View allAll Photos Tagged TESTAMENT
********************************************************************************
BNF Ms. fr. 403, fol-1v
Apocalypse glosée [en français].
Maître de Sarum. Enlumineur
Hennequin de Bruges. Enlumineur
Date of publication : 1240-1250
ark:/12148/btv1b8447298r
Illuminated by the Sarum Master (= Master of Salisbury), the Paris Apocalypse is a stunning work of English Gothic manuscript illumination. Made around 1250, it is an extensively illustrated manuscript of the Christian biblical book of the Apocalypse, Saint John the Divine's vision of the events leading to the end of the time.
The illuminations are based on the one hand on the little-known stories and legends about the life of St John the Evangelist, as described in the Anonyma apocrypha, Acta Ioannis 1, and on the other hand on the well-known text of the Revelation of John, the last book of the New Testament.
*********************************************************************************
Graphlex Super D 4x5 (1948, Gundlach Petzval (1925), Blue X-ray film developed with Pyrocat HD. With texture added:
One of three crosses at Monasterboice, the south cross AKA Muiredachs cross is made of sandstone and stands about 17 feet high. The cross dates to the early 10th century. The east face bears iconography depicting scenes from the Old Testament.
The large triple lancet windows in the Chancel of the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church were presented by Lady Margaret McCulloch, second wife of Sir James McCulloch, fifth Premier of Victoria and one of the original founders of the church. Made by Melbourne stained glass manufacturers Ferguson and Urie for the church in 1880, they are perhaps the most beautiful of all the stained glass windows in the church. They are very rich in colour, are quite ornate and would have been very costly to install. The inscription reads: "Presented by Lady McCulloch in Memory of the Loved and Dead."
The centre lancet window picture depicts "Jesus as the Good Shepherd" with a lamb in his arms. The image of Jesus clutching a lamb is commonly found in windows such as these. The image refers to a passage in John's Gospel in the New Testament, wherein Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd. The image of the Good Shepherd is designed to remind parishioners of Jesus' love for all his sheep, even the black ones, and the value that each person has for him. He stands benevolently with his shepherds' crook, clutching the white lamb in the crook of his arm. The lamb's eves are closed and it looks comfortably at peace next to Jesus' breast. At his feet the passages of Mark 10: 13 -14 are referenced: "People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these'."
The outer windows both have a cartouche beautifully depicting a cherubic child of indiscriminate sex with cascading tresses about their face. Such images of children praying were typical in all forms of media during the Victorian era and represent the late Nineteenth Century ideal of piety instilled from a young age. No doubt these two images were meant to instill such thoughts in the children of the congregation, and remind their parents of their parental duty in a Presbyterian household. Both cartouches are flanked above and below by a red quatrefoil with a blue frame, containing green rose boughs and a central white Tudor Rose, representing purity, innocence and yet again, piety. There are also blue quatrefoils with a red frame, containing green rose boughs and a central red, five petal Tudor Rose, representing the five wounds of Jesus Christ from the crucifixion.
The left lancet window depicts a child praying in bed. Beneath is referenced the Biblical passage of Samuel 3 -10: "The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening'." The child in the cartouche may represent the child Samuel, who looks suitably wide eyed and awe struck to have heard the voice of the Lord as he listens attentively.
The right lancet window depicts Samuel upon his knees praying with his eyes cast upwards. It is based upon "The Infant Samuel" oil painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds painted circa 1776'' which is today held in the collection of the Tate Gallery in London. Whether an intentional design or just a quirk of luck, the child actually looks directly into the face of Jesus in the middle pane. This particular image of Samuel has been reproduced many times in many different medias since the late 1700s. Perhaps more interestingly, "The Infant Samuel" by Sir Joshua Reynolds was used in the first Australian Christmas stamp in 1957, which was a purple four pence stamp, designed and engraved by Mr. Donald Cameron. Beneath the image of Samuel is referenced the Biblical passage of Timothy 3 -15: "and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus".
Lady Margaret McCulloch (née Boak Inglis) (1827 - 1904), was born at Kirkintilloch, Dunbartonshire. The daughter of William Inglis of Wallflat, Dumbartonshire, she was Sir James McCulloch's second wife. She met Sir James by way of her father, who was an associate of Sir James. Sir James McCulloch (1819 - 1893), was a politician and the fifth Premier of Victoria between 1863 and 1868. was born in Born at Glasgow, Scotland, the son of George McCulloch, he grew up in a staunch Presbyterian household. He entered the mercantile house of J. & A. Dennistoun upon the completion of his education. James married Susan Renwick daughter of the Reverend James Renwick a dissenting minister of the Free Church, of Muirton, Forfarshire, Montrose, in 1841. She died at Montrose four years later. As a junior partner James decided to leave Britain and its sad memories, and arrived in Melbourne in 1853 to open a branch of J. & A. Dennistoun with Mr. Robert Sellar. When the branch closed nine years later, McCulloch, Sellar & Co. was formed in connection with Leishman, Inglis & Co. of Leith. Between 1856 and 1857 and again between 1862 and 1863 James was the president of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce. In addition he was also a local director of the London Chartered Bank. In his last two years in Glasgow he had been collector of the Trades House, an influential educational and charitable institution, and in Melbourne he supported such charities and public causes as the Benevolent Asylum, the Melbourne Hospital and the St Kilda volunteers. James became Premier of Victoria and Chief Secretary in June 1863; in May 1864 he also became the Postmaster-General. James remained in office until September 1869. He took a second wife, Margaret Boak Inglis, daughter of his associate William Inglis of Wallflat, Dumbartonshire, whom he married in Melbourne on the 17th of October 1867. James was knighted in 1870 and made a member of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George and Margaret became Lady McCulloch. The newly knighted Sir James McCulloch was Premier of Victoria again between 1870 and 1871 and yet again from 1875 to 1877. During this last period, he passed a bill abolishing all government funding to religious schools, a measure which was supported by all denominations except the Anglicans, since it freed church schools from government supervision. Sir James' government also introduced a bill to create a system of free, secular government schools, but the Catholics and Anglicans joined forces to block it. Tired and disillusioned, he resigned from Parliament in 1878. Residing in St Kilda, it is because of his enthusiasm and liberality that Sir James inspired the founders to think and act in large terms, and establish a proper Presbyterian church in St Kilda which, according to the Saint George's Presbyterian Church's 1876 - 1926 Jubilee Souvenir Book became "a noble edifice of which any denomination might be proud." Sir James became one of Saint George's Presbyterian Church's first elders and trustees. Sir James left for Britain early in 1886 and lived at Garbrand Hall in Ewell, Surrey. Even though he left Australia, he still held a fondness for his beloved Saint George's Presbyterian Church in East St Kilda. In 1890 he inquired what debt still remained on the church, and upon being informed, paid off one half of the amount owing. This was in addition to the countless funds he had already put into the initial Church Building Fund. Sir James died at Garbrand Hall in 1893. He had no children with either his first or second wife. Lady Margaret never ventured back to Australia after her husband's death and lived for the most part in Chislehurst, Kent, where she died in 1904. She bequeathed the sum of £5,000.00 to establish a Sir James McCulloch tutorship in the Theological College of the Presbyterian Church in England. She also bequeathed a painting; "Christ's Lesson in Humility" by English genre painter Charles Robert Leslie (1794 - 1859), and a bust of her late husband to the Melbourne National Gallery (now the National Gallery of Victoria).
The former Saint George's Presbyterian Church, which stands on busy Chapel Street in St Kilda East, is a well known and loved local landmark, not least of all because of its strikingly tall (33.5 metre or 110 foot) banded bell tower which can be spotted from far away. In the Nineteenth Century when it was built, it would have been even more striking for its great height and domineering presence. Designed by architect Albert Purchas, the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church is often referred to as his ecclesiastical tour-de-force, and it is most certainly one of his most dramatic and memorable churches.
The former Saint George's Presbyterian Church was constructed on a plot of land reserved in Chapel Street for the Presbyterian Church of Victoria in 1866. Initially services were held in a small hall whilst fundraising efforts advanced the erection of a church. The architect Albert Purchas was commissioned to design the church and the foundation stone for the western portion of the nave was finally laid in April 1877 by Sir James McCulloch. The first service was held in the church on the 1st of October 1877. The first clergyman of the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church was the Reverend John Laurence Rentoul (father to world renown and much loved Australian children's book illustrator Ida Rentoul Outhwaite). However, the swelling Presbyterian congregation of St Kilda and its surrounding districts quickly outgrew the initial Saint George's Presbyterian Church building, so Albert Purchas was obliged to re-design and enlarge the church to allow a doubling in capacity. Robert S. Ekins was the contractor and his tender was £3000.00. It is this imposing church building, reopened in 1880, that we see today. The "Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil" noted that the total length of the building was 118 feet and 6 inches (36 metres), by 40 foot (12 metres) wide and that the striking octagonal tower to the north-west was 110ft 6 in high. It perhaps reflected better the wealth and aspirations of the congregation.
The former Saint George's Presbyterian Church is constructed on bluestone foundations and is built in an ornate polychromatic Gothic Revival style in the tradition of English designers like William Butterfield and John L. Pearson. Built of red brick building, it is decorated in contrasting cream bricks and Waurn Ponds freestone dressings. It features a slate roof with prominent roof vents, iron ridge cresting and fleche at the intersection of the nave and transepts. The front facade of the church is dominated by the slender, banded octagonal tower topped by a narrow spire. The entrance features a double arched portal portico. The facade also features a dominant triangular epitrochoidal (curved triangular form) rose window. The church, like its bluestone neighbour All Saints Church of England, is built to a T-shaped plan, with an aisleless nave, broad transepts and internal walls of cream brick, relieved with coloured brickwork. The former Saint George's Presbyterian Church was one of the first major church design in Melbourne in which polychrome brickwork was lavishly employed both externally and internally.
