. The construction of the existing church began in 1681-1682. The construction was carried out on royal donations, and since 1690 it has passed under the patronage of Princess Anna Vasilyevna Cherkasskaya, a relative of Tsarina Maria Nagaya. In 1692, the stone church was completed and consecrated. The temple is located on the bank of the Volga River in the north-eastern part of the Kremlin.

Beddgelert, Snowdonia, North Wales

The church is to be found at the edge of Beddgelert, near to where the Rivers Glaslyn and Colwyn meet.

By the 13th century the small monastic community that had established itself here was reorganised and became an Augustinian priory. In the 1230s the church was rebuilt to reflect this new status, very likely under the patronage of Llywelyn the Great. It would have been sizeable, with other buildings, long since destroyed, standing in what is now a grassy field south of the church.

St Mary’s has twice been burned; once by soldiers of Edward I’s army after the conquest of Gwynedd in 1283, and again in the 15th century. The historic remains were damaged further by unsympathetic Victorian ‘restoration’, but traces of the medieval building are still visible. Look for the three tall lancet windows above the altar, and the wide arches on the north side of the church. These features date from the 13th century.

Beddgelert probably gets its name from the founder of the original church, Celert, about whom not much is known. However, there is a more colourful, popular derivation: Gelert was said to be a favourite hound of Llywelyn the Great. One day the prince went hunting, leaving the dog to guard his infant son. Returning home, he found his hall in chaos, Gelert smeared with blood and the baby missing. In fury he slew the dog, only to discover his son immediately afterwards, unharmed, beside a huge dead wolf, whose throat had been ripped out by Gelert. Llywelyn, it is said, never smiled again.

The story is dramatic, moving and entirely untrue – the invention of a local 18th-century hotelier who spread it to attract tourists to the area. The ‘grave’ of the legendary canine hero is a pleasant, short walk to the south of St Mary’s Church.

Text source: www.snowdoniaheritage.info/en/location/125/st-mary-s-chur...

Love,

Loyalty,

Friendships,

Authors,

Booksellers,

Bookbinders,

Burns,

Burn-victims,

Compositors,

Examinations,

Lithographers,

Against poison,

Poison-victims,

Art-dealers,

Editors,

Engravers,

Painters,

Papermakers,

Printers,

Publishers,

Scribes,

Scholars,

Tanners,

Theologians

Typesetters,

Writers,

Patronage of

Asia Minor, Turkey and Turks

Taos, New Mexico

Umbria, Italy

diocese of Cleveland, Ohio

diocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Third day of Christmas octave 2022: Lord's servant?

In Greek mythology, Athena was believed to have been born from the forehead of her father Zeus. In some versions of the story, Athena has no mother and is born from Zeus' forehead by parthenogenesis. In others, such as Hesiod's Theogony, Zeus swallows his consort Metis, who was pregnant with Athena; in this version, Athena is first born within Zeus and then escapes from his body through his forehead. In the founding myth of Athens, Athena bested Poseidon in a competition over patronage of the city by creating the first olive tree. She was known as Athena Parthenos "Athena the Virgin," but in one archaic Attic myth, the god Hephaestus tried and failed to rape her, resulting in Gaia giving birth to Erichthonius, an important Athenian founding hero. Athena was the patron goddess of heroic endeavor; she was believed to have aided the heroes Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, and Jason. Along with Aphrodite and Hera, Athena was one of the three goddesses whose feud resulted in the beginning of the Trojan War.

Somnium Pocket Universe

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Purgatorium/145/167/51

Tomaso Albinoni-Adagio in G Minorttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx-W4WDiZPE

Filomena Quinnell

(Yummy) Dreamy Earrings - Pear Cut Gem - Hoop (L) {Creator} [L ear]

(Yummy) Dreamy Earrings - Pear Cut Gem - Hoop (R) {Creator} [R ear]

.aisling. Aphrodite - Bracelet - Gold [L] {Creator} [L lower arm]

.aisling. Aphrodite - Bracelet - Gold [R] {Creator} [R lower arm]

.euphoric~Bento Nails~Maitreya {Creator} [R hand]

Always On Ankle Fix v2 (Wear on Body) {Creator} []

FFW Warrior Sword R1 {Creator} [R hand]

LeLUTKA.Facelight.Add {Creator} [L ear]

Sintiklia - Hair Yasmine Unrigged&resized {Creator} [head]

Sintiklia - Windy bangs 1 L(mirror) ADD {Creator} [head]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Arms.All {Creator} [L lower arm]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Bodice {Creator} [R pectoral]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Boots {Creator} [R lower leg]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Collar.R {Creator} [neck]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Gems.Chest {Creator} [R pectoral]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Gems.Hips {Creator} [R hip]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Gems.UpperLegs {Creator} [L upper leg]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Hands {Creator} [L hand]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {M.Lara} - Skirt.L {Creator} [L hip]

V/. VoluptasVirtualis -[Saya] - {Unrig} - MoonJewel {Creator} [chest]

[ Oblivion ] Middle-Age Circlet {Creator} [nose]

Shiten'nou Mon (四天王門) of Yakuou'in is a Buddhist style gate. It is combined with Tengu statues.

