View allAll Photos Tagged TESTAMENT
An idiomatic expression referring to God's wrath found in both the Old and New Testaments.
Delivered with feeling and a lot of volume in Honiton, Devon. Nobody but me even stopped to listen!
Sounded like I was damned to suffer for all of eternity - as a "recruiting or advertising message" I don't think it was working.
His assistant never took her eyes off him.
Honiton, Devon, UK.
Les 42 panneaux en bronze figurant des épisodes de l'Ancien et de Nouveau testament, furent modelés à Pise par Bonanno Pisano en 1185-1186.
Leur style très stylisée leur confère un aspect extrêmement moderne.
Saint Elijah, Patron Saint of Sleep Problems in a tribute created on his Feast Day, July 20th, by expressionist artist Stephen B. Whatley.
The drawing was inspired by the artist's history of insomnia and to bring peace to others suffering from sleep problems.
Saint Elijah is recorded in complex scripture in the Old Testament (1 Kings 19)…....put very simply, Elijah was wandering in the desert, depressed and praying for death. He fell asleep, and an angel watched over him, waking him only to eat food brought to him by Ravens - some of the most intelligent of birds - and then letting him fall asleep again. He awoke with a renewed faith and energy to do God’s work.
Our of darkness, light : prayers for sustained peaceful sleep.
Charcoal on paper
23.4 x 16.5in/59 x 42cm
PLEASE, no multi invitations in your comments. Thanks. I AM POSTING MANY DO NOT FEEL YOU HAVE TO COMMENT ON ALL - JUST ENJOY.
This visit will take a while and lots of art to show.
It is one of the world's largest and most prestigious museums, the Hermitage has over 3 million items in its collection. One estimate has it that you would need eleven years to view each exhibit on display for just one minute. The bulk of the Hermitage collection is housed in the Winter Palace, formerly the official residence of the Romanov Tsars, and its several annexes.
Founded by Catherine the Great, who bought up artwork from European aristocrats, embellished by each of her successors, and then massively enriched by Bolshevik confiscations and Red Army seizures in conquered Germany, the Hermitage collection is incredibly varied, ranging from ancient Siberian artifacts to post-impressionist masterpieces by Matisse and Picasso. Equally impressive are the lavishly decorated State Rooms of the Winter Palace, testament to the incredible wealth and extravagant tastes of the Romanov Tsars.
Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein
then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
Psalm 96: 12
The book is a side-by-side ancient Greek and modern Greek New Testament. The ancient Greek is on the left page and the modern Greek on the right. I purchased the book from a little old nun in Meteora, Greece for €10 (a steal!).
The ring is from a dear friend of mine.
For those interested, the text is open to Luke, chapter 4. The circled word on the left-hand side is translated "good news" and "gospel" and is the same word used to title the Gospels, i.e. the "Gospel" of Luke.
Got the initial idea from this picture.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethabara
Bethabara (beth-'abara[needs English IPA]; בית עברה; bēth‛ăbhārāh; Βηθαβαρά; Bēthabará; “house of the ford, place of crossing”), in modern-day Jordan: According to the King James Version (following Textus Receptus of the New Testament[1] the place where John the Baptist baptized those who came to him (John 1:28). The Revised Version (British and American) (with Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek following Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Ephraemi) reads "Bethany." It is distinguished from the Bethany of Lazarus and his sisters as being beyond the Jordan. The reading Bethabara became current owing to the advocacy of both Origen.,[2] and John Chrysostom,[3] and that same Bethabara is attested in both the 6th century AD Madaba Map[4] and in the Jewish Talmud.[5] Various suggestions have been made to explain the readings. G. A. Smith (HGHL) suggests that Bethany (house of the ship) and Bethabara (house of the ford) are names for the same place. Bethabara has also been identified with Bethbarah, which, however, was probably not on the Jordan River but among the streams flowing into it (Judges 7:24). It is interesting to note that the Greek Septuagint Codex Vaticanus (LXXB) reads, Baithabara for Hebrew Masoretic Text Bēth-‛ărābhāh, one of the cities of Benjamin (Joshua 18:22). If this is correct, the site is in Judea.
Another solution is sought in the idea of a corruption of the original name into Bethany and Bethabara, the name having the consonants n, b and r after Beth. In Joshua 13:27 (Septuagint, Codex Vaticanus) we find, Baithanabra for Bethnimrah (Massoretic Text), and Sir George Grove in Dictionary of the Bible (arts. "Bethabara" and "Beth-nimrah") identifies Bethabara and Beth-nimrah. The site of the latter was a few miles above Jericho (see Beth-nimrah), immediately accessible to Jerusalem and all Judea (compare Matthew 3:5; Mark 1:5). This view has much in its favor.
Then, again, as G. Frederick Wright observes: "The traditional site is at the ford east of Jericho; but as according to John 1:29, John 1:35, John 1:43 it was only one day's journey from Cana of Galilee, while according to John 10:40; John 11:3, John 11:6, and John 11:17, it was two or three days from Bethany, it must have been well up the river toward Galilee. Conder discovered a well-known ford near Beisan called Abarah, near the mouth of the valley of Jezreel. This is 20 miles from Cana and 60 miles from Bethany, and all the conditions of the place fit in with the history."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Maghtas
Al Maghtas (Arabic: المغطس), meaning "baptism", or "immersion" in Arabic, is a place in Jordan on the Jordan River, located 10 kilometres southeast of Jericho. It is where most modern scholars and archaeologists believe the baptism of Jesus took place,[1] corresponding with the directions given in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22 and John 1:28.
John 1:28: These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptising.
On the current site stands a 19th-century Greek Orthodox monastery. In 1994, UNESCO sponsored archaeological excavations in the area. Pope John Paul II visited the site in March 2000 and Pope Benedict XVI visited in May 2009. In 2007, a documentary film entitled The Baptism of Jesus Christ - Uncovering Bethany Beyond the Jordan was made about it
My ears are still ringing from this show. Testament brought the noise; good noise though. ;)
Me siguen tronando los oídos de este espectáculo. Testament puso de pie a todos los fanáticos.
Life-size statues of the Little Rock Nine, on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol in downtown Little Rock. The statues depict the nine students who integrated the all-white Little Rock Central High in 1957. The statues are defiantly facing the windows of the Governor's office - the "very seat of power that fueled the conflict and forged their remarkable futures."
Aaliyah Dana Haughton - January 16, 1979 – August 25,
2001)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6MEBi4ejTs
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was a multi-platinum recording artist, fashion icon, philanthropist,
and burgeoning actress. She left behind a body of work that made an undeniable impact on R&B
music and remains a testament to her many talents. Her debut album in 1994, “Age Ain’t
Nothing But a Number,” was a hit due to her debut single “Back and Forth.” However, it was
her collaboration with a then unknown Missy Elliott and Timbaland for the album “One in a A
Million” that blew her career up.
Before her death, she also had an up-and-coming acting career in films like “Romeo Must Die”
and a role in the “Matrix” sequel. Aaliyah once told VIBE, “Of course, I would love to get
into acting and I am talking to a few producers now. That would be really exciting to be a
jack of all trades and do music, movies and TV. I love drama and I think I could be a good
dramatic actress. I have to ‘act out’ emotions in my videos a lot and I try to seem as
realistic as possible.”
She continued, “I also would like to make bigger impact on the world by giving back, and
using my celebrity to raise money for people who need it the most. What good is having money
and being famous if you can’t share it with others less fortunate than yourself? I always
felt that you should treat others how you yourself want to be treated.”
Sadly, we lost the singer in a plane crash on August 25, 2001 in the Bahamas. She was only
22 years old.
Biography
Aaliyah Dana Haughton - January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress,
and model. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, she first gained
recognition at the age of 10, when she appeared on the television show Star Search and
performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At the age of 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive
Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. Hankerson introduced her to R.
Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album,
Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. The album sold 3 million copies in the United States and was
certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After
facing allegations of an illegal marriage with Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive
and signed with Atlantic Records.
Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One
in a Million, which sold 3 million copies in the United States and more than 8 million
copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first film, Romeo Must Die. She
contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped
the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard
history to achieve this goal. "Try Again" also earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for
Best Female R&B Vocalist. After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah filmed her role in Queen
of the Damned, and released her self-titled third and final studio album in 2001.
On August 25, 2001, Aaliyah and eight others were killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas
after filming the music video for the single "Rock the Boat". The pilot, Luis Morales III,
was unlicensed at the time of the accident and toxicology tests revealed that he had traces
of cocaine and alcohol in his system. Aaliyah's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit
against Blackhawk International Airways, which was settled out of court. Aaliyah's music
continued to achieve commercial success with several posthumous releases, and has sold an
estimated 24 to 32 million albums worldwide. She has been credited for helping redefine
contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop,[1] earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and
"Queen of Urban Pop". Billboard lists her as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of
the past 25 years, and the 27th most successful in history.
Early life
Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York,[2] and was the
younger child of Diane and Michael "Miguel" Haughton (1951–2012).[3] She was of African-
American descent, and had Native American (Oneida) heritage from a grandmother.[3][4][5] Her
name has been described as a female version of the Arabic "Ali", but the original Jewish
name "Aliya (Hebrew: אליה)" is derived from the Hebrew word "aliyah (Hebrew: עלייה)", meaning
"highest, most exalted one, the best."[6][7] The singer was highly fond of her Semitic name,
calling it "beautiful" and asserting she was "very proud of it" and strove to live up to her
name every day.[6] Aaliyah's mother enrolled Aaliyah in voice lessons at an early age.[2]
She started performing at weddings, church choir and charity events.[8] When Aaliyah was
five years old, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she was reared along with her
older brother, Rashad.[9][10] She attended a Catholic school, Gesu Elementary, where in
first grade she was cast in the stage play Annie, which inspired her to become an
entertainer.[11] In Detroit, her father began working in the warehouse business, one of his
brother-in-law Barry Hankerson's widening interests. Her mother stayed home and raised
Aaliyah and her brother.[12]
Throughout Aaliyah's life, she had a good relationship with Rashad, who recalled Aaliyah
having a beautiful voice as a child.[11] Aaliyah's family was very close due to the
struggles of her grandparents and when they moved to Detroit, the Hankersons were ready to
take them in if necessary. These same bonds led to ties in the music industry, under the
Blackground Records label.[6]
Aaliyah's mother was a vocalist, and her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was an entertainment lawyer
who had been married to Gladys Knight.[10] As a child, Aaliyah traveled with Knight and
worked with an agent in New York to audition for commercials and television programs,
including Family Matters; she went on to appear on Star Search at the age of ten.[2] Aaliyah
chose to begin auditioning. Her mother made the decision to drop her surname.[12][13] She
auditioned for several record labels and at age 11 appeared in concerts alongside Knight.
[10][14] She had several pet animals during her childhood, including ducks, snakes and
iguanas. Her cousin Jomo had a pet alligator, which Aaliyah felt was too much, remarking,
"that was something I wasn't going to stroke."[6]
Her grandmother died in 1991. Years after her death, Aaliyah said her grandmother supported
everyone in the family and always wanted to hear her sing, as well as admitting that she
"spoiled" her and her brother Rashad. She also enjoyed Aaliyah's singing and would have
Aaliyah to sing for her. Aaliyah said she thought of her grandmother whenever she fell into
depression.[15] Aaliyah's hands reminded her of her aunt, who died when she was very young
and whom Aaliyah remembered as an "amazingly beautiful woman".[16]
Education
When she was growing up, Aaliyah attended Detroit schools and believed she was well-liked,
but got teased for her short stature. She recalled coming into her own prior to age 15 and
grew to love her height. Her mother would tell her to be happy that she was small and
compliment her. Other children disliked Aaliyah, but she did not stay focused on them. "You
always have to deal with people who are jealous, but there were so few it didn't even
matter. The majority of kids supported me, which was wonderful. When it comes to dealing
with negative people, I just let it in one ear and out the other. Those people were
invisible to me." Even in her adult life, she considered herself small. She had "learned to
accept and love" herself and added: "... the most important thing is to think highly of
yourself because if you don't, no one else will".[6]
During her audition for acceptance to the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing
Arts, Aaliyah sung the song "Ave Maria" in its entirety in the Italian language.[17]
Aaliyah, who maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average when graduating from high school,
felt education was important. She saw fit to keep her grades up despite the pressures and
time constraints brought on her during the early parts of her career. She labeled herself as
a perfectionist and recalled always being a good student. Aaliyah reflected: "I always
wanted to maintain that, even in high school when I first started to travel. I wanted to
keep that 4.0. Being in the industry, you know, I don't want kids to think, 'I can just sing
and forget about school.' I think it's very important to have an education, and even more
important to have something to fall back on." She did this in her own life, as she planned
to "fall back on" another part of the entertainment industry. She believed that she could
teach music history or open her own school to teach that or drama if she did not make a
living as a recording artist because, as she reasoned, "when you pick a career it has to be
something you love".[6]
Career
1991–1995: Age Ain't Nothing but a Number
R. Kelly was introduced to Aaliyah and became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and
producer on her debut album.
After Hankerson signed a distribution deal with Jive Records, he signed Aaliyah to his
Blackground Records label at the age of 12.[18][19] Hankerson later introduced her to
recording artist and producer R. Kelly,[14] who became Aaliyah's mentor, as well as lead
songwriter and producer of her first album, which was recorded when she was 14.[2][19][20]
Aaliyah's debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, was released under her mononym
"Aaliyah", by Jive and Blackground Records on May 24, 1994; the album debut at number 24 on
the Billboard 200 chart, selling 74,000 copies in its first week.[21][22] It ultimately
peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200 and sold over three million copies in the United
States, where it was certified two times Platinum by the RIAA.[22][23][24] In Canada, the
album sold over 50,000 copies and was certified gold by the CRIA.[25] Aaliyah's debut
single, "Back & Forth", topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks and
was certified Gold by the RIAA.[24][26] The second single, a cover of The Isley Brothers'
"At Your Best (You Are Love)", peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also
certified Gold by the RIAA.[24][26] The title track, "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number",
peaked at number 75 on the Hot 100.[26] Additionally, she released "The Thing I Like" as
part of the soundtrack to the 1994 film A Low Down Dirty Shame.[27]
Age Ain't Nothing But a Number received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Some
writers noted that Aaliyah's "silky vocals" and "sultry voice" blended with Kelly's new jack
swing helped define R&B in the 1990s.[28][29] Her sound was also compared to that of female
quartet En Vogue.[28][30] Christopher John Farley of Time magazine described the album as a
"beautifully restrained work", noting that Aaliyah's "girlish, breathy vocals rode calmly on
R. Kelly's rough beats".[31] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt that the album had its
"share of filler", but described the singles as "slyly seductive".[2] He also claimed that
the songs on the album were "frequently better" than that of Kelly's second studio album, 12
Play.[2] The single "At Your Best (You Are Love)" was criticized by Billboard for being out
of place on the album and for its length.[32]
1996–1999: One in a Million
"If Your Girl Only Knew" (1996)
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The first single released from her second studio album, "If Your Girl Only Knew" was
described as a sassy, organ-infused song.[33] Aaliyah was noted for having "smoother, more
seductive, and stronger" singing.[34]
Problems playing this file? See media help.
In 1996, Aaliyah left Jive Records and signed with Atlantic Records.[14] She worked with
record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who contributed to her second studio album,
One in a Million.[10] Missy Elliott recalled Timbaland and herself being nervous to work
with Aaliyah, since Aaliyah had already released her successful début album while Missy
Elliott and Timbaland were just starting out. Missy Elliott also feared she would be a diva,
but reflected that Aaliyah "came in and was so warming; she made us immediately feel like
family."[35] The album yielded the single "If Your Girl Only Knew", which topped the
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for two weeks.[26] It also generated the singles "Hot Like
Fire" and "4 Page Letter". The following year, Aaliyah was featured on Timbaland & Magoo's
debut single, "Up Jumps da Boogie".[36] One in a Million peaked at number 18 on the
Billboard 200,[23] selling 3 million copies in the United States and over eight million
copies worldwide.[37][38] The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA on June 16,
1997, denoting shipments of two million copies.[24] The month prior to One in a Millions
release, on May 5, 1997, music publisher Windswept Pacific filed a lawsuit in U.S. District
Court against Aaliyah claiming she had illegally copied Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do
for Love" for the single "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number".[39]
Aaliyah attended the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts, where she majored
in drama and graduated in 1997 with a 4.0 GPA.[14][40][41] Aaliyah began her acting career
that same year; she played herself in the police drama television series New York
Undercover.[42] During this time, Aaliyah participated in the Children's Benefit Concert, a
charity concert that took place at the Beacon Theatre in New York.[43] Aaliyah also became
the spokesperson for Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.[44] During Aaliyah's campaign for Tommy
Hilfiger the company had sold all 2,400 of the red, white and blue baggy jeans emblazoned
with the Hilfiger name that Aaliyah wore in their 1997 advertisements and they were
constantly restocking those jeans.[45] In 1997 Aaliyah performed the Christmas carol What
Child Is This at the annual holiday special Christmas in Washington.[46] She contributed on
the soundtrack album for the Fox Animation Studios animated feature Anastasia, performing a
cover version of "Journey to the Past" which earned songwriters Lynn Ahrens and Stephen
Flaherty a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.[27][38][47] Aaliyah
performed the song at the 1998 Academy Awards ceremony and became the youngest singer to
perform at the event.[48][49] The song "Are You That Somebody?" was featured on the Dr.
Dolittle soundtrack, which earned Aaliyah her first Grammy Award nomination.[50] The song
peaked at number 21 on the Hot 100.[51]
2000: Romeo Must Die
In 1999, Aaliyah landed her first film role in Romeo Must Die, released March 22, 2000.
Aaliyah starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing a couple who fall in love amid their
warring families. It grossed US$18.6 million in its first weekend, ranking number two at the
box office.[52] Aaliyah purposely stayed away from reviews of the film to "make it easier
on" herself, but she heard "that people were able to get into me, which is what I
wanted."[53] In contrast, some critics felt there was no chemistry between her and Jet Li,
as well as viewing the film was too simplistic.[54] This was echoed by Elvis Mitchell of The
New York Times, who wrote that while Aaliyah was "a natural" and the film was conceived as a
spotlight for both her and Li, "they have so little chemistry together you'd think they're
putting out a fire instead of shooting off sparks.[55] Her role was well received by Glen
Oliver by IGN who liked that she did not portray her character "as a victimized female" but
instead "as a strong female who does not come across as an over-the-top Women's Right
Advocate."[56]
Aaliyah in 2000
In addition to acting, Aaliyah served as an executive producer of the film's soundtrack,
where she contributed four songs.[57] "Try Again" was released as a single from the
soundtrack; the song topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Aaliyah the first artist to top
the chart based solely on airplay; this led the song to be released in a 12" vinyl and 7"
single.[26][58] The music video won the Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film awards
at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.[59] It also earned her a Grammy Award nomination for
Best Female R&B Vocalist.[60] The soundtrack went on to sell 1.5 million copies in the
United States.[61]
2001: Aaliyah
After completing Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah began to work on her second film, Queen of the
Damned. She played the role of an ancient vampire, Queen Akasha, which she described as a
"manipulative, crazy, sexual being".[19] Filming both Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned
delayed the release of the album. Aaliyah had not intended for her albums to have such a gap
between them. "I wanted to take a break after One in a Million to just relax, think about
how I wanted to approach the next album. Then, when I was ready to start back up, "Romeo"
happened, and so I had to take another break and do that film and then do the soundtrack,
then promote it. The break turned into a longer break than I anticipated."[62] Aaliyah
enjoyed balancing her singing and acting careers. Though she called music a "first" for her,
she also had been acting since she was young and had wanted to begin acting "at some point
in my career," but "wanted it to be the right time and the right vehicle" and felt Romeo
Must Die "was it".[61] Connie Johnson of the Los Angeles Times argued that Aaliyah having to
focus on her film career may have caused her to not give the album "the attention it
merited."[63] Collaborator Timbaland concurred, stating that he was briefly in Australia to
work on the album while Aaliyah was filming and did not feel the same production had gone
into Aaliyah as One in a Million had. He also said Virgin Records had rushed the album and
Aaliyah had specifically requested Missy Elliott and Timbaland work on Aaliyah with her.[64]
During the recording stages for the album, Aaliyah's publicist disclosed that the album's
release date was most likely in October 2000.[65] Ultimately she finished recording the
album in March 2001; after a year of recording tracks that began in March of the previous
year.[66] Aaliyah was released five years after One in a Million on July 17, 2001,[2] and it
debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 187,000 copies in its first week.[67]
The first single from the album, "We Need a Resolution", peaked at number 59 on the
Billboard Hot 100.[26] The week after Aaliyah's death, her third and self-titled studio
album, rose from number 19 to number one on the Billboard 200.[68] "Rock the Boat" was
released as a posthumous single. The music video premiered on BET's Access Granted; it
became the most viewed and highest rated episode in the history of the show.[69] The song
peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
Songs chart.[70] It was also included on the Now That's What I Call Music! 8 compilation
series; a portion of the album's profits was donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund.[71]
Promotional posters for Aaliyah that had been put up in major cities such as New York and
Los Angeles became makeshift memorials for grieving fans.[72]
"More than a Woman" and "I Care 4 U" were released as posthumous singles and peaked within
the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100.[70] The album was certified double Platinum by the RIAA
and sold 2.6 million copies in the United States.[24][73] "More than a Woman" reached number
one on the UK singles chart making Aaliyah the first female deceased artist to reach number
one on the UK singles chart.[74][75] "More than a Woman" was replaced by George Harrison's
"My Sweet Lord" which is the only time in the UK singles chart's history where a dead artist
has replaced another dead artist at number one.[76] In July 2001, she allowed MTV's show
Diary behind-the-scenes access to her life and stated "I am truly blessed to wake up every
morning to do something that I love; there is nothing better than that." She continued,
"Everything is worth it – the hard work, the times when you're tired, the times when you are
a bit sad. In the end, it's all worth it because it really makes me happy. I wouldn't trade
it for anything else in the world. I've got good friends, a beautiful family and I've got a
career. I thank God for his blessings every single chance I get."[77]
Aaliyah was signed to appear in several future films, including Honey,[78] a romantic film
titled Some Kind of Blue,[79] and a Whitney Houston-produced remake of the 1976 film
Sparkle.[4] Whitney Houston recalled Aaliyah being "so enthusiastic" about the film and
wanting to appear in the film "so badly". Houston also voiced her belief that Aaliyah was
more than qualified for the role and the film was shelved after she died, since Aaliyah had
"gone to a better place".[80] Studio officials of Warner Brothers stated that Aaliyah and
her mother had both read the script for Sparkle. According to them, Aaliyah was passionate
about playing the lead role of a young singer in a girl group.[81] The film was released in
2012, eleven years after Aaliyah's death. Before her death Aaliyah was cast in the sequels
of The Matrix as the character Zee.[14][82] She had filmed part of her role in The Matrix
Reloaded and was scheduled to film and reprise her role in The Matrix Revolutions as Zee.