The inside of the former Saint George's Presbyterian Church is equally as grand as the exterior, with ornamental Gothic Revival polychromatic brickwork, a lofty vaulted ceiling, deal and kauri pine joinery and pulpit and reredos of Keene's cement. The building originally contained a complete set of Victorian stained glass windows by well known and successful Melbourne manufacturers Ferguson and Urie, all of which remain intact today except for one of the non-figurative windows which was replaced by a memorial window to Samuel Lyons McKenzie, the congregation’s beloved minister, who served from 1930 to 1948, in 1949. The earliest of the Ferguson and Urie windows are non-figurative windows which feature the distinctive diaper pattern and floral motifs of Fergus and Urie's work, and are often argued to be amongst the finest of their non-figurative designs. The large triple window in the chancel was presented by Lady McCulloch in memory of the ‘loved and dead’. Another, in memory of John Kane Smyth, the Vice-Consul for the United States of America in Melbourne, has the American Stars and Stripes on the top ventilator above it. An organ by Thomas C. Lewis of London, one of the leading 19th century English organ builders, was installed in the south transept in 1882. It was designed to blend with its architectural setting, with pipework styled to avoid the obstruction of windows. The action of this organ was altered in 1935, but the pipework, and the original sound, have been retained.
Over the years many spiritual and social activities were instituted at Saint George’s, Presbyterian Church some of short duration such as the Ladies’ Reading Club which operated between 1888 and 1893. There were segregated Bible classes for young men and women, the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union, formed in 1892, a cricket club and a floral guild. Guilds teaching physical culture for girls, boys and young men began in 1904. They were entirely financed by John Maclellan and the idea extended to other denominations throughout Victoria. John Maclellan died in 1936 and the guilds ceased at Saint George’s Presbyterian church through lack of funds although in 1977 the members of the girls’ guild were still holding bi-annual reunions and raising money for charity. Sadly, the Presbyterian congregations may have been large in the Nineteenth Century, but by St George's Presbyterian Church's 110th centenary, its doors had already closed during the week due to dwindling numbers and an ageing congregation as a result of the general decline in church attendances after the Second World War exacerbated by the changing nature of St Kilda and the decrease in numbers of residents living in the vicinity of the church. So it stood, forlorn and empty and seemingly nothing more than a relic of a glorious but bygone religious past. However in 1990, Saint Michael's Grammar School across the road leased the Victorian Heritage listed building during weekdays, and it was eventually sold to them in 2015. It now forms part of the school's performing-arts complex, and it has a wonderful new lease of life.
St George's Presbyterian Church is sometimes hired out for performances, and I had the pleasure of receiving an invitation to hear Handel's Messiah performed there in 2009. The ecclesiastical acoustics made the performance all the more magnificent. I remember as I sat on one of the original (hard) kauri pine pews, I looked around me and admired the stained glass and ornamental brickwork. I tried without success over several subsequent years to gain access to the church's interior, settling for photographs of the exterior instead, but it wasn't until 2018 that I was fortunate enough to gain entry to photograph the church's interior. The former St George's Presbyterian Church was opened up to the public for one Sunday morning only as part of Open House Melbourne in July 2018. It was a fantastic morning, and I am very grateful to the staff who manned the church for the day and watched bemused as I photographed the stained glass extensively and in such detail.
Albert Purchas, born in 1825 in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales, was a prominent Nineteenth Century architect who achieved great success for himself in Melbourne. Born to parents Robert Whittlesey Purchas and Marianne Guyon, he migrated to Australia in 1851 to establish himself in the then quickly expanding city of Melbourne, where he set up a small architect's firm in Little Collins Street. He also offered surveying services. His first major building was constructing the mansion "Berkeley Hall" in St Kilda on Princes Street in 1854. The house still exists today. Two years after migrating, Albert designed the layout of the Melbourne General Cemetery in Carlton. It was the first "garden cemetery" in Victoria, and his curvilinear design is still in existence, unaltered, today. In 1854, Albert married Eliza Anne Sawyer (1825 - 1869) in St Kilda. The couple had ten children over their marriage, including a son, Robert, who followed in his father's footsteps as an architect. Albert's brother-in-law, Charles Sawyer joined him in the partnership of Purchas and Sawyer, which existed from 1856 until 1862 in Queens Street. The firm produced more than 140 houses, churches, offices and cemetery buildings including: the nave and transepts of Christ Church St Kilda between 1854 and 1857, "Glenara Homestead"in Bulla in 1857, the Melbourne Savings Bank on the corner of Flinders Lane and Market Street (now demolished) between 1857 and 1858, the Geelong branch of the Bank of Australasia in Malop Street between 1859 and 1860, and Beck's Imperial Hotel in Castlemaine in 1861. When the firm broke up, Albert returned to Little Collins Street, and the best known building he designed during this period was Saint. George's Presbyterian Church in St Kilda East between 1877 and 1880. The church's tall polychomatic brick bell tower is still a local landmark, even in the times of high rise architecture and development, and Saint, George's itself is said to be one of his most striking church designs. Socially, Albert was vice president of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects for many years, before becoming president in 1887. He was also an inventor and philanthropist. Albert died in 1909 at his home in Kew, a wealthy widower and much loved father.
The stained glass firm of Ferguson and Urie was established by Scots James Ferguson (1818 – 1894), James Urie (1828 – 1890) and John Lamb Lyon (1836 – 1916). They were the first known makers of stained glass in Australia. Until the early 1860s, window glass in Melbourne had been clear or plain coloured, and nearly all was imported, but new churches and elaborate buildings created a demand for pictorial windows. The three Scotsmen set up Ferguson and Urie in 1862 and the business thrived until 1899, when it ceased operation, with only John Lamb Lyon left alive. Ferguson and Urie was the most successful Nineteenth Century Australian stained glass window making company. Among their earliest works were a Shakespeare window for the Haymarket Theatre in Bourke Street, a memorial window to Prince Albert in Holy Trinity, Kew, and a set of Apostles for the West Melbourne Presbyterian Church. Their palatial Gothic Revival office building stood at 283 Collins Street from 1875. Ironically, their last major commission, a window depicting “labour”, was installed in the old Melbourne Stock Exchange in Collins Street in 1893 on the eve of the bank crash. Their windows can be found throughout the older suburbs of Melbourne and across provincial Victoria.
L'Ermita de la Mare de Déu de la Misericòrdia de Vinaròs, que també està dedicada a Sant Sebastià, patrons de la ciutat. L'ermita està situada al cim del Puig de la Misericòrdia, a 6 quilòmetres de la població. També se la coneix com l'ermita de Sant Sebastià o l'ermita dels Sants Patrons. També se celebra la festivitat de Sant Antoni.
Hi havia una ermita dedicada a Sant Antoni en aquest mateix lloc abans del segle XV, on també es venerava a la Mare de Déu, i els veïns dels pobles dels voltants anaven de romiatge. En el segle XVI el recinte va ser fortificat i l'ermita es reformà, i en el segle XVII es va fer una reedificació de l'ermita. En el segle XVIII (1715-1721) fou ampliada i modificada, afegint el creuer, presbiteri i sagristia, col·locant nous altars i decorant profusament l'interior. En 1733-1734 Francesc i Ignasi Vergara realitzaren el retaule major. Entre 1760 i 1763 es construí el cambril de la Mare de Déu. I entre 1826 i 1827 Joaquim Oliet va realitzar la decoració al fresc de la nau, amb la confecció de setze pintures. Des de finals dels anys 90, en part per una escola taller creada en la mateixa ermita, s'ha dut a terme una profunda rehabilitació, tant del temple, de l'hostatgeria, com dels voltants, amb jardins, espais recreatius i berenadors. La casa de l'ermità està ocupada per un restaurant. Entre 1996 i 1998 es restauren les pintures murals de l'ermita.
El conjunt, tancat amb un mur, està compost per l'ermita, flanquejada per la casa de l'ermità i per l'hostatgeria, amb una àmplia plaça amb dos pous, al front.
L'hostatgeria té una porxada coberta amb volta de creueria molt rebaixada amb claus.
La planta del temple és de creu llatina, amb arquitectura neoclàssica d'orde compost. Té una àmplia nau de 7,20 metres coberta de volta de canó amb llunetes, amb dues capelles laterals de 3,10 per 4,10 metres entre els contraforts, creuer amb cúpula sense tambor ni llanternó, presbiteri de capçalera recta, amb sagristia i cambril al darrere, aquest últim també cobert per cúpula. Als peus de l'església, sobre l'entrada, se situa el cor.
A l'interior, Joaquim Oliet decora les voltes, les petxines de la cúpula i les llunetes, amb un programa iconogràfic relacionat amb la Mare de Déu: En la volta de la nau es representen escenes marianes del Nou testament (La Nativitat de Jesús, La fugida a Egipte, L'Epifania i La Presentació del Temple), en les petxines del creuer, figures femenines de l'Antic Testament, que simbolitzen la Mare de Déu (Judit, Jael, Rut i Míriam), i en les llunetes, figures bíbliques, tant masculines com femenines (Abraham, Jacob, Noè, David, Ester, Dèbora, Rebeca i Abigail).
La façana presenta una senzilla porta adovellada de mig punt, i per damunt, una finestra, un rellotge de sol, i en la cornisa, una espadanya.
Aquesta foto ha jugat a A place from Flickr.
I found a Testament to Endurance where the meadow meets the pine forest -- an ancient pine had been split by lightening and had fallen, but still stood, leaning on its brothers.
Strength in numbers is provides the support that one needs when one cannot survive alone; this photograph provides me with inspiration to that regard.
