The Spirit of Ecstasy is the bonnet mascot sculpture on Rolls-Royce cars. It is in the form of a woman leaning forwards with her arms outstretched behind and above her. Billowing cloth runs from her arms to her back, resembling wings.

The first Rolls-Royce motorcars did not feature radiator mascots; they simply carried the Rolls-Royce emblem. When John, 2nd Baron Montagu commissioned his friend, sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes, who worked in London under the nobleman's patronage, to sculpt a personal mascot for the bonnet of his 1909 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Sykes chose Eleanor Velasco Thornton as his model. Sykes originally crafted a figurine of her in fluttering robes, having placed one forefinger against her lips – to symbolize the secret of the love affair between Thornton and Montagu. The figurine was consequently named The Whisper and is on display at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu along with other Spirit of Ecstasy figurines.

Only three or four castings were ever made, and only two are believed to have survived.

The Spirit of Ecstasy, also called Eleanor, Silver Lady, or Flying Lady, was designed by Sykes, a graduate of London's Royal College of Art, and carries with it a story about secret passion between Montagu, second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu after 1905, a pioneer of the automobile movement, and editor of The Car Illustrated magazine from 1902, and the model for the emblem, Eleanor Velasco Thornton.

Eleanor (also known as Thorn) was the secretary of John Walter, who fell in love with her in 1902 when she worked for him on the aforesaid motoring magazine. Their secret love was to remain hidden, limited to their circle of friends, for more than a decade. The reason for the secrecy was Eleanor's impoverished social and economic status, which was an obstacle to their love. On the other hand, Montagu had been married to Lady Cecil Victoria Constance Kerr since 1889.

By 1910 personal mascots had become the fashion of the day. Rolls-Royce were concerned to note that some owners were affixing "inappropriate" ornaments to their cars. Claude Johnson, then managing director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, was asked to commission a more dignified and graceful mascot.

He turned to Sykes to produce a mascot which would adorn all future Rolls-Royce cars and become generic to the marque, with the specifications that it should convey "the spirit of the Rolls-Royce, namely, speed with silence, absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy and a beautiful living organism of superb grace..."[2]

Sykes' brief from Claude Johnson had been to evoke the spirit of mythical beauty, Nike, whose graceful image was admired in The Louvre, but Sykes was not impressed. He felt that a more feminine representation might be apt.[citation needed]

It was again Miss Thornton whom he had in mind. Sykes chose to modify The Whisper into a version similar to today's Spirit of Ecstasy. He called this first model The Spirit of Speed.[3] Later, Charles Sykes called it "A graceful little goddess, the Spirit of Ecstasy, who has selected road travel as her supreme delight and alighted on the prow of a Rolls-Royce motor car to revel in the freshness of the air and the musical sound of her fluttering draperies."[citation needed]

Claude Johnson devised the description of the Spirit of Ecstasy, he described how Sykes had sought to convey the image of "the spirit of ecstasy, who has selected road travel as her supreme delight...... she is expressing her keen enjoyment, with her arms outstretched and her sight fixed upon the distance."

Royce was ill during the commissioning of the flying lady. He did not believe the figurine enhanced the cars, asserting that it impaired the driver's view, and was rarely seen driving one of his company's vehicles adorned with the mascot.

In February 1911 Sykes presented to Rolls-Royce the Spirit of Ecstasy, which was easily recognisable as being a variation on the theme of The Whisper. The similarity was hardly coincidental because the model for both had been Miss Thornton. The sculptor's signature appeared on the plinth and were either signed "Charles Sykes, February 1911" or "Feb 6, 1911" or "6.2.11". Even after Rolls-Royce took over the casting of the figures in 1948 each Spirit of Ecstasy continued to receive this inscription until 1951.

The Spirit of Ecstasy was also manufactured by the British firm Louis Lejeune Ltd. for a number of years.

Eleanor died on 30 December 1915 when the SS Persia was torpedoed by a U-boat south of Crete. She had been accompanying Lord Montagu who had been directed to assume a command in India. He was thought to have been killed too, but survived and was saved after several days adrift in a life raft.

Humayun's tomb is the tomb of Emperor Mirza Nasir al-Din Muhammad commonly known as Humayun situated 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. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, close to the Dina-panah Citadel, also known as Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun found in 1538. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is complete. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Sur Empire, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.

The complex encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun, which houses the graves of Empress Bega Begum, Hajji Begum, and also Dara Shikoh, great-great-grandson of Humayun and son of the later Emperor Shah Jahan, as well as numerous other subsequent Mughals, including Emperor Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat, Muhammad Kam Bakhsh and Alamgir II. It represented a leap in Mughal architecture, and together with its accomplished Charbagh garden, typical of Persian gardens, but never seen before in India, it set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture. It is seen as a clear departure from the fairly modest mausoleum of his father, the first Mughal Emperor, Babur, called Bagh-e Babur (Gardens of Babur) in Kabul (Afghanistan). Though the latter was the first Emperor to start the tradition of being buried in a paradise garden. Modelled on Gur-e Amir, the tomb of his ancestor and Asia's conqueror Timur in Samarkand, it created a precedent for future Mughal architecture of royal mausolea, which reached its zenith with the Taj Mahal, at Agra.

The site was chosen on the banks of Yamuna River, due to its proximity to Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum of the celebrated Sufi saint of Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya, who was much revered by the rulers of Delhi, and whose residence, Chilla Nizamuddin Auliya lies just north-east of the tomb. In later Mughal history, the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar took refuge here, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, along with three princes, and was captured by Captain Hodson before being exiled to Rangoon. At the time of the Slave Dynasty this land was under the 'KiloKheri Fort' which was capital of Sultan Qaiqabad, son of Nasiruddin (1268–1287).

The Tombs of Battashewala Complex lie in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of the Humayun Tomb Complex; the two complexes are separated by a small road but enclosed within their own separate compound wall.

Well known Chicago dive bar in River North. Rub elbows with the folks that make the city work. Blue collars getting off night shift and business attired gents girding themselves for the day ahead. It's all here. Fair prices. Cash only so use the ATM before entering. Liquor store in front and occasionally a little rowdy in the back depending on time of day/night. Diverse patronage is an understatement. Actually a safe area and establishment.

That's what this window says:

The Böttcherstraße

An example of Hanseatic patronage

Since 1988 in the care of the Sparkasse in Bremen

Much of what I remember about our time in and around Buxton was the animated discussions on the subject of Lee’s proposed new venture. Dave seemed keen on the idea and was ready to lend all manner of support, from both technical and end user perspectives. By the end of our few days patronage of the town’s rather wonderful branch of Morrison’s they’d between them sampled just about every type of pork pie on offer at the delicatessen counter. Branston pork pies, cheese and pickle pork pies, Melton Mowbray melt in the mouth pork pies and many others that I didn’t even know existed were the leading topic of conversation as we idly set up our tripods at places such as the field with the abandoned barn at the end of the Roaches Road. “Pocket meat,” as comedian, writer, eternal novice angler and national treasure Bob Mortimer calls such offerings. Always good to have a supply of pocket meat around tea time on these long days out in the hills when the sun goes down well after nine in the evening. Dave’s wife is a vegan and he doesn’t get out much, so a week of unsupervised access to a wide range of products that are usually off limits found him particularly enjoying his lot. What with the pocket meat counter and the all day breakfasts in the café, we barely looked beyond our favourite supermarket for supplies. Amid all of this excitement, Lee declared a YouTube channel dedicated to reviewing pork pies was exactly what the general population needed. Maybe other similar snack based products too. Would Squarespace sponsor that?

More recently, it’s occurred to me that our latest fad at home could also make for a vaguely plausible small screen subject to satisfy the nation’s gastric fervour. Several years behind the curve as usual and in true Uncle Bryn mode, we’ve finally discovered the “come and grab it before it goes in the bin” app and are currently in danger of needing to change up a few sizes in the wardrobe department. Food that’s on the verge of being jettisoned by local businesses, rescued and consumed while it’s still just about in date at bargain basement prices. Because the outlets don’t know exactly what’s going to be left over each day, you have little idea as to what will be in your surprise bag. A degree of mystery that I'm going to guess may not suit the likes of my vegan sister in law - at least not unless there’s a plant based option anyway. So far, we’ve had several carveries from one of our local pubs, half a tonne of pastry based items from a bakery around the corner from Ali’s parents, a bewildering supply of gluten (but definitely not sugar) free cakes from a swanky place over near the leisure centre, and a collection of sandwiches and snacks from a universally recognisable coffee chain outlet up at Chivvy near where the roundabout on the A30 used to be. Even Morrison’s Café is on the app. It just gets better and better doesn't it!