[36] Aaliyah told Access Hollywood that she was "beyond happy" to have landed the role.[83]
The role was subsequently recast to Nona Gaye.[82] Aaliyah's scenes were included in the
tribute section of the Matrix Ultimate Collection series.[84]
In November 2001, Ronald Isley stated that Aaliyah and the Isley Brothers had discussed a
collaboration prior to her death. She had previously covered the Isley Brothers' single "At
Your Best (You Are Love)".[85] Prior to her death, she expressed the possibility of
recording songs for the Queen of The Damned soundtrack and welcomed the possibility of
collaborating with Jonathan Davis.[66] By 2001, Aaliyah had enjoyed her now seven-year
career and felt a sense of accomplishment. "This is what I always wanted," she said of her
career in Vibe magazine. "I breathe to perform, to entertain, I can't imagine myself doing
anything else. I'm just a really happy girl right now. I honestly love every aspect of this
business. I really do. I feel very fulfilled and complete."[54]
Artistry
Voice and style
"Are You That Somebody?" (1998)
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Timbaland's stuttering, idiosyncratic productions challenged Aaliyah to reveal her artistic
personality more than she had on R. Kelly's smoother musical settings.[30]
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Aaliyah had the vocal range of a soprano.[14] With the release of her debut album "Age Ain't
Nothing But a Number", writer Dimitri Ehrlich of Entertainment Weekly compared her style and
sound to R&B group En Vogue.[86] Ehrlich also expressed that Aaliyah's "silky vocals are
more agile than those of self-proclaimed queen of hip-hop soul Mary J. Blige."[86] In her
review for Aaliyah's second studio album One in a Million Vibe magazine, music critic Dream
Hampton said that Aaliyah's "deliciously feline" voice has the same "pop appeal" as Janet
Jackson's.[87] Aaliyah described her sound as "street but sweet", which featured her
"gentle" vocals over a "hard" beat.[88] Though Aaliyah did not write any of her own
material,[14] her lyrics were described as in-depth.[89][90] She incorporated R&B, pop and
hip hop into her music.[10][91][92][93][94][95][96] Her songs were often uptempo and at the
same time often dark, revolving around "matters of the heart".[97] After her R. Kelly-
produced debut album, Aaliyah worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott, whose productions
were more electronic.[98] Sasha Frere-Jones of The Wire finds Aaliyah's "Are You That
Somebody?" to be Timbaland's "masterpiece" and exemplary of his production's start-stop
rhythms, with "big half-second pauses between beats and voices".[99] Keith Harris of Rolling
Stone cites "Are You That Somebody?" as "one of '90s R&B's most astounding moments".[30]
Aaliyah's songs have been said to have "crisp production" and "staccato arrangements" that
"extend genre boundaries" while containing "old-school" soul music.[100] Kelefah Sanneh of
The New York Times called Aaliyah "a digital diva who wove a spell with ones and zeroes",
and writes that her songs comprised "simple vocal riffs, repeated and refracted to echo the
manipulated loops that create digital rhythm", as Timbaland's "computer-programmed beats
fitted perfectly with her cool, breathy voice to create a new kind of electronic
music."[101] When she experimented with other genres on Aaliyah, such as Latin pop and heavy
metal, Entertainment Weekly's Craig Seymour panned the attempt.[97] While Analyzing her
eponymous album British publication NME (New Musical Express) felt that Aaliyah's radical
third album was intended to consolidate her position as U.S.R&B's most experimental artist.
[102] As her albums progressed, writers felt that Aaliyah matured, calling her progress a
"declaration of strength and independence".[90][103] ABC News noted that Aaliyah's music was
evolving from the punchy pop influenced Hip hop and R&B to a more mature, introspective
sound on her third album.[104] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described her eponymous
album, Aaliyah, as "a statement of maturity and a stunning artistic leap forward" and called
it one of the strongest urban soul records of its time.[90] She portrayed "unfamiliar
sounds, styles and emotions", but managed to please critics with the contemporary sound it
contained.[90] Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone felt that Aaliyah reflected a stronger
technique, where she gave her best vocal performance.[100] Prior to her death, Aaliyah
expressed a desire to learn about the burgeoning UK garage scene she had heard about at the
time.[98]
Influences
As an artist, Aaliyah often voiced that she was inspired by a number of performers. These
include Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Sade, En Vogue, Nine Inch Nails, Korn, Prince,
Naughty by Nature, Johnny Mathis, Janet Jackson[105] and Barbra Streisand.[106] Aaliyah
expressed that Michael Jackson's Thriller was her "favorite album" and that "nothing will
ever top Thriller."[105] She stated that she admired Sade because "she stays true to her
style no matter what ... she's an amazing artist, an amazing performer ... and I absolutely
love her."[105] Aaliyah expressed she had always desired to work with Janet Jackson, whom
she had drawn frequent comparison to over the course of her career, stating "I admire her a
great deal. She's a total performer ... I'd love to do a duet with Janet Jackson."[105]
[107][108][109] Jackson reciprocated Aaliyah's affections, commenting "I've loved her from
the beginning because she always comes out and does something different, musically." Jackson
also stated she would have enjoyed collaborating with Aaliyah.[105]
Image
Aaliyah focused on her public image throughout her career. She often wore baggy clothes and
sunglasses, stating that she wanted to be herself.[110] She described her image as being
"important ... to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack".[111] She often wore
black clothing, starting a trend for similar fashion among women in United States and
Japan.[14][112] Aaliyah's fashionable style has been credited for being an influence on new
fashion trends called "Health Goth"[113][114] and "Ghetto Goth" also known as GHE20 GOTH1K
[115][116] Aaliyah participated in fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger's All America Tour and
was featured in Tommy Jean ads, which depicted her in boxer shorts, baggy jeans and a tube
top. Hilfiger's brother, Andy, called it "a whole new look" that was "classy but sexy".[112]
Carson Daly A former VJ on MTV's Total Request Live commented on Aaliyah's style by saying
that she was "cutting edge" ,"always one step ahead of the curve" and that "the TRL audience
looks to her to figure out what's hot and what's new".[117]
When she changed her hairstyle, Aaliyah took her mother's advice and covered her left eye,
much like Veronica Lake.[118] The look has become known as her signature and been referred
to as fusion of "unnerving emotional honesty" and "a sense of mystique".[119] In 1998, she
hired a personal trainer to keep in shape, and exercised five days a week and ate diet
foods.[120] Aaliyah was praised for her "clean-cut image" and "moral values".[121] Robert
Christgau of The Village Voice wrote of Aaliyah's artistry and image, "she was lithe and
dulcet in a way that signified neither jailbait nor hottie—an ingenue whose selling point
was sincerity, not innocence and the obverse it implies."[122]
Aaliyah was viewed by others as a role model. Emil Wilbekin, described by CNN as "a friend
of Aaliyah's" and follower of her career, explained: "Aaliyah is an excellent role model,
because she started her career in the public eye at age 15 with a gold album entitled Age
Ain't Nothing but a Number. And then her second album, One in a Million went double
platinum. She had the leading role in Romeo Must Die, which was a box office success. She's
won numerous awards, several MTV music video awards, and aside from her professional
successes, many of her lyrics are very inspirational and uplifting. She also carried herself
in a very professional manner. She was well spoken. She was beautiful, but she didn't use
her beauty to sell her music. She used her talent. Many young hip-hop fans greatly admire
her."[123]
She also was seen by others as a sex symbol. Aaliyah did not have a problem with being
considered one. "I know that people think I'm sexy and I am looked at as that, and it is
cool with me," she stated. "It's wonderful to have sex appeal. If you embrace it, it can be
a very beautiful thing. I am totally cool with that. Definitely. I see myself as sexy. If
you are comfortable with it, it can be very classy and it can be very appealing."[124] The
single "We Need a Resolution" was argued to have transformed "the once tomboy into a sexy
grown woman".[125] Aaliyah mentioned that her mother, during her childhood, would take
pictures of her and notice a sex appeal. She reinforced her mother's belief by saying that
she did feel "sexy for sure" and that she embraced it and was comfortable with this view of
her.[54]
Personal life
In her spare time, she was mostly a homebody, which dated back to her younger years, but on
occasion went out and played laser tag. She reasoned this was due to her liking "the simple
things in life".[54] Despite having a prosperous career that allowed her to purchase the
vehicle she wanted, Aaliyah revealed during her final interview on August 21, 2001 on 106 &
Park that she had never owned a car because she lived in New York City and could hire a car
or driver on a regular basis.[126]
Family
Aaliyah's family played a major role in the course of her career.[54] Aaliyah's father
Michael Haughton served as her personal manager. Her mother assisted her in her career while
brother Rashad Haughton and cousin Jomo Hankerson worked with her consistently.[127] Her
father's illness ended his co-management of Aaliyah with her mother Diane Haughton. She ran
all of her decisions by Rashad.[54]
Aaliyah was known to have usually been accompanied by members of her family and the "Rock
the Boat" filming was credited by Rashad Haughton as being the first and only time her
family was not present. In October 2001, Rashad stated: "It really boggles everyone [that]
from Day One, every single video she ever shot there's always been myself or my mother or my
father there. The circumstances surrounding this last video were really strange because my
mother had eye surgery and couldn't fly. That really bothered her because she always
traveled. My dad had to take care of my mom at that time. And I went to Australia to visit
some friends. We really couldn't understand why we weren't there. You ask yourself maybe we
could have stopped it. But you can't really answer the question. There's always gonna be
that question of why."[128] Her friend Kidada Jones said in the last year of her life her
parents had given her more freedom and she had talked about wanting a family. "She wanted to
have a family, and we talked about how we couldn't wait to kick back with our babies."[129]
Gladys Knight, who had been married to Aaliyah's uncle Barry Hankerson, was essential to the
start of Aaliyah's career as she gave her many of her earlier performances. One of their
last conversations concerned Aaliyah having difficulty with "another young artist" that she
was trying to work with. Knight felt the argument was "petty" and insisted that she remain
being who she was in spite of the conflict.[130]
Illegal marriage
With the release of Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, rumors circulated of a relationship
between Aaliyah and R. Kelly,[14][131] including the allegation that they had secretly
married without her parents' knowledge,[132][133][134][135] Vibe later revealed a marriage
certificate that listed the couple married on August 31, 1994, in Sheraton Gateway Suites in
Rosemont, Illinois.[14][133] Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time, was listed as 18 on the
certificate; the illegal marriage was annulled in February 1995 by her parents.[20][133]
[136] The pair continued to deny marriage allegations, stating that neither was married.
[131]
Aaliyah reportedly developed a friendship with Kelly during the recording of her debut
album. As she recalled to Vibe magazine in 1994, she and Kelly would "go watch a movie" and
"go eat" when she got tired and would then "come back and work". She described the
relationship between her and Kelly as being "rather close."[137] In 2016, Kelly said that he
was as in love with Aaliyah as he was with "anybody else."[138] In December 1994, Aaliyah
told the Sun-Times that whenever she was asked about being married to Kelly, she urged them
not to believe "all that mess" and that she and Kelly were "close" and "people took it the
wrong way."[139] In his 2011 book The Man Behind the Man: Looking From the Inside Out,
Demetrius Smith Sr., a former member of Kelly's entourage, wrote that Kelly told him "in a
voice that sounded as if he wanted to burst into tears" that he thought Aaliyah was
pregnant.[140]
Jamie Foster Brown in the 1994 issue of Sister 2 Sister wrote that "R. Kelly told me that he
and Aaliyah got together and it was just magic." Brown also reported hearing about a
relationship between them. "I've been hearing about Robert and Aaliyah for a while—that she
was pregnant. Or that she was coming and going in and out of his house. People would see her
walking his dog, 12 Play, with her basketball cap and sunglasses on. Every time I asked the
label, they said it was platonic. But I kept hearing complaints from people about her being
in the studio with all those men." Brown later added "at 15, you have all those hormones and
no brains attached to them."[141]
The 2019 documentary Surviving R. Kelly revealed new details about their relationship and
marriage. Jovante Cunningham, a former backup dancer, claimed to have witnessed Kelly having
sex with Aaliyah on his tour bus[142][143] while Demetrius Smith again recounted the time
Kelly feared that he had impregnated her.[142] Smith also described how he helped Aaliyah
forge the necessary documents to show she was 18 and that the wedding was short and
unceremonious, as neither was dressed up and Aaliyah looked "worried and scared" the whole
time.[142] Smith states that he is "not proud" of his role in facilitating their illegal
marriage.[142]
Aaliyah admitted in court documents that she had lied about her age. In May 1997, she filed
suit in Cook County seeking to have all records of the marriage expunged because she was not
old enough under state law to get married without her parents' consent. It was reported that
she cut off all professional and personal ties with Kelly after the marriage was annulled
and ceased having contact with him.[144] In 2014, Jomo Hankerson stated that Aaliyah "got
villainized" over her relationship with Kelly and the scandal over the marriage made it
difficult to find producers for her second album. "We were coming off of a multi-platinum
debut album and except for a couple of relationships with Jermaine Dupri and Puffy, it was
hard for us to get producers on the album." Hankerson also expressed confusion over why
"they were upset" with Aaliyah given her age at the time.[145]
Aaliyah was known to avoid answering questions regarding Kelly following the professional
split. During an interview with Christopher John Farley, she was asked if she was still in
contact with him and if she would ever work with him again. Farley said Aaliyah responded
with a "firm, frosty 'no'" to both of the questions.[146] Vibe magazine said Aaliyah changed
the subject anytime "you bring up the marriage with her".[147] A spokeswoman for Aaliyah
said in 2000 that when "R. Kelly comes up, she doesn't even speak his name, and nobody's
allowed to ask about it at all".[148] Kelly later commented that Aaliyah had opportunities
to address the pair's relationship after they separated professionally but chose not to.
[149] In 2019, Damon Dash revealed to Hip Hop Motivation that Aaliyah didn't even speak of
her relationship with Kelly in private; she tried multiple times to discuss it with him, but
was only able to find the courage to say that Kelly was a "bad man".[143] She told him that
she could only possibly discuss the relationship with a professional counselor.[143] Dash
said he was unable to watch Surviving R. Kelly because its interviews with visibly
traumatized girls struggling to discuss their encounters with Kelly reminded him of how
Aaliyah behaved when trying to recount her relationship with Kelly.[143]
R. Kelly would have other allegations made about him regarding underage girls in the years
following her death and his marriage to Aaliyah was used to evidence his involvement with
them. He has refused to discuss his relationship with her, citing her death. "Out of respect
for her, and her mom and her dad, I will not discuss Aaliyah. That was a whole other
situation, a whole other time, it was a whole other thing, and I'm sure that people also
know that."[150] Aaliyah's mother, Diane Haughton, reflected that everything "that went
wrong in her life" began with her relationship with Kelly.[139] Damon Dash also noted that
lasting trauma from her relationship with Kelly negatively affected their relationship.[143]
However, the allegations have been said to have done "little to taint Aaliyah's image or
prevent her from becoming a reliable '90s hitmaker with viable sidelines in movies and
modeling."[32]
Engagement
Aaliyah was dating co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records Damon Dash at the time of her death
and, though they were not formally engaged, in interviews given after Aaliyah's death, Dash
claimed the couple had planned to marry.[151] Aaliyah and Dash met in 2000[152] through his
accountant and formed a friendship.[153] Dash has said he is unsure of how he and Aaliyah
started dating and that the two just understood each other. "I don't know [how we got
involved], just spending time, you know, we just saw things the same and it was new, you
know what I mean? Meeting someone that is trying to do the same thing you are doing in the
urban market, in the same urban market place but not really being so urban. It was just; her
mind was where my mind was. She understood me and she got my jokes. She thought my jokes
were funny."[154]
Dash expressed his belief that Aaliyah was the "one" and claimed the pair were not
officially engaged, but had spoken about getting married prior to her death.[155] Aaliyah
publicly never addressed the relationship between her and Dash as being anything but
platonic. In May 2001, she hosted a party for Dash's 30th birthday at a New York City club,
where they were spotted together and Dash was seen escorting her to a bathroom. Addressing
this, Aaliyah stated that she and Dash were just "very good friends" and chose to "keep it
at that" for the time being.[147] Just two weeks before her death, Aaliyah traveled from New
Jersey to East Hampton, New York to visit Dash at the summer house he shared with Jay Z.
[129]
The couple were separated for long periods at a time, as Dash recalled that Aaliyah
continuously shot films and would be gone for months often to come back shortly and continue
her schedule. Dash was also committed to "his own thing", which did not make matters any
better. Despite this, they were understanding that the time they had together was special.
Dash remembered they would "be in a room full of people talking to each other and it felt
like everyone was listening but it would be just us. It would be like we were the only ones
in the room". Dash always felt their time together was essential and Aaliyah was the person
he was interested in being with, which is why, as he claimed, they had begun speaking about
engagement.[153] The relationship was mentioned in the lyrics of Jay-Z's remix to her song
"Miss You", released after her death.
Death
Main article: Death of Aaliyah
On August 25, 2001, at 6:50 p.m. (EDT), Aaliyah and the members of the record company
boarded a twin-engine Cessna 402B (registration N8097W) at the Marsh Harbour Airport in
Abaco Islands, the Bahamas, to travel to the Opa-locka Airport in Florida, after they
completed filming the music video for "Rock the Boat".[156] They had a flight scheduled the
following day, but with filming finishing early, Aaliyah and her entourage were eager to
return to the U.S. and made the decision to leave immediately. The designated airplane was
smaller than the Cessna 404 on which they had originally arrived, but the whole party and
all of the equipment were accommodated on board.[157] The plane crashed shortly after
takeoff, about 200 feet (60 m) from the end of the runway and exploded.[156]
Aaliyah and the eight others on board—pilot Luis Morales III, hair stylist Eric Forman,
Anthony Dodd, security guard Scott Gallin, family friend Keith Wallace, make-up stylist
Christopher Maldonado, and Blackground Records employees Douglas Kratz and Gina Smith—were
all killed.[158] Gallin survived the initial impact and spent his last moments worrying
about Aaliyah's condition, according to ambulance drivers.[159] The plane was identified as
being owned by Florida-based company Skystream by the US Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) in Atlanta. Initial reports of the crash identified Luis Morales as "L Marael".[160]
According to findings from an inquest conducted by the coroner's office in the Bahamas,
Aaliyah suffered from "severe burns and a blow to the head", in addition to severe shock and
a weak heart.[161] The coroner theorized that she went into such a state of shock that even
if she had survived the crash, her recovery would have been nearly impossible given the
severity of her injuries.[162] The bodies were taken to the morgue at Princess Margaret
Hospital in Nassau, where they were kept for relatives to help identify them. Some of the
bodies were badly burned in the crash.[163]
As the subsequent investigation determined, when the aircraft attempted to depart, it was
over its maximum take-off weight by 700 pounds (320 kg) and was carrying one excess
passenger, according to its certification.[164] An informational report issued by the
National Transportation Safety Board stated, "The airplane was seen lifting off the runway,
and then nose down, impacting in a marsh on the south side of the departure end of runway
27."[165] It indicated that the pilot was not approved to fly the plane. Morales falsely
obtained his FAA license by showing hundreds of hours never flown, and he may also have
falsified how many hours he had flown in order to get a job with his employer, Blackhawk
International Airways.[166] Additionally, toxicology tests performed on Morales revealed
traces of cocaine and alcohol in his system.[167]
Aaliyah's funeral services were held on August 31, 2001, at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral
Chapel and St. Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan. Her body was set in a silver-plated
copper-deposit casket, which was carried in a glass horse-drawn hearse.[168] An estimated
800 mourners were in attendance at the procession.[20][169] Among those in attendance at the
private ceremony were Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Gladys Knight, Lil' Kim and Sean Combs.
[168][170][171] After the service, 22 white doves were released to symbolize each year of
Aaliyah's life.[172] Aaliyah was initially entombed in a crypt at the Ferncliff Mausoleum in
Hartsdale, New York; she was later moved to a private room at the left end of a corridor in
the Rosewood Mausoleum.[173] The inscription at the bottom of Aaliyah's portrait at the
funeral read: "We Were Given a Queen, We Were Given an Angel."[174]
After Aaliyah's death, the German newspaper Die Zeit published excerpts from an interview
done shortly before her death, in which she described a recurring dream: "It is dark in my
favorite dream. Someone is following me. I don't know why. I'm scared. Then suddenly I lift
off. Far away. How do I feel? As if I am swimming in the air. Free. Weightless. Nobody can
reach me. Nobody can touch me. It's a wonderful feeling."[175]
Posthumous career
Immediately after Aaliyah's death, there was uncertainty over whether the music video for
"Rock the Boat" would ever air.[176] It made its world premiere on BET's Access Granted on
October 9, 2001. She won two posthumous awards at the American Music Awards of 2002;
Favorite Female R&B Artist and Favorite R&B/Soul Album for Aaliyah.[177] Her second and
final film, Queen of the Damned, was released in February 2002. Before its release,
Aaliyah's brother, Rashad, re-dubbed some of her lines during post-production.[178][179] It
grossed US$15.2 million in its first weekend, ranking number one at the box office.[180] On
the first anniversary of Aaliyah's death, a candlelight vigil was held in Times Square;
millions of fans observed a moment of silence; and throughout the United States, radio
stations played her music in remembrance.[181] In December 2002, a collection of previously
unreleased material was released as Aaliyah's first posthumous album, I Care 4 U. A portion
of the proceeds was donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund, a program that benefits the Revlon
UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program and Harlem's Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[182] It
debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 280,000 copies in its first week.[183]
The album's lead single, "Miss You", peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and
topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[70] In August of the following year, clothing
retailer Christian Dior donated profits from sales in honor of Aaliyah.[184]
In 2005, Aaliyah's second compilation album, Ultimate Aaliyah was released in the UK by
Blackground Records.[185] Ultimate Aaliyah is a three disc set, which included a greatest
hits audio CD and a DVD.[185] Andy Kellman of AllMusic remarked "Ultimate Aaliyah adequately
represents the shortened career of a tremendous talent who benefited from some of the best
songwriting and production work by Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and R. Kelly."[185] A
documentary movie Aaliyah Live in Amsterdam was released in 2011, shortly before the tenth
anniversary of Aaliyah's death. The documentary, by Pogus Caesar, contained previously
unseen footage shot of her career beginnings in 1995 when she was appearing in the
Netherlands.[186]
In March 2012, music producer Jeffrey "J-Dub" Walker announced on his Twitter account that a
song "Steady Ground", which he produced for Aaliyah's third album, would be included in the
forthcoming posthumous Aaliyah album. This second proposed posthumous album would feature
this song using demo vocals, as Walker claims the originals were somehow lost by his sound
engineer. Aaliyah's brother Rashad later refuted Walker's claim, claiming that "no official
album [is] being released and supported by the Haughton family."[187] On August 5, 2012, a
song entitled "Enough Said" was released online. The song was produced by Noah "40" Shebib
and features Canadian rapper Drake.[188] Four days later, Jomo Hankerson confirmed a
posthumous album is being produced and that it was scheduled to be released by the end of
2012 by Blackground Records.[189] The album was reported to include 16 unreleased songs and
have contributions from Aaliyah's longtime collaborators Timbaland and Missy Elliott, among
others.[189] On August 13, Timbaland and Missy Elliott dismissed rumors about being
contacted or participating for the project.[190] Elliott's manager Mona Scott-Young said in
a statement to XXL, "Although Missy and Timbaland always strive to keep the memory of their
close friend alive, we have not been contacted about the project nor are there any plans at
this time to participate. We've seen the reports surfacing that they have been confirmed to
participate but that is not the case. Both Missy and Timbaland are very sensitive to the
loss still being felt by the family so we wanted to clear up any misinformation being
circulated."[190] Elliott herself said, "Tim and I carry Aaliyah with us everyday, like so
many of the people who love her. She will always live in our hearts. We have nothing but
love and respect for her memory and for her loved ones left behind still grieving her loss.