Much of the glass in the cathedral dates back to the 12th & 13th centuries. They have survived fire, unreliable builds, revolutionary mobs and WWII. This could be considered lucky but the faithful would give credit to a higher being. : )
The cathedral has three large rose windows.
The western rose, made c.1215 and 12 m in diameter shows the Last Judgement – a traditional theme for west façades. A central oculus showing Christ as the Judge is surrounded by an inner ring of 12 paired roundels containing angels and the Elders of the Apocalypse and an outer ring of 12 roundels showing the dead emerging from their tombs and the angels blowing trumpets to summon them to judgement.
The north transept rose (10.5 m diameter, made c.1235), like much of the sculpture in the north porch beneath it, is dedicated to the Virgin.[31] The central oculus shows the Virgin and Child and is surrounded by 12 small petal-shaped windows, 4 with doves (the 'Four Gifts of the Spirit'), the rest with adoring angels carrying candlesticks. Beyond this is a ring of 12 diamond-shaped openings containing the Old Testament Kings of Judah, another ring of smaller lozenges containing the arms of France and Castille, and finally a ring of semicircles containing Old Testament Prophets holding scrolls. The presence of the arms of the French king (yellow fleurs-de-lis on a blue background) and of his mother, Blanche of Castile (yellow castles on a red background) are taken as a sign of royal patronage for this window. Beneath the rose itself are five tall lancet windows (7.5 m high) showing, in the centre, the Virgin as an infant held by her mother, St Anne – the same subject as the trumeau in the portal beneath it. Flanking this lancet are four more containing Old Testament figures. Each of these standing figures is shown symbolically triumphing over an enemy depicted in the base of the lancet beneath them – David over Saul, Aaron over Pharaoh, St Anne over Synagoga, etc.
The south transept rose (10.5 m diameter, made c.1225–30) is dedicated to Christ, who is shown in the central oculus, right hand raised in benediction, surrounded by adoring angels. Two outer rings of twelve circles each contain the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse, crowned and carrying phials and musical instruments. The central lancet beneath the rose shows the Virgin carrying the infant Christ. Either side of this are four lancets showing the four evangelists sitting on the shoulders of four Prophets – a rare literal illustration of the theological principle that the New Testament builds upon the Old Testament. This window was a donation of the Mauclerc family, the Counts of Dreux-Bretagne, who are depicted with their arms in the bases of the lancets. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartres_Cathedral
It enslaves the women of Earth! It looked like a gardenia but it was the most vicious drug in existence. Framed and disgraced space pilot Charles Farradyne is offered one shot at redemption by finding out who was peddling the deadly ultra-aphrodisiac Hellflowers and infiltrating the interstellar organization trafficking it — and he might just discover who framed him in the process . . . [Prologue]
“Farradyne had committed the one unpardonable error a Space Master could make. He didn't die along with the other 32 passengers when his ship smashed into the Bog on Venus. They broke him—exiled him to the rotting fungus fields of Venus. Now his only desire in existence was to return to the cool, gleaming sea of deep space. And there was a way—only one. But he would have to become the vilest parasite in the universe—peddler of a poison that stripped the spirit, before it consumed the body...." – Goodreads.com
George O. Smith, born on April 9, 1911, was an American science fiction author renowned for his contributions during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. He frequently published stories in “Astounding Science Fiction” and is best known for his “Venus Equilateral” series, which revolved around a communications station in outer space. His notable works include "Operation Interstellar" (1950) and "Lost in Space" (1959). Smith's career spanned several decades, with his writing peaking in the 1940s and 1950s.
Smith's personal life was as intriguing as his stories. He married Doña Campbell, the first wife of Astounding's editor John W. Campbell, in 1949. Despite a prolific early career, his output diminished in the 1960s due to a demanding job. He was honored with the First Fandom Hall of Fame Award in 1980, a testament to his lasting impact on the science fiction community. George O. Smith passed away on May 27, 1981, leaving behind a legacy of imaginative and technically rich science fiction. [Sources: Wikipedia and Fancyclopedia.org]
[Note: "Lost in Space" by George O. Smith is a classic story about a lost space lifeboat. The book is told from the perspectives of the searchers, the missing passengers, and the aliens closing in. It is not connected to the 1965 TV series of the same name.]
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/The_Brand_New_Test...
“……………………………………”
“…………………………………..”
-----------------------------------------------------------------
click to activate the icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream;
or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;
www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
…………………………………………………………………
This story in photographs and words was created last year 2023, in the Sicilian town of Butera, in the province of Caltanissetta, on the occasion of Palm Sunday: it is precisely in this town that a characteristic re-enactment is celebrated with the 12 apostles wearing traditional costumes, of Christ's entry into Jerusalem, for the occasion Christ (his statue) does not use the back of a donkey, as handed down to us by the Holy Gospels, rather he is placed on a singular open car without of doors, and then subsequently more classically the Christ is carried on the shoulder on a float, on this last occasion we witness a unique traditional fact, which I personally had never seen, whoever has to carry the float on the front buys this possibility at auction (a few dozen euros, which will be donated to charity), the two devotees who win them will have the honor of carrying the statue of Christ on their shoulders, metaphorically, the two front bearers will be the first "to enter Jerusalem" (i.e. into the church of Our Lady of Graces, which will be opened on command of Saint Peter, who by banging with his stick on the door will ensure that it is opened allowing the entry of the float with Christ). We then witness a characteristic procession with Christ placed in front (first on the characteristic car, then carried on the shoulder on the float), behind there are always the 12 apostles, wearing the traditional costumes of the procession, all carrying in their hands a stick decorated with flowers (wallflowers), with olive branches, wild mint stems and colored ribbons; eleven of them wear a blue tunic, the apostle John instead wears white, since he is considered the purest, since he did not betray Jesus and followed him to Calvary, the apostle Judas has a bag that preserves the 30 money that he received as a reward "for his betrayal" and a small wooden barrel containing wine, in fact whoever impersonates Judas must behave like a drunkard, a person not very inclined to a spiritual life. Everyone wears a cardboard halo, which is fixed to a lock of hair, causing a few drops of wax to drip onto it from a lit candle; the procession proceeds behind with the priests, the town's devotees and the musical band. A nod to a curious fact that happened to me that day, I had planned to go to Aidone, where on the occasion of Palm Sunday there is a celebration with the "Santuni" (Big Saints), very big wooden and papier-mâché statues depicting the twelve apostles, which is from my town, Taormina, about 129 KM, I had also contacted some local people by telephone to ask for information; I would have liked to go to Butera, but the distance of 160 km (who knows why, at the time it seemed excessive, perhaps the navigator was giving me a much longer route) had made me postpone it until who knows when; that morning, very early, I left to go to Aidone, during the journey, near Enna, the navigator lost the signal, and unbeknownst to me, incredible to say, it reconnected to "my search for the routes of a couple of days before” …taking me, against my will, to Butera: so, while I was taking my photographs during the procession, I thanked and blessed that navigator of mine…who had turned out to be so… enterprising.
………………………………
Questo racconto in fotografie e parole, è stato realizzato l’anno scorso 2023, nel paese siciliano di Butera, in provincia di Caltanissetta, in occasione del giorno della Domenica delle Palme: è proprio in questo paese che si celebra una caratteristica rievocazione con i 12 apostoli che indossano costumi tradizionali, dell’ingresso di Cristo in Gerusalemme, per l’occasione il Cristo (la sua statua) non si avvale del dorso di un asinello, come tramandatoci dai Sacri Vangeli, piuttosto viene posto su di una singolare automobile aperta priva di sportelli, e poi successivamente più classicamente il Cristo viene portato in spalla su di una vara (il fercolo), in quest’ultima occasione si assiste ad un fatto tradizionale unico, che personalmente non avevo mai visto, i due posti anteriori della vara vengono messi all’asta (poche decine di euro, che verranno devolute in beneficenza), i due devoti che se li aggiudicano avranno l’onore di portare la statua del Cristo sulle proprie spalle (questa particolarissima asta viene chiamata “a spadda all'asta”), metaforicamente, i due portatori anteriori, saranno i primi “ad entrare in Gerusalemme” (ovvero dentro la chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie, che verrà aperta su comando di San Pietro, che battendo col proprio bastone sul portone farà si che esso venga aperto consentendo l’ingresso della vara col Cristo). Si assiste quindi ad una caratteristica processione col Cristo posto sul davanti (dapprima sulla caratteristica automobile, poi portato in spalla sulla vara), dietro si trovano sempre i 12 apostoli, che indossano i costumi tradizionali della processione, tutti portano in mano un bastone addobbato con fiori (violaciocche), con rami d’ulivo, steli di menta selvatica e nastri colorati; undici di essi indossano una tunica di colore blu, l’apostolo Giovanni invece veste di bianco, poiché viene considerato il più puro, poiché non tradì Gesù e lo seguì fino al Calvario, l’apostolo Giuda in più ha un sacchetto che conserva i 30 denari che ebbe come ricompensa “per il suo tradimento” ed un piccolo barilotto in legno (o caratello) contenente vino, infatti chi impersona Giuda deve comportarsi come un beone, una persona poco incline ad una vita spirituale. Tutti indossano una aureola di cartone, che viene fissata su di una ciocca di capelli, facendovi colare sopra qualche goccia di cera da una candela accesa, infine dietro procede il corteo con i sacerdoti, i devoti del paese, la banda musicale. Un cenno ad un fatto curioso che mi accadde quel giorno, avevo programmato di andare ad Aidone, dove in occasione della Domenica delle Palme c’è la festa con i “Santuni”, grandi statue in legno e cartapesta raffiguranti i dodici apostoli, che dista dal mio paese, Taormina, circa 129 KM, avevo anche contattato telefonicamente qualche persona locale per chiedere informazioni; mi sarebbe piaciuto andare a Butera, ma la distanza di 160 km (chissà perchè, sul momento mi sembrava eccessiva, forse il navigatore mi dava un percorso molto più lungo) mi aveva fatto rimandare a chissà quando; quella mattina, molto presto, io partii per andare ad Aidone, durante il tragitto, in prossimità di Enna, il navigatore perse il segnale, e si riagganciò a mia insaputa, incredibile a dirsi, alla “mia ricerca sui percorsi di un paio di giorni prima” …portandomi, mio malgrado, a Butera: così, mentre scattavo le mie fotografie durante la processione, ringraziavo e benedicevo quel mio navigatore…che si era rivelato così … intraprendente.