You should have seen the size of the very delicious pasty I had for lunch on Saturday, just one of a collection of goodies that Ali paid the princely sum of four quid for the previous afternoon. I've just been told there are two more pasties, a large sausage roll and a (she's not completely sure about the ingredients) beef and horseradish pie in the freezer. And eight bread rolls. Her parents swiped the steak and kidney pie and two slices of coffee and walnut cake, while we shared the slice of chocolate cake. Every time either of us reserves a deal via the app, a message pops up thanking us for helping to save the planet, because of course we’re not doing this for ourselves. Altruism in its purest form. Danish pastry anyone? Just now I’ve returned from said coffee stop with a pair of Mexican style three bean wraps, a meat free sausage sandwich, a luxury fruit toast and a blueberry muffin. All of which would have cost almost twenty-three quid at their normal exorbitant prices. I paid four pounds for the lot. We do like a bargain. Even if we have to eat it all by tomorrow. Maybe Lee could be the anchor in the café at Morrisons, switching once per episode from Dave's latest vegan pork pie revelations at Gloucester Services, to his roving cheapskate correspondent, currently trawling the pasty shops of Redruth and Camborne with a handful of small change in his pockets. To the fading theme tune at the end of each show, the three increasingly chubby stars might be seen labouring their way up St Agnes Beacon carrying an array of heavy camera equipment as they attempt to burn off a million pastry soaked calories.

So there you go, a brand new Pork Pie and other associated goodies channel reviewing the nation's offerings for pocket meat and landfill rescue services coming to your screens soon. Bet you can’t wait. Because let’s face it, with so many of them about, do we need another landscape photographer on YouTube?

The double-towered parish church with the rare patronage “Presentation of the Lord” towers high above Aschau im Chiemgau.

A church is mentioned early on in the last quarter of the 12th century. Mentioned in a document in Aschau, it is probably a Romanesque Baptist church.

Around 1450, during the late Gothic period, a new two-aisled building with star rib vaults was built, the main nave and the lower south side aisle, which was already separated from the main nave by columns.

Around 1620/30, local craftsmen began to gradually redesign the church in Baroque style, for example in 1673 with a new Baroque high altar. The first stucco work also began in 1702.

Count Max IV of Preysing - Hohenaschau commissioned Johann B. Gunetzrhainer to plan the renovation. The renovation took place in 1752/53. The main nave is extended by a bay to the west and has a gallery.

But in the middle of the 19th century. Do you want to romanize the church? The baroque high altar is removed and replaced by a sober, Romanesque-looking high altar. But in 1929 this high altar was replaced by a new one. The altarpiece is from the Baroque period and shows the representation of the Lord in the temple. This is where the patronage of the church comes from.

Fortunately, money ran out during the Romanization phase, and so the richly stuccoed ceiling with its magnificent frescoes has been preserved. Balthasar Mang painted the frescoes in 1753/54.

The pulpit from 1687 was also spared from the wave of Romanization.

In 1904, Theodor von Cramer - Klett, owner of the Hohenaschau estate, had the north tower built. From this point on, the south tower has a companion and the church now presents itself to visitors to the city with two towers. He also had the presbytery enlarged and the extension on the east side expanded.

The parish church in Schlehdorf bears the unique patronage of St. Tertulin and belonged to the Schlehdorf monastery until secularization, so it is a former monastery church.

In 1715, the master builder Johann Georg Ettenhofer drew up plans for the new monastery complex and church.

In 1726, church construction began out of necessity because the old church was in danger of collapsing. The original plans are still in the Baroque style (clearly visible in the choir). But work stopped as early as 1732. In 1757 these were resumed and the choir was vaulted. But it was not until between 1773 and 1780 that the church building was completed by master builders Balthasar Trischberger and Matthias Krinner, thanks to a donation from Georg Melchior Honifstingl.

During this completion, the baroque was abandoned and early classicism was introduced.

Various painters frescoed the nave. The fresco of the crossing dome was painted by Franz Joseph Zitter, the remaining nave frescoes are by Johann Baptist Baader. Ignaz Baldauf is the painter of the fresco above the organ gallery and the four apostle medallions.

The high altar is made of Schlehdorf marble. The executing stonemason is Kaspar Birkel. He works based on designs by Georg Miller, master craftsman from Kleinweil.

In the gallery there is an organ by Franz Thoma from 1783 that has been preserved in almost its original condition.

The Royal Palace of Turin, seat of the Dukes and later Kings of the House of Savoy, stands at the heart of the city as a symbol of political power and artistic patronage. Originally a medieval fortress, it was transformed in the 17th century by architects like Carlo di Castellamonte and Guarino Guarini into a magnificent Baroque residence. With its lavish staterooms, grand staircase, and adjacent Royal Armory and Chapel of the Holy Shroud, the palace served as the center of court life and state affairs. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a key part of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, reflecting centuries of dynastic ambition and cultural refinement.

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Another step back in time and on this occasion we are at Tintern Abbey in Monmouthshire .

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.

The abbey ruins lay forgotten until the 18th century. Then something wild and romantic began to stir in British hearts.

Tintern was about to experience a second heyday – this time as a major tourist destination. A popular engraving by the Buck brothers, published in 1732, started the ball rolling. It was followed by the Reverend William Gilpin’s bestselling account of his Wye River voyage in 1770.

He described Tintern as ‘the most beautiful’ scene of all – although he felt there was room for improvement. ‘A number of gable-ends hurt the eye with their regularity and disgust it by the vulgarity of their shape,’ he wrote, suggesting a mallet might come in handy.

Nevertheless the ivy-covered ruins of Tintern were caught up in a surge of romantic interest in the ‘Sublime’ and the ‘Picturesque’. Travellers kept out of Europe by the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars were roaming the wild landscapes of Britain instead.

They flocked to the Wye Valley, arriving on small boats laden with picnic hampers. In 1792 they were joined by none other than JMW Turner – barely 17 years of age and full of expectation on his first proper trip to Wales.

The pencil sketches he made at Tintern provided the raw material for the magnificent watercolours exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1794-95.

By then the poet William Wordsworth – young, troubled and alone – had already seen Tintern for himself. In July 1798 he returned in happier times with his sister Dorothy and wrote his famous poem ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey’.

By now the abbey, beneath Wordsworth’s ‘steep and lofty cliffs’ on the banks of his ‘sylvan Wye’, wasn’t only a romantic vision. It was a bustling tourist attraction surrounded by beggars and would-be guides loudly touting for business.

Things are quieter now. But the great walls and arches in their setting of wild natural beauty haven’t lost their magic. They remain a vision of the sublime.

( info from webpage of CADW. )

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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.

Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM; Focal length: 81.00 mm; Aperture: 18; Exposure time: 5.0 s; ISO: 100

All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova - www.luciedebelkova.com

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.

In Explore! On July 22, 2025

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I.C.U. together with two other photographs ('Styx' and 'Again') received a distinction at the 35th National Salon of Artistic Photography in Żary 2025. The honorary patronage of the event was held by the Photoclub of the Republic of Poland Association of Artists, the official representative of Poland in the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) (Fédération Internationale de l'Art Photographique) based in Paris. 436 photographs by 58 authors were submitted to the competition. 97 photographs by 43 authors were qualified for the post-competition exhibition. Awards and distinctions were given to 7 authors.

Invitation: dkzary.pl/xxxv-krajowy-salon-fotografii-artystycznej-zary...