They are always in our prayers."[190]
In June 2013, Aaliyah was featured on a new track by Chris Brown, titled "Don't Think They
Know"; with Aaliyah singing the song's hook. The video features dancing holographic versions
of Aaliyah. The song appears on Brown's sixth studio album, X.[191] Timbaland voiced his
disapproval for "Enough Said" and "Don't Think They Know" in July 2013. He exclaimed,
"Aaliyah music only work with its soulmate, which is me".[192] Soon after, Timbaland
apologized to Chris Brown over his remarks, which he explained were made due to Aaliyah and
her death being a "very sensitive subject".[193] In January 2014, producer Noah "40" Shebib
confirmed that the posthumous album was shelved due to the negative reception surrounding
Drake's involvement. Shebib added, "Aaliyah's mother saying, 'I don't want this out' was
enough for me ... I walked away very quickly."[194][195]
Aaliyah's vocals were reported to be featured on the T-Pain mixtape, The Iron Way, on the
track "Girlfriend", but were pulled after being met with criticism by fans and many in
attendance at a New York listening session that he hosted for the project. In response to
the criticism, T-Pain questioned if Aaliyah's legacy was driven by her death and claimed
that were she still alive, she would be seen as trying to emulate Beyoncé.[196] According to
T-Pain, he was given her vocals from a session she had done prior to her death after being
approached to work on a track for a posthumous Aaliyah album and completing the song,
calling the exchange "just like a swap."[197]
She was featured on the Tink track "Million", which was released in May 2015 and contained
samples from her song "One in a Million".[198] Collaborator Timbaland was involved in the
song's creation, having previously claimed that Aaliyah appeared to him in a dream and
stressed that Tink was "the one".[199]
In August 2015, Timbaland confirmed that he had unreleased vocals from Aaliyah and stated a
"sneak peek" would be coming soon.[200][201]
In September 2015, Aaliyah by Xyrena, an official tribute fragrance was announced.[202]
On December 19, 2015, Timbaland uploaded a snippet of a new Aaliyah song title "He Keeps Me
Shakin" on his Instagram account and said it would be released December 25, 2015, on the
Timbaland mixtape King Stays King.[203] On August 24, 2017 MAC Cosmetics announced that an
Aaliyah collection will be made available in the summer of 2018.[204] The Aaliyah for Mac
collection was released on June 20 online and June 21 in stores, along with the MAC
collection, MAC and i-D Magazine partnered up to release a short film titled "A-Z of
Aaliyah" which coincided with the launch.[205] The short film highlighted and celebrated the
legacy of Aaliyah with the help of select fans who were selected to be a part of the film
through a casting call competition held by Mac and i-d magazine.[206] The Aaliyah for Mac
collectors box was sold at $250 and it sold out within minutes during the first day of its
initial release.[207]
Legacy and influence
Aaliyah has been credited for helping redefine R&B, pop and hip hop in the 1990s, "leaving
an indelible imprint on the music industry as a whole."[1][89][208] According to Billboard,
Aaliyah revolutionized R&B with her sultry mix of pop, soul and hip hop.[209] In a 2001
review of her eponymous album, Rolling Stone professed that Aaliyah's impact on R&B and pop
has been enormous.[210] Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote Aaliyah ranks among the "elite" artists
of the R&B genre, as she "played a major role in popularizing the stuttering, futuristic
production style that consumed hip-hop and urban soul in the late 1990s."[211] Bruce Britt
of "music world" on Broadcast Music, Inc's. website stated that by combining "schoolgirl
charm with urban grit", Aaliyah helped define the teen-oriented sound that has resulted in
contemporary pop phenom's like Brandy, Christina Aguilera and Destiny's Child.[212]
Described as one of "R&B's most important artists" during the 1990s,[213] her second studio
album, One in a Million, became one of the most influential R&B albums of the decade.[33]
Music critic Simon Reynolds cited "Are You That Somebody?" as "the most radical pop single"
of 1998. Kelefah Sanneh of The New York Times wrote that rather than being the song's focal
point, Aaliyah "knew how to disappear into the music, how to match her voice to the bass
line", and consequently "helped change the way popular music sounds; the twitchy, beat-
driven songs of Destiny's Child owe a clear debt to 'Are You That Somebody'." Sanneh
asserted that by the time of her death in 2001, Aaliyah "had recorded some of the most
innovative and influential pop songs of the last five years."[101] Music publication Popdust
called Aaliyah an unlikely queen of the underground due mainly to her influence on the
underground alternative music scene, which consists of heavy sampling and references to her
music by underground artists. Popdust also mentioned that the forward-thinking music Aaliyah
did with Timbaland and the experimental music being made by many underground alternative
artists are somewhat cut from the same cloth.[214] While compiling a list of artists that
take cues from Aaliyah, MTV Hive mentioned that it's easy to spot her influence on
underground movements like dubstep, strains of indie pop, and lo-fi R&B movements.[215] With
sales of 8.1 million albums in the United States and an estimated 24 to 32 million albums
worldwide,[216][217][218][219][220] Aaliyah earned the nicknames "Princess of R&B" and
"Queen of Urban Pop",[221][222] as she "proved she was a muse in her own right".[223] Ernest
Hardy of Rolling Stone dubbed her as the "undisputed queen of the midtempo come-on".[19]
Aaliyah has been referred to as a pop icon and a R&B icon for her impact and contributions
to those respective genres.[224][225] Japanese pop singer Hikaru Utada has said several
times that "It was when I heard Aaliyah's Age Ain't Nothing but a Number that I got hooked
on R&B.", after which Utada released her debut album First Love with heavy R&B influences.
[226][227] Another Japanese pop singer Crystal Kay has expressed how she admired Aaliyah
when she was growing up and how she would practice dancing while watching her music videos.
[228]
Aaliyah was honored at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards by Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott,
Timbaland, Ginuwine and her brother, Rashad, who all paid tribute to her.[229] In the same
year, the United States Social Security Administration ranked the name Aaliyah one of the
100 most popular names for newborn girls.[230] Aaliyah was ranked as one of "The Top 40
Women of the Video Era" in VH1's 2003 The Greatest series.[231][232] She was also ranked at
number 18 on BET's "Top 25 Dancers of All Time".[233] Aaliyah appeared on both 2000 and 2001
list of Maxim Hot 100 in position 41 and the latter at 14.[234][235] In 2002 VH1 created the
100 sexiest artist list and Aaliyah was ranked at number 36.[236] In memory of Aaliyah, the
Entertainment Industry Foundation created the Aaliyah Memorial Fund to donate money raised
to charities she supported.[237][238] In December 2009, Billboard magazine ranked Aaliyah at
number 70 on its Top Artists of the Decade,[239] while her eponymous album was ranked at
number 181 on the magazine's Top 200 Albums of the Decade.[240] She is listed by Billboard
as the tenth most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years, and 27th most
successful R&B artist overall.[241] In 2012, VH1 ranked her number 48 in "VH1's Greatest
Women in Music".[242] Also in 2012, Aaliyah was ranked at number 10 on Complex magazine's
100 hottest female singers of all-time list[243] and number 22 on their 90 hottest women of
the 90's list.[244] In 2014, NME ranked Aaliyah at number 18 on NME's 100 most influential
artist list.[245] Aaliyah's dress that she wore at the 2000 MTV Video Music Award's was
featured in the most memorable fashion moments at the VMA's list by the fashion publication
Harper's Bazaar.[246] In October 2015 Aaliyah was featured in the 10 women who became Denim
Style icons list created by the fashion publication Vogue.[247] In August 2018 Billboard
ranked Aaliyah at number 47 on their Top 60 Female Artists of All-Time list.[248]
Aaliyah's music has influenced numerous artists including Adele,[249] The Weeknd,[250]
Ciara,[251] Beyoncé,[252] Monica,[253] Chris Brown,[191] Rihanna,[254] Azealia Banks,[255]
Sevyn Streeter,[256] Keyshia Cole,[257] J. Cole,[258] Ryan Destiny[259] Kelly Rowland,[260]
Zendaya,[261] Rita Ora,[262] The xx,[263][264][265] Arctic Monkeys,[266] Speedy Ortiz,[267]
Chelsea Wolfe,[268] Haim,[269] Angel Haze,[270] Kiesza,[271] Naya Rivera,[272] Normani[273]
Cassie,[274][275] Hayley Williams,[276] Jessie Ware,[277] Yeasayer,[278] Bebe Rexha,[279]
Omarion,[280] and Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander.[281] Canadian R&B singer Keshia
Chanté who was said to play as her in her pending biopic back in 2008, complimented the
singer's futuristic style in music and fashion.[282] Chanté backed out of the biopic after
speaking to Diane Haughton, but has expressed a willingness to do the project if "the right
production comes along and the family's behind it". Chanté also mentioned that Aaliyah had
been part of her life "since I was 6."[283] R&B singer and friend Brandy said about the late
singer "She came out before Monica and I did, she was our inspiration. At the time, record
companies did not believe in kid acts and it was just inspiring to see someone that was
winning and winning being themselves. When I met her I embraced her, I was so happy to meet
her."[284] Rapper Drake said that the singer has had the biggest influence on his career. He
also has a tattoo of the singer on his back.[285] Solange Knowles remarked on the tenth
anniversary of her death that she idolized Aaliyah and proclaimed that she would never be
forgotten.[286] Adam Levine, the lead vocalist of the pop rock group Maroon 5, remembers
that listening to "Are You That Somebody?" convinced him to pursue a more soulful sound than
that of his then-band Kara's Flowers.[287] Erika Ramirez, an associate editor of Billboard,
said at the time of Aaliyah's career "there weren't many artists using the kind of soft
vocals the ways she was using it, and now you see a lot of artists doing that and finding
success," her reasoning for Aaliyah's continued influence on current artists. She argued
that Aaliyah's second album One in a Million was "very much ahead of its time, with the bass
and electro kind of R&B sounds that they produced", referring to collaborators Timbaland and
Missy Elliott and that the sound, which "really stood out" at its time, was being
replicated.[288]
In 2012, British singer-songwriter Katy B released the song Aaliyah as a tribute to
Aaliyah's legacy and lasting impression on R&B music.[289] The song first appeared on Katy
B's Danger EP and featured Jessie Ware on guest vocals. In 2016, Swedish singer-songwriter
Erik Hassle released a song titled "If Your Man Only Knew" which serves as a tribute to
Aaliyah's 1996 single "If Your Girl Only Knew".[290]
There has been continuing belief that Aaliyah would have achieved greater career success had
it not been for her death. Emil Wilbekin mentioned the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and
Tupac Shakur in conjunction with hers and added: "Her just-released third album and
scheduled role in a sequel to The Matrix could have made her another Janet Jackson or
Whitney Houston".[291] Director of Queen of the Damned Michael Rymer said of Aaliyah, "God,
that girl could have gone so far" and spoke of her having "such a clarity about what she
wanted. Nothing was gonna step in her way. No ego, no nervousness, no manipulation. There
was nothing to stop her."[292]
On July 18, 2014, it was announced that Alexandra Shipp replaced Zendaya for the role of
Aaliyah for the Lifetime TV biopic movie Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B,
It was a new day yesterday.....but it's a old day now.
Yet another sunrise at Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester, MA.
20140830-IMG_8703
Echoes of the past linger in this black-and-white portrayal of a weathered structure. Encased by creeping vegetation and cloaked in peeling paint, the building is a testament to time's relentless march. Shadows dance across its surface, inviting viewers to actively uncover the secrets etched into its walls and imagine the lives it once sheltered.
© All Rights Reserved - No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without the Written Consent of Dileep Govindaraju/What My Eyes C.
Waves at sunset. Coogee Beach
This photograph appears in a NowPublic news story:
Tokyo, Japan’s beating heart, is where ultramodern design meets timeless tradition. This cityscape captures Tokyo’s architectural evolution against a breathtaking sunset. Imagine towering skyscrapers like the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, representing the city’s rapid ascent as a global financial titan. Their sleek, contemporary lines paint a picture of Tokyo’s economic dominance and technological innovation.
Yet, in the shadows of these giants lie fragments of history. Scattered traditional buildings and temples serve as poignant reminders of Tokyo's rich cultural heritage. The golden glow of the setting sun highlights intricate architectural details, creating a mesmerizing interplay between the old and the new.
Tokyo’s urban fabric is a living testament to its history of resilience and renewal. From the bustling streets that never sleep to serene, sky-painted backdrops, this image reveals a city that thrives on contrasts. The complexity and density of Tokyo’s cityscape illustrate its dynamic nature—a place where ancient shrines co-exist with futuristic skyscrapers.
This vibrant, ever-evolving metropolis offers glimpses into the daily lives of its inhabitants—Tokyoites who navigate the intricate weave of tradition and innovation. Whether you're an architecture aficionado, a history enthusiast, or simply a lover of urban beauty, Tokyo’s skyline offers a captivating and inspiring view that is sure to leave an indelible mark on your heart.
Mummers plays are a fascinating form of folk drama that has been part of British and Irish culture for centuries. Traditionally performed by amateur actors known as mummers or guisers, these plays are characterized by their combat sequences between hero and villain, followed by the miraculous revival of the fallen character by a quack doctor. Historically, mummers would perform these plays in the streets, or while visiting houses and pubs during seasonal holidays, particularly around Christmas, Easter, or Plough Monday. The origins of mummers plays are thought to be linked to pre-Christian fertility rites and pagan rituals, symbolizing the death and rebirth of the seasons. While the earliest documented instances of the plays date back to the 18th century, it's believed that the tradition is much older, possibly evolving from various European winter festival customs where participants would parade in masks and costumes. Today, mummers plays continue to be a vibrant part of local traditions, keeping alive a unique aspect of folk heritage.
The Bell pub in Odiham, a historic establishment originally licensed in 1509, stands as a testament to the town's rich heritage. Nestled opposite All Saints Church in an area known as The Bury, it is one of Hampshire's oldest pubs and has been a brewing site since the times of the Domesday Book. The community of Odiham values The Bell deeply, as evidenced by their successful campaign to prevent its conversion into houses. This beloved pub, which has served as a social hub for various groups over the centuries, continues to be a cherished asset, reflecting the strong community spirit and the residents' commitment to preserving their local history. The Bell's story is a remarkable example of how a community can come together to protect and celebrate their cultural landmarks.
Wells Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose cathedra it holds as mother church of the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Built as a Roman Catholic cathedral from around 1175 to replace an earlier church on the site since 705, it became an Anglican cathedral when King Henry VIII split from Rome. It is moderately sized for an English cathedral. Its broad west front and large central tower are dominant features. It has been called "unquestionably one of the most beautiful" and "most poetic" of English cathedrals.
Its Gothic architecture is mostly inspired from Early English style of the late 12th to early 13th centuries, lacking the Romanesque work that survives in many other cathedrals. Building began about 1175 at the east end with the choir. Historian John Harvey sees it as Europe's first truly Gothic structure, breaking the last constraints of Romanesque. The stonework of its pointed arcades and fluted piers bears pronounced mouldings and carved capitals in a foliate, "stiff-leaf" style. Its Early English front with 300 sculpted figures is seen as a "supreme triumph of the combined plastic arts in England". The east end retains much ancient stained glass. Unlike many cathedrals of monastic foundation, Wells has many surviving secular buildings linked to its chapter of secular canons, including the Bishop's Palace and the 15th-century residential Vicars' Close It is a Grade I listed building.
The earliest remains of a building on the site are of a late-Roman mausoleum, identified during excavations in 1980. An abbey church was built in Wells in 705 by Aldhelm, first bishop of the newly established Diocese of Sherborne during the reign of King Ine of Wessex. It was dedicated to St Andrew and stood at the site of the cathedral's cloisters, where some excavated remains can be seen. The font in the cathedral's south transept is from this church and is the oldest part of the present building. In 766 Cynewulf, King of Wessex, signed a charter endowing the church with eleven hides of land. In 909 the seat of the diocese was moved from Sherborne to Wells.
The first bishop of Wells was Athelm (909), who crowned King Æthelstan. Athelm and his nephew Dunstan both became Archbishops of Canterbury. During this period a choir of boys was established to sing the liturgy. Wells Cathedral School, which was established to educate these choirboys, dates its foundation to this point. There is, however, some controversy over this. Following the Norman Conquest, John de Villula moved the seat of the bishop from Wells to Bath in 1090. The church at Wells, no longer a cathedral, had a college of secular clergy.
The cathedral is thought to have been conceived and commenced in about 1175 by Reginald Fitz Jocelin, who died in 1191. Although it is clear from its size that from the outset, the church was planned to be the cathedral of the diocese, the seat of the bishop moved between Wells and the abbeys of Glastonbury and Bath, before settling at Wells. In 1197 Reginald's successor, Savaric FitzGeldewin, with the approval of Pope Celestine III, officially moved his seat to Glastonbury Abbey. The title of Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury was used until the Glastonbury claim was abandoned in 1219.
Savaric's successor, Jocelin of Wells, again moved the bishop's seat to Bath Abbey, with the title Bishop of Bath. Jocelin was a brother of Hugh (II) of Lincoln and was present at the signing of the Magna Carta. Jocelin continued the building campaign begun by Reginald and was responsible for the Bishop's Palace, the choristers' school, a grammar school, a hospital for travellers and a chapel. He also had a manor house built at Wookey, near Wells. Jocelin saw the church dedicated in 1239 but, despite much lobbying of the Pope by Jocelin's representatives in Rome, did not live to see cathedral status granted. The delay may have been a result of inaction by Pandulf Verraccio, a Roman ecclesiastical politician, papal legate to England and Bishop of Norwich, who was asked by the Pope to investigate the situation but did not respond. Jocelin died at Wells on 19 November 1242 and was buried in the choir of the cathedral; the memorial brass on his tomb is one of the earliest brasses in England. Following his death the monks of Bath unsuccessfully attempted to regain authority over Wells.
In 1245 the ongoing dispute over the title of the bishop was resolved by a ruling of Pope Innocent IV, who established the title as the "Bishop of Bath and Wells", which it has remained until this day, with Wells as the principal seat of the bishop. Since the 11th century the church has had a chapter of secular clergy, like the cathedrals of Chichester, Hereford, Lincoln and York. The chapter was endowed with 22 prebends (lands from which finance was drawn) and a provost to manage them. On acquiring cathedral status, in common with other such cathedrals, it had four chief clergy, the dean, precentor, chancellor and sacristan, who were responsible for the spiritual and material care of the cathedral.
The building programme, begun by Reginald Fitz Jocelin, Bishop in the 12th century, continued under Jocelin of Wells, who was a canon from 1200, then bishop from 1206. Adam Locke was master mason from about 1192 until 1230. It was designed in the new style with pointed arches, later known as Gothic, which was introduced at about the same time at Canterbury Cathedral. Work was halted between 1209 and 1213 when King John was excommunicated and Jocelin was in exile, but the main parts of the church were complete by the time of the dedication by Jocelin in 1239.
By the time the cathedral, including the chapter house, was finished in 1306, it was already too small for the developing liturgy, and unable to accommodate increasingly grand processions of clergy. John Droxford initiated another phase of building under master mason Thomas of Whitney, during which the central tower was heightened and an eight-sided Lady chapel was added at the east end by 1326. Ralph of Shrewsbury followed, continuing the eastward extension of the choir and retrochoir beyond. He oversaw the building of Vicars' Close and the Vicars' Hall, to give the men who were employed to sing in the choir a secure place to live and dine, away from the town and its temptations. He had an uneasy relationship with the citizens of Wells, partly because of his imposition of taxes, and he surrounded his palace with crenellated walls, a moat and a drawbridge.
John Harewell raised money for the completion of the west front by William Wynford, who was appointed as master mason in 1365. One of the foremost master masons of his time, Wynford worked for the king at Windsor, Winchester Cathedral and New College, Oxford. At Wells, he designed the western towers of which north-west was not built until the following century. In the 14th century, the central piers of the crossing were found to be sinking under the weight of the crossing tower which had been damaged by an earthquake in the previous century. Strainer arches, sometimes described as scissor arches, were inserted by master mason William Joy to brace and stabilise the piers as a unit.
By the reign of Henry VII the cathedral was complete, appearing much as it does today (though the fittings have changed). From 1508 to 1546, the eminent Italian humanist scholar Polydore Vergil was active as the chapter's representative in London. He donated a set of hangings for the choir of the cathedral. While Wells survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries better than the cathedrals of monastic foundation, the abolition of chantries in 1547 resulted in a reduction in its income. Medieval brasses were sold, and a pulpit was placed in the nave for the first time. Between 1551 and 1568, in two periods as dean, William Turner established a herb garden, which was recreated between 2003 and 2010.
Elizabeth I gave the chapter and the Vicars Choral a new charter in 1591, creating a new governing body, consisting of a dean and eight residentiary canons with control over the church estates and authority over its affairs, but no longer entitled to elect the dean (that entitlement thenceforward belonged ultimately to the Crown). The stability brought by the new charter ended with the onset of the Civil War and the execution of Charles I. Local fighting damaged the cathedral's stonework, furniture and windows. The dean, Walter Raleigh, a nephew of the explorer Walter Raleigh, was placed under house arrest after the fall of Bridgwater to the Parliamentarians in 1645, first in the rectory at Chedzoy and then in the deanery at Wells. His jailor, the shoe maker and city constable, David Barrett, caught him writing a letter to his wife. When he refused to surrender it, Barrett ran him through with a sword and he died six weeks later, on 10 October 1646. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the choir before the dean's stall. During the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell no dean was appointed and the cathedral fell into disrepair. The bishop went into retirement and some of the clerics were reduced to performing menial tasks.