……………………….
"O meu amado falou e me disse: Levante minha querida, minha bela, e venha comigo."
(Cantares 2:10)
O livro de "Cantares de Salomão" na Bíblia, é um dos livros poéticos mais lindos que existem. Fala do amor do rei Salomão por uma jovem, a sua Amada, que mesmo ele tendo todas as mulheres que quisesse, nada se comparou ao que sentiu por essa. Devia ser uma mulher muito especial.
Eu amo esse livro porque também, como todos os livros do velho testamento na Bíblia, esse é um livro profético, uma sombra de coisas que viriam acontecer.
Começo hoje uma série, com versos desse livro tão lindo: Cantares de Salomão ou Cântico dos Cânticos.
(foto tirada no Jardim Botânico em São Paulo)
Ótimo domingo a todos!
Real fun project work on. God bless. Jesus Saves!
Photo of Scotland Castle Turret: Missy Harkey
Digital Art and Text: Kyle Smith
Simon Vouet (?) (1590-1649), actif à Rome et à Paris
Judith avec la tête d'Holopherne
Judith est un exemple célèbre de l'héroïsme féminin de l'Ancien Testament: pour sauver le peuple juif de la destruction par les Assyriens, elle avaient astucieusement obtenu la confiance du général de l'armée ennemie Holopherne et lui coupé la tête pendant le sommeil. Avec ce trophée, elle fait fuir l'armée.
Simon Vouet (?) (1590-1649), tätig in Rom und Paris
Judith mit dem Haupt des Holofernes
Judith ist ein berühmtes Beispiel weiblichen Heldenmuts aus dem Alten Testament: um das jüdische Volk vor der Vernichtung durch die Assyrer zu retten, hatte sie mit List das Vertrauen des feindlichen Feldherrn Holofernes erlangt und ihm im Schlaf den Kopf abgeschlagen. Mit dieser Trophäe schlägt sie das Heer in die Flucht.
Austria Kunsthistorisches Museum
Federal Museum
Logo KHM
Regulatory authority (ies)/organs to the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture
Founded 17 October 1891
Headquartered Castle Ring (Burgring), Vienna 1, Austria
Management Sabine Haag
www.khm.at website
Main building of the Kunsthistorisches Museum at Maria-Theresa-Square
The Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM abbreviated) is an art museum in Vienna. It is one of the largest and most important museums in the world. It was opened in 1891 and 2012 visited of 1.351.940 million people.
The museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is with its opposite sister building, the Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum), the most important historicist large buildings of the Ringstrasse time. Together they stand around the Maria Theresa square, on which also the Maria Theresa monument stands. This course spans the former glacis between today's ring road and 2-line, and is forming a historical landmark that also belongs to World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Vienna.
History
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Gallery
The Museum came from the collections of the Habsburgs, especially from the portrait and armor collections of Ferdinand of Tyrol, the collection of Emperor Rudolf II (most of which, however scattered) and the art collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm into existence. Already In 1833 asked Joseph Arneth, curator (and later director) of the Imperial Coins and Antiquities Cabinet, bringing together all the imperial collections in a single building .
Architectural History
The contract to build the museum in the city had been given in 1858 by Emperor Franz Joseph. Subsequently, many designs were submitted for the ring road zone. Plans by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Null planned to build two museum buildings in the immediate aftermath of the Imperial Palace on the left and right of the Heroes' Square (Heldenplatz). The architect Ludwig Förster planned museum buildings between the Schwarzenberg Square and the City Park, Martin Ritter von Kink favored buildings at the corner Währingerstraße/ Scots ring (Schottenring), Peter Joseph, the area Bellariastraße, Moritz von Loehr the south side of the opera ring, and Ludwig Zettl the southeast side of the grain market (Getreidemarkt).
From 1867, a competition was announced for the museums, and thereby set their current position - at the request of the Emperor, the museum should not be too close to the Imperial Palace, but arise beyond the ring road. The architect Carl von Hasenauer participated in this competition and was able the at that time in Zürich operating Gottfried Semper to encourage to work together. The two museum buildings should be built here in the sense of the style of the Italian Renaissance. The plans got the benevolence of the imperial family. In April 1869, there was an audience with of Joseph Semper at the Emperor Franz Joseph and an oral contract was concluded, in July 1870 was issued the written order to Semper and Hasenauer.
Crucial for the success of Semper and Hasenauer against the projects of other architects were among others Semper's vision of a large building complex called "Imperial Forum", in which the museums would have been a part of. Not least by the death of Semper in 1879 came the Imperial Forum not as planned for execution, the two museums were built, however.
Construction of the two museums began without ceremony on 27 November 1871 instead. Semper moved to Vienna in the sequence. From the beginning, there were considerable personal differences between him and Hasenauer, who finally in 1877 took over sole construction management. 1874, the scaffolds were placed up to the attic and the first floor completed, built in 1878, the first windows installed in 1879, the Attica and the balustrade from 1880 to 1881 and built the dome and the Tabernacle. The dome is topped with a bronze statue of Pallas Athena by Johannes Benk.
The lighting and air conditioning concept with double glazing of the ceilings made the renunciation of artificial light (especially at that time, as gas light) possible, but this resulted due to seasonal variations depending on daylight to different opening times .
Kuppelhalle
Entrance (by clicking the link at the end of the side you can see all the pictures here indicated!)
Grand staircase
Hall
Empire
The Kunsthistorisches Museum was on 17 October 1891 officially opened by Emperor Franz Joseph I. Since 22 October 1891 , the museum is accessible to the public. Two years earlier, on 3 November 1889, the collection of arms, Arms and Armour today, had their doors open. On 1 January 1890 the library service resumed its operations. The merger and listing of other collections of the Highest Imperial Family from the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Hofburg Palace and Ambras in Tyrol will need another two years.
189, the farm museum was organized in seven collections with three directorates:
Directorate of coins, medals and antiquities collection
The Egyptian Collection
The Antique Collection
The coins and medals collection
Management of the collection of weapons, art and industrial objects
Weapons collection
Collection of industrial art objects
Directorate of Art Gallery and Restaurieranstalt (Restoration Office)
Collection of watercolors, drawings, sketches, etc.
Restoration Office
Library
Very soon the room the Court Museum (Hofmuseum) for the imperial collections was offering became too narrow. To provide temporary help, an exhibition of ancient artifacts from Ephesus in the Theseus Temple was designed. However, additional space had to be rented in the Lower Belvedere.
1914, after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne, his " Estonian Forensic Collection " passed to the administration of the Court Museum. This collection, which emerged from the art collection of the house of d' Este and world travel collection of Franz Ferdinand, was placed in the New Imperial Palace since 1908. For these stocks, the present collection of old musical instruments and the Museum of Ethnology emerged.
The First World War went by, apart from the oppressive economic situation without loss. The farm museum remained during the five years of war regularly open to the public.
Until 1919 the K.K. Art Historical Court Museum was under the authority of the Oberstkämmereramt (head chamberlain office) and belonged to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. The officials and employees were part of the royal household.
First Republic
The transition from monarchy to republic, in the museum took place in complete tranquility. On 19 November 1918 the two imperial museums on Maria Theresa Square were placed under the state protection of the young Republic of German Austria. Threatening to the stocks of the museum were the claims raised in the following weeks and months of the "successor states" of the monarchy as well as Italy and Belgium on Austrian art collection. In fact, it came on 12th February 1919 to the violent removal of 62 paintings by armed Italian units. This "art theft" left a long time trauma among curators and art historians.
It was not until the Treaty of Saint-Germain of 10 September 1919, providing in Article 195 and 196 the settlement of rights in the cultural field by negotiations. The claims of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Italy again could mostly being averted in this way. Only Hungary, which presented the greatest demands by far, was met by more than ten years of negotiation in 147 cases.
On 3 April 1919 was the expropriation of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine by law and the acquisition of its property, including the "Collections of the Imperial House" , by the Republic. Of 18 June 1920 the then provisional administration of the former imperial museums and collections of Este and the secular and clergy treasury passed to the State Office of Internal Affairs and Education, since 10 November 1920, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Education. A few days later it was renamed the Art History Court Museum in the "Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna State", 1921 "Kunsthistorisches Museum" . Of 1st January 1921 the employees of the museum staff passed to the state of the Republic.
Through the acquisition of the former imperial collections owned by the state, the museum found itself in a complete new situation. In order to meet the changed circumstances in the museum area, designed Hans Tietze in 1919 the "Vienna Museum program". It provided a close cooperation between the individual museums to focus at different houses on main collections. So dominated exchange, sales and equalizing the acquisition policy in the interwar period. Thus resulting until today still valid collection trends. Also pointing the way was the relocation of the weapons collection from 1934 in its present premises in the New Castle, where since 1916 the collection of ancient musical instruments was placed.