Buddhism and Shintou had enjoyed royal patronage until 19th century. After the Meiji restoration in late 19th century, the situation changed drastically.

The new government suppressed Buddhism saying it is a foreign religion. It is called Haibutsu Kishaku (排仏毀釈). The movement was led by ultra-nationalists who fanatically sought a genuine form of Shintou. Shugendou was also a target of crackdown due to its syncretism with Buddhism.

It may be compared with Wahhabism in the Arab world in that both are reactions against the increasing western influence.

Buddhism and Shintoism were observed as one single religion during the Edo period. They were forcefully separated into two. 80% of Japanese population observe Buddhism, while 80% observe Shintoism. This statistical contradiction clearly indicates that the two were one religion.

Shugendou has barely survived but does not have the influence as it had in the past. The same goes for Buddhism.

Once glorified Shintou was deprived of political influence by the General Headquarters of Allied Forces (GHQ), which governed Japan for seven years after WW II, which ordered the separation of religion from the government.

The above-mentioned history combined with the Christian prosecution in 17th century, Japan is now a very secular country.

The rolling hills of the Val d'Orcia CF011793

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for your visit and support ..

All Right Reserved. Pictures can not be used without explicit permission by the creator

Fabrizio Massetti.

The Val d’Orcia, or Valdorcia, is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. It is characterised by gentle, carefully cultivated hills occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as Pienza (rebuilt as an “ideal town” in the 15th century under the patronage of Pope Pius II), Radicofani (home to the notorious brigand-hero Ghino di Tacco) and Montalcino (the Brunello di Montalcino is counted among the most prestigious of Italian wines). It is a landscape which has become familiar through its depiction in works of art from the Renaissance painting to the modern photograph.

World Heritage

In 2004 the Val d’Orcia was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites under these criteria:

Criterion (iv): The Val d’Orcia is an exceptional reflection of the way the landscape was re-written in Renaissance times to reflect the ideals of good governance and to create an aesthetically pleasing pictures.

Criterion (vi): The landscape of the Val d’Orcia was celebrated by painters from the Scuola Senese, which flourished during the Renaissance. Images of the Val d’Orcia, and particularly depictions of landscapes where people are depicted as living in harmony with nature, have come to be seen as icons of the Renaissance and have profoundly influenced the development of landscape thinking.

** Exploring the Fairlands *** Fashion Show

Performance by Suoh Agency and Mahasiah Model Agency, a fashion show where each model will present a region through an original style. April 29, 2023

Nony representing the region of ISLES OF AQUARIUS

This wonderful region has been created by EchoRayne Ayashi and Liz Corryong, under the patronage of the Safe Waters Foundation. Walking down the avenue of the Islands of Aquarius, we feel that they could very well be part of Plato's lost Atlantis, resurfacing from the seabed, perhaps thanks to the same natural disaster that submerged it. This sim, with a structure and color in harmony with the background through which it advances, becomes a monument to yesterday and tomorrow, a bridge between generations where the common, omnipresent and life-giving link is the great ocean.

Nony wanted to capture with this outfit what marine life is with its dominant currents, illuminated by the hypnotic lights of Prana or its vital force. Ocean life flows and allows those who dare to explore the depths to enjoy its immense beauty. She has used a skin from :: ANTAYA :: and accessories from Mermade and.: Runic:. To complete the styling.

Isles of Aquarius, lm

Die in den Jahren 1858 bis 1864 erbaute große Wallfahrtskirche wurde 1923 zur Päpstlichen Basilika erhoben. Das Patronat der „Aufnahme Mariens in den Himmel“ soll daran erinnern, was das Ziel irdischer Pilgerschaft ist.

1991 wurde mit der Innenausmalung in Anlehnung an Sainte-Chapelle in Paris eine Restaurierung abgeschlossen und damit einer der farbenprächtigsten Kirchenräume des Rheinlandes wiederhergestellt.

The large pilgrimage church built between 1858 and 1864 was elevated to the status of papal basilica in 1923. The patronage of the "Assumption of Mary into Heaven" is intended to remind us what the goal of earthly pilgrimage is.