In 1661, after Charles II was restored to the throne, Robert Creighton, the king's chaplain in exile, was appointed dean and was bishop for two years before his death in 1672. His brass lectern, given in thanksgiving, can be seen in the cathedral. He donated the nave's great west window at a cost of £140. Following Creighton's appointment as bishop, the post of dean went to Ralph Bathurst, who had been chaplain to the king, president of Trinity College, Oxford and fellow of the Royal Society. During Bathurst's long tenure the cathedral was restored, but in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685, Puritan soldiers damaged the west front, tore lead from the roof to make bullets, broke the windows, smashed the organ and furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the nave.
Restoration began again under Thomas Ken who was appointed by the Crown in 1685 and served until 1691. He was one of seven bishops imprisoned for refusing to sign King James II's "Declaration of Indulgence", which would have enabled Catholics to resume positions of political power, but popular support led to their acquittal. Ken refused to take the oath of allegiance to William III and Mary II because James II had not abdicated and with others, known as the Nonjurors, was put out of office. His successor, Richard Kidder, was killed in the Great Storm of 1703 when two chimney stacks on the palace fell on him and his wife, while they were asleep in bed.
By the middle of the 19th century, a major restoration programme was needed. Under Dean Goodenough, the monuments were moved to the cloisters and the remaining medieval paint and whitewash removed in an operation known as "the great scrape". Anthony Salvin took charge of the extensive restoration of the choir. Wooden galleries installed in the 16th century were removed and the stalls were given stone canopies and placed further back within the line of the arcade. The medieval stone pulpitum screen was extended in the centre to support a new organ.
In 1933 the Friends of Wells Cathedral were formed to support the cathedral's chapter in the maintenance of the fabric, life and work of the cathedral. The late 20th century saw an extensive restoration programme, particularly of the west front. The stained glass is currently under restoration, with a programme underway to conserve the large 14th-century Jesse Tree window at the eastern terminal of the choir.
In January 2014, as part of the Bath film festival, the cathedral hosted a special screening of Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ. This provoked some controversy, but the church defended its decision to allow the screening.
In 2021, a contemporary sculpture by Anthony Gormley was unveiled on a temporary plinth outside the cathedral.
Since the 13th century, Wells Cathedral has been the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Its governing body, the chapter, is made up of five clerical canons (the dean, the precentor, the canon chancellor, the canon treasurer, and the archdeacon of Wells) and four lay members: the administrator (chief executive), Keeper of the Fabric, Overseer of the Estate and the chairman of the cathedral shop and catering boards. The current bishop of Bath and Wells is Peter Hancock, who was installed in a service in the cathedral on 7 June 2014. John Davies has been Dean of Wells since 2016.
Employed staff include the organist and master of choristers, head Verger archivist, librarian and the staff of the shop, café and restaurant. The chapter is advised by specialists such as architects, archaeologists and financial analysts.
More than a thousand services are held every year. There are daily services of Matins, Holy Communion and Choral Evensong, as well as major celebrations of Christian festivals such as Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and saints' days. The cathedral is also used for the baptisms, weddings and funerals of those with close connections to it. In July 2009 the cathedral undertook the funeral of Harry Patch, the last British Army veteran of World War I, who died at the age of 111.
Three Sunday services are led by the resident choir in school terms and choral services are sung on weekdays. The cathedral hosts visiting choirs and does outreach work with local schools as part of its Chorister Outreach Project. It is also a venue for musical events such as an annual concert by the Somerset Chamber Choir.
Each year about 150,000 people attend services and another 300,000 visit as tourists. Entry is free, but visitors are encouraged to make a donation towards the annual running costs of around £1.5 million in 2015.
Construction of the cathedral began in about 1175, to the design of an unknown master-mason. Wells is the first cathedral in England to be built, from its foundation, in Gothic style. According to art historian John Harvey, it is the first truly Gothic cathedral in the world, its architects having entirely dispensed with all features that bound the contemporary east end of Canterbury Cathedral and the earlier buildings of France, such as the east end of the Abbey of Saint Denis, to the Romanesque. Unlike these churches, Wells has clustered piers rather than columns and has a gallery of identical pointed arches rather than the typically Romanesque form of paired openings. The style, with its simple lancet arches without tracery and convoluted mouldings, is known as Early English Gothic.
From about 1192 to 1230, Adam Lock, the earliest master-mason at Wells for whom a name is known, continued the transept and nave in the same manner as his predecessor. Lock was also the builder of the north porch, to his own design.
The Early English west front was commenced around 1230 by Thomas Norreys, with building and sculpture continuing for thirty years. Its south-west tower was begun 100 years later and constructed between 1365 and 1395, and the north-west tower between 1425 and 1435, both in the Perpendicular Gothic style to the design of William Wynford, who also filled many of the cathedral's early English lancet windows with delicate tracery.
The undercroft and chapter house were built by unknown architects between 1275 and 1310, the undercroft in the Early English and the chapter house in the Geometric style of Decorated Gothic architecture. In about 1310 work commenced on the Lady Chapel, to the design of Thomas Witney, who also built the central tower from 1315 to 1322 in the Decorated Gothic style. The tower was later braced internally with arches by William Joy. Concurrent with this work, in 1329–45 Joy made alterations and extensions to the choir, joining it to the Lady Chapel with the retrochoir, the latter in the Flowing Decorated style.
Later changes include the Perpendicular vault of the tower and construction of Sugar's Chapel, 1475–1490 by William Smyth. Also, Gothic Revival renovations were made to the choir and pulpitum by Benjamin Ferrey and Anthony Salvin, 1842–1857.
Wells has a total length of 415 feet (126 m). Like Canterbury, Lincoln and Salisbury cathedrals, it has the distinctly English arrangement of two transepts, with the body of the church divided into distinct parts: nave, choir, and retro-choir, beyond which extends the Lady Chapel. The façade is wide, with its towers extending beyond the transepts on either side. There is a large projecting porch on the north side of the nave forming an entry into the cathedral. To the north-east is the large octagonal chapter house, entered from the north choir aisle by a passage and staircase. To the south of the nave is a large cloister, unusual in that the northern range, that adjacent the cathedral, was never built.
In section, the cathedral has the usual arrangement of a large church: a central nave with an aisle on each side, separated by two arcades. The elevation is in three stages, arcade, triforium gallery and clerestory. The nave is 67 feet (20 m) in height, very low compared to the Gothic cathedrals of France. It has a markedly horizontal emphasis, caused by the triforium having a unique form, a series of identical narrow openings, lacking the usual definition of the bays. The triforium is separated from the arcade by a single horizontal string course that runs unbroken the length of the nave. There are no vertical lines linking the three stages, as the shafts supporting the vault rise above the triforium.
The exterior of Wells Cathedral presents a relatively tidy and harmonious appearance since the greater part of the building was executed in a single style, Early English Gothic. This is uncommon among English cathedrals where the exterior usually exhibits a plethora of styles. At Wells, later changes in the Perpendicular style were universally applied, such as filling the Early English lancet windows with simple tracery, the construction of a parapet that encircles the roof, and the addition of pinnacles framing each gable, similar to those around the chapter house and on the west front. At the eastern end there is a proliferation of tracery with repeated motifs in the Reticulated style, a stage between Geometric and Flowing Decorated tracery.
The west front is 100 feet (30 m) high and 147 feet (45 m) wide, and built of Inferior Oolite of the Middle Jurassic period, which came from the Doulting Stone Quarry, about 8 miles (13 km) to the east. According to the architectural historian Alec Clifton-Taylor, it is "one of the great sights of England".
West fronts in general take three distinct forms: those that follow the elevation of the nave and aisles, those that have paired towers at the end of each aisle, framing the nave, and those that screen the form of the building. The west front at Wells has the paired-tower form, unusual in that the towers do not indicate the location of the aisles, but extend well beyond them, screening the dimensions and profile of the building.
The west front rises in three distinct stages, each clearly defined by a horizontal course. This horizontal emphasis is counteracted by six strongly projecting buttresses defining the cross-sectional divisions of nave, aisles and towers, and are highly decorated, each having canopied niches containing the largest statues on the façade.
At the lowest level of the façade is a plain base, contrasting with and stabilising the ornate arcades that rise above it. The base is penetrated by three doors, which are in stark contrast to the often imposing portals of French Gothic cathedrals. The outer two are of domestic proportion and the central door is ornamented only by a central post, quatrefoil and the fine mouldings of the arch.
Above the basement rise two storeys, ornamented with quatrefoils and niches originally holding about four hundred statues, with three hundred surviving until the mid-20th century. Since then, some have been restored or replaced, including the ruined figure of Christ in the gable.
The third stages of the flanking towers were both built in the Perpendicular style of the late 14th century, to the design of William Wynford; that on the north-west was not begun until about 1425. The design maintains the general proportions, and continues the strong projection of the buttresses.
The finished product has been criticised for its lack of pinnacles, and it is probable that the towers were intended to carry spires which were never built. Despite its lack of spires or pinnacles, the architectural historian Banister Fletcher describes it as "the highest development in English Gothic of this type of façade."
The sculptures on the west front at Wells include standing figures, seated figures, half-length angels and narratives in high relief. Many of the figures are life-sized or larger. Together they constitute the finest display of medieval carving in England. The figures and many of the architectural details were painted in bright colours, and the colouring scheme has been deduced from flakes of paint still adhering to some surfaces. The sculptures occupy nine architectural zones stretching horizontally across the entire west front and around the sides and the eastern returns of the towers which extend beyond the aisles. The strongly projecting buttresses have tiers of niches which contain many of the largest figures. Other large figures, including that of Christ, occupy the gable. A single figure stands in one of two later niches high on the northern tower.
In 1851 the archaeologist Charles Robert Cockerell published his analysis of the iconography, numbering the nine sculptural divisions from the lowest to the highest. He defined the theme as "a calendar for unlearned men" illustrating the doctrines and history of the Christian faith, its introduction to Britain and its protection by princes and bishops. He likens the arrangement and iconography to the Te Deum.
According to Cockerell, the side of the façade that is to the south of the central door is the more sacred and the scheme is divided accordingly. The lowest range of niches each contained a standing figure, of which all but four figures on the west front, two on each side, have been destroyed. More have survived on the northern and eastern sides of the north tower. Cockerell speculates that those to the south of the portal represented prophets and patriarchs of the Old Testament while those to the north represented early missionaries to Britain, of which Augustine of Canterbury, St Birinus, and Benedict Biscop are identifiable by their attributes. In the second zone, above each pair of standing figures, is a quatrefoil containing a half-length angel in relief, some of which have survived. Between the gables of the niches are quatrefoils that contain a series of narratives from the Bible, with the Old Testament stories to the south, above the prophets and patriarchs, and those from the New Testament to the north. A horizontal course runs around the west front dividing the architectural storeys at this point.
Above the course, zones four and five, as identified by Cockerell, contain figures which represent the Christian Church in Britain, with the spiritual lords such as bishops, abbots, abbesses and saintly founders of monasteries on the south, while kings, queens and princes occupy the north. Many of the figures survive and many have been identified in the light of their various attributes. There is a hierarchy of size, with the more significant figures larger and enthroned in their niches rather than standing. Immediately beneath the upper course are a series of small niches containing dynamic sculptures of the dead coming forth from their tombs on the Day of Judgement. Although naked, some of the dead are defined as royalty by their crowns and others as bishops by their mitres. Some emerge from their graves with joy and hope, and others with despair.
The niches in the lowest zone of the gable contain nine angels, of which Cockerell identifies Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. In the next zone are the taller figures of the twelve apostles, some, such as John, Andrew and Bartholomew, clearly identifiable by the attributes that they carry. The uppermost niches of the gable contained the figure of Christ the Judge at the centre, with the Virgin Mary on his right and John the Baptist on his left. The figures all suffered from iconoclasm. A new statue of Jesus was carved for the central niche, but the two side niches now contain cherubim. Christ and the Virgin Mary are also represented by now headless figures in a Coronation of the Virgin in a niche above the central portal. A damaged figure of the Virgin and Christ Child occupies a quatrefoil in the spandrel of the door.
The central tower appears to date from the early 13th century. It was substantially reconstructed in the early 14th century during the remodelling of the east end, necessitating the internal bracing of the piers a decade or so later. In the 14th century the tower was given a timber and lead spire which burnt down in 1439. The exterior was then reworked in the Perpendicular style and given the present parapet and pinnacles. Alec Clifton-Taylor describes it as "outstanding even in Somerset, a county famed for the splendour of its church towers".
The north porch is described by art historian Nikolaus Pevsner as "sumptuously decorated", and intended as the main entrance. Externally it is simple and rectangular with plain side walls. The entrance is a steeply arched portal framed by rich mouldings of eight shafts with stiff-leaf capitals each encircled by an annular moulding at middle height. Those on the left are figurative, containing images representing the martyrdom of St Edmund the Martyr. The walls are lined with deep niches framed by narrow shafts with capitals and annulets like those of the portal. The path to the north porch is lined by four sculptures in Purbeck stone, each by Mary Spencer Watson, representing the symbols of the Evangelists.
The cloisters were built in the late 13th century and largely rebuilt from 1430 to 1508 and have wide openings divided by mullions and transoms, and tracery in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The vault has lierne ribs that form octagons at the centre of each compartment, the joints of each rib having decorative bosses. The eastern range is of two storeys, of which the upper is the library built in the 15th century.
Because Wells Cathedral was secular rather than monastic, cloisters were not a practical necessity. They were omitted from several other secular cathedrals but were built here and at Chichester. Explanations for their construction at these two secular cathedrals range from the processional to the aesthetic. As at Chichester, there is no northern range to the cloisters. In monastic cloisters it was the north range, benefiting most from winter sunlight, that was often used as a scriptorium.
In 1969, when a large chunk of stone fell from a statue near the main door, it became apparent that there was an urgent need for restoration of the west front. Detailed studies of the stonework and of conservation practices were undertaken under the cathedral architect, Alban D. R. Caroe and a restoration committee formed. The methods selected were those devised by Eve and Robert Baker. W. A. (Bert) Wheeler, clerk of works to the cathedral 1935–1978, had previously experimented with washing and surface treatment of architectural carvings on the building and his techniques were among those tried on the statues.
The conservation was carried out between 1974 and 1986, wherever possible using non-invasive procedures such as washing with water and a solution of lime, filling gaps and damaged surfaces with soft mortar to prevent the ingress of water and stabilising statues that were fracturing through corrosion of metal dowels. The surfaces were finished by painting with a thin coat of mortar and silane to resist further erosion and attack by pollutants. The restoration of the façade revealed much paint adhering to the statues and their niches, indicating that it had once been brightly coloured.
The particular character of this Early English interior is dependent on the proportions of the simple lancet arches. It is also dependent on the refinement of the architectural details, in particular the mouldings.
The arcade, which takes the same form in the nave, choir and transepts, is distinguished by the richness of both mouldings and carvings. Each pier of the arcade has a surface enrichment of 24 slender shafts in eight groups of three, rising beyond the capitals to form the deeply undulating mouldings of the arches. The capitals themselves are remarkable for the vitality of the stylised foliage, in a style known as "stiff-leaf". The liveliness contrasts with the formality of the moulded shafts and the smooth unbroken areas of ashlar masonry in the spandrels. Each capital is different, and some contain small figures illustrating narratives.
The vault of the nave rises steeply in a simple quadripartite form, in harmony with the nave arcade. The eastern end of the choir was extended and the whole upper part elaborated in the second quarter of the 14th century by William Joy. The vault has a multiplicity of ribs in a net-like form, which is very different from that of the nave, and is perhaps a recreation in stone of a local type of compartmented wooden roof of which examples remain from the 15th century, including those at St Cuthbert's Church, Wells. The vaults of the aisles of the choir also have a unique pattern.
Until the early 14th century, the interior of the cathedral was in a unified style, but it was to undergo two significant changes, to the tower and to the eastern end. Between 1315 and 1322 the central tower was heightened and topped by a spire, which caused the piers that supported it to show signs of stress. In 1338 the mason William Joy employed an unorthodox solution by inserting low arches topped by inverted arches of similar dimensions, forming scissors-like structures. These arches brace the piers of the crossing on three sides, while the easternmost side is braced by a choir screen. The bracing arches are known as "St Andrew's Cross arches", in a reference to the patron saint of the cathedral. They have been described by Wim Swaan – rightly or wrongly – as "brutally massive" and intrusive in an otherwise restrained interior.
Wells Cathedral has a square east end to the choir, as is usual, and like several other cathedrals including Salisbury and Lichfield, has a lower Lady Chapel projecting at the eastern end, begun by Thomas Witney in about 1310, possibly before the chapter house was completed. The Lady Chapel seems to have begun as a free-standing structure in the form of an elongated octagon, but the plan changed and it was linked to the eastern end by extension of the choir and construction of a second transept or retrochoir east of the choir, probably by William Joy.
The Lady Chapel has a vault of complex and somewhat irregular pattern, as the chapel is not symmetrical about both axes. The main ribs are intersected by additional non-supporting, lierne ribs, which in this case form a star-shaped pattern at the apex of the vault. It is one of the earliest lierne vaults in England. There are five large windows, of which four are filled with fragments of medieval glass. The tracery of the windows is in the style known as Reticulated Gothic, having a pattern of a single repeated shape, in this case a trefoil, giving a "reticulate" or net-like appearance.
The retrochoir extends across the east end of the choir and into the east transepts. At its centre the vault is supported by a remarkable structure of angled piers. Two of these are placed as to complete the octagonal shape of the Lady Chapel, a solution described by Francis Bond as "an intuition of Genius". The piers have attached shafts of marble, and, with the vaults that they support, create a vista of great complexity from every angle. The windows of the retrochoir are in the Reticulated style like those of the Lady Chapel, but are fully Flowing Decorated in that the tracery mouldings form ogival curves.
The chapter house was begun in the late 13th century and built in two stages, completed about 1310. It is a two-storeyed structure with the main chamber raised on an undercroft. It is entered from a staircase which divides and turns, one branch leading through the upper storey of Chain Gate to Vicars' Close. The Decorated interior is described by Alec Clifton-Taylor as "architecturally the most beautiful in England". It is octagonal, with its ribbed vault supported on a central column. The column is surrounded by shafts of Purbeck Marble, rising to a single continuous rippling foliate capital of stylised oak leaves and acorns, quite different in character from the Early English stiff-leaf foliage. Above the moulding spring 32 ribs of strong profile, giving an effect generally likened to "a great palm tree". The windows are large with Geometric Decorated tracery that is beginning to show an elongation of form, and ogees in the lesser lights that are characteristic of Flowing Decorated tracery. The tracery lights still contain ancient glass. Beneath the windows are 51 stalls, the canopies of which are enlivened by carvings including many heads carved in a light-hearted manner.
Wells Cathedral contains one of the most substantial collections of medieval stained glass in England, despite damage by Parliamentary troops in 1642 and 1643. The oldest surviving glass dates from the late 13th century and is in two windows on the west side of the chapter-house staircase. Two windows in the south choir aisle are from 1310 to 1320.
The Lady Chapel has five windows, of which four date from 1325 to 1330 and include images of a local saint, Dunstan. The east window was restored to a semblance of its original appearance by Thomas Willement in 1845. The other windows have complete canopies, but the pictorial sections are fragmented.
The east window of the choir is a broad, seven-light window dating from 1340 to 1345. It depicts the Tree of Jesse (the genealogy of Christ) and demonstrates the use of silver staining, a new technique that allowed the artist to paint details on the glass in yellow, as well as black. The combination of yellow and green glass and the application of the bright yellow stain gives the window its popular name, the "Golden Window". It is flanked by two windows each side in the clerestory, with large figures of saints, also dated to 1340–45. In 2010 a major conservation programme was undertaken on the Jesse Tree window.
The panels in the chapel of St Katherine are attributed to Arnold of Nijmegen and date from about 1520. They were acquired from the destroyed church of Saint-Jean, Rouen, with the last panel having been purchased in 1953.
The large triple lancet to the nave west end was glazed at the expense of Dean Creighton at a cost of £140 in 1664. It was repaired in 1813, and the central light was largely replaced to a design by Archibald Keightley Nicholson between 1925 and 1931. The main north and south transept end windows by James Powell and Sons were erected in the early 20th century.
The greater part of the stone carving of Wells Cathedral comprises foliate capitals in the stiff-leaf style. They are found ornamenting the piers of the nave, choir and transepts. Stiff-leaf foliage is highly abstract. Though possibly influenced by carvings of acanthus leaves or vine leaves, it cannot be easily identified with any particular plant. Here the carving of the foliage is varied and vigorous, the springing leaves and deep undercuts casting shadows that contrast with the surface of the piers. In the transepts and towards the crossing in the nave the capitals have many small figurative carvings among the leaves. These include a man with toothache and a series of four scenes depicting the "Wages of Sin" in a narrative of fruit stealers who creep into an orchard and are then beaten by the farmer. Another well-known carving is in the north transept aisle: a foliate corbel, on which climbs a lizard, sometimes identified as a salamander, a symbol of eternal life.
Carvings in the Decorated Gothic style may be found in the eastern end of the buildings, where there are many carved bosses. In the chapter house, the carvings of the 51 stalls include numerous small heads of great variety, many of them smiling or laughing. A well-known figure is the corbel of the dragon-slaying monk in the chapter house stair. The large continuous capital that encircles the central pillar of the chapter house is markedly different in style to the stiff-leaf of the Early English period. In contrast to the bold projections and undercutting of the earlier work, it has a rippling form and is clearly identifiable as grapevine.
The 15th-century cloisters have many small bosses ornamenting the vault. Two in the west cloister, near the gift shop and café, have been called sheela na gigs, i. e. female figures displaying their genitals and variously judged to depict the sin of lust or stem from ancient fertility cults.
Wells Cathedral has one of the finest sets of misericords in Britain. Its clergy has a long tradition of singing or reciting from the Book of Psalms each day, along with the customary daily reading of the Holy Office. In medieval times the clergy assembled in the church eight times daily for the canonical hours. As the greater part of the services was recited while standing, many monastic or collegiate churches fitted stalls whose seats tipped up to provide a ledge for the monk or cleric to lean against. These were "misericords" because their installation was an act of mercy. Misericords typically have a carved figurative bracket beneath the ledge framed by two floral motifs known, in heraldic manner, as "supporters".