With the change of the imperial collections in the ownership of the Republic the reorganization of the internal organization went hand in hand, too. Thus the museum was divided in 1919 into the
Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection (with the Oriental coins)
Collection of Classical Antiquities
Collection of ancient coins
Collection of modern coins and medals
Weapons collection
Collection of sculptures and crafts with the Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments
Picture Gallery
The Museum 1938-1945
Count Philipp Ludwig Wenzel Sinzendorf according to Rigaud. Clarisse 1948 by Baroness de Rothschildt "dedicated" to the memory of Baron Alphonse de Rothschildt; restituted to the Rothschilds in 1999, and in 1999 donated by Bettina Looram Rothschild, the last Austrian heiress.
With the "Anschluss" of Austria to the German Reich all Jewish art collections such as the Rothschilds were forcibly "Aryanised". Collections were either "paid" or simply distributed by the Gestapo at the museums. This resulted in a significant increase in stocks. But the KHM was not the only museum that benefited from the linearization. Systematically looted Jewish property was sold to museums, collections or in pawnshops throughout the empire.
After the war, the museum struggled to reimburse the "Aryanised" art to the owners or their heirs. They forced the Rothschild family to leave the most important part of their own collection to the museum and called this "dedications", or "donations". As a reason, was the export law stated, which does not allow owners to perform certain works of art out of the country. Similar methods were used with other former owners. Only on the basis of international diplomatic and media pressure, to a large extent from the United States, the Austrian government decided to make a change in the law (Art Restitution Act of 1998, the so-called Lex Rothschild). The art objects were the Rothschild family refunded only in the 1990s.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum operates on the basis of the federal law on the restitution of art objects from the 4th December 1998 (Federal Law Gazette I, 181 /1998) extensive provenance research. Even before this decree was carried out in-house provenance research at the initiative of the then archive director Herbert Haupt. This was submitted in 1998 by him in collaboration with Lydia Grobl a comprehensive presentation of the facts about the changes in the inventory levels of the Kunsthistorisches Museum during the Nazi era and in the years leading up to the State Treaty of 1955, an important basis for further research provenance.
The two historians Susanne Hehenberger and Monika Löscher are since 1st April 2009 as provenance researchers at the Kunsthistorisches Museum on behalf of the Commission for Provenance Research operating and they deal with the investigation period from 1933 to the recent past.
The museum today
Today the museum is as a federal museum, with 1st January 1999 released to the full legal capacity - it was thus the first of the state museums of Austria, implementing the far-reaching self-financing. It is by far the most visited museum in Austria with 1.3 million visitors (2007).
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is under the name Kunsthistorisches Museum and Museum of Ethnology and the Austrian Theatre Museum with company number 182081t since 11 June 1999 as a research institution under public law of the Federal virtue of the Federal Museums Act, Federal Law Gazette I/115/1998 and the Museum of Procedure of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Museum of Ethnology and the Austrian Theatre Museum, 3 January 2001, BGBl II 2/ 2001, in force since 1 January 2001, registered.
In fiscal 2008, the turnover was 37.185 million EUR and total assets amounted to EUR 22.204 million. In 2008 an average of 410 workers were employed.
Management
1919-1923: Gustav Glück as the first chairman of the College of science officials
1924-1933: Hermann Julius Hermann 1924-1925 as the first chairman of the College of the scientific officers in 1925 as first director
1933: Arpad Weixlgärtner first director
1934-1938: Alfred Stix first director
1938-1945: Fritz Dworschak 1938 as acting head, from 1938 as a chief in 1941 as first director
1945-1949: August von Loehr 1945-1948 as executive director of the State Art Collections in 1949 as general director of the historical collections of the Federation
1945-1949: Alfred Stix 1945-1948 as executive director of the State Art Collections in 1949 as general director of art historical collections of the Federation
1949-1950: Hans Demel as administrative director
1950: Karl Wisoko-Meytsky as general director of art and historical collections of the Federation
1951-1952: Fritz Eichler as administrative director
1953-1954: Ernst H. Buschbeck as administrative director
1955-1966: Vincent Oberhammer 1955-1959 as administrative director, from 1959 as first director
1967: Edward Holzmair as managing director
1968-1972: Erwin Auer first director
1973-1981: Friderike Klauner first director
1982-1990: Hermann Fillitz first director
1990: George Kugler as interim first director
1990-2008: Wilfried Seipel as general director
Since 2009: Sabine Haag as general director
Collections
To the Kunsthistorisches Museum are also belonging the collections of the New Castle, the Austrian Theatre Museum in Palais Lobkowitz, the Museum of Ethnology and the Wagenburg (wagon fortress) in an outbuilding of Schönbrunn Palace. A branch office is also Ambras in Innsbruck.
Kunsthistorisches Museum (main building)
Picture Gallery
Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection
Collection of Classical Antiquities
Vienna Chamber of Art
Numismatic Collection
Library
New Castle
Ephesus Museum
Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments
Arms and Armour
Archive
Hofburg
The imperial crown in the Treasury
Imperial Treasury of Vienna
Insignia of the Austrian Hereditary Homage
Insignia of imperial Austria
Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire
Burgundian Inheritance and the Order of the Golden Fleece
Habsburg-Lorraine Household Treasure
Ecclesiastical Treasury
Schönbrunn Palace
Imperial Carriage Museum Vienna
Armory in Ambras Castle
Ambras Castle
Collections of Ambras Castle
Major exhibits
Among the most important exhibits of the Art Gallery rank inter alia:
Jan van Eyck: Cardinal Niccolò Albergati, 1438
Martin Schongauer: Holy Family, 1475-80
Albrecht Dürer : Trinity Altar, 1509-16
Portrait Johann Kleeberger, 1526
Parmigianino: Self Portrait in Convex Mirror, 1523/24
Giuseppe Arcimboldo: Summer 1563
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: Madonna of the Rosary 1606/ 07
Caravaggio: Madonna of the Rosary (1606-1607)
Titian: Nymph and Shepherd to 1570-75
Portrait of Jacopo de Strada, 1567/68
Raffaello Santi: Madonna of the Meadow, 1505 /06
Lorenzo Lotto: Portrait of a young man against white curtain, 1508
Peter Paul Rubens: The altar of St. Ildefonso, 1630-32
The Little Fur, about 1638
Jan Vermeer: The Art of Painting, 1665/66
Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Fight between Carnival and Lent, 1559
Kids, 1560
Tower of Babel, 1563
Christ Carrying the Cross, 1564
Gloomy Day (Early Spring), 1565
Return of the Herd (Autumn), 1565
Hunters in the Snow (Winter) 1565
Bauer and bird thief, 1568
Peasant Wedding, 1568/69
Peasant Dance, 1568/69
Paul's conversion (Conversion of St Paul), 1567
Cabinet of Curiosities:
Saliera from Benvenuto Cellini 1539-1543
Egyptian-Oriental Collection:
Mastaba of Ka Ni Nisut
Collection of Classical Antiquities:
Gemma Augustea
Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós
Gallery: Major exhibits
Among the highlights of our excursion to Nice was a visit to the Marc Chagall Museum (36 Avenue Dr. Ménard). The museum houses the largest public collection of works by the Russian-French modernist artist Marc Chagall.
The painting shown here -- ''Moses Receiving the Tablets of the Law'' -- is one of Chagall's ''Biblical Message'' paintings that form the core of the museum's collection. A few details on the work from its accompanying placard:
Moses Receiving the Tablets of the Law
1960-1966
Oil on Canvas
The painting is structured along double diagonal lines like a baroque painting: Moses is depicted as a monumental figure in the foreground, reaching out to the Tablets held out by God, whose presence is alluded to via two hands emerging from the clouds. The secondary diagonal represents the mountain Moses stands on and divides the composition into several scenes: to the right, from bottom to top, characters from the Bible, Aaron the High Priest, David and Jeremy, and at the very top, close to God, a group of fleeing Jews. To the left, some of the Israelites await Moses while the others have turned away from him and are worshipping the Golden Calf. Intense yellow sweeps over the painting, suggestive of both the shimmering gold of the Golden Calf idol made by the Israelites, as well as divine light.
The first set of 3 cards in the Studio MIKMIK Pattern Studies Series. Each card is hand printed in two colours using a Gocco PG-11 machine.
This set is titled Saltaire In Stone. The Saltaire in Stone series of pattern studies draw their inspiration from the Italianate architecture found within the UNESCO World Heritage village of Saltaire, West Yorkshire. A wealth of archways, columns and stone flowers can be discovered in the village, a testament to the stonemason’s art.
These are now available in the Studio MIKMIK Etsy shop (see profile page).
Starr Pass has continued to develop into a testament of beauty in the Tucson Mountains. The sunsets, full of color and vibrancy, are a staple of thewestern side of Tucson; the mountains are renowned for their vibrant and majestic sunsets! The rolling hills add splendid views and a variety of wildlife cohabitants.
The sunset above (and the other two taken from the backyard) is very typical for a Starr Pass evening!
This particular house sits right off the golf course, which has housed PGA Tour events.
St Martin’s Church in Zillis, Canton Graubünden, CH
The earliest preserved, figuratively painted wooden ceiling in Europe can be seen above the nave of St Martin's Church in Zillis. Today only three other painted ceilings from the Middle Ages remain: they are located in Hildesheim (St Michael's), in Peterborough Cathedral and in Dadesjo (Sweden). The Swedish church in Sodra Rada was destroyed by fire in 2001.
The ceiling paintings in Zillis demonstrate such a rich variety of form and contents as is only found in great works of art.
And so today the ceiling serves to illustrate the Gospel, Sunday for Sunday, from spring to autumn. In winter the parishioners do without heating in the church for the sake of the paintings and hold their services in the parish hall. Only funeral services and the school Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve take place in the moderately heated church during the cold season.