The review of the exhibition reads:

"Tomasz Grabowski presents the night city as a dark, dramatic and almost metaphysical space, in which light and shadow conduct a constant dialogue. His photographs show the city not only as a physical landscape, but also as a labyrinth of emotions, tensions and stories that pulsate in the darkness of the streets. Every light source, every spot of shadow becomes an element of the narrative about what is hidden beyond our direct sight, about what disappears and appears in the perception of the observer."

Paweł Janczaruk, Society 3 Art, Zielona Góra, 30.11.2025

association3art.wordpress.com/2025/12/06/po-raz-35-na-sal...

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„I.C.U.” has been selected from 1189 submitted works to take part in "RITUALS" PHOTO, VIDEO AND DIGITAL VISUAL DESIGN, International Group Exhibition, 23rd to the 31st of July 2025 in Rome, Italy.

loosenartexhibitions.it/3-Rituals

www.instagram.com/loosenart/

The winner of the European Tree of the Year 2019 contest, organised under the patronage of Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, was unveiled in Brussels on March 19. The Award Ceremony in the European Parliament was held under the auspices of MEP Pavel POC, vice-chair of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety at the European Parliament. The evening was moderated by Natalie Pauwels and Ladislav Miko from the European Commission and gained wide public interest as well as the attendance of Brussels environmental stakeholders. .

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The Award Ceremony crowned the Almond tree of the Snowy Hill in Pécs, a Hungarian symbol of eternal renewal, as the winner. The awards ceremony was organised by the Environmental Partnership Association and the European Landowners’ Organisation who are engaged in promoting a healthy environment in our cities and countryside, with support from the South Moravian Region, Mendel University in Brno and the S&D group from European Parliament..

www.treeoftheyear.org/Vysledky?lang=en-US

Thank you for your continued patronage Last year.

This item is the first release this year.

I hope you like it :)

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Through a document from Emperor Otto I, the collegiate church of St. Peter in Wimpfen im Tal came into possession of market rights on the patronage festival for St. Peter on June 29th in 965. Due to its convenient location (there was a bridge over the Neckar in Wimpfen as early as Roman times) and its political importance, Wimpfen remained an important market town throughout history. After the Palatinate Wimpfen was built in the High Middle Ages, Wimpfen am Berg as an imperial city surpassed the valley settlement in importance and tried to take over the market from the valley settlement. In 1377, King Wenceslaus also gave the mountain town the right to market on St. Peter and Paul, which led to around 100 years of disputes between the mountain and valley towns before the mountain town gave up the market in favor of the valley town. The fair now takes place every year on the last weekend in June. Although a grocer's market is still part of the valley market, in the recent past it has largely changed into a folk festival with bars and rides.

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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.

Camera Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Lens: 70.00 - 200.00 mm; Focal length: 81.00 mm; Aperture: 5.0; Exposure time: 1/200 s; ISO: 100

All rights reserved - Copyright © Lucie Debelkova - www.luciedebelkova.com

All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.

Buy this photo on Getty Images : Getty Images

Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482. The town, nestled on a high sloping hillside, retains much of its picturesque medieval aspect, only slightly marred by the large car parks below the town. It hosts the University of Urbino, founded in 1506, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Urbino. Its best-known architectural piece is the Palazzo Ducale, rebuilt by Luciano Laurana.

Submitted: 31/05/2018

Accepted: 02/06/2018

Published:

- (China) 20-Oct-2018

- (China) 17-Oct-2020

Narito na! Ang aking Birhen matagal ko nang pinapangarap na magkaroon ng Alaga. Ang imaheng ito ay unang dumating sa aming tahanan noong ika-21 taon ng aking Kaarawan, isang regalo ng isang butihing Kaibigang si G. Rey Balcos ng San Mateo, Rizal. Recently, nito lang pumasok ang Pebrero, may nag-alok sa akin na bihisan ang Birhen ko dahil namomroblema ako dahil wala pa siyang Bihis. Siyangapala, Ang Birhen ay una ko sanang itatalaga as "REGINA MARTYRUM" pero nuong sinusuotan na ang birhen ng kanyang damit, napansin namin na tila nag-aanyong "Macarena" ang Birhen dahil sa mga pagsasa-ayos ng mga posisyon ng kanay nito, at tila, unti-unti atang nagiging malungkutin ang mukha, tila baga hinihiling ng Langit na ang Imahen ay maging imahen ng Macarena kaya naman, muila ngayon, ang imaheng ito ay itatalaga na under the patronage of the Virgin of Seville, The Virgin will now be under it's tittle: "MARIA STSSMA. DE LA ESPERANZA MACARENA."

Mayroon lamang mga ilang puntong dapat linawin: Una, medyo lumihis ako ng konti sa paraan ng pagkakabihis niya sa Spain. I suppose it somehow, dahil may nakausap na ako tungkol rito during the Hermandad Opening nuong nakaraang Biyernes. For the Meantime, habang wala pang budget, ganun muna ang siste ng pagdadamit. Balang araw naman eh makakalikha rin ako ng isang damit, na hango na sa pagkakataong iyon sa paraan ng pagbibihis sa kanya sa Seville, na Simple lang (di ko kaya ang gayahin yun ng 100% dahil mahal yun, hehehe!!!) pero elegante, nakakaenganyo sa mata at maayos tingnan.

Pangalawa: Medyo hindi pa husto ang pagka-Dolorosa ng Mukha. Medyo sa mga susunod na araw, ay papapalitan ko na ang encarna ng Birhen, pero pananatilihin ko ang pagka-morena ng kulay ng balat, pababaguhin lang sa aspeto na kailangang malungkot ng konti mukha nito. Gagawin ko ito KAPAG nakaipon na, sa ngayon, mananatili muna siya sa ganitong anyo.

At Pangatlo: Marami pang wala sa gamit, kaya konting pasensya muna, pag-iipunan ko muna yung pambili ko ng resplendor o kaya Korona/ 12 estrellas. Sa ngayon, ito lamang muna ang maipapakita ko, pero sana masiyahan kayo.

(Note: If anyone would like to comment, pls. read the notes within the picture first. Thank you)

Built in 1570, Humayun's Tomb, beards cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. The garden-tomb was constructed under patronage of emperoro Humayun's son, Mughal empereor Akbar, in Delhi, India

A stunning rock-cut marvel from the Pallava era, the Trimurti Cave Temple in Mahabalipuram is dedicated to the Hindu trinity—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—showcasing exquisite ancient artistry and devotion.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site was built under the patronage of the Pallava dynasty, particularly during the reign of King Narasimhavarman I (Mamalla) and his successors.

The current Cathedral of Porto underwent construction around 1110 under the patronage of Bishop Hugo and was completed in the 13th century, but there is evidence that the city has been a bishopric seat since the Suevi domination in the 5th-6th centuries.

The cathedral is flanked by two square towers, each supported with two buttresses and crowned with a cupola. The façade lacks decoration and is rather architecturally heterogeneous. It shows a Baroque porch and a beautiful Romanesque rose window under a crenellated arch, giving the impression of a fortified church.

For my dear friend Rich_Eye, a bit of a manipulation to avoid being unceremoniously tossed from all his groups due to my continued more natural uploads, and also to thank him for his continuing patronage and support over all these years. And to be perfectly honest, I needed a diversion as well...

O portal da igreja de San Benito, em Salamanca, é uma magnífica obra do gótico final (início do século XVI), representativa da transição para o estilo plateresco castelhano. Inserido num templo fundado em 1104 e pertencente à Ordem de Alcântara (embora fontes indiquem uma posterior ligação à Ordem de São Bento), este portal, exemplificativo do auge da arte tardo-gótica na Península Ibérica, apresenta uma porta vermelha com ferragens decorativas em forma de estrela, encimada por um elaborado conjunto escultórico com arcos conopiais. O tímpano exibe a cena da Anunciação, com o Arcanjo Gabriel e a Virgem Maria, tema recorrente na iconografia religiosa medieval. Na parte superior, relevos com Cristo e o globo, além de brasões heráldicos das famílias Fonseca e Acevedo, indicam o patrocínio da nobreza salmantina. A igreja, que serviu de local de sepultura a importantes famílias da cidade, constitui um elemento notável do património arquitetónico de Salamanca, cidade universitária classificada como Património Mundial pela UNESCO em 1988.