In 1991, a restoration was completed with the interior painting based on Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and one of the most colorful church interiors in the Rhineland was restored.

Sénanque Abbey

It was founded in 1148 under the patronage of Alfant, bishop of Cavaillon, and Ramon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona, Count of Provence, by Cistercian monks who came from Mazan Abbey in the Ardèche. Temporary huts housed the first community of impoverished monks. By 1152 the community already had so many members that Sénanque was able to found Chambons Abbey, in the diocese of Viviers.

The young community found patrons in the seigneurs of Simiane, whose support enabled them to build the abbey church, consecrated in 1178. Other structures at Sénanque followed, laid out according to the rule of Cîteaux Abbey, mother house of the Cistercians. Among its existing structures, famed examples of Romanesque architecture, are the abbey church, cloister, dormitory, chapter house and the small calefactory, the one heated space in the austere surroundings, so that the monks could write, for this was their scriptorium. A refectory was added in the 17th century, when some minimal rebuilding of existing walls was undertaken, but the abbey is a remarkably untouched survival, of rare beauty and severity: the capitals of the paired columns in the cloister arcades are reduced to the simplest leaf forms, not to offer sensual distraction.

The abbey church is in the form of a tau cross with an apse projecting beyond the abbey's outer walls. Somewhat unusually, its liturgical east end faces north, as the narrow and secluded valley offered no space for the conventional arrangement.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, Sénanque reached its apogee, operating four mills, seven granges and possessing large estates in Provence. In 1509, when the first abbot in commendam was named, a sure sign of the decline of vocation, the community at Sénanque had shrunk to about a dozen. During the Wars of Religion the quarters for the lay brothers were destroyed and the abbey was ransacked by Huguenots. At the French Revolution the abbey's lands were nationalized, the one remaining monk was expelled and Sénanque itself was sold to a private individual.

source Wiképédia

The current Stone Bridge was built between 1451 and 1469. It was built on Roman foundations under the patronage of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror. It was damaged by a severe earthquake in 1555. It was nearly destroyed by the Nazis in 1944. The explosives were in place and the bridge was about to be blown, but the Nazis relented based on a last minute plea from the city notables.

Hermitage Straja is an Orthodox monastery under the patronage: Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Saints Constantine and Helena, located near the Cross Heroes. Hermitage include a wooden church and some cells and dates from 1999. Entering the Hermitage is through an artificial tunnel of 57 meters, where there are icons of saints arranged by day and month as Orthodox Christian calendar.

Located in Lupeni, Hunedoara, Romania.

The monastery was founded on the shore of Lake Ohrid in X century under patronage of Bulgarian tsars by St. Naum of Preslav, a disciple of Sts. Cyril, Methodius and Clement, the Enlighteners of the Slavs. The current church was built in XVII century. A lot of peacocks reside on premises.

Монастырь был основан на берегу Охридского озера в Х веке при покровительстве болгарских царей Св. Наумом Преславским, учеником славянских просветителей Свв. Кирилла, Мефодия и Климента. Церковь монастыря был построен в XVII веке. На территории монастыря живёт множество павлинов.

Actually, the cavernous entrance to a showroom of Burano lace in Venice not far from Piazza San Marco. Burano has had a long tradition of needle-lace making. The art died out in the early 19th century but was revived in 1872, with noble patronage, to provide relief for the islanders after a disastrous winter for the fishing industry. Burano lace is highly coveted in Europe. 45.435, 12.341

The Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as Pienza (rebuilt as an "ideal town" in the 15th century under the patronage of Pope Pius II), Radicofani (home to the notorious brigand-hero Ghino di Tacco) and Montalcino (the Brunello di Montalcino is counted among the most prestigious of Italian wines). Its landscape has been depicted in works of art from Renaissance painting to modern photography.

Thank you all for helping me achieve this major views milestone today. In the process, I have made several contacts, a number of whom I have become close friends. I have also had a chance to look at your wonderful work too. I look forward to publishing more images and videos in the coming days. Looking forward to your continued patronage.

Best Regards, Take care and stay safe.

Viv

OT_3

A man by the name of Thietmar, who saw the castle in 1217 after the Muslim conquest, refereed to it as "a most excellent fortress, surrounded by triple walls and as strong as any I have ever seen". The External walls and towers are attributed to the patronage of the Mamluk Sultan Lajin.

The castle is currently being investigated by an Italian archaeological team from the University of Florence.