St Martin's Church is situated below the historic centre of Zillis. At first, the church possibly stood directly above the wide bed of the Hinterrhein River. Zillis is one of the two settlements nestling at the bottom of the Schams Valley (Romansh: Val Schons), an inner-Alpine valley basin, through which a route has traversed the Alps at least since the Roman era. It used to link Bregenz with Milan, Lake Constance with Lakes Como and Maggiore. The Schams is the secondhighest section of the Hinterrhein Valley. It lies directly south of the Viamala Gorge, which on the northern side of the Alpine ridge represented the main obstacle on the route from Chur over the Splugen Pass to Chiavenna, resp. over the San Bernardino Pass to Bellinzona and Locarno. Throughout all the centuries Zillis occupied a very peripheral position on the inner border of the Alps, but was always on a route connecting the major settlements flanking the Alpine ridge.
THE PAINTED CEILING
THE CONCEPT OF THE PAINTED CEILING
The Zillis ceiling comprises 153 painted panels. They are slotted into longitudinal battens, which until 1938 were attached to the ceiling beams by long nails. Cross-battens are inserted between the painted panels as a connecting link, forming a regular grid. Doubled longitudinal and cross-battens accentuate the junctions of the grid, creating the shape of the cross.
The ceiling is enhanced by a meander frieze which was created at the same time; the greater part of the frieze was restored in 1938-1940. In the frieze we see female busts, representing the Classical sybils, whose prophesies were taken fro(ll late Antiquity onwards as a reference to the Advent of Christ.
The 153 panels are arranged as on a medieval map of the world. There is a border representing the ocean surrounding the Continent, on which the Life of Christ and the legend of St Martin are portrayed.
The border
At the edges of the ceiling, resp. on the borders of the world, swim mythical fish-tailed creatures; there are even some manned boats and music-making sirens on a continuous band of wavy lines, which represent the sea in a simplified and abstract form. Only the angels sounding their horns in the corners, marked as the south wind Auster and the north wind Aquilo, stand on firm land.
The inner cycle
On the interior fields, i.e. the Continent, the Life of Christ is depicted on 98 panels. One half describes Christ's childhood and youth, the other half recounts his miracles, his teaching and Passion. The individual scenes frequently continue over several successive panels. Each half has seven rows with seven panels. The last row of the interior panels is dedicated to the church patron St Martin.
The choir is the best place from which to view the first half of the cycle portraying the Life of Christ. Since the 1940 rearrangement the visitor has been able to «read» the pictures like a text from this vantage point, in rows running from left to right. The cycle begins with a gallery of Christ's ancestors, the Kings of the Old Testament, and the personifications of Synagogue and Ecclesia. The story of Christ's Life begins with the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, followed by Joseph's Dream, the Visitation and the four panels on the Nativity.
15 panels describe the Journey of the Three Magi. This is followed by the Purification and the the Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Temple, the Flight into Egypt and the Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem, the Miracle of the Clay Pigeons, the 72-year-old Jesus in the Temple and the Sermons of St John the Baptist.
The second part of the Christological cycle begins with the Baptism of Christ and the Temptation by the Devil. These are followed by cases of miraculous Healings: in addition to the Wedding Feast in Cana and the Raising of Lazarus, we see the Healing of physically and mentally sick persons. The mentally disturbed were considered to be possessed by demons. After the miracles follow the Teachings of Jesus, the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the Entry into Jerusalem and the Expulsion of the Moneychangers from the Temple, the Last Supper, the MOunt of Olives, the Betrayal by Judas, Christ before Pilate, the Mocking of Christ and the Crowning with Thorns.
The cycle then breaks off. There is no consensus among researchers on whether this was, in fact, the original end of the cycle or if the Crucifixion and the Rising from the Dead were formerly depicted on the north wall of the nave or in the former Romanesque choir.
The last seven panels of the interior fields describe episodes from the life of St Martin, commencing with the Sharing of the Cloak, probably the best-known element of the legend. This is followed by the Consecration and the Miracle of the Raising from the Dead. The conclusion comprises three panels on St Martin's Encounter with a King who pretended to be Jesus but turned out to be the Devil.
As mentioned above, the panels were rearranged on the ceiling in 1940, the 1938 sequence having been described by experts as «absurd» und «unsystematic». An attempt to reconstruct the original order, based on the sequence of the pictures before 1938, gives the following results: the panels were arranged to be read by following the rows in an S-shaped order. In the centre of the ceiling there was the depiction of Christ's Baptism; in front of this, the scenes with St John the Baptist; behind, the four panels on the Temptation of Christ by the Devil.
During the Reformation the sequence of the panels was probably altered. In the cycle depicting the Life of St Martin, the consecration scene was removed from the central axis. The sermons of St John the Baptist and the Temptation of Christ by the Devil disappeared from the central row and were replaced by the cases of miraculous healing and depictions of Christ's teachings. From the 16th century until 1938 the Expulsion of the Moneychangers from the Temple, as a symbol of one of the Reformation's main tenets, was set in the centre of the ceiling replacing Christ's Baptism.
It feels like I have been here before, but no shots of it is on my stream, and my notebook says I have not been before either.
So, first time to Meopham.
St John sits on a busy road, but has a spacious car park, and from that I saw the large "church open" sign near the porch.
Great news.
But after slinging my full camera bag on my back and walking to the modern door, I could not budge it. So, I take shots round the outside and the churchyard, then walk back to the car.
A warden arrives, unloads some fresh flowers from her car: are you going to open the church?
Yes I am.
Perfect.
So, I carried her flowers to the door, where she tried to open the door; she couldn't open it.
But she jiggled with the lock, and went at the door with a shoulder charge, and the door opened.
Hoorah!
Inside I found a heavily victoianised church, with windows that had medieval glass fragments.
The nave has been reordered, with modern chairs and a modern altar in the chancel arch, which gives a great feeling of space inside the church.
Did I mention the tiles? Well, they were fabulous.
------------------------------------------
A large fourteenth-century church with a regularity of detail that tells of much nineteenth-century replacement. The tall octagonal piers of the five-bay arcade are capped by a pretty clerestory of small quatrefoils. The wooden pulpit was made for St Margaret's, Westminster, in 1682 and brought here in 1800 by the then vicar who taught at Westminster School. It has charming cherubs' heads, cockle shells and festoons and could go a long way to enlivening a dull sermon! The former chantry chapel of Simon de Mepham (1272-1333), Archbishop of Canterbury, and a fourteenth-century political pawn, is linked to the chancel by an iron-grilled window.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Meopham
-------------------------------------------
MEOPHAM.
THE next parish southward from Nutsted is Meopham, vulgarly called Mepham, and antiently written, Meapaham. (fn. 1)
MEOPHAM is situated about twenty-four miles from London, and nine from Dartford. It is rather a bye out of the way place, lying among the hills, and no well frequented thoroughfare through it. It is a large parish, extending near five miles from north to south, and near three miles from east to west; lies for the most part on high ground, though with continued hill and dale; the soils in it are various, much of it is poor and chalky, but in the vallies it is heavy tillage land; the roads are stony, narrow, and bad, but the air, like the neighbouring hilly parishes, is very healthy. The village, having the church and Court-lodge in it, stands in the centre of the parish; in the southern part there are several coppice woods, mostly of beech and birch, intermixed with scrubby oak trees, which in these parts hardly ever grow to any size; there are several small hamlets in different parts of it, as Mellaker, Hook-green, and Camer, in the northern parts; Pitfield-green, Priest-wood, and Culverstone-green, in the southern parts. In the former part of the parish, at Camer, there is a good modern house, which was built by Mr. George Master, whose son, George Master, esq. likewise resided here; he died unmarried, and without issue, leaving his sister, Catherine, his heir, married to Mr. Smith, of Croydon, in Surry, who in her right became possessed of it; after his death she removed to East Malling; her eldest son, George Smith, esq. married Rebecca, daughter of the Rev. Nicholas Brett, of Spring-grove, in Wye. He now possesses this house, and resides here.
This parish, among others in this neighbourhood, was antiently contributary to the repair of the ninth pier of Rochester bridge.
¶ATHELSTANE, king of England, gave the perpetual inheritance of Meopham to duke Eadulf, who, in 940, with the king's consent, gave it to Christ church, in Canterbury, in the presence of archbishop Wlselm, free from all secular service and royal tribute, excepting the trinoda necessitas of repelling invasions, and the repairs of castles and highways. Queen Ediva, mother of king Edmund and king Edred, in 961, gave Meopham to Christ church for the health of her soul, with the like privileges; by which it may be observed, that in the accounts of the donations of the Saxon kings, the same manors and places are frequently mentioned, as having been given by several different kings, which was occasioned by their continual dissensions, and contending with each other with various success; one king taking away the possessions of the church, and another regranting the same. Besides, it has been frequently found, that when one of these kings gave a small parcel of land in a parish or manor, in the Saxon codocils, he has been recorded as having given the whole of it. Soon after this the church's possessions were further increased here; for whilst Ælsstane was bishop of Rochester, who came to the see in 945, and died in 984, one Birtrick, a rich and powerful man, who then resided here, devised, with the consent of Elsswithe his wife, his land at Meopham, by his last testament, a most curious record of the customs of those times, to Christ church, Canterbury, together with sixty marcs of gold, thirty to the bishop and thirty to the convent; and one necklace of twenty marcs and two cups of silver. The original is in the Saxon language, and is inserted, with a Latin interpretation of it, both in Lambarde and in the Registrum Roffense, (fn. 2) and by Dr. Hickes, in his Differtatio Epistolaris, at the end of his Thesaurus, with his notes and remarks on it; by it the antient form and phrases of a testament may be known, and it may be observed by it—that the husband and wife joined in making their testaments; that lands were devisable by testament in old time; and by what words estates of inheritance were wont to be created; that the lord's consent was thought requisite to the testament of the tenant, and that it was procured by the gift of a heriot, which, as Bracton says, was done at first, Magis de gratia quam de jure: and lastly, what weapons, jewels, and ornaments, were then worn and in use.