The portal of the church of San Benito, in Salamanca, is a magnificent work of the late Gothic (early 16th century), representative of the transition to the Castilian Plateresque style. Inserted in a temple founded in 1104 and belonging to the Order of Alcântara (although sources indicate a later connection to the Order of St. Benedict), this portal, exemplary of the late Gothic art peak in the Iberian Peninsula, features a red door with decorative star-shaped hardware, surmounted by an elaborate sculptural set with ogee arches. The tympanum displays the scene of the Annunciation, with the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, a recurring theme in medieval religious iconography. At the top, reliefs with Christ and the globe, as well as the heraldic coats of arms of the Fonseca and Acevedo families, indicate the patronage of the Salamancan nobility. The church, which served as a burial place for important families in the city, is a remarkable element of the architectural heritage of Salamanca, a university city classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

Humayun's tomb is the tomb of Emperor Mirza Nasir al-Din Muhammad commonly known as Humayun situated 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. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, close to the Dina-panah Citadel, also known as Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun found in 1538. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is complete. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Sur Empire, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.

The complex encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun, which houses the graves of Empress Bega Begum, Hajji Begum, and also Dara Shikoh, great-great-grandson of Humayun and son of the later Emperor Shah Jahan, as well as numerous other subsequent Mughals, including Emperor Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat, Muhammad Kam Bakhsh and Alamgir II. It represented a leap in Mughal architecture, and together with its accomplished Charbagh garden, typical of Persian gardens, but never seen before in India, it set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture. It is seen as a clear departure from the fairly modest mausoleum of his father, the first Mughal Emperor, Babur, called Bagh-e Babur (Gardens of Babur) in Kabul (Afghanistan). Though the latter was the first Emperor to start the tradition of being buried in a paradise garden. Modelled on Gur-e Amir, the tomb of his ancestor and Asia's conqueror Timur in Samarkand, it created a precedent for future Mughal architecture of royal mausolea, which reached its zenith with the Taj Mahal, at Agra.

The site was chosen on the banks of Yamuna River, due to its proximity to Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum of the celebrated Sufi saint of Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya, who was much revered by the rulers of Delhi, and whose residence, Chilla Nizamuddin Auliya lies just north-east of the tomb. In later Mughal history, the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar took refuge here, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, along with three princes, and was captured by Captain Hodson before being exiled to Rangoon. At the time of the Slave Dynasty this land was under the 'KiloKheri Fort' which was capital of Sultan Qaiqabad, son of Nasiruddin (1268–1287).

The Tombs of Battashewala Complex lie in the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site of the Humayun Tomb Complex; the two complexes are separated by a small road but enclosed within their own separate compound wall.

After his death on 27 January 1556, Humayun's body was first buried in his palace in Purana Quila at Delhi. Thereafter it was taken to Sirhind, in Punjab by Khanjar Beg and, in 1558, it was seen by Humayun's son, the then Mughal Emperor, Akbar. Akbar subsequently visited the tomb in 1571, when it was about to be completed.

The tomb of Humayun was built by the orders of his first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum (also known as Haji Begum). Construction began in 1565 and was completed in 1572; it cost 1.5 million rupees, paid entirely by the Empress. Bega Begum had been so grieved over her husband's death that she had thenceforth dedicated her life to a sole purpose: the construction of a memorial to him that would be the most magnificent mausoleum in the Empire, at a site near the Yamuna River in Delhi. According to Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century detailed document written during the reign of Akbar, Bega Begum supervised the construction of the tomb after returning from Mecca and undertaking the Hajj pilgrimage.

According to Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni, one of the few contemporary historians to mention construction of the tomb, it was designed by the Persian architect Mirak Mirza Ghiyas (also referred to as Mirak Ghiyathuddin), who was selected by the Empress and brought from Herat (northwest Afghanistan); he had previously designed several buildings in Herat, Bukhara (now Uzbekistan), and others elsewhere in India. Ghiyas died before the structure was completed and it was completed by his son, Sayyed Muhammad ibn Mirak Ghiyathuddin.

An English merchant, William Finch, who visited the tomb in 1611, describes rich interior furnishing of the central chamber (in comparison to the sparse look today). He mentions the presence of rich carpets, as well as a shamiana, a small tent above the cenotaph, which was covered with a pure white sheet, and with copies of the Quran in front along with Humayun's sword, turban and shoes.

The fortunes of the once famous Charbagh (Four-gardens) made of four squares separated by four promenades, radiating from a central reflection pool. It spread over 13 hectares surrounding the monument, changed repeatedly over the years after its construction. The capital had already shifted to Agra in 1556, and the decline of the Mughals accelerated the decay of the monument and its features, as the expensive upkeep of the garden proved impossible. By the early 18th century, the once lush gardens were replaced by vegetable garden of people who had settled within the walled area. However, the capture of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 together with the premises, and his subsequent sentencing to exile, along with execution of his three sons, meant that the monument's worst days lay ahead, as the British took over Delhi completely. In 1860, the Mughal design of the garden was replanted to a more English garden-style, with circular beds replacing the fours central water pools on the axial pathways and trees profusely planted in flowerbeds. This fault was corrected in the early 20th century, when on Viceroy Lord Curzon's orders the original gardens were restored in a major restoration project between 1903 and 1909, which also included lining the plaster channels with sandstone; a 1915 planting scheme added emphasis to the central and diagonal axis by lining it with trees, though some trees were also planted on the platform originally reserved for tents.

In 1882, the official curator of ancient monuments in India published his first report, which mentioned that the main garden was let out to various cultivators; amongst them till late were the royal descendants, who grew cabbage and tobacco in it.

In Ronaldshay's biography of Lord Curzon a letter is quoted from Lord Curzon to his wife in April 1905: "You remember Humayun's tomb? I had the garden restored, the water channels dug out and refilled and the whole place restored to its pristine beauty. I went to England last summer and, the eye of the master being away, the whole place has been allowed to revert. The garden has been let to a native and is now planted with turnips and the work of four years is thrown away! I shall drive out there, and woe betide the deputy commissioner whose apathy has been responsible."

During the Partition of India, in August 1947 the Purana Qila together with Humayun's Tomb, became major refugee camps for Muslims migrating to the newly founded Pakistan, and was later managed by the government of India. These camps stayed open for about five years, and caused considerable damage not only to the extensive gardens, but also to the water channels and the principal structures. The camps were raided many times by jathas which caused vandalism to occur during the early partition days in 1947. Eventually, to avoid vandalism, the cenotaphs within the mausoleum were encased in brick. In the coming years, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took on responsibility for the preservation of heritage monuments in India, and gradually the building and its gardens were restored. Until 1985, four unsuccessful attempts were made to reinstate the original water features.

An important phase in the restoration of the complex began around 1993, when the monument was declared a World Heritage Site. This brought new interest to its restoration, and a detailed research and excavation process began under the aegis of the Aga Khan Trust and the ASI. This culminated in 2003, when much of the complex and gardens were restored, with the historic fountains running once again after several centuries of disuse. The restoration has been a continuous process ever since, with subsequent phases addressing various aspects and monuments of the complex.

In 1719, three patronage columns were erected in front of the main portal of the cathedral under the cathedral tower.

Sony A7ii, Voigtländer 15 mm/1:4,5 Super Wide Heliar asphärisch III E

The winner of the European Tree of the Year 2019 contest, organised under the patronage of Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, was unveiled in Brussels on March 19. The Award Ceremony in the European Parliament was held under the auspices of MEP Pavel POC, vice-chair of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety at the European Parliament. The evening was moderated by Natalie Pauwels and Ladislav Miko from the European Commission and gained wide public interest as well as the attendance of Brussels environmental stakeholders. .