The Ajanta Caves are approximately 30 rock cut Buddhist caves in Aurangabad district of the state of Maharashtra in Western India.They were built in 2 phases from the 2nd century B.C to around 480 A.D.The caves are carved into a 246 feet wall of rock in an U-shaped gorge of the River Waghur some 100 kms from the city of Aurangabad.

The Ajanta caves consist of Viharas (monasteries ) and Chaityas ( Prayer halls) of different Buddhist sects.Many of the caves contain beautiful mural paintings depicting stories from the Jatakas( the previous lives and rebirths of the Buddha) as well as rock cut sculptures of the Buddha and other Buddhist deities.The paintings made from natural colours on "dry fresco" on the walls,ceilings and pillars are very intricate and of exceptional artistic quality.They are regarded as masterpieces of Buddhist religious art.

Textual records suggest that these caves served as Monsoon retreats for Buddhist monks as well as resting places for travelling merchants and pilgrims.They were probably abandoned after the decline of Budhhism in India and lack of royal patronage.The area got covered by thick forests and was discovered "accidentally" in 1819 by a British soldier Captain John Smith during a tiger hunting expedition.

These caves were declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1983.

Source :- Wikipedia

Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary

Situated at 69 Watling St, London, EC4N 4SJ

There has been a church on this for about 900 years. The patronage belonged to the Prior and Chapter of Canterbury and was later transferred to the Archbishop in 1400.

Sir Henry Keeble paid for the building of a new church in 1510, but he died in 1518 leaving the tower still to be finished. It wasn’t until 1629 where two legacies enabled the church to be completed by 1632.

Poor Henry Keeble what was supposed to be his resting place, his dream was short-lived. His mortal remains were removed to be replaced by those of Two Lord Mayors, Sir William Laxton and Sir Thomas Lodge. To add insult to injury, his monument was also destroyed.

The church was badly damaged by the Great Fire of London in 1666, the tower and parts of its walls survived. A gentleman called Henry Rogers had left a legacy of £5,000 of which his widow had stipulated that the church should be rebuilt as a replica of the old one.

Sir Christopher Wren did the majority of the rebuilding in the ‘Gothic’ style. Pevsner writes ‘It is the chief surviving monument of 17th century Gothic revival in the City’.

Another church that was destroyed in the Great Fire ‘St Thomas the Apostle’ was now united with St Mary’s. St Thomas’s was not rebuilt.

Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum under her patronage in 1558, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son, Sayyid Muhammad, Persian architects chosen by her. Wikipedia

The photo literate of you will recognise Lyme Regis iconic breakwater/harbour wall. But when you are stood there waiting for a sunrise, with no other photographers in sight, it gets you thinking. Why is it called the Cobb. The answer is still a mystery to me. The word cob can mean a building material and as this structure was first mentioned in writing in the 13th century, it might be linked. Cobb often refers to round things, think cob loaves, crusty cob rolls, think corn on the cob or cob nuts. People named cob may have a forebear who was rotund or corpulent. Was the structure named after a patron or an architect? Lyme had royal patronage and thus attracts the Regis to its name.

The photo was taken in the blue hour and has been colour corrected. We are looking east but the cloud covered any sunrise colour.

Oh and those not sure of the title to have a "cob on" is to be moody or petulant!

Santes Creus Monastery came into being in 1160 under the patronage of the Montcada and Cervelló houses and Count Ramon Berenguer IV. On the banks of the River Gaià the monks, who came from the Occitan Abbaye de Grandselve, found the ideal site for building a monastery which, until 1835, would be the centre of one of the largest and most influential monastic domains of the Kingdom of Aragón. Its history and the Cistercian way of life are described in the audiovisual "The Cistercian World".

Santes Creus reached its time of greatest splendour in the 13th and 14th centuries thanks to the favour of the royal house and the nobility. Two kings, Pere el Gran and Jaume II el Just, and Jaume's queen Blanche d'Anjou chose it for their pantheon and were active protectors and patrons. Their remains lie in the church in two tombs, considered masterpieces of early Catalan Gothic and the only ones of the Kingdom of Aragón to have survived intact.

Like few Cistercian abbeys, the ground plan of the monastery follows the model drawn by St Bernard in order to organise the spaces according to the needs of the community. The austerity typical of the order is reflected in the first buildings, such as the church. But soon the splendour of the Gothic took over in spaces such as the 14th century cloister, the first in that style in the Kingdom of Aragón, remarkable for the artistic quality of the capitals and the tombs of the monarchs who took part in the conquest of Mallorca. (Source: Generalitat de Catalunya)

The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (Italian pronunciation: [katteˈdraːle di ˈsanta maˈriːa del ˈfjoːre]; in English "Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flowers") is the main church of Florence, Italy. Il Duomo di Firenze, as it is ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style with the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris.