MEOPHAM remained among the possessions of Christ church, at the consecration of archbishop Lanfranc, in the 4th year of William the Conqueror's reign; who, when he separated the manors and lands belonging to his church, allotted this manor to the monks for their subsistance, cloathing, and other ne cessary uses; and it is accordingly thus entered in the record of Domesday, under the general title of land of the monks of the archbishop.
The archbishop himself holds Mepeham. It was taxed in the time of king Edward the Confessor for ten sulins, now for seven. The arable land is 30 carucates. In demesne there are four, and 25 villeins, with seventy one borderers, having 25 carucates. There is a church, and 17 servants, and 16 acres of meadow. Wood for the pannage of 10 hogs. In the whole value, in the time of king Edward, it was worth 15 pounds and 10 shillings, now 26 pounds. Richard de Tonebridge has in his lowy what is worth 18 shillings and sixpence. Wood for the pannage of 20 hogs.
This manor was De cibo monachorum, that is, to the use of their refectory. (fn. 3) In the year 1306, anno 35 king Edward I. Henry Prior and the chapter of Christ church, Canterbury, released to their homagers and tenants of Mepham certain customs and services for an annual rent, to be paid yearly to them within the manor of Mepham.
¶King Edward II. by his letters patent, in his 10th year, granted to the prior and convent free warren for themselves and their successors, in all their demesne lands in Meopham. King Henry VI. in his 25th year, granted to them a market at Meopham weekly, on a Saturday; and one yearly fair, on the feast of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. (fn. 4)
MEOPHAM is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester, and being a peculiar of the archbishop, is within the deanry of Shoreham. The church, which is a large handsome building, with a square tower at the west end, is dedicated to St. John Baptist.
Among other monuments and inscriptions in it are the following: In the chancel, a memorial for Henry Haslin, esq. of Meopham, who married Mary, daughter of Sir George Courthope, of Wileigh, in Sussex, and Elizabeth his wife, and had two sons and one daughter, obt. 1658; a brass plate for John Follham, vicar here, obt. June 13, 1455. In the north side of the chancel is an antient stone, with Saxon letters cut round the edge, but without any reference to shew the person buried under it. In the nave, a stone for Christopher Copland, vicar here thirty-seven years, ob. 12 Cal. June, 1707.
Within the memory of several antient people of this parish, some of the bells of this church being to be new cast, and there being wanting a sufficient quantity of metal to do it, some persons tore off the brass inscriptions from the stones in this church, except that of Follham above mentioned, and threw them into the heating metal, to add to its quantity.
Simon Meopham, elected archbishop of Canterbury in 1327, was born here. He rebuilt this church, which was repaired by archbishop Courtney about seventy years afterwards, who annexed to it four new alms houses for the use of the poor. (fn. 11)
This church was always esteemed as an appendage to the manor of Meopham, in which state it continued till the dissolution of the priory of Christ church, in the 31st year of king Henry VIII. when it was, together with the rest of the possessions of the priory, surrendered into the king's hands; who, by his donation charter, in his 33d year, settled this manor, the rectory, and the advowson of the vicarage of this church, among other premises, on his new founded dean and chapter of Christ church, Canterbury, with whom the inheritance of the rectory or parsonage still remains, the present lessee of it being John Market, esq. of this parish. But the advowson of the vicarage was soon afterwards conveyed to the archbishop of Canterbury, and His Grace the archbishop still continues at this time patron of it.
Archbishop Richard, Becket's immediate successor, in the reign of king Henry II. is said to have appro priated this church to the use of the almonry of the priory of Christ church, but this appropriation does not seem to have taken place, for in the 8th year of king Richard II. the portion paid from this church to the almonry was the yearly gross sum of 61. 13s. 4d. at which time it was not appropriated, as appears by the certificate given in to the abbot of St. Augustine's, appointed by the king's letters patent collector of the half tenth, then granted to the king by the clergy, when this church was taxed at 261. 8d.
King Richard II. was a great benefactor to the priory of Christ church; (fn. 12) and among other marks of his favour, in the 9th year of his reign, he gave licence to the monks to appropriate the churches of Meopham and Godmersham to their own use. Accordingly William Courtney, archbishop of Canterbury, appropriated this church to them, and most probably to that of their almonry, in compliance with the intention of his predecessor.
¶In an antient valuation of the churches in this diocese, made in the 15th year of king Edward I. the church of Meopham is valued at forty marcs. (fn. 13) On the sequestration of the possessions of deans and chapters, after the death of king Charles I. the manor and rectory of Meopham were surveyed in 1649, by order of the state, an account of which has already been given above; and in 1650, there was another survey taken, in which it was returned, that Meopham was a vicarage presentative, worth 50l. per annum, Mr. Gibbon then incumbent, in the room of the late Mr. Pigget, then sequestered; that there was a pension of 5l. 6s. 8d. per annum, paid by the late dean and chapter of Canterbury, who had the impropriation, worth 120l. per annum, let on lease to Mr. Henry Haslin. This vicarage is valued in the king's books at 16l. 3s. 4d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 2s. 4d. (fn. 14)
The vicar of Meopham receives all manner of tithes, except corn, and enjoys an augmentation of thirty pounds per annum, paid by the lessee of the parsonage, and the annual pension of 5l. 6s. 8d. from the dean and chapter.
One of the several windmills at Kinderdijk Netherlands stands still in the morning sun. These were built back in 1738 to keep water out of fields and villages nearby and some are still used and operational to this day. Most of the heavy duty of pumping the water is now on the backs of two modern pumping stations. The site has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since the early 1990's. They are really something to see up close and personal!
A preview image from the four new illustrated Bible stories from the Epitsles section of The Brick Testament website.
Santo Entierro de Juan de Juni del Museo Nacional de Escultura de Valladolid. Fue realizado entre 1541-1545. Es el primer grupo escultórico documentado que Juan de Juni hace para la ciudad de Valladolid, según se reseña en su primer testamento redactado en Salamanca. Fray Guevara le encargó el conjunto escultórico para colocarlo en el retablo de su capilla funeraria recién edificada en el desaparecido convento de San Francisco. Demolido en 1836, esa obra fue resguardada por el Estado.
Es pieza muy destacada del Museo Nacional Colegio de San Gregorio, en cuya colección se hallan otras obras valiosas de Juni. No se conserva la arquitectura del retablo donde estaba instalado el grupo.
Juan de Juni realizó esta obra entre 1541 y 1545 expresando en ella un efecto escenográfico muy logrado. El origen temático de sus figuras están en su tierra natal de la Borgoña francesa (nació en Joigny) donde abundaba esta representación de Cristo depositado en el sepulcro, y también en Italia, país que tanto influyó en el Renacimiento europeo y donde Juan de Juni pasó un periodo de formación artística. Allí conocería seguramente grupos semejantes, como el realizado por Niccolò dell'Arca en Bolonia. Pese a todo, el escultor demuestra originalidad y rasgos muy personales. Se encuentra custodiado, con la desamortización, en el Museo Nacional Colegio de San Gregorio.
El conjunto está compuesto por siete figuras de tamaño mayor que el natural, independientes cada una salvo el grupo formado por la Virgen y San Juan. Todos los componentes están situados en una puesta en escena teatral y muy atractiva para el espectador. Cada personaje tiene su cometido y así lo demuestran en las actitudes y en los objetos que portan. El grupo está policromado con una gran calidad pictórica acorde con el gran valor escultórico que presenta.
En el centro se halla la figura de Cristo yacente, depositado en lo que será su ataúd. Los demás personajes proceden a su embalsamamiento. En la esquina de la izquierda y muy cerca del espectador, José de Arimatea muestra con gran patetismo una espina de la corona que se había quedado clavada en la cabeza de Cristo. En la esquina contraria está Nicodemo que parece dialogar con María Magdalena. Su mano izquierda reposa en una jarra y con la derecha sostiene un paño con el que se supone está limpiando el cuerpo del fallecido. Tras él y de pie está María Magdalena que se inclina con dolor y cariño hacia el cuerpo mientras sostiene en su mano izquierda el tarro con ungüentos. En el centro y detrás del yacente se encuentra el grupo de María y Juan; María se inclina entristecida hacia su hijo mientras Juan acude cariñoso a consolarla. Finalmente, y detrás de José de Arimatea puede verse de pie la figura de María Salomé que sujeta con su mano derecha un paño de limpieza y con la izquierda la corona de espinas que acaban de sacarle al Cristo. El equilibrio del conjunto es perfecto.
Valladolid 28/3/2015
Alex Skolnick is letting the riffs and hair fly!
Alex desencadena los riffs y deja que su cabello se suelte con elllos.
Hieronymus Bosch (eigentlich Jheronimus van Aken (’s-Hertogenbosch um 1450 - 1516
Anbetung der hl. drei Könige oder Epiphanie-Triptychon - Adoration of the Magi aka Epiphany Triptych (ca. 1494)
Museo del Prado, Madrid
The central panel depicts The Adoration of the Magi. The city of Bethlehem, with some fantastic buildings, is visible in the background. In the foreground, the Kings offer their gifts. One, on the floor, has a carving of the Sacrifice of Isaac, a foreshadowing of the Passion of Christ. Casper´s clothing bears a view of Salomon´s visit to the Queen of Sheba, an antecedent to the Magi´s own visit to the Christ Child. With these images, the artist establishes two different levels on which to read the painting, linking Old and New Testament passages. It is more difficult to identify the nearly naked, chained figure looking out the door. He has been successively considered Adam, the Anti-Christ or Herod, yet none of these attributions is convincing.