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The Award Ceremony crowned the Almond tree of the Snowy Hill in Pécs, a Hungarian symbol of eternal renewal, as the winner. The awards ceremony was organised by the Environmental Partnership Association and the European Landowners’ Organisation who are engaged in promoting a healthy environment in our cities and countryside, with support from the South Moravian Region, Mendel University in Brno and the S&D group from European Parliament..

www.treeoftheyear.org/Vysledky?lang=en-US

Named after Honore Balzac, the French novelist and playwright who is generally credited as one of the founders of realism in European literature, this lovely cafe resides in what was originally a pump house. Inside they have rendered a 2 story recreation of a Grand Parisian cafe, a setting which Balzac would likely have spent time in. It has been a fixture of the Distillery District since the latter’s inception and has a great atmosphere, The coffee is extraordinary and there is no shortage of high caloric treats to accompany it so it has always enjoyed a strong patronage.

I have always found the sign attractive and have often wondered what was the purpose behind attaching a water pipe and tap to it. It is at least 10’ in the air so I fail to see any practical application and seriously doubt that the pipe is ultimately attached to any water source and actually has any functionality. Could it be a tongue in cheek reference to the buildings original purpose? In any event, the quirky juxtaposition of the two for me is intriguing, well suited to the atmosphere of the District and therefore worth recording

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

Santa Elena Augusta

Flavia Julia Helena Augusta

Diocesan Shrine of Our Lady on Thorns (Aranzazu)

Municipality of San Mateo

Province of Rizal

Philippines

SantaCruzang Bayan 2008

May 25, 2008

About SAINT HELENA

Venerated in:

Roman Catholicism

Eastern Orthodoxy

Oriental Orthodoxy

Lutheran

Anglicanism

Canonized:

Her canonization precedes the practice of formal Canonization by the Pope or the relevant Orthodox and Lutheran churches.

Feast:

Roman Catholic: August 18

Lutheran: May 21

Orthodox: May 19

Coptic Orthodox: 9 Pashons

**Finding of the True Cross: May 03

Symbol: Cross

Derivatives: St. Helena of Constantinople, St. Helen, St. Eleanor

Patronage: archeologists, converts, difficult marriages, divorced people, empresses

Flavia Julia Helena Augusta, also known as Saint Helena, Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (ca. 250 – ca. 330) was consort of Constantius Chlorus, and the mother of Emperor Constantine I. She is traditionally credited with finding the relics of the True Cross.

Family Life: Helena's birthplace is not known with certainty. The sixth-century historian Procopius is the earliest authority for the statement that Helena was a native of Drepanum, in the province of Bithynia in Asia Minor. Her son Constantine renamed the city "Helenopolis" after her death in 328, giving rise to the belief that the city was her birthplace. Although he might have done so in honor of her birthplace, Constantine probably had other reasons for doing so. The Byzantinist Cyril Mango has argued that Helenopolis was refounded to strengthen the communication network around his new capital in Constantinople, and was renamed to honor Helena, not to mark her birthplace. There is another Helenopolis, in Palestine, but its exact location is unknown. This city, and the province of Helenopontus in the Diocese of Pontus, were probably both named after Constantine's mother.

The bishop and historian Eusebius of Caesarea states that she was about 80 on her return from Palestine. Since that journey has been dated to 326–28, Helena was probably born in 248 or 250. Little is known of her early life. Fourth-century sources, following Eutropius' Breviarium, record that she came from a low background. Ambrose was the first to call her a stabularia, a term translated as "stable-maid" or "inn-keeper". He makes this fact a virtue, calling Helena a bona stabularia, a "good stable-maid". Other sources, especially those written after Constantine's proclamation as emperor, gloss over or ignore her background.

It is unknown where she first met her future partner Constantius. The historian Timothy Barnes has suggested that Constantius, while serving under Emperor Aurelian, could have met her while stationed in Asia Minor for the campaign against Zenobia. Barnes calls attention to an epitaph at Nicomedia of one of Aurelian's protectors, which could indicate the emperor's presence in the Bithynian region soon after 270. The precise legal nature of the relationship between Helena and Constantius is unknown: the sources are equivocal on the point, sometimes calling Helena Constantius' "wife", and sometimes calling her his "concubine". Jerome, perhaps confused by the vague terminology of his own sources, manages to do both. Some scholars, such as the historian Jan Drijvers, assert that Constantius and Helena were joined in a common-law marriage, a cohabitation recognized in fact but not in law. Others, like Timothy Barnes, assert that Constantius and Helena were joined in an official marriage, on the grounds that the sources claiming an official marriage are more reliable.

Helena gave birth to Constantine I in 272. In 293, Constantius was ordered by emperor Diocletian to divorce her in order to qualify as Caesar of the Western Roman Empire, and he was married to the step-daughter of Maximian, Theodora. Helena never remarried and lived in obscurity, though close to her only son, who had a deep regard and affection for her.

Constantine was proclaimed Augustus of the Roman Empire in 306 by Constantius' troops after the

latter had died, and following his elevation his mother was brought back to the public life and the imperial court, and received the title of Augusta in 325. Helena died in 330 with her son at her side. Her sarcophagus is on display in the Pio-Clementino Vatican Museum. During her life, she gave many presents to the poor, released prisoners and mingled with the ordinary worshippers in modest attire, exhibiting a true Christian spirit.

Sainthood: She is considered by the Orthodox and Catholic churches as a saint, famed for her piety. Her feast day as a saint of the Orthodox Christian Church is celebrated with her son on May 21, the Feast of the Holy Great Sovereigns Constantine and Helen, Equal to the Apostles. Her feast day in the Roman Catholic Church falls on August 18. Her feast day in the Coptic Orthodox Church is on 9 Pashons. Eusebius records the details of her pilgrimage to Palestine and other eastern provinces (though not her discovery of the True Cross). She is the patron saint of archaeologists. The names "Saint Eleanor" and "Saint Eleanora" are usually synonymous for Saint Helen.

Relic Discoveries: In 325, Helena was in charge of a journey to Jerusalem to gather Christian relics, by her son Emperor Constantine I, who had recently declared Rome as a Christian city. Jerusalem was still rebuilding from the destruction of Hadrian, a previous emperor, who had built a temple to Venus over the site of Jesus's tomb, near Calvary.

According to legend, Helena entered the temple with Bishop Macarius, ordered the temple torn down and chose a site to begin excavating, which led to the recovery of three different crosses. Refused to be swayed by anything but solid proof, a woman from Jerusalem, who was already at the point of death from a certain disease, was brought; when the woman touched a cross suddenly recovered and Helena declared the cross with which the woman had been touched to be the True Cross. On the site of discovery, she built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, while she continued building churches on every Holy site.

She also found the nails of the crucifixion. To use their miraculous power to aid her son, Helena allegedly had one placed in Constantine's helmet, and another in the bridle of his horse. Helena left Jerusalem and the eastern provinces in 327 to return to Rome, bringing with her large parts of the True Cross and other relics, which were then stored in her palace's private chapel, where they can be still seen today. Her palace was later converted into the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

The reliquary of Jerusalem was committed to the care of Saint Macarius and kept with singular care and respect in the magnificent church which Saint Helen and her son built there. Saint Paulinus relates that, though chips were almost daily cut off from it and given to devout persons, yet the sacred wood suffered thereby no diminution. It is affirmed by Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, twenty-five years after the discovery, that pieces of the cross were spread all over the earth; he compares this wonder to the miraculous feeding of five thousand men, as recorded in the Gospel. The discovery of the cross would have happened in the spring, after navigation began on the Mediterranean Sea, for Saint Helen went the same year to Constantinople and from there to Rome, where she died in the arms of her son on the 18th of August of the same year, 326.

Reference:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_of_Constantinople

magnificat.ca/cal/engl/05-03.htm

From The Springs of Mount. Helicon & Hesiod's Theogony to Vienna ...

And so much Splendour,so much Light ...

They were All there gracing the Palace,giving Prominence to the Royal Space and agreeably receiving the Visitors

Invocation To The Muses ...

Κλειώ, Ευτέρπη, Θάλεια, Μελπομένη, Τερψιχόρη, Ερατώ, Πολυμνία, Ουρανία, Καλλιόπη ...

Erato,Euterpe,Kalliope, Kleio,Melpomene, Ourania,Polymnia, Terpsichore,Thaleia ...

Muses help me to be a careful observer,to muse with the greatest affection on everything I see ...

Open as interstellar space

To the exploring and excited mind.

That mind and body are conjoined near,

And thousand dainty shapes inhabit there,

And unimagin'd forms by common mind ...