The misericords date from 1330 to 1340. They may have been carved under the direction of Master Carpenter John Strode, although his name is not recorded before 1341. He was assisted by Bartholomew Quarter, who is documented from 1343. They originally numbered 90, of which 65 have survived. Sixty-one are installed in the choir, three are displayed in the cathedral, and one is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum. New stalls were ordered when the eastern end of the choir was extended in the early 14th century. The canons complained that they had borne the cost of the rebuilding and ordered the prebendary clerics to pay for their own stalls. When the newly refurbished choir opened in 1339 many misericords were left unfinished, including one-fifth of the surviving 65. Many of the clerics had not paid, having been called to contribute a total sum of £200. The misericords survived better than the other sections of the stalls, which during the Protestant Reformation had their canopies chopped off and galleries inserted above them. One misericord, showing a boy pulling a thorn from his foot, dates from the 17th century. In 1848 came a complete rearrangement of the choir furniture, and 61 of the misericords were reused in the restructured stalls.
The subject matter of the carvings of the central brackets as misericords varies, but many themes recur in different churches. Typically the themes are less unified or directly related to the Bible and Christian theology than small sculptures seen elsewhere within churches, such as bosses. This applies at Wells, where none of the misericord carvings is directly based on a Bible story. The subjects, chosen either by the woodcarver, or perhaps by the one paying for the stall, have no overriding theme. The sole unifying elements are the roundels on each side of the pictorial subject, which all show elaborately carved foliage, in most cases formal and stylised in the later Decorated manner, but with several examples of naturalistic foliage, including roses and bindweed. Many of the subjects carry traditional interpretations. The image of the "Pelican in her Piety" (believed to feed her young on her own blood) is a recognised symbol for Christ's love for the Church. A cat playing with a mouse may represent the Devil snaring a human soul. Other subjects illustrate popular fables or sayings such as "When the fox preaches, look to your geese". Many depict animals, some of which may symbolise a human vice or virtue, or an aspect of faith.
Twenty-seven of the carvings depict animals: rabbits, dogs, a puppy biting a cat, a ewe feeding a lamb, monkeys, lions, bats, and the Early Christian motif of two doves drinking from a ewer. Eighteen have mythological subjects, including mermaids, dragons and wyverns. Five are clearly narrative, such as the Fox and the Geese, and the story of Alexander the Great being raised to Heaven by griffins. There are three heads: a bishop in a mitre, an angel, and a woman wearing a veil over hair arranged in coils over each ear. Eleven carvings show human figures, among which are several of remarkable design, conceived by the artist specifically for their purpose of supporting a shelf. One figure lies beneath the seat, supporting the shelf with a cheek, a hand and a foot. Another sits in a contorted manner supporting the weight on his elbow, while a further figure squats with his knees wide apart and a strained look on his face.
Some of the cathedral's fittings and monuments are hundreds of years old. The brass lectern in the Lady Chapel dates from 1661 and has a moulded stand and foliate crest. In the north transept chapel is a 17th-century oak screen with columns, formerly used in cow stalls, with artisan Ionic capitals and cornice, set forward over the chest tomb of John Godelee. There is a bound oak chest from the 14th century, which was used to store the chapter seal and key documents. The bishop's throne dates from 1340, and has a panelled, canted front and stone doorway, and a deep nodding cusped ogee canopy above it, with three-stepped statue niches and pinnacles. The throne was restored by Anthony Salvin around 1850. Opposite the throne is a 19th-century octagonal pulpit on a coved base with panelled sides, and steps up from the north aisle. The round font in the south transept is from the former Saxon cathedral and has an arcade of round-headed arches, on a round plinth. The font cover was made in 1635 and is decorated with the heads of putti. The Chapel of St Martin is a memorial to every Somerset man who fell in World War I.
The monuments and tombs include Gisa, bishop; † 1088; William of Bitton, bishop; † 1274; William of March, bishop; † 1302; John Droxford; † 1329; John Godelee; † 1333; John Middleton, died †1350; Ralph of Shrewsbury, died †; John Harewell, bishop; † 1386; William Bykonyll; † c. 1448; John Bernard; † 1459; Thomas Beckington; † died 1464; John Gunthorpe; † 1498; John Still; † 1607; Robert Creighton; † 1672; Richard Kidder, bishop; † 1703; George Hooper, bishop; † 1727 and Arthur Harvey, bishop; † 1894.
In the north transept is Wells Cathedral clock, an astronomical clock from about 1325 believed to be by Peter Lightfoot, a monk of Glastonbury. Its mechanism, dated between 1386 and 1392, was replaced in the 19th century and the original moved to the Science Museum in London, where it still operates. It is the second oldest surviving clock in England after the Salisbury Cathedral clock.
The clock has its original medieval face. Apart from the time on a 24-hour dial, it shows the motion of the Sun and Moon, the phases of the Moon, and the time since the last new Moon. The astronomical dial presents a geocentric or pre-Copernican view, with the Sun and Moon revolving round a central fixed Earth, like that of the clock at Ottery St Mary. The quarters are chimed by a quarter jack: a small automaton known as Jack Blandifers, who hits two bells with hammers and two with his heels. At the striking of the clock, jousting knights appear above the clock face.
On the outer wall of the transept, opposite Vicars' Hall, is a second clock face of the same clock, placed there just over seventy years after the interior clock and driven by the same mechanism. The second clock face has two quarter jacks (which strike on the quarter-hour) in the form of knights in armour.
In 2010 the official clock-winder retired and was replaced by an electric mechanism.
The first record of an organ at this church dates from 1310. A smaller organ, probably for the Lady Chapel, was installed in 1415. In 1620 an organ built by Thomas Dallam was installed at a cost of £398 1s 5d.
The 1620 organ was destroyed by parliamentary soldiers in 1643. An organ built in 1662 was enlarged in 1786 and again in 1855. In 1909–1910 an organ was built by Harrison & Harrison of Durham, with the best parts of the old organ retained. It has been serviced by the same company ever since.
Since November 1996 the cathedral has also had a portable chamber organ, by the Scottish makers, Lammermuir. It is used regularly to accompany performances of Tudor and baroque music.
The first recorded organist of Wells was Walter Bagele (or Vageler) in 1416. The post of organist or assistant organist has been held by more than 60 people since. Peter Stanley Lyons was Master of Choristers at Wells Cathedral, and Director of Music at Wells Cathedral School in 1954–1960. The choral conductor James William Webb-Jones, father of Lyons's wife Bridget (whom he married in the cathedral), was Headmaster of Wells Cathedral School in 1955–1960. Malcolm Archer was the appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers from 1996 to 2004. Matthew Owens was the appointed organist from 2005 to 2019.
There has been a choir of boy choristers at Wells since 909. Currently there are 18 boy choristers and a similar number of girl choristers, aged from eight to fourteen. The Vicars Choral was formed in the 12th century and the sung liturgy provided by a traditional cathedral choir of men and boys until the formation of an additional choir of girls in 1994. The boys and girls sing alternately with the Vicars Choral and are educated at Wells Cathedral School.
The Vicars Choral currently number twelve men, of whom three are choral scholars. Since 1348 the College of Vicars had its own accommodation in a quadrangle converted in the early 15th century to form Vicar's Close. The Vicars Choral generally perform with the choristers, except on Wednesdays, when they sing alone, allowing them to present a different repertoire, in particular plainsong.
In December 2010 Wells Cathedral Choir was rated by Gramophone magazine as "the highest ranking choir with children in the world". It continues to provide music for the liturgy at Sunday and weekday services. The choir has made many recordings and toured frequently, including performances in Beijing and Hong Kong in 2012. Its repertoire ranges from the choral music of the Renaissance to recently commissioned works.
The Wells Cathedral Chamber Choir is a mixed adult choir of 25 members, formed in 1986 to sing at the midnight service on Christmas Eve, and invited to sing at several other special services. It now sings for about 30 services a year, when the Cathedral Choir is in recess or on tour, and spends one week a year singing as the "choir in residence" at another cathedral. Although primarily liturgical, the choir's repertoire includes other forms of music, as well as performances at engagements such as weddings and funerals.
The cathedral is home to Wells Cathedral Oratorio Society (WCOS), founded in 1896. With around 160 voices, the society gives three concerts a year under the direction of Matthew Owens, Organist and Master of the Choristers at the cathedral. Concerts are normally in early November, December (an annual performance of Handel's Messiah) and late March. It performs with a number of specialist orchestras including: Music for Awhile, Chameleon Arts and La Folia.
The bells at Wells Cathedral are the heaviest ring of ten bells in the world, the tenor bell (the 10th and largest), known as Harewell, weighing 56.25 long hundredweight (2,858 kg). They are hung for full-circle ringing in the English style of change ringing. These bells are now hung in the south-west tower, although some were originally hung in the central tower.
The library above the eastern cloister was built between 1430 and 1508. Its collection is in three parts: early documents housed in the Muniment Room; the collection predating 1800 housed in the Chained Library; and the post-1800 collection housed in the Reading Room. The chapter's earlier collection was destroyed during the Reformation, so that the present library consists chiefly of early printed books, rather than medieval manuscripts. The earlier books in the Chained Library number 2,800 volumes and give an indication of the variety of interests of the members of the cathedral chapter from the Reformation until 1800. The focus of the collection is predominantly theology, but there are volumes on science, medicine, exploration, and languages. Books of particular interest include Pliny's Natural History printed in 1472, an Atlas of the World by Abraham Ortelius, printed in 1606, and a set of the works by Aristotle that once belonged to Erasmus. The library is open to the public at appointed times in the summer and presents a small exhibition of documents and books.
Three early registers of the Dean and Chapter edited by W. H. B. Bird for the Historical Manuscripts Commissioners – Liber Albus I (White Book; R I), Liber Albus II (R III) and Liber Ruber (Red Book; R II, section i) – were published in 1907. They contain with some repetition, a cartulary of possessions of the cathedral, with grants of land back to the 8th century, well before hereditary surnames developed in England, and acts of the Dean and Chapter and surveys of their estates, mostly in Somerset.
Adjacent to the cathedral is a large lawned area, Cathedral Green, with three ancient gateways: Brown's Gatehouse, Penniless Porch and Chain Gate. On the green is the 12th-century Old Deanery, largely rebuilt in the late 15th century by Dean Gunthorpe and remodelled by Dean Bathurst in the late 17th century. No longer the dean's residence, it is used as diocesan offices.
To the south of the cathedral is the moated Bishop's Palace, begun about 1210 by Jocelin of Wells but dating mostly from the 1230s. In the 15th century Thomas Beckington added a north wing, now the bishop's residence. It was restored and extended by Benjamin Ferrey between 1846 and 1854.
To the north of the cathedral and connected to it by the Chain Gate is Vicars' Close, a street planned in the 14th century and claimed to be the oldest purely residential street in Europe, with all but one of its original buildings intact. Buildings in the close include the Vicars Hall and gateway at the south end, and the Vicars Chapel and Library at the north end.
The Liberty of St Andrew was the historic liberty and parish that encompassed the cathedral and surrounding lands closely associated with it.
The English painter J. M. W. Turner visited Wells in 1795, making sketches of the precinct and a water colour of the west front, now in the Tate gallery. Other artists whose paintings of the cathedral are in national collections are Albert Goodwin, John Syer and Ken Howard.
The cathedral served to inspire Ken Follett's 1989 novel The Pillars of the Earth and with a modified central tower, featured as the fictional Kingsbridge Cathedral at the end of the 2010 television adaptation of that novel. The interior of the cathedral was used for a 2007 Doctor Who episode, "The Lazarus Experiment", while the exterior shots were filmed at Southwark Cathedral.
An account of the damage to the cathedral during the Monmouth Rebellion is included in Arthur Conan Doyle's 1889 historical novel Micah Clarke.
The cathedral provided scenes for the 2019–2020 television series The Spanish Princess.
Discover the iconic Kaminarimon Gate, the grand entrance to Tokyo's oldest temple, Senso-ji, located in the vibrant district of Asakusa. This majestic gate, officially known as "Thunder Gate," stands as a testament to Japan's rich cultural heritage and architectural prowess. The Kaminarimon Gate, originally constructed in 941 AD, has undergone several reconstructions, with the current structure dating back to 1960. Its imposing presence is marked by a massive red lantern, weighing approximately 700 kilograms, which hangs prominently in the center. Flanked by statues of Fujin, the god of wind, and Raijin, the god of thunder, the gate symbolizes protection and prosperity. The intricate wooden carvings and traditional tiled roof reflect the exquisite craftsmanship of the Edo period.
As you pass through the Kaminarimon Gate, you are greeted by Nakamise-dori, a bustling shopping street leading to the main temple. This vibrant thoroughfare is lined with stalls offering traditional snacks, souvenirs, and crafts, providing a sensory feast for visitors. The Kaminarimon Gate is not just an architectural marvel but also a cultural hub, hosting various festivals and events throughout the year. Its strategic location in Asakusa makes it easily accessible and a must-visit for anyone exploring Tokyo. Whether you are a history enthusiast, architecture aficionado, or simply a curious traveler, the Kaminarimon Gate offers a captivating glimpse into Japan's storied past and vibrant present. Experience the blend of tradition and modernity as you step through this iconic gateway and immerse yourself in the timeless charm of Senso-ji Temple.
ONE OF THE WAY TO TRAIN THE "THE AWARENESS MUSCLE
is the critical run
and other emergency art format
CRITICAL RUN / Debate Format
Critical Run is an Art Format created by Thierry Geoffroy/Colonel
debate while running .
Debate and Run together,Now,before it is too late.
www.emergencyroomscanvas todo .org/criticalrun.html
The Art Format Critical Run has been activated in 30 differents countries with 120 different burning debates
New York,Cairo,London,Istanbul,Athens,Hanoi,Paris,Munich,Amsterdam Siberia,Copenhagen,Johanesburg,Moskow,Napoli,Sydney,
Wroclaw,Bruxelles,Rotterdam,Barcelona,Venice,Virginia,Stockholm,Århus,Kassel,Lyon,Trondheim, Berlin ,Toronto,Hannover ...
CRITICAL RUN happened on invitation from institution like Moma/PS1, Moderna Muset Stockholm ,Witte de With Rotterdam,ZKM Karlsruhe,Liverpool Biennale;Sprengel Museum etc..or have just happened on the spot because
a debate was necessary here and now.
In 2020 the Energy Room was an installation of 40 Critical Run at Museum Villa Stuck /Munich
part of Colonel solo show : The Awareness Muscle Training Center
----
Interesting publication for researches on running and art
www.emergencyrooms.org/formats.html
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------------about Venice Biennale history from wikipedia ---------
curators previous
* 1948 – Rodolfo Pallucchini
* 1966 – Gian Alberto Dell'Acqua
* 1968 – Maurizio Calvesi and Guido Ballo
* 1970 – Umbro Apollonio
* 1972 – Mario Penelope
* 1974 – Vittorio Gregotti
* 1978 – Luigi Scarpa
* 1980 – Luigi Carluccio
* 1982 – Sisto Dalla Palma
* 1984 – Maurizio Calvesi
* 1986 – Maurizio Calvesi
* 1988 – Giovanni Carandente
* 1990 – Giovanni Carandente
* 1993 – Achille Bonito Oliva
* 1995 – Jean Clair
* 1997 – Germano Celant
* 1999 – Harald Szeemann
* 2001 – Harald Szeemann
* 2003 – Francesco Bonami
* 2005 – María de Corral and Rosa Martinez
* 2007 – Robert Storr
* 2009 – Daniel Birnbaum
* 2011 – Bice Curiger
* 2013 – Massimiliano Gioni
* 2015 – Okwui Enwezor
* 2017 – Christine Macel[19]
* 2019 – Ralph Rugoff[20]
----------
#art #artist #artistic #artists #arte #artwork
Pavilion at the Venice Biennale #artcontemporain contemporary art Giardini arsenal
venice Veneziako VenecijaVenècia Venedig Venetië Veneetsia Venetsia Venise Venecia VenedigΒενετία( Venetía Hungarian Velence Feneyjar Venice Venezia Venēcija Venezja Venezia Wenecja Veneza VenețiaVenetsiya BenátkyBenetke Venecia Fenisוועניס Վենետիկ ভেনি স威尼斯 (wēinísī) 威尼斯 ვენეციისવે નિસवेनिसヴェネツィアವೆನಿಸ್베니스வெனிஸ்వెనిస్เวนิซوینس Venetsiya
art umjetnost umění kunst taide τέχνη művészetList ealaín arte māksla menasarti Kunst sztuka artă umenie umetnost konstcelfקונסטարվեստincəsənətশিল্প艺术(yìshù)藝術 (yìshù)ხელოვნებაकलाkos duabアートಕಲೆសិល្បៈ미술(misul)ສິນລະປະകലकलाအတတ်ပညာकलाකලාවகலைఆర్ట్ศิลปะ آرٹsan'atnghệ thuậtفن (fan)אומנותهنرsanat artist
other Biennale :(Biennials ) :
Venice Biennial , Documenta Havana Biennial,Istanbul Biennial ( Istanbuli),Biennale de Lyon ,Dak'Art Berlin Biennial,Mercosul Visual Arts Biennial ,Bienal do Mercosul Porto Alegre.,Berlin Biennial ,Echigo-Tsumari Triennial .Yokohama Triennial Aichi Triennale,manifesta ,Copenhagen Biennale,Aichi Triennale .Yokohama Triennial,Echigo-Tsumari Triennial.Sharjah Biennial ,Biennale of Sydney, Liverpool , São Paulo Biennial ; Athens Biennale , Bienal do Mercosul ,Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art ,DOCUMENTA KASSEL ATHENS
* Dakar
kritik [edit] kritikaria kritičar crític kritiker criticus kriitik kriitikko critique crítico Kritiker κριτικός(kritikós) kritikus Gagnrýnandi léirmheastóir critico kritiķis kritikas kritiku krytyk crítico critic crítico krytyk beirniad קריטיקער
Basque Veneziako Venecija [edit] Catalan Venècia Venedig Venetië Veneetsia Venetsia Venise Venecia Venedig Βενετία(Venetía) Hungarian Velence Feneyjar Venice Venezia Latvian Venēcija Venezja Venezia Wenecja Portuguese Veneza Veneția Venetsiya Benátky Benetke Venecia Fenis וועניס Վենետիկ ভেনিস 威尼斯 (wēinísī) 威尼斯 Georgian ვენეციის વેનિસ वेनिस ヴェネツィア ವೆನಿಸ್ 베니스 வெனிஸ் వెనిస్ เวนิซ وینس Venetsiya
Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel
#thierrygeoffroy #geoffroycolonel #thierrygeoffroycololonel #lecolonel #biennalist
#artformat #formatart
#emergencyart #urgencyart #urgentart #artofthenow #nowart
emergency art emergency art urgency artist de garde vagt alarm emergency room necessityart artistrole exigencyart predicament prediction pressureart
#InstitutionalCritique
#venicebiennale #venicebiennale2017 #venicebiennale2015
#venicebiennale2019
#venice #biennale #venicebiennale #venezia #italy
#venezia #venice #veniceitaly #venicebiennale
#pastlife #memory #venicebiennale #venice #Venezia #italy #hotelveniceitalia #artexhibit #artshow #internationalart #contemporaryart #themundane #summerday
#biennalevenice
Institutional Critique
Identity Politics Post-War Consumerism, Engagement with Mass Media, Performance Art, The Body, Film/Video, Political, Collage, , Cultural Commentary, Self as Subject, Color Photography, Related to Fashion, Digital Culture, Photography, Human Figure, Technology
Racial and Ethnic Identity, Neo-Conceptualism, Diaristic
Contemporary Re-creations, Popular Culture, Appropriation, Contemporary Sculpture,
Culture, Collective History, Group of Portraits, Photographic Source
, Endurance Art, Film/Video,, Conceptual Art and Contemporary Conceptualism, Color Photography, Human Figure, Cultural Commentary
War and Military, Political Figures, Social Action, Racial and Ethnic Identity, Conflict
Personal Histories, Alter Egos and Avatars
Use of Common Materials, Found Objects, Related to Literature, Installation, Mixed-Media, Engagement with Mass Media, Collage,, Outdoor Art, Work on Paper, Text
Appropriation (art) Art intervention Classificatory disputes about art Conceptual art Environmental sculpture Found object Interactive art Modern art Neo-conceptual art Performance art Sound art Sound installation Street installations Video installation Conceptual art Art movements Postmodern art Contemporary art Art media Aesthetics Conceptualism
Post-conceptualism Anti-anti-art Body art Conceptual architecture Contemporary art Experiments in Art and Technology Found object Happening Fluxus Information art Installation art Intermedia Land art Modern art Neo-conceptual art Net art Postmodern art Generative Art Street installation Systems art Video art Visual arts ART/MEDIA conceptual artis
—-
CRITICAL RUN is an art format developed by Thierry Geoffroy / COLONEL, It follows the spirit of ULTRACONTEMPORARY and EMERGENCY ART as well as aims to train the AWARENESS MUSCLE.
Critical Run has been activated on invitation from institutions such as Moderna Muset Stockholm, Moma PS1 ,Witte de With Rotterdam, ZKM Karlsruhe, Liverpool Biennale, Manifesta Biennial ,Sprengel Museum,Venice Biennale but have also just happened on the spot because a debate was necessary here and now.
It has been activated in Beijing, Cairo, London, Istanbul, Athens, Kassel, Sao Paolo, Hanoi, Istanbul, Paris, Copenhagen, Moskow, Napoli, Sydney, Wroclaw, Bruxelles, Rotterdam, Siberia, Karlsruhe, Barcelona, Aalborg, Venice, Virginia, Stockholm, Aarhus, Rio de Janeiro, Budapest, Washington, Lyon, Caracas, Trondheim, Berlin, Toronto, Hannover, Haage, Newtown, Cartagena, Tallinn, Herning, Roskilde;Mannheim ;Munich etc...
The run debates are about emergency topics like Climate Change , Xenophobia , Wars , Hyppocrisie , Apathy ,etc ...
Participants have been very various from Sweddish art critics , German police , American climate activist , Chinese Gallerists , Brasilian students , etc ...
Critical Run is an art format , like Emergency Room or Biennalist and is part of Emergency Art ULTRACONTEMPORARY and AWARENESS MUSCLE .
www.emergencyrooms.org/criticalrun.html
www.emergencyrooms.org/formats.html
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In 2020 a large exhibition will show 40 of the Critical Run at the Museum Villa Stuck in Munich / part of the Awareness Muscle Training Center
------
for activating the format or for inviting the installation
please contact 1@colonel.dk
-----
critical,run,art,format,debate ,artformat,formatart,moment,clarity,emergency,kunst,
Sport,effort,curator,artist,urgency,urgence,criticalrun,emergencies,ultracontemporary
,rundebate,sport,art,activism, critic,laufen,Thierry Geoffroy , Colonel,kunstformat
,now art,copenhagen,denmark
What craziness is this, a day in that London on a weekday? Well, working one day last weekend, and another next weekend, meant I took a day in Lieu.