The cathedral complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence and are a major attraction to tourists visiting Tuscany. The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches, and until development of new structural materials in the modern era, the dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.

The cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence, whose archbishop is currently Giuseppe Betori.

Santa Maria del Fiore was built on the site of an earlier cathedral dedicated to Saint Reparata. The ancient structure, founded in the early 5th century and having undergone many repairs, was crumbling with age, according to the 14th-century Nuova Cronica of Giovanni Villani, and was no longer large enough to serve the growing population of the city. Other major Tuscan cities had undertaken ambitious reconstructions of their cathedrals during the Late Medieval period, such as Pisa and particularly Siena where the enormous proposed extensions were never completed.

Giotto's bell tower (campanile)

The new church was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio and approved by city council in 1294. Di Cambio was also architect of the church of Santa Croce and the Palazzo Vecchio. He designed three wide naves ending under the octagonal dome, with the middle nave covering the area of Santa Reparata. The first stone was laid on September 9, 1296, by Cardinal Valeriana, the first papal legate ever sent to Florence. The building of this vast project was to last 140 years; Arnolfo's plan for the eastern end, although maintained in concept, was greatly expanded in size.

After Arnolfo died in 1310, work on the cathedral slowed for thirty years. When the relics of Saint Zenobius were discovered in 1330 in Santa Reparata, the project gained a new impetus. In 1331, the Arte della Lana, the guild of wool merchants, took over patronage for the construction of the cathedral and in 1334 appointed Giotto to oversee the work. Assisted by Andrea Pisano, Giotto continued di Cambio's design. His major accomplishment was the building of the campanile. When Giotto died in 1337, Andrea Pisano continued the building until work was halted due to the Black Death in 1348.

In 1349, work resumed on the cathedral under a series of architects, starting with Francesco Talenti, who finished the campanile and enlarged the overall project to include the apse and the side chapels. In 1359, Talenti was succeeded by Giovanni di Lapo Ghini (1360–1369) who divided the center nave in four square bays. Other architects were Alberto Arnoldi, Giovanni d'Ambrogio, Neri di Fioravante and Andrea Orcagna. By 1375, the old church Santa Reparata was pulled down. The nave was finished by 1380, and by 1418, only the dome remained incomplete.

On 18 August 1418, the Arte della Lana announced an architectural design competition for erecting Neri's dome. The two main competitors were two master goldsmiths, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, the latter of whom was supported by Cosimo de Medici. Ghiberti had been the winner of a competition for a pair of bronze doors for the Baptistery in 1401 and lifelong competition between the two remained sharp. Brunelleschi won and received the commission.

Ghiberti, appointed coadjutator, drew a salary equal to Brunelleschi's and, though neither was awarded the announced prize of 200 florins, was promised equal credit, although he spent most of his time on other projects. When Brunelleschi became ill, or feigned illness, the project was briefly in the hands of Ghiberti. But Ghiberti soon had to admit that the whole project was beyond him. In 1423, Brunelleschi was back in charge and took over sole responsibility.

Work started on the dome in 1420 and was completed in 1436. The cathedral was consecrated by Pope Eugene IV on March 25, 1436, (the first day of the year according to the Florentine calendar). It was the first 'octagonal' dome in history to be built without a temporary wooden supporting frame. It was one of the most impressive projects of the Renaissance. During the consecration in 1436, Guillaume Dufay's motet Nuper rosarum flores was performed. The structure of this motet was strongly influenced by the structure of the dome.

The decoration of the exterior of the cathedral, begun in the 14th century, was not completed until 1887, when the polychrome marble façade was completed with the design of Emilio De Fabris. The floor of the church was relaid in marble tiles in the 16th century.

The exterior walls are faced in alternate vertical and horizontal bands of polychrome marble from Carrara (white), Prato (green), Siena (red), Lavenza and a few other places. These marble bands had to repeat the already existing bands on the walls of the earlier adjacent baptistery the Battistero di San Giovanni and Giotto's Bell Tower. There are two side doors: the Doors of the Canonici (south side) and the Door of the Mandorla (north side) with sculptures by Nanni di Banco, Donatello, and Jacopo della Quercia. The six side windows, notable for their delicate tracery and ornaments, are separated by pilasters. Only the four windows closest to the transept admit light; the other two are merely ornamental. The clerestory windows are round, a common feature in Italian Gothic.

During its long history, this cathedral has been the seat of the Council of Florence (1439), heard the preachings of Girolamo Savonarola and witnessed the murder of Giuliano di Piero de' Medici on Sunday, 26 April 1478 (with Lorenzo Il Magnifico barely escaping death), in the Pazzi conspiracy.