Beauty is Truth ... Isn't it ?

The Arts refine, purify , adorn, embellish life under the patronage of Muses.

Oh, come ! Renew in us the Ancient Wonder,the grace of Life, its courage, and its Joy ! Weave us those garlands nothing can destroy ! Come with your Radiant Eyes ...

Ideals on pedestals ? Where Have All the Muses Gone? I ask the same question Edmund Spenser , I can see their tears as they sit beside the Silver Springs of Helicon ...

Succeeding Ages have no Light;

Of things forepast, nor Monuments of Time;

And all that in this World is worthy Hight ; And in the Bosom of all Bliss did sit ... I shalln't die in darkness;

plenty the precious store of the celestial riches ...

Where be the sweet Delights of Learning Treasure ?

Ye gentle Spirits breathing from above,

through the Rust of Time ;

And Golden Trumpet of Eternity,

That lowly Thoughts lift up to Heaven's height,

And mortal Men have Power to deify through Knowledge ;

we behold the World's Creation,

And judge of Nature's cunning Operation,

How things she formed of a formless Mass;

By Knowledge we do learn our selves to know,

And what to Man, and what to God we owe ...

From hence, we mount aloft into the Sky,

And look into the crystal Firmament;

There we behold the Heaven's great Hierarchy,

The Stars pure Light, the Spheres swift Movement,

The Spirits and Intelligences fair ;

And there, with humble Mind and high Insight,

Th' Eternal Maker's Majesty we view ,

Such Happiness have they, that do embrace

The Precepts of our heavenly Discipline ;

The School of Arts Divine to make Men heavenly-wise, through humbled Will.

The Land of The Muses,The Tears of the Muses

With Beauty kindled, and with pleasure fed ...

Hey all is corrupted through the Rust of Time ; But

Beauty and Love still exist , they are not just Archaic Epigrams ...

Ευτέρπη ....

O lovely and not sad ,

Euterpe, be thou in this Hall tonight !

Bid us remember all we ever had

Of sweet and gay delight—

We who are free,

But cannot quite be glad,

Thinking of huge, abrupt disaster brought

Upon so many of our kind...

O Muses, O immortal Nine !

Thoughts In the manner of Spenser ...

Thanks & Gratitude for your visits my Flickr friends ♥ Thanks are the Highest form of Thought & Gratitude is Happiness ✿ڿڰۣ(̆̃̃ ღ

NB : Words Radiate more Light than the Elegant Chandeliers ...

Hesiod's "Theogony"

From the Heliconian Muses let us begin to sing, who hold the great and holy mount of Helicon, and dance on soft feet about the deep-blue spring and the altar of the almighty son of Cronos, and, when they have washed their tender bodies in Permessus or in the Horse's Spring or Olmeius, make their fair, lovely dances upon highest Helicon and move with vigorous feet. Thence they arise and go abroad by night, veiled in thick mist, and utter their song with lovely voice, praising Zeus the aegis-holder and queenly Hera of Argos who walks on golden sandals and the daughter of Zeus the aegis-holder bright-eyed Athene, and Phoebus Apollo, and Artemis who delights in arrows, and Poseidon the earth-holder who shakes the earth, and reverend Themis and quick-glancing Aphrodite, and Hebe with the crown of gold, and fair Dione, Leto, Iapetus, and Cronos the crafty counsellor, Eos and great Helius and bright Selene, Earth too, and great Oceanus, and dark Night, and the holy race of all the other deathless ones that are for ever. And one day they taught Hesiod glorious song while he was shepherding his lambs under holy Helicon, and this word first the goddesses said to me--the Muses of Olympus, daughters of Zeus who holds the aegis ...

"Muses work all day long and then at night get together and dance." Edgar Degas

The checkered history of Weyarn Monastery begins in 1133, when Count Siboto II founded the monastery under the patronage of Archbishop Konrad I of Salzburg.

The monastery buildings went up in flames several times, and in the 16th century the Canons' Monastery was suspected of following the teachings of Luther instead of those of the Catholic Church. During this time, no new provosts are elected; instead, two administrators appointed by the duke preside over the monastery. The monastery was spared the turmoil and destruction of the Thirty Years' War.

The economic boom of the monastery begins under Provost Valentin Steyrer. He puts the Weihenlinden pilgrimage site under the care of the monastery and had a new pilgrimage church built according to his plans. He also set up a boys' seminary in the monastery.

In 1677 the monastery was again destroyed by fire. The monastery buildings are rebuilt under Provost Benno Zaech. His successor, Provost Gerlasius Harlass, had the church rebuilt in its present form. The master builder was Lorenzo Sciasca, who came from Graubünden. The church was consecrated in 1693. But in 1706 another fire devastated the monastery building, including the church's roof truss. The reconstruction of the monastery and church begins under Provost Praesedius Held. The stucco work and frescoes in the church were executed in 1729 by Johann Baptist Zimmermann. The carved figures by Ignaz Günther, made between 1755 and 1765, are famous. They are among his most outstanding works.

This is one of a pair of paintings flanking a door inside Cave number 1 in Ajanta.Bodhisattvas are previous reincarnations of the Buddha.Bodhisattva literally means one aspiring to be the Buddha and Padmapani means the one holding the Padma or Lotus flower.

Cave number 1 which is a Buddhist monastery or Vihara dates back to the 5th century A.D.It was built under the patronage of Harisena , a ruler of the Vakataka Dynasty.

Bodhisattva Padmapani is probably the most well known of the Ajanta paintings.He wears a magnificent crown,holds a blue lotus in his right hand and a string of pearls with a blue sapphire in the middle adorns his neck.

Looking at this painting inside this immense dark cave in Ajanta one can only wonder at the talent, dedication and mastery of the artists who created these paintings more than 1500 years ago.

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.

The Cathedral of the Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was completed in 1909 and currently serves as the cathedral, or mother church, of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. It is the only cathedral in the US under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene.

The cathedral was built under the direction of Lawrence Scanlan, the first bishop of Salt Lake. It was designed by architects Carl M. Neuhausen and Bernard O. Mecklenburg. The outside is predominantly a Neo-Romanesque design, while the inside tends more toward the Neo-Gothic. Construction began in 1900 and was completed in 1909. It was dedicated by Cardinal Archbishop James Gibbons of Baltimore.

The interior of the cathedral was created under the direction of Joseph S. Glass, the second bishop of Salt Lake. Bishop Glass enlisted John Theodore Comes, one of the preeminent architects in the country, to decorate the interior of the cathedral. His plans for the interior were largely based upon the Spanish Gothic style. The colorful murals and polychrome were added at this time, as were the ornate shrines.

In the 1970s, the exterior of the building was restored, and between 1991 and 1993, the interior of the Cathedral was renovated and restored under Bishop William K. Weigand. This included not only the removal of dust and dirt and restoration of the interior but also changes to the liturgical elements of the cathedral to bring them into conformity with certain widespread changes in liturgical practice that developed after the Second Vatican Council.

This included building a new altar, moving the bishop's chair, providing a separate chapel for the Blessed Sacrament, and adding a more ample baptismal font. The major restoration of the interior of the cathedral was accomplished through the vision of Monsignor M. Francis Mannion.

The Cathedral is home to the only co-educational Catholic Choir School in the United States. The Madeleine Choir School, established in 1996, now serves over 350 students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade Eight.

Composer Amédée Tremblay notably served as the church's organist from 1920 to 1925.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_the_Madeleine

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...

...of the Sarangi. Hundreds of photographers waited for the sunset at the Thar dunes, to get a silehouette of such artists and the camels.

In order to promote the unheard-of music from the desert villages that is dying a slow death due to lack of patronage and popularity, a five-day Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) has been initiated. It was from Oct 1 -5, at the sprawling Mehrangarh Fort.