So there.
And top of my list of places to visit was St Magnus. This would be the fifth time I have tried to get inside, and the first since I wrote to the church asking whether they would be open a particular Saturday, and then any Saturday. Letters which were ignored
So, I walked out of Monument Station, down the hill there was St Magnus: would it be open?
It was, and inside it was a box, nay a treasure chest of delights.
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St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge is a Church of England church and parish within the City of London. The church, which is located in Lower Thames Street near The Monument to the Great Fire of London,[1] is part of the Diocese of London and under the pastoral care of the Bishop of London and the Bishop of Fulham.[2] It is a Grade I listed building.[3] The rector uses the title "Cardinal Rector". [4]
St Magnus lies on the original alignment of London Bridge between the City and Southwark. The ancient parish was united with that of St Margaret, New Fish Street, in 1670 and with that of St Michael, Crooked Lane, in 1831.[5] The three united parishes retained separate vestries and churchwardens.[6] Parish clerks continue to be appointed for each of the three parishes.[7]
St Magnus is the guild church of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers and the Worshipful Company of Plumbers, and the ward church of the Ward of Bridge and Bridge Without. It is also twinned with the Church of the Resurrection in New York City.[8]
Its prominent location and beauty has prompted many mentions in literature.[9] In Oliver Twist Charles Dickens notes how, as Nancy heads for her secret meeting with Mr. Brownlow and Rose Maylie on London Bridge, "the tower of old Saint Saviour's Church, and the spire of Saint Magnus, so long the giant-warders of the ancient bridge, were visible in the gloom". The church's spiritual and architectural importance is celebrated in the poem The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot, who adds in a footnote that "the interior of St. Magnus Martyr is to my mind one of the finest among Wren's interiors".[10] One biographer of Eliot notes that at first he enjoyed St Magnus aesthetically for its "splendour"; later he appreciated its "utility" when he came there as a sinner.
The church is dedicated to St Magnus the Martyr, earl of Orkney, who died on 16 April in or around 1116 (the precise year is unknown).[12] He was executed on the island of Egilsay having been captured during a power struggle with his cousin, a political rival.[13] Magnus had a reputation for piety and gentleness and was canonised in 1135. St. Ronald, the son of Magnus's sister Gunhild Erlendsdotter, became Earl of Orkney in 1136 and in 1137 initiated the construction of St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.[14] The story of St. Magnus has been retold in the 20th century in the chamber opera The Martyrdom of St Magnus (1976)[15] by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, based on George Mackay Brown's novel Magnus (1973).
he identity of the St Magnus referred to in the church's dedication was only confirmed by the Bishop of London in 1926.[16] Following this decision a patronal festival service was held on 16 April 1926.[17] In the 13th century the patronage was attributed to one of the several saints by the name of Magnus who share a feast day on 19 August, probably St Magnus of Anagni (bishop and martyr, who was slain in the persecution of the Emperor Decius in the middle of the 3rd century).[18] However, by the early 18th century it was suggested that the church was either "dedicated to the memory of St Magnus or Magnes, who suffer'd under the Emperor Aurelian in 276 [see St Mammes of Caesarea, feast day 17 August], or else to a person of that name, who was the famous Apostle or Bishop of the Orcades."[19] For the next century historians followed the suggestion that the church was dedicated to the Roman saint of Cæsarea.[20] The famous Danish archaeologist Professor Jens Jacob Asmussen Worsaae (1821–85) promoted the attribution to St Magnus of Orkney during his visit to the British Isles in 1846-7, when he was formulating the concept of the 'Viking Age',[21] and a history of London written in 1901 concluded that "the Danes, on their second invasion ... added at least two churches with Danish names, Olaf and Magnus".[22] A guide to the City Churches published in 1917 reverted to the view that St Magnus was dedicated to a martyr of the third century,[23] but the discovery of St Magnus of Orkney's relics in 1919 renewed interest in a Scandinavian patron and this connection was encouraged by the Rector who arrived in 1921
A metropolitan bishop of London attended the Council of Arles in 314, which indicates that there must have been a Christian community in Londinium by this date, and it has been suggested that a large aisled building excavated in 1993 near Tower Hill can be compared with the 4th-century Cathedral of St Tecla in Milan.[25] However, there is no archaeological evidence to suggest that any of the mediaeval churches in the City of London had a Roman foundation.[26] A grant from William I in 1067 to Westminster Abbey, which refers to the stone church of St Magnus near the bridge ("lapidee eccle sci magni prope pontem"), is generally accepted to be 12th century forgery,[27] and it is possible that a charter of confirmation in 1108-16 might also be a later fabrication.[28] Nonetheless, these manuscripts may preserve valid evidence of a date of foundation in the 11th century.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the area of the bridgehead was not occupied from the early 5th century until the early 10th century. Environmental evidence indicates that the area was waste ground during this period, colonised by elder and nettles. Following Alfred's decision to reoccupy the walled area of London in 886, new harbours were established at Queenhithe and Billingsgate. A bridge was in place by the early 11th century, a factor which would have encouraged the occupation of the bridgehead by craftsmen and traders.[30] A lane connecting Botolph's Wharf and Billingsgate to the rebuilt bridge may have developed by the mid-11th century. The waterfront at this time was a hive of activity, with the construction of embankments sloping down from the riverside wall to the river. Thames Street appeared in the second half of the 11th century immediately behind (north of) the old Roman riverside wall and in 1931 a piling from this was discovered during the excavation of the foundations of a nearby building. It now stands at the base of the church tower.[31] St Magnus was built to the south of Thames Street to serve the growing population of the bridgehead area[32] and was certainly in existence by 1128-33.[33]
The small ancient parish[34] extended about 110 yards along the waterfront either side of the old bridge, from 'Stepheneslane' (later Churchehawlane or Church Yard Alley) and 'Oystergate' (later called Water Lane or Gully Hole) on the West side to 'Retheresgate' (a southern extension of Pudding Lane) on the East side, and was centred on the crossroads formed by Fish Street Hill (originally Bridge Street, then New Fish Street) and Thames Street.[35] The mediaeval parish also included Drinkwater's Wharf (named after the owner, Thomas Drinkwater), which was located immediately West of the bridge, and Fish Wharf, which was to the South of the church. The latter was of considerable importance as the fishmongers had their shops on the wharf. The tenement was devised by Andrew Hunte to the Rector and Churchwardens in 1446.[36] The ancient parish was situated in the South East part of Bridge Ward, which had evolved in the 11th century between the embankments to either side of the bridge.[37]
In 1182 the Abbot of Westminster and the Prior of Bermondsey agreed that the advowson of St Magnus should be divided equally between them. Later in the 1180s, on their presentation, the Archdeacon of London inducted his nephew as parson.
Between the late Saxon period and 1209 there was a series of wooden bridges across the Thames, but in that year a stone bridge was completed.[39] The work was overseen by Peter de Colechurch, a priest and head of the Fraternity of the Brethren of London Bridge. The Church had from early times encouraged the building of bridges and this activity was so important it was perceived to be an act of piety - a commitment to God which should be supported by the giving of alms. London’s citizens made gifts of land and money "to God and the Bridge".[40] The Bridge House Estates became part of the City's jurisdiction in 1282.
Until 1831 the bridge was aligned with Fish Street Hill, so the main entrance into the City from the south passed the West door of St Magnus on the north bank of the river.[41] The bridge included a chapel dedicated to St Thomas Becket[42] for the use of pilgrims journeying to Canterbury Cathedral to visit his tomb.[43] The chapel and about two thirds of the bridge were in the parish of St Magnus. After some years of rivalry a dispute arose between the church and the chapel over the offerings given to the chapel by the pilgrims. The matter was resolved by the brethren of the chapel making an annual contribution to St Magnus.[44] At the Reformation the chapel was turned into a house and later a warehouse, the latter being demolished in 1757-58.
The church grew in importance. On 21 November 1234 a grant of land was made to the parson of St Magnus for the enlargement of the church.[45] The London eyre of 1244 recorded that in 1238 "A thief named William of Ewelme of the county of Buckingham fled to the church of St. Magnus the Martyr, London, and there acknowledged the theft and abjured the realm. He had no chattels."[46] Another entry recorded that "The City answers saying that the church of ... St. Magnus the Martyr ... which [is] situated on the king's highway ... ought to belong to the king and be in his gift".[47] The church presumably jutted into the road running to the bridge, as it did in later times.[48] In 1276 it was recorded that "the church of St. Magnus the Martyr is worth £15 yearly and Master Geoffrey de la Wade now holds it by the grant of the prior of Bermundeseie and the abbot of Westminster to whom King Henry conferred the advowson by his charter.
In 1274 "came King Edward and his wife [Eleanor] from the Holy Land and were crowned at Westminster on the Sunday next after the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady [15 August], being the Feast of Saint Magnus [19 August]; and the Conduit in Chepe ran all the day with red wine and white wine to drink, for all such as wished."[50] Stow records that "in the year 1293, for victory obtained by Edward I against the Scots, every citizen, according to their several trade, made their several show, but especially the fishmongers" whose solemn procession including a knight "representing St Magnus, because it was upon St Magnus' day".
An important religious guild, the Confraternity de Salve Regina, was in existence by 1343, having been founded by the "better sort of the Parish of St Magnus" to sing the anthem 'Salve Regina' every evening.[51] The Guild certificates of 1389 record that the Confraternity of Salve Regina and the guild of St Thomas the Martyr in the chapel on the bridge, whose members belonged to St Magnus parish, had determined to become one, to have the anthem of St Thomas after the Salve Regina and to devote their united resources to restoring and enlarging the church of St Magnus.[52] An Act of Parliament of 1437[53] provided that all incorporated fraternities and companies should register their charters and have their ordinances approved by the civic authorities.[54] Fear of enquiry into their privileges may have led established fraternities to seek a firm foundation for their rights. The letters patent of the fraternity of St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr of Salve Regina in St Magnus dated 26 May 1448 mention that the fraternity had petitioned for a charter on the grounds that the society was not duly founded.
In the mid-14th century the Pope was the Patron of the living and appointed five rectors to the benefice.[56]
Henry Yevele, the master mason whose work included the rebuilding of Westminster Hall and the naves of Westminster Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral, was a parishioner and rebuilt the chapel on London Bridge between 1384 and 1397. He served as a warden of London Bridge and was buried at St Magnus on his death in 1400. His monument was extant in John Stow's time, but was probably destroyed by the fire of 1666.[57]
Yevele, as the King’s Mason, was overseen by Geoffrey Chaucer in his capacity as the Clerk of the King's Works. In The General Prologue of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales the five guildsmen "were clothed alle in o lyveree Of a solempne and a greet fraternitee"[58] and may be thought of as belonging to the guild in the parish of St Magnus, or one like it.[59] Chaucer's family home was near to the bridge in Thames Street.
n 1417 a dispute arose concerning who should take the place of honour amongst the rectors in the City churches at the Whit Monday procession, a place that had been claimed from time to time by the rectors of St Peter Cornhill, St Magnus the Martyr and St Nicholas Cole Abbey. The Mayor and Aldermen decided that the Rector of St Peter Cornhill should take precedence.[61]
St Magnus Corner at the north end of London Bridge was an important meeting place in mediaeval London, where notices were exhibited, proclamations read out and wrongdoers punished.[62] As it was conveniently close to the River Thames, the church was chosen by the Bishop between the 15th and 17th centuries as a convenient venue for general meetings of the clergy in his diocese.[63] Dr John Young, Bishop of Callipolis (rector of St Magnus 1514-15) pronounced judgement on 16 December 1514 (with the Bishop of London and in the presence of Thomas More, then under-sheriff of London) in the heresy case concerning Richard Hunne.[64]
In pictures from the mid-16th century the old church looks very similar to the present-day St Giles without Cripplegate in the Barbican.[65] According to the martyrologist John Foxe, a woman was imprisoned in the 'cage' on London Bridge in April 1555 and told to "cool herself there" for refusing to pray at St Magnus for the recently deceased Pope Julius III.[66]
Simon Lowe, a Member of Parliament and Master of the Merchant Taylors' Company during the reign of Queen Mary and one of the jurors who acquitted Sir Nicholas Throckmorton in 1554, was a parishioner.[67] He was a mourner at the funeral of Maurice Griffith, Bishop of Rochester from 1554 to 1558 and Rector of St Magnus from 1537 to 1558, who was interred in the church on 30 November 1558 with much solemnity. In accordance with the Catholic church's desire to restore ecclesiastical pageantry in England, the funeral was a splendid affair, ending in a magnificent dinner.
Lowe was included in a return of recusants in the Diocese of Rochester in 1577,[69] but was buried at St Magnus on 6 February 1578.[70] Stow refers to his monument in the church. His eldest son, Timothy (died 1617), was knighted in 1603. His second son, Alderman Sir Thomas Lowe (1550–1623), was Master of the Haberdashers' Company on several occasions, Sheriff of London in 1595/96, Lord Mayor in 1604/05 and a Member of Parliament for London.[71] His youngest son, Blessed John Lowe (1553–1586), having originally been a Protestant minister, converted to Roman Catholicism, studied for the priesthood at Douay and Rome and returned to London as a missionary priest.[72] His absence had already been noted; a list of 1581 of "such persons of the Diocese of London as have any children ... beyond the seas" records "John Low son to Margaret Low of the Bridge, absent without licence four years". Having gained 500 converts to Catholicism between 1583 and 1586, he was arrested whilst walking with his mother near London Bridge, committed to The Clink and executed at Tyburn on 8 October 1586.[73] He was beatified in 1987 as one of the eighty-five martyrs of England and Wales.
Sir William Garrard, Master of the Haberdashers' Company, Alderman, Sheriff of London in 1553/53, Lord Mayor in 1555/56 and a Member of Parliament was born in the parish and buried at St Magnus in 1571.[74] Sir William Romney, merchant, philanthropist, Master of the Haberdashers' Company, Alderman for Bridge Within and Sheriff of London in 1603/04[75] was married at St Magnus in 1582. Ben Jonson is believed to have been married at St Magnus in 1594.[76]
The patronage of St Magnus, having previously been in the Abbots and Convents of Westminster and Bermondsey (who presented alternatively), fell to the Crown on the suppression of the monasteries. In 1553, Queen Mary, by letters patent, granted it to the Bishop of London and his successors.[77]
The church had a series of distinguished rectors in the second half of the 16th and first half of the 17th century, including Myles Coverdale (Rector 1564-66), John Young (Rector 1566-92), Theophilus Aylmer (Rector 1592-1625), (Archdeacon of London and son of John Aylmer), and Cornelius Burges (Rector 1626-41). Coverdale was buried in the chancel of St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange, but when that church was pulled down in 1840 his remains were removed to St Magnus.[78]
On 5 November 1562 the churchwardens were ordered to break, or cause to be broken, in two parts all the altar stones in the church.[79] Coverdale, an anti-vestiarian, was Rector at the peak of the vestments controversy. In March 1566 Archbishop Parker caused great consternation among many clergy by his edicts prescribing what was to be worn and by his summoning the London clergy to Lambeth to require their compliance. Coverdale excused himself from attending.[80] Stow records that a non-conforming Scot who normally preached at St Magnus twice a day precipitated a fight on Palm Sunday 1566 at Little All Hallows in Thames Street with his preaching against vestments.[81] Coverdale's resignation from St Magnus in summer 1566 may have been associated with these events. Separatist congregations started to emerge after 1566 and the first such, who called themselves 'Puritans' or 'Unspottyd Lambs of the Lord', was discovered close to St Magnus at Plumbers' Hall in Thames Street on 19 June 1567.
St Magnus narrowly escaped destruction in 1633. A later edition of Stow's Survey records that "On the 13th day of February, between eleven and twelve at night, there happened in the house of one Briggs, a Needle-maker near St Magnus Church, at the North end of the Bridge, by the carelessness of a Maid-Servant setting a tub of hot sea-coal ashes under a pair of stairs, a sad and lamentable fire, which consumed all the buildings before eight of the clock the next morning, from the North end of the Bridge to the first vacancy on both sides, containing forty-two houses; water then being very scarce, the Thames being almost frozen over."[83] Susannah Chambers "by her last will & testament bearing date 28th December 1640 gave the sum of Twenty-two shillings and Sixpence Yearly for a Sermon to be preached on the 12th day of February in every Year within the Church of Saint Magnus in commemoration of God's merciful preservation of the said Church of Saint Magnus from Ruin, by the late and terrible Fire on London Bridge. Likewise Annually to the Poor the sum of 17/6."[84] The tradition of a "Fire Sermon" was revived on 12 February 2004, when the first preacher was the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Richard Chartres, Bishop of London.
Parliamentarian rule and the more Protestant ethos of the 1640s led to the removal or destruction of "superstitious" and "idolatrous" images and fittings. Glass painters such as Baptista Sutton, who had previously installed "Laudian innovations", found new employment by repairing and replacing these to meet increasingly strict Protestant standards. In January 1642 Sutton replaced 93 feet of glass at St Magnus and in June 1644 he was called back to take down the "painted imagery glass" and replace it.[86] In June 1641 "rail riots" broke out at a number of churches. This was a time of high tension following the trial and execution of the Earl of Strafford and rumours of army and popish plots were rife. The Protestation Oath, with its pledge to defend the true religion "against all Popery and popish innovation", triggered demands from parishioners for the removal of the rails as popish innovations which the Protestation had bound them to reform. The minister arranged a meeting between those for and against the pulling down of the rails, but was unsuccessful in reaching a compromise and it was feared that they would be demolished by force.[87] However, in 1663 the parish resumed Laudian practice and re-erected rails around its communion table.[88]
Joseph Caryl was incumbent from 1645 until his ejection in 1662. In 1663 he was reportedly living near London Bridge and preaching to an Independent congregation that met at various places in the City.[89]
During the Great Plague of 1665, the City authorities ordered fires to be kept burning night and day, in the hope that the air would be cleansed. Daniel Defoe's semi-fictictional, but highly realistic, work A Journal of the Plague Year records that one of these was "just by St Magnus Church"
Despite its escape in 1633, the church was one of the first buildings to be destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.[91] St Magnus stood less than 300 yards from the bakehouse of Thomas Farriner in Pudding Lane where the fire started. Farriner, a former churchwarden of St Magnus, was buried in the middle aisle of the church on 11 December 1670, perhaps within a temporary structure erected for holding services.[92]
The parish engaged the master mason George Dowdeswell to start the work of rebuilding in 1668. The work was carried forward between 1671 and 1687 under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren, the body of the church being substantially complete by 1676.[93] At a cost of £9,579 19s 10d St Magnus was one of Wren's most expensive churches.[94] The church of St Margaret New Fish Street was not rebuilt after the fire and its parish was united to that of St Magnus.
The chancels of many of Wren’s city churches had chequered marble floors and the chancel of St Magnus is an example,[95] the parish agreeing after some debate to place the communion table on a marble ascent with steps[96] and to commission altar rails of Sussex wrought iron. The nave and aisles are paved with freestone flags. A steeple, closely modelled on one built between 1614 and 1624 by François d'Aguilon and Pieter Huyssens for the church of St Carolus Borromeus in Antwerp, was added between 1703 and 1706.[97] London's skyline was transformed by Wren's tall steeples and that of St Magnus is considered to be one his finest.[98]
The large clock projecting from the tower was a well-known landmark in the city as it hung over the roadway of Old London Bridge.[99] It was presented to the church in 1709 by Sir Charles Duncombe[100] (Alderman for the Ward of Bridge Within and, in 1708/09, Lord Mayor of London). Tradition says "that it was erected in consequence of a vow made by the donor, who, in the earlier part of his life, had once to wait a considerable time in a cart upon London Bridge, without being able to learn the hour, when he made a promise, that if he ever became successful in the world, he would give to that Church a public clock ... that all passengers might see the time of day."[101] The maker was Langley Bradley, a clockmaker in Fenchurch Street, who had worked for Wren on many other projects, including the clock for the new St Paul's Cathedral. The sword rest in the church, designed to hold the Lord Mayor's sword and mace when he attended divine service "in state", dates from 1708.
Duncombe and his benefactions to St Magnus feature prominently in Daniel Defoe's The True-Born Englishman, a biting satire on critics of William III that went through several editions from 1700 (the year in which Duncombe was elected Sheriff).
Shortly before his death in 1711, Duncombe commissioned an organ for the church, the first to have a swell-box, by Abraham Jordan (father and son).[103] The Spectator announced that "Whereas Mr Abraham Jordan, senior and junior, have, with their own hands, joinery excepted, made and erected a very large organ in St Magnus' Church, at the foot of London Bridge, consisting of four sets of keys, one of which is adapted to the art of emitting sounds by swelling notes, which never was in any organ before; this instrument will be publicly opened on Sunday next [14 February 1712], the performance by Mr John Robinson. The above-said Abraham Jordan gives notice to all masters and performers, that he will attend every day next week at the said Church, to accommodate all those gentlemen who shall have a curiosity to hear it".[104]
The organ case, which remains in its original state, is looked upon as one of the finest existing examples of the Grinling Gibbons's school of wood carving.[105] The first organist of St Magnus was John Robinson (1682–1762), who served in that role for fifty years and in addition as organist of Westminster Abbey from 1727. Other organists have included the blind organist George Warne (1792–1868, organist 1820-26 until his appointment to the Temple Church), James Coward (1824–80, organist 1868-80 who was also organist to the Crystal Palace and renowned for his powers of improvisation) and George Frederick Smith FRCO (1856–1918, organist 1880-1918 and Professor of Music at the Guildhall School of Music).[106] The organ has been restored several times - in 1760, 1782, 1804, 1855, 1861, 1879, 1891, 1924, 1949 after wartime damage and 1997 - since it was first built.[107] Sir Peter Maxwell Davies was one of several patrons of the organ appeal in the mid-1990s[108] and John Scott gave an inaugural recital on 20 May 1998 following the completion of that restoration.[109] The instrument has an Historic Organ Certificate and full details are recorded in the National Pipe Organ Register.[110]
The hymn tune "St Magnus", usually sung at Ascensiontide to the text "The head that once was crowned with thorns", was written by Jeremiah Clarke in 1701 and named for the church.