For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_del_Duomo,_Florence

Florence (/ˈflɒrəns/ FLOR-əns; Italian: Firenze [fiˈrɛntse] ( listen)) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the Metropolitan City of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 382,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1,520,000 in the metropolitan area.

Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages". A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1871 the city was the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy.

The Historic Centre of Florence attracts 13 millions of tourists each year, and Euromonitor International ranked the city as the world's 89th most visited in 2012, with 1.8 million visitors. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. The city is noted for its culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Florence is an important city in Italian fashion, being ranked in the top 51 fashion capitals of the world; furthermore, it is a major national economic centre, as well as a tourist and industrial hub. In 2008, the city had the 17th highest average income in Italy.

For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence

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The Spanish Steps / Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti

The Spanish Steps are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top.

____________________________________________________

My photographs are © Copyrighted and All Rights Reserved. These photos must NOT be reproduced and/or used in any form of publication, print or on the Internet without my written permission. Please contact me if you would like to use one of my pictures. ____________________________________________________

Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, España.

El convento de San Juan de los Reyes es un cenobio de la ciudad española de Toledo perteneciente a la Orden Franciscana, que fue construido bajo el patrocinio de la reina Isabel I de Castilla con la intención de convertirlo en mausoleo real, en conmemoración de la batalla de Toro y del nacimiento del príncipe Juan. Se trata de una de las más valiosas muestras del estilo gótico isabelino y el edificio más importante erigido por los Reyes Católicos. El convento es, además, un monumento conmemorativo de los logros de los Reyes Católicos y de su programa político.

El templo, que se terminó en 1495, corresponde plenamente al tipo isabelino, de una sola nave con capillas-hornacinas entre los contrafuertes y con coro elevado a los pies. Se construyó en varias etapas por los que el proyecto inicial fue modificado en varias ocasiones. En un primer momento la nave central estaba coronada por una austera bóveda cuyo último pilar, que corresponde al crucero, fortalecía el punto de apoyo del cimborrio formando un grueso contrafuerte. Pero en 1484 el proyecto primitivo fue remodelado por la mano de Guas que trasformó la cabecera en una capilla funeraria revestida por un cimborrio, pensada para los enterramientos de los Reyes Católicos. Esto no se llegó a realizar y es por lo que el espacio de la cabecera da una sensación de vacío. La solución llegó en una segunda fase, ya muerto Juan Guas, en la que el proyecto se simplificó. La profusa ornamentación del templo muestra los símbolos de los Reyes Católicos, así como el águila de San Juan y decoración heráldica. El perímetro interior de la iglesia está recorrido por una franja con un texto conmemorativo, lo que puede considerarse una adaptación de la epigrafía árabe a la arquitectura cristiana. El escultor Egas Cueman colaboró decisivamente en la decoración del conjunto.

El claustro, construido tras la muerte de Guas, está formado por bóvedas de crucería sin clave central y un arco conopial mixtilíneo en la galería del segundo piso. En los arcos de entibo aparecen como decoración figuras en los ángulos, y en los tímpanos de las puertas está representada la Verónica. Pero lo más destacado desde el punto de vista iconográfico es el muro, decorado con cenefas vegetales a modo de alfiz, dejando espacio para pinturas y esculturas. Otra de las puertas del claustro muestra un arco tribulado más abierto relacionado ya con modelos de Enrique Egas de época posterior.

The convent of San Juan de los Reyes is a monastery in the Spanish city of Toledo belonging to the Franciscan Order, which was built under the patronage of Queen Isabel I of Castile with the intention of converting it into a royal mausoleum, in commemoration of the battle of Toro and the birth of Prince Juan. It is one of the most valuable examples of the Isabelline Gothic style and the most important building erected by the Catholic Monarchs. The convent is also a commemorative monument of the achievements of the Catholic Monarchs and their political programme.

The temple, which was completed in 1495, fully corresponds to the Isabelline type, with a single nave with chapels-niche between the buttresses and with a raised choir at the foot. It was built in several stages, due to which the initial project was modified on several occasions. At first, the central nave was crowned by an austere vault, the last pillar of which, corresponding to the transept, strengthened the support point of the dome, forming a thick buttress. But in 1484, the original project was remodelled by Guas, who transformed the apse into a funerary chapel covered by a dome, designed for the burial of the Catholic Monarchs. This was never carried out, and that is why the space of the apse gives a feeling of emptiness. The solution came in a second phase, after Juan Guas' death, in which the project was simplified. The profuse ornamentation of the temple shows the symbols of the Catholic Monarchs, as well as the eagle of Saint John and heraldic decoration. The interior perimeter of the church is traversed by a strip with a commemorative text, which can be considered an adaptation of Arabic epigraphy to Christian architecture. The sculptor Egas Cueman collaborated decisively in the decoration of the complex.