Pushkar Fair 2009, Rajasthan

Patronage

-Against poison

-Against witchcraft

-Agricultural workers

-Cavers

-Civil engineers

-Coppersmiths

-Dying people

-Erysipelas

-Europe

-Farmers

-Fever

-Gall stones

-Heerdt (Germany)

-Heraldry and Officers of arms

-the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest

-Inflammatory diseases

-Italian architects

-Kidney disease

-Monks

-Nettle rash

-Norcia (Italy)

-Poisoning

-People in religious orders

-Schoolchildren and students

-Servants who have broken their master's belongings

-Speleologists

-Spelunkers

-Temptations

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The Rajput princes, who were great art patrons, invited skilled artisans from other parts to settle down in their principalities. This royal patronage was one of the main reasons the artisans could work with single-minded devotion towards enhancing the quality of their craft. The Rajputs commissioned goldsmiths, printers and dyers, painters, potters, stone carvers, and weavers of cotton and silk to produce works of art for them and rewarded them handsomely when they excelled in their craft. It is a legacy that lives on in Rajasthan. Each region has unique crafts, and every little town and village has its share of lanes where craftspersons hold sway. It is this treasure trove that tourists are privileged to discover, be it in a modern shopping centre in a big town or a traditional bazaar in a small village.

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The Church of the Gesù, known also as the Saint Mary of Jesus (Santa Maria di Gesù) or the Casa Professa, is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church established under the patronage of the Jesuit order, and located at Piazza Casa Professa 21 in Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

The Jesuits arrived in Palermo in 1549, and by the late 16th century began building a church adjacent to their professed house (casa professa) based on a design by the Jesuit architect Giovanni Tristano. The original design called for a single nave with large transepts and several side chapels, but the building was refurbished in starting in the early 17th century, to a more grandiose layout typical of Jesuit architecture. Natale Masuccio removed the chapels' dividing walls to add two side naves to the central one. The dome was completed in 1686.

The interior also received new decorations, starting in 1658 but continuing well into the next century. This baroque decor included marble bas-reliefs on the tribuna depicting the Adoration of the Shepherds (1710–14) and Adoration of the Magi (1719–21), by Gioacchino Vitagliano, after designs attributed to Giacomo Serpotta - both reliefs survive. A fresco of the Adoration of the Magi was also added to the walls of the second side-chapel to the right by Antonino Grano in the 1720s. The church also contains a relief of the Glory of St Luke by Ignazio Marabitti. Much of the interior stucco decoration was completed by Procopio Serpotta, son of Giacomo.

In 1892, cavaliere Salvatore Di Pietro, philanthropist, former rector of the Casa Professa, prefect of studies at the seminary, and member of the Theological College, of the Academy of Sciences, letters and arts and of the Accademia di storia patria, convinced in 1888 the minister of public education, Paolo Boselli, to decree the church a national monument.

In 1943, during the Second World War, a bomb collapsed the church's dome, destroying most of the surrounding walls and most of the wall paintings in the chancel and transepts. These frescoes were replaced during two years' restoration work, after which the church reopened on 24 February 2009 with a solemn mass presided over by Paolo Romeo, archbishop of Palermo, and attended by several Jesuits and civil and military officials.

The facade is divided into two sections by a cornice. In the lower part there are three portals, above are niches with statues of St Ignatius of Loyola, a Madonna with Child and Francis Xavier. The upper section is divided by pilasters and framed on both sides with corbels and statues of saints. The facade is surmounted by a curved-segmented gable and the Jesuit emblem. Masucci originally planned belfries, but these were not completed, and the current 18th-century campanile was built on the adjacent Palazzo Marchesi. Behind the church, the Jesuit chapter houses the collection of rare books of the Biblioteca comunale di Palermo.

The layout is in the shape of a Latin cross. The nave is 72.10 m long, 42.65 m wide and 70 m high and is decorated with polychrome marbles, stucco and frescoes. In particular, the marble reliefs with their figural and ornamental motifs on the pillars and the marble mosaics are unique. The rebuilt structure has a double dome and stained glass windows.

INDIEN, Varanasi (Benares) frühmorgends entlang der GhatsAls 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".

Every town in America now has a Chinese restuarant, or so it seems. This one in Barnwell is fairly good and has been in busine$$ for 16 years. I spotted this sign thanking the people of Barnwell county for thier patronage. How many spelling errors can you find?

NR57 leads a 8-car 6MA8 The Overland across the viaduct over the now greening floodplain at Murray Bridge, across the River and on to Adelaide on Sept 29, 2023. The extra cars on the train were catering for increased patronage associated with the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne.

1921 Rolls Mascot.

The story of the creation of the iconic Rolls Mascot is very interesting. It started with the desire of Lord Baron Montegu.

The very first Rolls-Royce motorcars did not feature radiator mascots; they simply carried the Rolls-Royce emblem. When Montagu commissioned his friend, sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes, who worked in London under the nobleman's patronage, to sculpt a personal mascot for the bonnet of his 1909 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Sykes chose Eleanor Velasco Thornton as his model. Sykes originally crafted a figurine of her in fluttering robes, having placed one forefinger against her lips – to symbolize the secret of their love affair. The figurine was consequently named The Whisper.

The Spirit of Ecstasy, also called "Emily", "Silver Lady" or "Flying Lady", was designed by English sculptor Charles Robinson Sykes, a graduate of London's Royal College of Art, and carries with it a story about secret passion between Montagu, second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu after 1905, a pioneer of the automobile movement, and editor of The Car Illustrated magazine from 1902, and the model for the emblem, Eleanor Velasco Thornton.

Eleanor (also known as Thorn) was the secretary of John Walter Lord Montegu, who fell in love with her in 1902 when she worked for him on the aforesaid motoring magazine. Their secret love was to remain hidden, limited to their circle of friends, for more than a decade. The reason for the secrecy was Eleanor's impoverished social and economic status, and that the Baron was already married.

By 1910 personal mascots had become the fashion of the day. Rolls-Royce were concerned to note that some owners were affixing "inappropriate" ornaments to their cars. Claude Johnson, then managing director of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, was asked to commission a more dignified and graceful mascot.

He turned to Sykes to produce a mascot which would adorn all future Rolls-Royce cars and become generic to the marque, with the specifications that it should convey "the spirit of the Rolls-Royce, namely, speed with silence, absence of vibration, the mysterious harnessing of great energy and a beautiful living organism of superb grace..."[2]

Sykes' brief from Claude Johnson had been to evoke the spirit of mythical beauty, Nike, whose graceful image was admired in The Louvre, but Sykes was not impressed. He felt that a more feminine representation might be apt.[citation needed]

It was again Miss Thornton whom he had in mind. Sykes chose to modify The Whisper into a version similar to today's Spirit of Ecstasy. He called this first model The Spirit of Speed. Later, Charles Sykes called it "A graceful little goddess, the Spirit of Ecstasy, who has selected road travel as her supreme delight and alighted on the prow of a Rolls-Royce motor car to revel in the freshness of the air and the musical sound of her fluttering draperies."

Royce was ill during the commissioning of the flying lady. He did not believe the figurine enhanced the cars, asserting that it impaired the driver's view, and was rarely seen driving one of his company's vehicles adorned with the mascot.

In February 1911 Sykes presented to Rolls-Royce the "Spirit of Ecstasy", which was easily recognisable as being a variation on the theme of "The Whisper". The similarity was hardly coincidental because the model for both had been Miss Thornton.

Eleanor died on 30 December 1915 when the SS Persia was torpedoed by a U-boat south of Crete. She had been accompanying Lord Montagu who had been directed to assume a command in India. He was thought to have been killed too, but survived and was saved after several days adrift in a life raft.

Look at big, and thank you Wikipedia!

The Rumi Darwaza in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, is an imposing gateway which was built under the patronage of Nawab Asaf-Ud-daula in 1784.

Feast of the Patronage of St. Philomena

January 10, 2010

Most Holy Redeemer Parish

Masambong, Quezong City

Image Owned by Mr. Alexander S. Cunanan

The palace had its origins in a single-storey structure without wings built for Alberto V d'Este (1385), a small retreat intended solely for suppers and diversions, as a sort of banqueting house, with an urban front and a garden front. As the equivalent of a Roman villa suburbana, the Palazzo Schifanoia long predated the first such pleasure villa built in Renaissance Rome, the Belvedere built for Nicholas V.