Canaletto drew St Magnus and old London Bridge as they appeared in the late 1740s.[112] Between 1756 and 1762, under the London Bridge Improvement Act of 1756 (c. 40), the Corporation of London demolished the buildings on London Bridge to widen the roadway, ease traffic congestion and improve safety for pedestrians.[113] The churchwardens’ accounts of St Magnus list many payments to those injured on the Bridge and record that in 1752 a man was crushed to death between two carts.[114] After the House of Commons had resolved upon the alteration of London Bridge, the Rev Robert Gibson, Rector of St Magnus, applied to the House for relief; stating that 48l. 6s. 2d. per annum, part of his salary of 170l. per annum, was assessed upon houses on London Bridge; which he should utterly lose by their removal unless a clause in the bill about to be passed should provide a remedy.[115] Accordingly, Sections 18 and 19 of 1756 Act provided that the relevant amounts of tithe and poor rate should be a charge on the Bridge House Estates.[116]
A serious fire broke out on 18 April 1760 in an oil shop at the south east corner of the church, which consumed most of the church roof and did considerable damage to the fabric. The fire burnt warehouses to the south of the church and a number of houses on the northern end of London Bridge.
As part of the bridge improvements, overseen by the architect Sir Robert Taylor, a new pedestrian walkway was built along the eastern side of the bridge. With the other buildings gone St Magnus blocked the new walkway.[117] As a consequence it was necessary in 1762 to 1763 to remove the vestry rooms at the West end of the church and open up the side arches of the tower so that people could pass underneath the tower.[118] The tower’s lower storey thus became an external porch. Internally a lobby was created at the West end under the organ gallery and a screen with fine octagonal glazing inserted. A new Vestry was built to the South of the church.[119] The Act also provided that the land taken from the church for the widening was "to be considered ... as part of the cemetery of the said church ... but if the pavement thereof be broken up on account of the burying of any persons, the same shall be ... made good ... by the churchwardens"
Soldiers were stationed in the Vestry House of St Magnus during the Gordon Riots in June 1780.[121]
By 1782 the noise level from the activities of Billingsgate Fish Market had become unbearable and the large windows on the north side of the church were blocked up leaving only circular windows high up in the wall.[122] At some point between the 1760s and 1814 the present clerestory was constructed with its oval windows and fluted and coffered plasterwork.[123] J. M. W. Turner painted the church in the mid-1790s.[124]
The rector of St Magnus between 1792 and 1808, following the death of Robert Gibson on 28 July 1791,[125] was Thomas Rennell FRS. Rennell was President of Sion College in 1806/07. There is a monument to Thomas Leigh (Rector 1808-48 and President of Sion College 1829/30,[126] at St Peter's Church, Goldhanger in Essex.[127] Richard Hazard (1761–1837) was connected with the church as sexton, parish clerk and ward beadle for nearly 50 years[128] and served as Master of the Parish Clerks' Company in 1831/32.[129]
In 1825 the church was "repaired and beautified at a very considerable expense. During the reparation the east window, which had been closed, was restored, and the interior of the fabric conformed to the state in which it was left by its great architect, Sir Christopher Wren. The magnificent organ ... was taken down and rebuilt by Mr Parsons, and re-opened, with the church, on the 12th February, 1826".[130] Unfortunately, as a contemporary writer records, "On the night of the 31st of July, 1827, [the church's] safety was threatened by the great fire which consumed the adjacent warehouses, and it is perhaps owing to the strenuous and praiseworthy exertions of the firemen, that the structure exists at present. ... divine service was suspended and not resumed until the 20th January 1828. In the interval the church received such tasteful and elegant decorations, that it may now compete with any church in the metropolis.
In 1823 royal assent was given to ‘An Act for the Rebuilding of London Bridge’ and in 1825 John Garratt, Lord Mayor and Alderman of the Ward of Bridge Within, laid the first stone of the new London Bridge.[132] In 1831 Sir John Rennie’s new bridge was opened further upstream and the old bridge demolished. St Magnus ceased to be the gateway to London as it had been for over 600 years. Peter de Colechurch[133] had been buried in the crypt of the chapel on the bridge and his bones were unceremoniously dumped in the River Thames.[134] In 1921 two stones from Old London Bridge were discovered across the road from the church. They now stand in the churchyard.
Wren's church of St Michael Crooked Lane was demolished, the final service on Sunday 20 March 1831 having to be abandoned due to the effects of the building work. The Rector of St Michael preached a sermon the following Sunday at St Magnus lamenting the demolition of his church with its monuments and "the disturbance of the worship of his parishioners on the preceeding Sabbath".[135] The parish of St Michael Crooked Lane was united to that of St Magnus, which itself lost a burial ground in Church Yard Alley to the approach road for the new bridge.[136] However, in substitution it had restored to it the land taken for the widening of the old bridge in 1762 and was also given part of the approach lands to the east of the old bridge.[137] In 1838 the Committee for the London Bridge Approaches reported to Common Council that new burial grounds had been provided for the parishes of St Michael, Crooked Lane and St Magnus, London Bridge.
Depictions of St Magnus after the building of the new bridge, seen behind Fresh Wharf and the new London Bridge Wharf, include paintings by W. Fenoulhet in 1841 and by Charles Ginner in 1913.[139] This prospect was affected in 1924 by the building of Adelaide House to a design by John James Burnet,[140] The Times commenting that "the new ‘architectural Matterhorn’ ... conceals all but the tip of the church spire".[141] There was, however, an excellent view of the church for a few years between the demolition of Adelaide Buildings and the erection of its replacement.[142] Adelaide House is now listed.[143] Regis House, on the site of the abandoned King William Street terminus of the City & South London Railway (subsequently the Northern Line),[144] and the Steam Packet Inn, on the corner of Lower Thames Street and Fish Street Hill,[145] were developed in 1931.
By the early 1960s traffic congestion had become a problem[147] and Lower Thames Street was widened over the next decade[148] to form part of a significant new east-west transport artery (the A3211).[149] The setting of the church was further affected by the construction of a new London Bridge between 1967 and 1973.[150] The New Fresh Wharf warehouse to the east of the church, built in 1939, was demolished in 1973-4 following the collapse of commercial traffic in the Pool of London[151] and, after an archaeological excavation,[152] St Magnus House was constructed on the site in 1978 to a design by R. Seifert & Partners.[153] This development now allows a clear view of the church from the east side.[154] The site to the south east of The Monument (between Fish Street Hill and Pudding Lane), formerly predominantly occupied by fish merchants,[155] was redeveloped as Centurion House and Gartmore (now Providian) House at the time of the closure of old Billingsgate Market in January 1982.[156] A comprehensive redevelopment of Centurion House began in October 2011 with completion planned in 2013.[157] Regis House, to the south west of The Monument, was redeveloped by Land Securities PLC in 1998.[158]
The vista from The Monument south to the River Thames, over the roof of St Magnus, is protected under the City of London Unitary Development Plan,[159] although the South bank of the river is now dominated by The Shard. Since 2004 the City of London Corporation has been exploring ways of enhancing the Riverside Walk to the south of St Magnus.[160] Work on a new staircase to connect London Bridge to the Riverside Walk is due to commence in March 2013.[161] The story of St Magnus's relationship with London Bridge and an interview with the rector featured in the television programme The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank, first broadcast on BBC Four on 14 June 2012.[162] The City Corporation's 'Fenchurch and Monument Area Enhancement Strategy' of August 2012 recommended ways of reconnecting St Magnus and the riverside to the area north of Lower Thames Street.
A lectureship at St Michael Crooked Lane, which was transferred to St Magnus in 1831, was endowed by the wills of Thomas and Susannah Townsend in 1789 and 1812 respectively.[164] The Revd Henry Robert Huckin, Headmaster of Repton School from 1874 to 1882, was appointed Townsend Lecturer at St Magnus in 1871.[165]
St Magnus narrowly escaped damage from a major fire in Lower Thames Street in October 1849.
During the second half of the 19th century the rectors were Alexander McCaul, DD (1799–1863, Rector 1850-63), who coined the term 'Judaeo Christian' in a letter dated 17 October 1821,[167] and his son Alexander Israel McCaul (1835–1899, curate 1859-63, rector 1863-99). The Revd Alexander McCaul Sr[168] was a Christian missionary to the Polish Jews, who (having declined an offer to become the first Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem)[169] was appointed professor of Hebrew and rabbinical literature at King's College, London in 1841. His daughter, Elizabeth Finn (1825–1921), a noted linguist, founded the Distressed Gentlefolk Aid Association (now known as Elizabeth Finn Care).[170]
In 1890 it was reported that the Bishop of London was to hold an inquiry as to the desirability of uniting the benefices of St George Botolph Lane and St Magnus. The expectation was a fusion of the two livings, the demolition of St George’s and the pensioning of "William Gladstone’s favourite Canon", Malcolm MacColl. Although services ceased there, St George’s was not demolished until 1904. The parish was then merged with St Mary at Hill rather than St Magnus.[171]
The patronage of the living was acquired in the late 19th century by Sir Henry Peek Bt. DL MP, Senior Partner of Peek Brothers & Co of 20 Eastcheap, the country's largest firm of wholesale tea brokers and dealers, and Chairman of the Commercial Union Assurance Co. Peek was a generous philanthropist who was instrumental in saving both Wimbledon Common and Burnham Beeches from development. His grandson, Sir Wilfred Peek Bt. DSO JP, presented a cousin, Richard Peek, as rector in 1904. Peek, an ardent Freemason, held the office of Grand Chaplain of England. The Times recorded that his memorial service in July 1920 "was of a semi-Masonic character, Mr Peek having been a prominent Freemason".[172] In June 1895 Peek had saved the life of a young French girl who jumped overboard from a ferry midway between Dinard and St Malo in Brittany and was awarded the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society and the Gold Medal 1st Class of the Sociâetâe Nationale de Sauvetage de France.[173]
In November 1898 a memorial service was held at St Magnus for Sir Stuart Knill Bt. (1824–1898), head of the firm of John Knill and Co, wharfingers, and formerly Lord Mayor and Master of the Plumbers' Company.[174] This was the first such service for a Roman Catholic taken in an Anglican church.[175] Sir Stuart's son, Sir John Knill Bt. (1856-1934), also served as Alderman for the Ward of Bridge Within, Lord Mayor and Master of the Plumbers' Company.
Until 1922 the annual Fish Harvest Festival was celebrated at St Magnus.[176] The service moved in 1923 to St Dunstan in the East[177] and then to St Mary at Hill, but St Magnus retained close links with the local fish merchants until the closure of old Billingsgate Market. St Magnus, in the 1950s, was "buried in the stink of Billingsgate fish-market, against which incense was a welcome antidote".
A report in 1920 proposed the demolition of nineteen City churches, including St Magnus.[179] A general outcry from members of the public and parishioners alike prevented the execution of this plan.[180] The members of the City Livery Club passed a resolution that they regarded "with horror and indignation the proposed demolition of 19 City churches" and pledged the Club to do everything in its power to prevent such a catastrophe.[181] T. S. Eliot wrote that the threatened churches gave "to the business quarter of London a beauty which its hideous banks and commercial houses have not quite defaced. ... the least precious redeems some vulgar street ... The loss of these towers, to meet the eye down a grimy lane, and of these empty naves, to receive the solitary visitor at noon from the dust and tumult of Lombard Street, will be irreparable and unforgotten."[182] The London County Council published a report concluding that St Magnus was "one of the most beautiful of all Wren's works" and "certainly one of the churches which should not be demolished without specially good reasons and after very full consideration."[183] Due to the uncertainty about the church's future, the patron decided to defer action to fill the vacancy in the benefice and a curate-in-charge temporarily took responsibility for the parish.[184] However, on 23 April 1921 it was announced that the Revd Henry Joy Fynes-Clinton would be the new Rector. The Times concluded that the appointment, with the Bishop’s approval, meant that the proposed demolition would not be carried out.[185] Fr Fynes-Clinton was inducted on 31 May 1921.[186]
The rectory, built by Robert Smirke in 1833-5, was at 39 King William Street.[187] A decision was taken in 1909 to sell the property, the intention being to purchase a new rectory in the suburbs, but the sale fell through and at the time of the 1910 Land Tax Valuations the building was being let out to a number of tenants. The rectory was sold by the diocese on 30 May 1921 for £8,000 to Ridgways Limited, which owned the adjoining premises.[188] The Vestry House adjoining the south west of the church, replacing the one built in the 1760s, may also have been by Smirke. Part of the burial ground of St Michael Crooked Lane, located between Fish Street Hill and King William Street, survived as an open space until 1987 when it was compulsorily purchased to facilitate the extension of the Docklands Light Railway into the City.[189] The bodies were reburied at Brookwood Cemetery.
The interior of the church was restored by Martin Travers in 1924, in a neo-baroque style,[191] reflecting the Anglo-Catholic character of the congregation[192] following the appointment of Henry Joy Fynes-Clinton as Rector.[193] Fr Fynes, as he was often known, served as Rector of St Magnus from 31 May 1921 until his death on 4 December 1959 and substantially beautified the interior of the church.[194]
Fynes-Clinton held very strong Anglo-Catholic views, and proceeded to make St Magnus as much like a baroque Roman Catholic church as possible. However, "he was such a loveable character with an old-world courtesy which was irresistible, that it was difficult for anyone to be unpleasant to him, however much they might disapprove of his views".[195] He generally said the Roman Mass in Latin; and in personality was "grave, grand, well-connected and holy, with a laconic sense of humour".[196] To a Protestant who had come to see Coverdale's monument he is reported to have said "We have just had a service in the language out of which he translated the Bible".[197] The use of Latin in services was not, however, without grammatical danger. A response from his parishioners of "Ora pro nobis" after "Omnes sancti Angeli et Archangeli" in the Litany of the Saints would elicit a pause and the correction "No, Orate pro nobis."
In 1922 Fynes-Clinton refounded the Fraternity of Our Lady de Salve Regina.[198] The Fraternity's badge[199] is shown in the stained glass window at the east end of the north wall of the church above the reredos of the Lady Chapel altar. He also erected a statue of Our Lady of Walsingham and arranged pilgrimages to the Norfolk shrine, where he was one of the founding Guardians.[200] In 1928 the journal of the Catholic League reported that St Magnus had presented a votive candle to the Shrine at Walsingham "in token of our common Devotion and the mutual sympathy and prayers that are we hope a growing bond between the peaceful country shrine and the church in the heart of the hurrying City, from the Altar of which the Pilgrimages regularly start".[201]
Fynes-Clinton was General Secretary of the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union and its successor, the Anglican and Eastern Churches Association, from 1906 to 1920 and served as Secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury's Eastern Churches Committee from 1920 to around 1924. A Solemn Requiem was celebrated at St Magnus in September 1921 for the late King Peter of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
At the midday service on 1 March 1922, J.A. Kensit, leader of the Protestant Truth Society, got up and protested against the form of worship.[202] The proposed changes to the church in 1924 led to a hearing in the Consistory Court of the Chancellor of the Diocese of London and an appeal to the Court of Arches.[203] Judgement was given by the latter Court in October 1924. The advowson was purchased in 1931, without the knowledge of the Rector and Parochial Church Council, by the evangelical Sir Charles King-Harman.[204] A number of such cases, including the purchase of the advowsons of Clapham and Hampstead Parish Churches by Sir Charles, led to the passage of the Benefices (Purchase of Rights of Patronage) Measure 1933.[205] This allowed the parishioners of St Magnus to purchase the advowson from Sir Charles King-Harman for £1,300 in 1934 and transfer it to the Patronage Board.
St Magnus was one of the churches that held special services before the opening of the second Anglo-Catholic Congress in 1923.[207] Fynes-Clinton[208] was the first incumbent to hold lunchtime services for City workers.[209] Pathé News filmed the Palm Sunday procession at St Magnus in 1935.[210] In The Towers of Trebizond, the novel by Rose Macauley published in 1956, Fr Chantry-Pigg's church is described as being several feet higher than St Mary’s Bourne Street and some inches above even St Magnus the Martyr.[211]
In July 1937 Fr Fynes-Clinton, with two members of his congregation, travelled to Kirkwall to be present at the 800th anniversary celebrations of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. During their stay they visited Egilsay and were shown the spot where St Magnus had been slain. Later Fr Fynes-Clinton was present at a service held at the roofless church of St Magnus on Egilsay, where he suggested to his host Mr Fryer, the minister of the Cathedral, that the congregations of Kirkwall and London should unite to erect a permanent stone memorial on the traditional site where Earl Magnus had been murdered. In 1938 a cairn was built of local stone on Egilsay. It stands 12 feet high and is 6 feet broad at its base. The memorial was dedicated on 7 September 1938 and a bronze inscription on the monument reads "erected by the Rector and Congregation of St Magnus the Martyr by London Bridge and the Minister and Congregation of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall to commemorate the traditional spot where Earl Magnus was slain, AD circa 1116 and to commemorate the Octocentenary of St Magnus Cathedral 1937"
A bomb which fell on London Bridge in 1940 during the Blitz of World War II blew out all the windows and damaged the plasterwork and the roof of the north aisle.[213] However, the church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950[214] and repaired in 1951, being re-opened for worship in June of that year by the Bishop of London, William Wand.[215] The architect was Laurence King.[216] Restoration and redecoration work has subsequently been carried out several times, including after a fire in the early hours of 4 November 1995.[217] Cleaning of the exterior stonework was completed in 2010.
Some minor changes were made to the parish boundary in 1954, including the transfer to St Magnus of an area between Fish Street Hill and Pudding Lane. The site of St Leonard Eastcheap, a church that was not rebuilt after the Great Fire, is therefore now in the parish of St Magnus despite being united to St Edmund the King.
Fr Fynes-Clinton marked the 50th anniversary of his priesthood in May 1952 with High Mass at St Magnus and lunch at Fishmongers' Hall.[218] On 20 September 1956 a solemn Mass was sung in St Magnus to commence the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the restoration of the Holy House at Walsingham in 1931. In the evening of that day a reception was held in the large chamber of Caxton Hall, when between three and four hundred guests assembled.[219]
Fr Fynes-Clinton was succeeded as rector in 1960 by Fr Colin Gill,[220] who remained as incumbent until his death in 1983.[221] Fr Gill was also closely connected with Walsingham and served as a Guardian between 1953 and 1983, including nine years as Master of the College of Guardians.[222] He celebrated the Mass at the first National Pilgrimage in 1959[223] and presided over the Jubilee celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Shrine in 1981, having been present at the Holy House's opening.[224] A number of the congregation of St Stephen's Lewisham moved to St Magnus around 1960, following temporary changes in the form of worship there.
In 1994 the Templeman Commission proposed a radical restructuring of the churches in the City Deanery. St Magnus was identified as one of the 12 churches that would remain as either a parish or an 'active' church.[226] However, the proposals were dropped following a public outcry and the consecration of a new Bishop of London.
The parish priest since 2003 has been Fr Philip Warner, who was previously priest-in-charge of St Mary's Church, Belgrade (Diocese in Europe) and Apokrisiarios for the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Since January 2004 there has been an annual Blessing of the Thames, with the congregations of St Magnus and Southwark Cathedral meeting in the middle of London Bridge.[227] On Sunday 3 July 2011, in anticipation of the feast of the translation of St Thomas Becket (7 July), a procession from St Magnus brought a relic of the saint to the middle of the bridge.[228]
David Pearson specially composed two new pieces, a communion anthem A Mhànais mo rùin (O Magnus of my love) and a hymn to St Magnus Nobilis, humilis, for performance at the church on the feast of St Magnus the Martyr, 16 April 2012.[229] St Magnus's organist, John Eady, has won composition competitions for new choral works at St Paul's Cathedral (a setting of Veni Sancte Spiritus first performed on 27 May 2012) and at Lincoln Cathedral (a setting of the Matin responsory for Advent first performed on 30 November 2013).[230]
In addition to liturgical music of a high standard, St Magnus is the venue for a wide range of musical events. The Clemens non Papa Consort, founded in 2005, performs in collaboration with the production team Concert Bites as the church's resident ensemble.[231] The church is used by The Esterhazy Singers for rehearsals and some concerts.[232] The band Mishaped Pearls performed at the church on 17 December 2011.[233] St Magnus featured in the television programme Jools Holland: London Calling, first broadcast on BBC2 on 9 June 2012.[234] The Platinum Consort made a promotional film at St Magnus for the release of their debut album In the Dark on 2 July 2012.[235]
The Friends of the City Churches had their office in the Vestry House of St Magnus until 2013.
Martin Travers modified the high altar reredos, adding paintings of Moses and Aaron and the Ten Commandments between the existing Corinthian columns and reconstructing the upper storey. Above the reredos Travers added a painted and gilded rood.[237] In the centre of the reredos there is a carved gilded pelican (an early Christian symbol of self-sacrifice) and a roundel with Baroque-style angels. The glazed east window, which can be seen in an early photograph of the church, appears to have been filled in at this time. A new altar with console tables was installed and the communion rails moved outwards to extend the size of the sanctuary. Two old door frames were used to construct side chapels and placed at an angle across the north-east and south-east corners of the church. One, the Lady Chapel, was dedicated to the Rector's parents in 1925 and the other was dedicated to Christ the King. Originally, a baroque aumbry was used for Reservation of the Blessed Sacrament, but later a tabernacle was installed on the Lady Chapel altar and the aumbry was used to house a relic of the True Cross.
The interior was made to look more European by the removal of the old box pews and the installation of new pews with cut-down ends. Two new columns were inserted in the nave to make the lines regular. The Wren-period pulpit by the joiner William Grey[238] was opened up and provided with a soundboard and crucifix. Travers also designed the statue of St Magnus of Orkney, which stands in the south aisle, and the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham.[239]
On the north wall there is a Russian Orthodox icon, painted in 1908. The modern stations of the cross in honey-coloured Japanese oak are the work of Robert Randall and Ashley Sands.[240] One of the windows in the north wall dates from 1671 and came from Plumbers' Hall in Chequer Yard, Bush Lane, which was demolished in 1863 to make way for Cannon Street Railway Station.[241] A fireplace from the Hall was re-erected in the Vestry House. The other windows on the north side are by Alfred Wilkinson and date from 1952 to 1960. These show the arms of the Plumbers’, Fishmongers’ and Coopers’ Companies together with those of William Wand when Bishop of London and Geoffrey Fisher when Archbishop of Canterbury and (as noted above) the badge of the Fraternity of Our Lady de Salve Regina.
The stained glass windows in the south wall, which are by Lawrence Lee and date from 1949 to 1955, represent lost churches associated with the parish: St Magnus and his ruined church of Egilsay, St Margaret of Antioch with her lost church in New Fish Street (where the Monument to the Great Fire now stands), St Michael with his lost church of Crooked Lane (demolished to make way for the present King William Street) and St Thomas Becket with his chapel on Old London Bridge.[242]
The church possesses a fine model of Old London Bridge. One of the tiny figures on the bridge appears out of place in the mediaeval setting, wearing a policeman's uniform. This is a representation of the model-maker, David T. Aggett, who is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Plumbers and was formerly in the police service.[243]
The Mischiefs by Fire Act 1708 and the Fires Prevention (Metropolis) Act 1774 placed a requirement on every parish to keep equipment to fight fires. The church owns two historic fire engines that belonged to the parish of St Michael, Crooked Lane.[244] One of these is in storage at the Museum of London. The whereabouts of the other, which was misappropriated and sold at auction in 2003, is currently unknown.