The cloister, built after Guas' death, is made up of ribbed vaults without a central keystone and a mixed-linear ogee arch in the second-floor gallery. The arches are decorated with figures in the corners, and Veronica is depicted on the tympanums of the doors. But the most notable thing from an iconographic point of view is the wall, decorated with plant borders like an alfiz, leaving space for paintings and sculptures. Another of the cloister doors has a more open tribulated arch related to models by Enrique Egas from a later period.

The Grand Hotel in Folkestone is a historic hotel located in Folkestone, Kent, England. The hotel has a rich history dating back to the 19th century and has been a popular destination for travelers and tourists over the years. It was a favourite of the then Prince of Wales (King Edward VII) with his Mistress Alice Keppel, Great Grandmother of Queen Camilla. In 1909 the King with Queen Alexandra opened the new ballroom containing the first sprung dance floor in Europe.

During the Great War the building was used as a refuge for the Belgian royal family and military hospital; thereafter the Prince of Wales’s patronage, later Edward VIII, assisted its resurgence, although Mrs Simpson stayed a little way away.

The hotel including the surrounding walls is a Grade II Listed Building

Part of the project to liven up New Brighton, A tribute to the RNLI.

Founded in 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, soon afterwards becoming the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, under the patronage of King George IV. On 5 October 1854, the Institution’s name was changed to its current name, and in 1860 was granted a Royal Charter.

Ferrara might not have been the birthplace of the renaissance but the city may have been the first to embrace humanist ideals in its planning it also became the model for patronage of the arts and architecture of that period. The Dukes of Estes came into power in the city in the mid-13th century doing such a terrific job that the peasants revolted in the 14th having almost been overthrown the Este’s learned a lesson of governance and from that point forward ruled with benevolence towards its populace. While other Emilia-Romana cities are on the tourist trail you will find Ferrara full of the same offerings of food, art and architecture as Bologna but without most of the tourists.

I took this on Sept 13, 2011 with my D70s and Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Lens at 25mm, 1/500s, f7.1 ISO 200 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia ,Topaz, and DXO Nik

Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress

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The Spanish Steps / Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti

The Spanish Steps are a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top.

____________________________________________________

My photographs are © Copyrighted and All Rights Reserved. These photos must NOT be reproduced and/or used in any form of publication, print or on the Internet without my written permission. Please contact me if you would like to use one of my pictures. ____________________________________________________

young people, Italian Catholic youth. His patronage is also invoked by the Church for students, college students, seminarians, novices, youth, clerics, gun owners and the region of Abruzzi, Italy. Thousands of divine favors are attributed to his intercession with Christ Crucified and the Sorrowful Mother Mary.

The star which crowns the Tower of Mary of Sagrada Familia shines again every night. The Patronage of the Construction Board Foundation of the Expiatory Temple of Sagrada Familia and the City Council reached an agreement whereby the star will turn on at sunset and turn off at midnight.

Le château d'Azay-le-Rideau est bâti sur une île au milieu de l'Indre sous le patronage de François Ier. Subtile alliance de traditions françaises et de décors innovants venus d'Italie, il est une icône du nouvel art de bâtir du Val-de-Loire au XVIème siècle.

The castle of Azay-le-Rideau is built on an island in the middle of the Indre under the patronage of François Ier. Subtle alliance of French traditions and innovative decorations from Italy, he is an icon of the new art of building in the Val-de-Loire in the 16th century.

Santes Creus Monastery came into being in 1160 under the patronage of the Montcada and Cervelló houses and Count Ramon Berenguer IV. On the banks of the River Gaià the monks, who came from the Occitan Abbaye de Grandselve, found the ideal site for building a monastery which, until 1835, would be the centre of one of the largest and most influential monastic domains of the Kingdom of Aragón. Its history and the Cistercian way of life are described in the audiovisual "The Cistercian World".

Santes Creus reached its time of greatest splendour in the 13th and 14th centuries thanks to the favour of the royal house and the nobility. Two kings, Pere el Gran and Jaume II el Just, and Jaume's queen Blanche d'Anjou chose it for their pantheon and were active protectors and patrons. Their remains lie in the church in two tombs, considered masterpieces of early Catalan Gothic and the only ones of the Kingdom of Aragón to have survived intact.