In 1452 Borso d'Este received the title of Duke for the imperial fiefs of Modena and Reggio Emilia that he held from Emperor Frederick III. The occasion for the cycle of frescoes was the expected investiture of Borso d'Este as Duke of Ferrara in 1471 by Pope Paul II. The subtext of the festivities embodied in the fresco cycle is the right ordering of mankind and nature under the good government of the Duke, the guarantor of peace and prosperity in the Este dominions. Under the commissions of Borso d'Este, the architect Pietro Benvenuto degli Ordini was called upon to develop a ducal apartment on an upper level, providing the building with a salone suitable for presentations of ambassadors and delegations, a counterpart of the governing structure of Ferrara housed in the former Palazzo della Ragione, destroyed in World War II. The palace was often used by Marfisa d'Este, a great patron of the arts.

There, in the Salone dei Mesi ("Hall of the Months"), Cosimo Tura's purely pagan cycle of the months presents the cycle of the year as an allegorical pageant with the appropriate Olympian gods presiding on their fanciful cars drawn by the beasts proper to each deity, with appropriate personifications of the constellations of the zodiac. The frescoes were realized circa 1469–70 by artisans of the d'Este household, the larger figures based on cartoons by Cosmé Tura, and the vignettes of the labors of the year and the activities of the Ferrarese court under the benevolent eye of Borso d'Este, flanked by astrological figures to designs by Francesco del Cossa and Ercole de' Roberti. The learned and elaborate scheme of the allegorical presentations must have come from the immediate circle of Borso d'Este, perhaps from the court astrologer, Pellegrino Prisciani, with some details drawn from Boccaccio's Genealogia deorum.

In the Sala delle Virtù ("Hall of Virtues") nearby, the sculptor Domenico di Paris painted the stucco reliefs in a frieze of putti and symbols of the Cardinal and Theological Virtues, under a painted compartmented ceiling.

The façade was originally decorated with a cornice of feigned battlements, its surface smoothly stuccoed and decorated with geometric designs of highly colorful imitation marbles, which have been lost, lending a somewhat dour public face to Palazzo Schifanoia that was not what Borso d'Este intended. The rich white marble entrance door survives, though its tinted colors have weathered away and art historians disagree whether it is to be attributed to the painter-designer Francesco del Cossa or to Biagio Rossetti. Above the arched door, flanked by pilasters, the Este arms are displayed and the unicorn, a symbol of ducal benevolence and the source of patronage. In 1493 the terracotta cornice was added to designs by Biagio Rossetti, who was also commissioned by Ercole I d'Este to extend the palace.

From the Salone dei Mesi the visitor once passed directly into the gardens reached by a monumental stair from the summer loggia, structures that were demolished in the 18th century. After the Este left Ferrara in 1598, the palazzo was inherited through successive heirs, eventually by the Tassoni family, its frescoes whitewashed over. Eventually, during administration of the duchy as part of the Papal States, with a Habsburg garrison, it became a tobacco warehouse and manufactory. When Palazzo Schifanoia came into the possession of the comune of Ferrara in the aftermath of World War I, only seven of the months in the Salone remained legible.

Palazzo Schifanoia forms part of the heritage of Ferrara conserved under the umbrella of the Musei Civici d'Arte Antica di Ferrara. The 14th and 15th century rooms contain collections of antiquities, a numismatic collection and medals cast by Pisanello and other Quattrocento artists to commemorate members of the Este family.

Perhaps mindful of the popularity of Stagecoach's Peak Sightseer or targeting the patronage of people who pretend to be hill walkers on social media, First SY extended the Sunday 272 slightly westwards from Castleton to Blue John Cavern on 27 July.

Streetdeck MF72WBM (35932) is seen performing the honours a couple of minutes into the 12:02 from Blue John back to Sheffield. The hourly Sunday 272 timetable is inconsistent west of Brough owing to every other journey serving the double run to Bradwell. As a consequence of this, journeys which serve Bradwell are such timed that they meet the Peak Sightseer either on the narrow Winnats Pass or within Castleton village and its two blind bends. In practice First drivers appear to be instructed to wait at either end until the Stagecoach vehicle has passed by, and the depicted vehicle sat for over ten minutes a couple of hundred yards behind the photographer until the late-running Trident finally emerged.

10 km West of Mtskheta in the mountains of Dzegvi village there is a functioning monastery of Shio-Mgvime (Simeon of Mgvime, VI century). The monastery literally merges with the sandy color of the mountain slopes. However, when its outlines begin to appear, it is immediately clear how ancient this monument is. The very first building of the monastery complex is a Church Dating back to the VI century. It is a small and low structure with a two-tiered dome. This Church is one of the most important ancient monuments. Buildings, similar to shiomgvime monastery, in Georgia, no longer exists.

The shiomghvime monastery more than three hundred years under the patronage of the prince’s amilakhvari was their family burial place. Georgians believe that the revival of the Orthodox Church in modern Georgia began with the revival of this monastery.

The history of the monastery began at a time when the Assyrian fathers dispersed from the Zedazen Mountain at all ends of the Eastern Shio-Mgvime and here, in the gorge behind Mtskheta, Saint Shio came and settled in a cave on the mountainside. One of the first followers of St. Shio was Evagrius, who owned the fortress of Chikhadiye near South over Mtkvari. One day he went to the mountains to hunt and saw Shio there. He decided to stay with him, sold all his property, distributed to the poor and became a monk.

The oldest and the first building on the territory of the complex is considered to be the temple of John the Baptist, built presumably at the end of the VI century, during the life of St. Shio. It is believe that Shio chose the place for the laying of the temple. To this end, he laid it on the arm of the burning incense, and went where pointed out the smoke. So icons often depict Shio steaming on the hand of incense.Shio-Mgvime

By 560-580, the monks dug caves and cells, which now surround the monastery and are visible from the road leading to the monastery complex. The upper Church, named after the Mother of God, built in the early 12th century by order of King David IV. Initially, the temple had a dome, but during the invasion of Shah Abbas in 1614, the temple destroyed and restored only half a century later, in 1678. It was restore in a simplified form, like a Basilica.

Shio Mgvime (Simeon) was a Saint of the Georgian Church, born in Antioch, the son of wealthy parents. Shio Mgvime gave all his estate, went to St. John, who lived near Antioch, which took Shio with him to Iberia. Shio Mgvime settled in the wilderness near Mtskheta. King Parsman VI, who visited the former favorite of his Evagrius in the desert, who had gone to Shio-Mgvime, gave the land for a monastery and brought considerable funds for the construction of temples. The number of brethren of the new monastery increased to 2000. However, the desire for complete solitude prevailed in the soul of Shio Mgvime. After leaving the Shio-Mgvime monastery founded by him, Shio-Mgvime left 160 written teachings for the brethren, and he doomed himself to a reclusive life in a dark deep cave. Died Shio Mgvime in the VII century. The power of Shio Mgvime rest in monastery Samtavro.

After Shio’s death, the monastery became a center of cultural and religious activities and was under the personal patronage of the Catholics of Georgia. David IV the Builder (1089-1125) made the Shio-Mgvime monastery the Royal domain and dictated the rules for the monastery (1123). The fall of the unified Georgian Kingdom and the incessant foreign invasions brought the Shio-Mgvime monastery into decline. The period of relative revival came when the Georgian king George VIII (1446-1465) provides Shio-Mgvime monastery and its lands to the noble family of Tavdgiridze-amilakhvari, which until 1810 years used it as a family tomb

Shio-Mgvime monastery was devastated by the invasion (1614-1616) the Persian armies of Shah Abbas I. the Prince Givi amilakhvari restored the monastery in 1678, but in 1720 the Ottoman occupation of Georgia brought another destruction of the Shio-Mgvime monastery. The Persians again destroyed the monastery, restored amilakhvari in 1733, less than two years later. Subsequently, the Shio-Mgvime monastery restored, its interior renovated in the XIX century, but the monastery could not return its past importance in the spiritual life of Georgia. During the Soviet period, the Shio-Mgvime monastery closed, part of the relics of St. Shio stored in the monastery burned, but one bone was preserved. Despite the fact that in Soviet time the monastery closed, the monks still continued secretly worship.