In 1896 many bodies were disinterred from the crypt and reburied at the St Magnus's plot at Brookwood Cemetery, which remains the church's burial ground.
Prior to the Great Fire of 1666 the old tower had a ring of five bells, a small saints bell and a clock bell.[246] 47 cwt of bell metal was recovered[247] which suggests that the tenor was 13 or 14 cwt. The metal was used to cast three new bells, by William Eldridge of Chertsey in 1672,[248] with a further saints bell cast that year by Hodson.[249] In the absence of a tower, the tenor and saints bell were hung in a free standing timber structure, whilst the others remained unhung.[250]
A new tower was completed in 1704 and it is likely that these bells were transferred to it. However, the tenor became cracked in 1713 and it was decided to replace the bells with a new ring of eight.[251] The new bells, with a tenor of 21 cwt, were cast by Richard Phelps of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Between 1714 and 1718 (the exact date of which is unknown), the ring was increased to ten with the addition of two trebles given by two former ringing Societies, the Eastern Youths and the British Scholars.[252] The first peal was rung on 15 February 1724 of Grandsire Caters by the Society of College Youths. The second bell had to be recast in 1748 by Robert Catlin, and the tenor was recast in 1831 by Thomas Mears of Whitechapel,[253] just in time to ring for the opening of the new London Bridge. In 1843, the treble was said to be "worn out" and so was scrapped, together with the saints bell, while a new treble was cast by Thomas Mears.[254] A new clock bell was erected in the spire in 1846, provided by B R & J Moore, who had earlier purchased it from Thomas Mears.[255] This bell can still be seen in the tower from the street.
The 10 bells were removed for safe keeping in 1940 and stored in the churchyard. They were taken to Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1951 whereupon it was discovered that four of them were cracked. After a long period of indecision, fuelled by lack of funds and interest, the bells were finally sold for scrap in 1976. The metal was used to cast many of the Bells of Congress that were then hung in the Old Post Office Tower in Washington, D.C.
A fund was set up on 19 September 2005, led by Dickon Love, a member of the Ancient Society of College Youths, with a view to installing a new ring of 12 bells in the tower in a new frame. This was the first of three new rings of bells he has installed in the City of London (the others being at St Dunstan-in-the-West and St James Garlickhythe). The money was raised and the bells were cast during 2008/9 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The tenor weighed 26cwt 3qtr 9 lbs (1360 kg) and the new bells were designed to be in the same key as the former ring of ten. They were consecrated by the Bishop of London on 3 March 2009 in the presence of the Lord Mayor[256] and the ringing dedicated on 26 October 2009 by the Archdeacon of London.[257] The bells are named (in order smallest to largest) Michael, Margaret, Thomas of Canterbury, Mary, Cedd, Edward the Confessor, Dunstan, John the Baptist, Erkenwald, Paul, Mellitus and Magnus.[258] The bells project is recorded by an inscription in the vestibule of the church.
The first peal on the twelve was rung on 29 November 2009 of Cambridge Surprise Maximus.[260] Notable other recent peals include a peal of Stedman Cinques on 16 April 2011 to mark the 400th anniversary of the granting of a Royal Charter to the Plumbers' Company,[261] a peal of Cambridge Surprise Royal on 28 June 2011 when the Fishmongers' Company gave a dinner for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at their hall on the occasion of his 90th birthday[262] and a peal of Avon Delight Maximus on 24 July 2011 in solidarity with the people of Norway following the tragic massacre on Utoeya Island and in Oslo.[263] On the latter occasion the flag of the Orkney Islands was flown at half mast. In 2012 peals were rung during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June and during each of the three Olympic/Paralympic marathons, on 5 and 12 August and 9 September.
The BBC television programme, Still Ringing After All These Years: A Short History of Bells, broadcast on 14 December 2011, included an interview at St Magnus with the Tower Keeper, Dickon Love,[264] who was captain of the band that rang the "Royal Jubilee Bells" during the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant on 3 June 2012 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.[265] Prior to this, he taught John Barrowman to handle a bell at St Magnus for the BBC coverage.
The bells are currently rung every Sunday around 12:15 (following the service) by the Guild of St Magnus.
Every other June, newly elected wardens of the Fishmongers' Company, accompanied by the Court, proceed on foot from Fishmongers' Hall[267] to St Magnus for an election service.[268] St Magnus is also the Guild Church of The Plumbers' Company. Two former rectors have served as master of the company,[269] which holds all its services at the church.[270] On 12 April 2011 a service was held to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the granting of the company's Royal Charter at which the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Richard Chartres KCVO, gave the sermon and blessed the original Royal Charter. For many years the Cloker Service was held at St Magnus, attended by the Coopers' Company and Grocers' Company, at which the clerk of the Coopers' Company read the will of Henry Cloker dated 10 March 1573.[271]
St Magnus is also the ward church for the Ward of Bridge and Bridge Without, which elects one of the city's aldermen. Between 1550 and 1978 there were separate aldermen for Bridge Within and Bridge Without, the former ward being north of the river and the latter representing the City's area of control in Southwark. The Bridge Ward Club was founded in 1930 to "promote social activities and discussion of topics of local and general interest and also to exchange Ward and parochial information" and holds its annual carol service at St Magnus.
Such a thrill to see Testament again in concert. The guys put on a good show.
¡Qué emoción ver a Testament nuevamente en concierto. Los muchachos dieron buen espectáculo!
These gnarled trees on The Isle of Skye are testament to the harsh weather this rugged coast endures.
Sara Braun Hamburger and her husband, Jose Nogueira, were part of Punta Arenas’ most notable and successful families.
In 1955 after her death, Braun's mansion was purchased by the Union Club of Punta Arenas.
In 1983, the descendants of the Braun-Menéndez family donated Palacio Sara Braun to the Chilean State, with all its original furniture and ornaments.
Today, besides the museum, the palace includes a hotel, a clubhouse, and a restaurant.
THE HISTORY LESSON:
Palacio Sara Braun and Museo Regional de Magallanes are testament to the staggering wealth produced by the region's vast 19th-century sheep and cattle estancias.
The museums are the former residences of several members of the families Braun, Nogueira, and Menéndez, who believed that any far-flung, isolated locale could be tolerated if one were to "live splendidly and remain in constant contact with the outside world."
And live splendidly they did in these veritable palaces, until the falling price of wool and the nationalization of estancias during the early 1970s forced the families to lose a large percentage of their holdings, and their descendants to relocate to places such as Buenos Aires.
The Palacio Sara Braun is now partially occupied by the Hotel José Nogueira and the Club de la Unión, a meeting area for the city's commercial and political leaders.
The homes are national monuments and have been preserved in their original state, allowing visitors to appreciate the finest European craftsmanship available at the end of the 19th century.
French architects planned the neoclassical exteriors, and craftsmen were brought from Europe to sculpt marble fireplaces and hand-paint walls to resemble marble and leather.
The interior fixtures and furniture were also imported from Europe.
For some visitors the knowledge that these families to a large extent exterminated native Indians and suppressed labor movements in the region on their quest for wealth may temper the appreciation for the grandeur of these palaces.
If one wants European grandeur, one normally goes to Europe, not to Patagonia. Still, both museums are impressive.
In 1848, President Manuel Bulnes founded the city of Punta Arenas with the aim of reinforcing national sovereignty in the strategic area of the Strait of Magellan.
The difficulties of the geographical environment, poor communication, and extreme weather, constituted a challenge for the first Chileans who settled in the area and greatly discouraged colonization.
Seeking to activate Magellan's economy, Governor Diego Dublé Almeyda imported a bunch of sheep from the Falkland Islands in 1876, starting sheep farming, which later became the main source of wealth and work in the region.
In 1880, this initiative was already bearing significant fruit and the growing exports of wool and meat motivated the arrival of new Chilean and foreign settlers,who invested considerable capital in urban and commercial infrastructure.
Sara Braun, born in Latvia, was part of this migration process. She arrived in Punta Arenas in 1874 and married the shipping businessman José Nogueira, a partner of her parents.
Widowed in 1893, Sara inherited her husband's entire fortune and continued to increase her wealth through businesses that also allowed her to help the Magellan community with philanthropic works.
In 1895 she commissioned the French architect Numa Mayer to build her new home, an exuberantly elegant French neoclassical mansion that was opened in 1905.
The palace, built of brick masonry on stone foundations, has two floors and a wooden roof. covered with iron in the form of scales.
The facade has a portico with columns,a terrace and a winter garden covered by a metal frame.
Inside it has a music room, a golden room, a billiard room and a library, as well as bedrooms and other rooms, all decorated with furniture and ornaments imported from Europe.
After Sara Braun's death in 1955, the property was acquired by the Club de la Unión de Punta Arenas, an institution that preserved the building and its original furniture.
Since 1992, the José Noguera Hotel has been operating on the palace's premises, in addition to the headquarters of the Punta Arenas Union Club and the La Taberna restaurant.
The Sara Braun Palace was declared a Historical Monument in 1981 for its architectural value and for being a reflection of the contribution of foreign colonies to Magellan history.
We're gonna take you back
Through the pages of the past
Just another lonely girl
I could laugh and play
And live in any other way
Then the devil took my soul
The fortune and the fame
I knew I was not the same
And I know I'd never return
Looking at the sky
I knew I would never die
And forever shining through
Wish the sky would say
That blue would turn to grey
And I know I'd be there
Turn the pages back in time
Through the chapters in my mind
Life's too short to leave behind
It's too late now
Life was like a fantasy
Taken by reality
Does anyone remember me
You once knew me
Flashes of the day
I knew I was here to stay
But no one
Knows my name ...Arabeska?
Serpent: “I have witnessed a great many things. On top of this is the beginning of the end...and the new cycle that starts, not only will darkness conquer, but fear...hatred...it won’t stop. Unlocking Pandora’s box again.”
Follower: “Praise be, what might we gain?”
Serpent: “Standing against the testament of time itself. Now, bring forth the boy.”
Follower: “What about him?”
Callan is handed above a pyre. His wrists started to flow with blood. I can’t tell if he’d be unclothed but fucking hell it is...a royal member. They captured a young lad for this shite—right above the London Eye, and amongst the other ritual items. And the Serpent…looks very much like a hydra. Really bloated as well. Probably full time transformation that is channeling your powers.
It was supposed to be Ferris wheel...what’s so wrong with that? Then the government decided to take it down and remodel it as a tower. Over the years, it got broke down, ripped apart…and now it’s a fucken building.
The Serpent snaps his fingers and multiple vampires emerge from the shadows and surround me. I think it’s the perfect timing, perhaps a bit too late to reverse this curse, or is it?
Serpent: “You and your friends have been too late…hehe. It would be a shame to see this man go away…I will enjoy drinking his blood.
Koles: “What if you’re going to drink a one from a cock?”
Serpent: “What?”
Koles: “Sorry to interrupt—but that man up above is an illusion. Nothing more than a animal.”
In a fit of rage, he strangles with me at full ease, grasping me by the throat. I plunge out my whip, lashing at his clothing—it lays fiery burns on his green cloak. Mark of Cthulhu. Very snakelike, and symbolism of “he shall not be named” prevails.
Koles: “You thought my men merely died in the tunnels? They didn’t. The Nightroarers failed to devour them…before they blew up your precious army, they teleported with that. And my friend, a brave drunkard, has already done the same trick by switching the bodies. Your valuable artifacts mean nothing!’
Serpent: “How….how are you overpowering me?”
Koles: “You made a wrong call, you slimy snake. That’s because the blood he has is not the man you were looking for. A red herring. Know your game before trying the ritual. Team, coordinate attack on west and east.”
My protégées appear one by one, gunning down the vampires that stood in a circle. Seems like we still got good firepower left. Jones and a few snipers shoot from the rooftop, delivering a explosions to the skies. Sky bullets, that’s what we call em’. I haven’t introduced it properly yet, but it’s a compacted air round that detonates upon impact within 10 seconds (and I should be working on the time choosing soon.)
Callan emerges within the rubble of where he left, carried by Forge and Terry in a protective shield. I sense the young man’s energy—his presence is strong, yet weak. Should have gathered up something to make an earthquake.
Rowena: “He could blow any minute!’
Sean: “The interrogation must have triggered his latency to generate a new subset of powers…it’ll end the ritual.”
Florence: “I’ll order my bomb squad—“
Rowena: “Cut the shit sis, evacuate now!”
Five mile wide radius. That should be enough to destroy everyone close enough. Would be shittier if he got ahold of the Parliament…which I don’t know if it’s a good idea to blow up (think Forge would definitely love that).
Forge: “Before we leave, we should kill this confused bastard…I’ve longed to finish him.”
Terry: “You kidding? Here?”
Forge: “I swear solemnly—this will end him and the heads he should ever have….
And it all goes to hell with a royal man’s shockwaves.
**Minutes later**
I wake up near a pile of ashes. Everyone seems to be littered in dust. My team is nowhere to be seen…well definitely knew they’d survive. Terry’s giant arsed force field. Straight out of a panel from Fantastic Four and the Incredibles.
There lies a withering corpse of the Serpent, who seems more humane again. Still living and breathing…he’s weaker now. His three heads have been gone due to Forge’s special laced dynamites. Acidic silver, also a special one
The remaining vampires turn their heads at the so called “master”, who drag his body down the hole nearby. If it’s devouring, I’m sure I can hear the painful echoes down in hell, as we watch on from the terror.
Forge: “So three of the heads are permanently gone now...not a pussy with nine lives, it can’t come back, nor will it ever regrow.”
Koles: “Let’s hope it stays that way.”
Rowena: “If it partially wasn’t for my fucking plan, you’d all die already.”
Sean: “Oh babe, you keep forgetting I suggested the gunpowder.”
Rowena: “I’ll deal that with you…personally.”
Terry: “Yeah chaps, still got business to do—and we should really throw a party at the bar first, everyone’s so fucked up and high here.”
Callan: “Am I paying? Sounds like it won’t be on me!”
Forge: “Of course you bastard! I risked my arse to save you out of a terrible dungeon while you’re naked—get him boys! Hahah!”
*Hertfordshire, 1 month later:*
Florence: “For this incident I’ll be dropping charges for everyone. We’ll be the ones who remember what happened, and you’ve atoned for some of your actions in bravery.
Rowena: “Thanks sis. Don’t I get a medal?”
Florence: “Not this time. I’ll savour you for being dashing and with something improvised…but honestly, don’t teleport me in fire hose…I will kill you if we do that.”
Rowena: “Hehe. Guess not if there’s chances. Blimey. I’m going on my date with my lovely man.”
Florence: “See you around for dinner then?”
Rowena: “Sure.”
I take a breath sigh. Really haven’t jogged in months. Was about to lose my earbuds….damn, this cheap shite.
Callan: “I can always get you a new pair, Ms Nix.”
Rowena: “Thanks. Also here for the run?”
Callan: “Consider it training as well. Maybe practices in stealth invisibility.”
Rowena: “Heh. Good at picking up women…you definitely could work on your magic skills then.”
“Reports of a dozen invisible werewolves have been found near Maidenhead Street, all officers please dispatch at ease.”
Rowena: “Sounds like I’m postponing my date then. You wanna make this a good hangout?”
Callan: “Gladly pleased to be protected and working alongside a former MI-6 agent.”
Rowena: “Let’s go.”
***
It is always nice to see bands enjoy their time on the stage.
Siempre es agradable ver a las bandas disfrutar de su tiempo en el escenario.
I have bought the Kingstone version of the Bible for my daughter. I am enjoying watching Dolores, go between the comic Bible to King James version. Hand and hand, they go !!
Remember Christ Jesus, died on the Cross at a place called, Golgotha. For everyone's sins who believes in Him and God in Heaven ! Luke uses the word Calvary, in his testament !
My ears are still ringing from this show. Testament brought the noise; good noise though. ;)
Me siguen tronando los oídos de este espectáculo. Testament puso de pie a todos los fanáticos.
When I was but very young
Sorcerers came to claim my mind
Leaving death and hatred to unmask
The master of the game had won
And let his final sin be known
Killing those who stand in his path
Alone in the dark
Where the demons are torturing me
The dark passages of revenge is all that I see
Armies of witches
Are called in from the north
Murders of elders occur
The high priest of evil
Has lowered his iron fist
Thousands of people will die
The slaughter of the innocent
The house is burning
That lights the sky
My nightmare has begun to unfold
The hissing of the cobras tongue
Sound and feel of ripping flesh
Fall two thousand feet from the sky
My terror has controlled my life and
Let my only weakness known
I got to rid this hell from my head
I fight off evil sorcerers
Rid my mind of his torture and
Meet the falling angel in his realm
Faustus prepares the legions of the night
Diviners from the far north arrive
Aimlessly people there huddled in a pack
Wreaking deadly havoc on mankind
I fall in my deepest sleep
To meet the evil asteroth
His title is the grand duke of hell
I fight until the end is near
To rid my mind of hopes and fears
My destination lies in my dreams
SET ME FREE
The Chinese fishing nets of Cochin and its surrounding areas are a remarkable testament to the rich maritime heritage of Kerala. These iconic structures, known locally as "Cheena Vala," are not only a unique method of fishing but also a fascinating blend of history and culture. Believed to have been introduced by Chinese traders during the time of Sinbad the Sailor, these nets reflect an intriguing chapter in the story of global trade and cultural exchange.
On any given day, as you stroll along the shores of Fort Kochi, it's hard not to admire the artistry involved in operating these colossal contraptions. The sheer ingenuity behind their design is awe-inspiring; each net is balanced with weights that allow fishermen to lower and raise them with grace, capturing fish in a way that feels almost choreographed. This ancient technique has stood the test of time, showcasing the resilience and adaptability of local fishermen who still rely on it today.
The charm of Chinese fishing nets extends beyond their functionality; they serve as a symbol of Kerala's diverse influences and its vibrant history. Visitors often find themselves captivated by their beauty at sunset when they cast long shadows over tranquil waters—a perfect moment for reflection on how traditions like these continue to thrive amidst modernity.
Here it is not a solitary net in operation but a huddle of them with a profusion of colors. Not the most aesthetic sight but then you rarely see such colorful nets and in such abundance.
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Samson and Delilah is a painting long attributed to the Flemish Baroque artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) in the National Gallery, London. It dates from about 1609 to 1610.
Two preliminary copies of the painting exist today: an ink-and-wash drawing on paper, and an oil sketch on wood panel. The oil sketch is in the Cincinnati Art Museum, while the ink sketch is held by a private collection in Amsterdam.
Rubens depicts the moment when, Samson having fallen asleep on Delilah's lap, a young man cuts Samson's hair. Samson and Delilah are in a dark room, which is lit mostly by a candle held by an old woman to Delilah's left. Delilah is shown fully dressed, but with her breasts exposed. Her left hand is on top of Samson's right shoulder, as his left arm is draped over her legs. The man snipping Samson's hair is crossing his hands, which is a sign of betrayal. Philistine soldiers can be seen in the right-hand background of the painting. The niche behind Delilah contains a statue of Venus, the goddess of love, and her son, Cupid. Notably, Cupid's mouth is bound, rather than his eyes. This statue can be taken to represent the cause of Samson's fate and the tool of Delilah's actions.
The painting depicts an episode from the Old Testament story of Samson and Delilah (Judges 16). Samson was a Hebrew hero known for fighting the Philistines. Having fallen in love with Delilah, who has been bribed by the Philistines, Samson tells her the secret of his great strength: his uncut hair. Without his strength, Samson is captured by the Philistines. The old woman standing behind Delilah, providing further light for the scene, does not appear in the biblical narrative of Samson and Delilah. She is believed to be a procuress, and the adjacent profiles of her and Delilah may symbolise the old woman's past, and Delilah's future.
The painting was originally commissioned by Nicolaas II Rockox, lord mayor of Antwerp, for Rockox House in that city. In addition to being a patron, Rockox was a close personal friend of Rubens. The painting was specifically intended to be placed above a 7-foot mantelshelf, where the painting would have been seen from below. The painting was publicly sold for charity when Rockox died in 1640, but the purchaser's identity is unknown. In 1700, a panel titled Samson and Delilah was bought by Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein. This is likely to have been Rubens's painting. However, when the panel was part of the Liechtenstein Collection in Vienna in the eighteenth century, the painter was identified as Jan van den Hoecke, who was a principal assistant of Rubens in the 1630s. The painting was then sold in 1880 in Paris, where it was later discovered by Ludwig Burchard in 1929. Eventually, it was sold at auction in 1980 at Christie's, purchased by the National Gallery for $5 million.
The painting was earlier attributed to the Dutch painter Gerard van Honthorst, a painter who, like Rubens, worked in Rome in the shadow of Caravaggio at the start of the 17th century.
There has been some doubt cast over the attribution of the painting to Rubens, led by Euphrosyne Doxiadis, an artist and scholar of the Fayum mummy portraits. She argues that the National Gallery's painting varies in details from copies of the original made during Rubens's lifetime, that it does not employ the layering technique of glazing common in oil painting at the time and mastered by Rubens, and that its provenance cannot be documented with certainty between 1641 and 1929. A dendrochronological examination of the painting however, confirms that the painting dates to the correct period, and the attribution has been accepted by a majority of the art-historical scholarly community.
In September 2021 however, an artificial intelligence analysis conducted by Dr Carina Popovici and Art Recognition, a Swiss company based near Zurich, seemed to confirm doubters' beliefs when it was announced there is a 91% probability that the painting was not the work of Rubens.
The painting was cleaned and investigated in the National Gallery in 1983. It is noteworthy for the masterful and elaborate painting of the draperies and for the absence of blue pigments. Rubens employed carmine (kermes) lake, lead-tin-yellow, vermilion and ochres in addition to lead white and charcoal black. Chemical pigment analysis however, was still in its early stages at that time, and not enough samples for other works by Rubens were available compared to what is available today.
Jacob Matham, a Haarlem printmaker, used the Cincinnati oil sketch of Samson and Delilah as a modello for an engraving he made c. 1613. The engraving is a reverse image of Samson and Delilah.
The painting of Samson and Delilah can be seen in Frans Francken the Younger's painting Banquet at the House of Burgomaster Rockox, where the painting is hanging above the mantelpiece. Notably, this 17th-century depiction of the original Rubens painting shows Samson's foot included wholly within the frame of the composition. Compared to it the National Gallery's version is cropped on both left and right sides. Also, there are five soldiers in the doorway compared to three in Francken's picture and in early engravings.