Like few Cistercian abbeys, the ground plan of the monastery follows the model drawn by St Bernard in order to organise the spaces according to the needs of the community. The austerity typical of the order is reflected in the first buildings, such as the church. But soon the splendour of the Gothic took over in spaces such as the 14th century cloister, the first in that style in the Kingdom of Aragón, remarkable for the artistic quality of the capitals and the tombs of the monarchs who took part in the conquest of Mallorca. (Source: Generalitat de Catalunya)

Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, España.

El convento de San Juan de los Reyes es un cenobio de la ciudad española de Toledo perteneciente a la Orden Franciscana, que fue construido bajo el patrocinio de la reina Isabel I de Castilla con la intención de convertirlo en mausoleo real, en conmemoración de la batalla de Toro y del nacimiento del príncipe Juan. Se trata de una de las más valiosas muestras del estilo gótico isabelino y el edificio más importante erigido por los Reyes Católicos. El convento es, además, un monumento conmemorativo de los logros de los Reyes Católicos y de su programa político.

El templo, que se terminó en 1495, corresponde plenamente al tipo isabelino, de una sola nave con capillas-hornacinas entre los contrafuertes y con coro elevado a los pies. Se construyó en varias etapas por los que el proyecto inicial fue modificado en varias ocasiones. En un primer momento la nave central estaba coronada por una austera bóveda cuyo último pilar, que corresponde al crucero, fortalecía el punto de apoyo del cimborrio formando un grueso contrafuerte. Pero en 1484 el proyecto primitivo fue remodelado por la mano de Guas que trasformó la cabecera en una capilla funeraria revestida por un cimborrio, pensada para los enterramientos de los Reyes Católicos. Esto no se llegó a realizar y es por lo que el espacio de la cabecera da una sensación de vacío. La solución llegó en una segunda fase, ya muerto Juan Guas, en la que el proyecto se simplificó. La profusa ornamentación del templo muestra los símbolos de los Reyes Católicos, así como el águila de San Juan y decoración heráldica. El perímetro interior de la iglesia está recorrido por una franja con un texto conmemorativo, lo que puede considerarse una adaptación de la epigrafía árabe a la arquitectura cristiana. El escultor Egas Cueman colaboró decisivamente en la decoración del conjunto.

El claustro, construido tras la muerte de Guas, está formado por bóvedas de crucería sin clave central y un arco conopial mixtilíneo en la galería del segundo piso. En los arcos de entibo aparecen como decoración figuras en los ángulos, y en los tímpanos de las puertas está representada la Verónica. Pero lo más destacado desde el punto de vista iconográfico es el muro, decorado con cenefas vegetales a modo de alfiz, dejando espacio para pinturas y esculturas. Otra de las puertas del claustro muestra un arco tribulado más abierto relacionado ya con modelos de Enrique Egas de época posterior.

The convent of San Juan de los Reyes is a monastery in the Spanish city of Toledo belonging to the Franciscan Order, which was built under the patronage of Queen Isabel I of Castile with the intention of converting it into a royal mausoleum, in commemoration of the battle of Toro and the birth of Prince Juan. It is one of the most valuable examples of the Isabelline Gothic style and the most important building erected by the Catholic Monarchs. The convent is also a commemorative monument of the achievements of the Catholic Monarchs and their political programme.

The temple, which was completed in 1495, fully corresponds to the Isabelline type, with a single nave with chapels-niche between the buttresses and with a raised choir at the foot. It was built in several stages, due to which the initial project was modified on several occasions. At first, the central nave was crowned by an austere vault, the last pillar of which, corresponding to the transept, strengthened the support point of the dome, forming a thick buttress. But in 1484, the original project was remodelled by Guas, who transformed the apse into a funerary chapel covered by a dome, designed for the burial of the Catholic Monarchs. This was never carried out, and that is why the space of the apse gives a feeling of emptiness. The solution came in a second phase, after Juan Guas' death, in which the project was simplified. The profuse ornamentation of the temple shows the symbols of the Catholic Monarchs, as well as the eagle of Saint John and heraldic decoration. The interior perimeter of the church is traversed by a strip with a commemorative text, which can be considered an adaptation of Arabic epigraphy to Christian architecture. The sculptor Egas Cueman collaborated decisively in the decoration of the complex.

The cloister, built after Guas' death, is made up of ribbed vaults without a central keystone and a mixed-linear ogee arch in the second-floor gallery. The arches are decorated with figures in the corners, and Veronica is depicted on the tympanums of the doors. But the most notable thing from an iconographic point of view is the wall, decorated with plant borders like an alfiz, leaving space for paintings and sculptures. Another of the cloister doors has a more open tribulated arch related to models by Enrique Egas from a later period.