The side panels portray the donors with their patron saints. Although the same landscape appears across the three panels, it is optically separated by the frames. On the left, the male donor kneels under the protection of Saint Peter with Saint Joseph in the background, heating the Christ Child´s diapers at some distance from the Magi. On the right, the female donor is accompanied by Saint Inez. When closed, this triptych represents Saint Gregory´s Mass, painted in grisaille with two praying figures. The altar depicts Calvary with scenes from the Passion. The center shows Christ appearing to the Pope, who is saying Mass.
This work is from Bosch´s last period. It is well preserved and is one of his finest pieces. It was originally in a chapel of `s-Hertogenbosch Cathedral and was later acquired by Felipe II, who sent it to El Escorial in 1574. From there, it entered the Prado Museum in 1839.
Source: Museo del Prado
La basílica de Sant Marc (en italià Basilica di San Marco) és l'església principal de Venècia, de gran importància religiosa, històrica i, ara, turística.
Una primera església es va aixecar en aquest lloc el 829 per allotjar dignament el cos de sant Marc (evangelista), les relíquies del qual havien estat portades, segons sembla, d'Alexandria. A més de la devoció al cos del sant, la basílica estava estretament vinculada a l'autoritat dels duxs. Aquella primitiva església va acabar incendiada el 976 i refeta amb rapidesa. La devoció a les relíquies havia popularitzat el lloc; aquest fet, juntament amb l'augment de la potència econòmica de Venècia, va permetre, el 1063, l'inici de la construcció de la basílica actual. Deu anys després ja era acabada, però la seva decoració va anar enriquint-se en el decurs dels anys amb la intervenció de la ciutat, que també resultava afavorida per la protecció del mateix patró: sant Marc.
Exteriorment, l'església presenta una sèrie de cinc portals, sota cinc arcades decorades en diverses èpoques. D'aquestes portes, cal esmentar especialment la primera de l'esquerra (anomenada de San Alipio), que encara conserva un bell mosaic del segle XIII, que curiosament representa la mateixa basílica de l'època. Sobre els portals corre una terrassa on es troben les reproduccions dels cavalls de Sant Marc, fets de bronze daurat que ara es conserven a l'interior de la basílica. L'església està rematada per una sèrie de cúpules revestides de plom i que caracteritzen l'edifici.
A la dreta de la basílica (és a dir, al sud) es troba la Piazzetta di San Marco. Encastats a l'edifici, es poden veure les figures en pòrfir dels tetrarques; al seu costat unes columnes siríaques, del segle VI, que es van portar a Venècia al segle XII, des de Sant Joan d'Acre. La façana nord (a la Piazzetta dei Leoncini) és la més recent i s'hi pot veure una bona mostra d'elements arquitectònics de la primitiva església encastats als murs.
El nàrtex, amb forma de ela, està revestit de marbres policroms. Les voltes presenten una esplèndida decoració amb mosaic, de diferents èpoques; hi destaquen els corresponents al segle XIII per la seva antiguitat i particular bellesa (el més antic és el mosaic de la Creació).
L'interior mostra un ambient característic, que li és donat per la seva arquitectura, de planta de creu grega, i les cúpules íntegrament recobertes de mosaics amb fons d'or. Hi ha unes galeries elevades, suportades per columnes, que conformen unes tribunes estretes que hom diu que eren reservades antigament a les dones. El paviment del segle XII mostra també una bella decoració en mosaic.
Del seu mobiliari, destaca particularment el retaule d'or (la Pala d'Oro) de l'altar major, una extraordinària peça d'orfebreria amb elements ben antics (segle V) i d'altres de posteriors. La configuració actual li fou donada el 1345.
El tresor mostra, entre d'altres, una excepcional sèrie de peces procedents de Constantinoble. Des del nàrtex, es pot accedir al nivell superior, on hi ha un museu on es conserven els originals dels cavalls de Sant Marc que es van portar de l'hipòdrom de Constantinoble.
La basílica destaca especialment per la quantitat de mosaics que adornen el seu interior. Entre aquests mosaics, representació típica de l'art romà d'Orient, es troba el mosaic de la Creació. El mosaic de la Creació, d'estil romà d'Orient i ubicat al nàrtex nord de la basílica, fou compost al segle XIII.
L'obra embelleix una cúpula en el nàrtex nord de l'església; aquest té la peculiaritat de reunir les escenes principals del Pentateuc, nom del conjunt dels cinc primers llibres de la Bíblia, des de la creació fins a la història de Moisès. Aquest conjunt de mosaics es van anar realitzant al llarg del segle XIII.
El mosaic de la Creació fou construït juntament amb les representacions de la història de Caín i Abel, i de Noé. Varen finalitzar-se l'any 1220.
Tot aquest conjunt de mosaics forma part del cicle iconogràfic dedicat a l'Antic Testament, que avança d'esquerra a dreta ocupant totes les cúpules del nàrtex. Totes les escenes tenen com a punt en comú fer esment de l'aliança de Déu amb els humans, des de la creació fins a Moisès.
9.4.09
The flight arrived on time; and the twelve hours while on board passed quickly and without incident. To be sure, the quality of the Cathay Pacific service was exemplary once again.
Heathrow reminds me of Newark International. The décor comes straight out of the sterile 80's and is less an eyesore than an insipid background to the rhythm of human activity, such hustle and bustle, at the fore. There certainly are faces from all races present, creating a rich mosaic of humanity which is refreshing if not completely revitalizing after swimming for so long in a sea of Chinese faces in Hong Kong.
Internet access is sealed in England, it seems. Nothing is free; everything is egregiously monetized from the wireless hotspots down to the desktop terminals. I guess Hong Kong has spoiled me with its abundant, free access to the information superhighway.
11.4.09
Despite staying in a room with five other backpackers, I have been sleeping well. The mattress and pillow are firm; my earplugs keep the noise out; and the sleeping quarters are as dark as a cave when the lights are out, and only as bright as, perhaps, a dreary rainy day when on. All in all, St. Paul's is a excellent place to stay for the gregarious, adventurous, and penurious city explorer - couchsurfing may be a tenable alternative; I'll test for next time.
Yesterday Connie and I gorged ourselves at the borough market where there were all sorts of delectable, savory victuals. There was definitely a European flavor to the food fair: simmering sausages were to be found everywhere; and much as the meat was plentiful, and genuine, so were the dairy delicacies, in the form of myriad rounds of cheese, stacked high behind checkered tabletops. Of course, we washed these tasty morsels down with copious amounts of alcohol that flowed from cups as though amber waterfalls. For the first time I tried mulled wine, which tasted like warm, rancid fruit punch - the ideal tonic for a drizzling London day, I suppose. We later killed the afternoon at the pub, shooting the breeze while imbibing several diminutive half-pints in the process. Getting smashed at four in the afternoon doesn't seem like such a bad thing anymore, especially when you are having fun in the company of friends; I can more appreciate why the English do it so much!
Earlier in the day, we visited the Tate Modern. Its turbine room lived up to its prominent billing what with a giant spider, complete with bulbous egg sac, anchoring the retrospective exhibit. The permanent galleries, too, were a delight upon which to feast one's eyes. Picasso, Warhol and Pollock ruled the chambers of the upper floors with the products of their lithe wrists; and I ended up becoming a huge fan of cubism, while developing a disdain for abstract art and its vacuous images, which, I feel, are devoid of both motivation and emotion.
My first trip yesterday morning was to Emirates Stadium, home of the Arsenal Gunners. It towers imperiously over the surrounding neighborhood; yet for all its majesty, the place sure was quiet! Business did pick up later, however, once the armory shop opened, and dozens of fans descended on it like bees to a hive. I, too, swooped in on a gift-buying mission, and wound up purchasing a book for Godfrey, a scarf for a student, and a jersey - on sale, of course - for good measure.
I'm sitting in the Westminster Abbey Museum now, resting my weary legs and burdened back. So far, I've been verily impressed with what I've seen, such a confluence of splendor and history before me that it would require days to absorb it all, when regretfully I can spare only a few hours. My favorite part of the abbey is the poets corner where no less a literary luminary than Samuel Johnson rests in peace - his bust confirms his homely presence, which was so vividly captured in his biography.
For lunch I had a steak and ale pie, served with mash, taken alongside a Guinness, extra cold - 2 degrees centigrade colder, the bartender explained. It went down well, like all the other delicious meals I've had in England; and no doubt by now I have grown accustomed to inebriation at half past two. Besides, Liverpool were playing inspired football against Blackburn; and my lunch was complete.
Having had my fill of football, I decided to skip my ticket scalping endeavor at Stamford Bridge and instead wandered over to the British Museum to inspect their extensive collections. Along the way, my eye caught a theater, its doors wide open and admitting customers. With much rapidity, I subsequently checked the show times, saw that a performance was set to begin, and at last rushed to the box office to purchase a discounted ticket - if you call a 40 pound ticket a deal, that is. That's how I grabbed a seat to watch Hairspray in the West End.
The show was worth forty pounds. The music was addictive; and the stage design and effects were not so much kitschy as delightfully stimulating - the pulsating background lights were at once scintillating and penetrating. The actors as well were vivacious, oozing charisma while they danced and delivered lines dripping in humor. Hairspray is a quality production and most definitely recommended.
12.4.09
At breakfast I sat across from a man who asked me to which country Hong Kong had been returned - China or Japan. That was pretty funny. Then he started spitting on my food as he spoke, completely oblivious to my breakfast becoming the receptacle in which the fruit of his inner churl was being placed. I guess I understand the convention nowadays of covering one's mouth whilst speaking and masticating at the same time!
We actually conversed on London life in general, and I praised London for its racial integration, the act of which is a prodigious leap of faith for any society, trying to be inclusive, accepting all sorts of people. It wasn't as though the Brits were trying in vain to be all things to all men, using Spanish with the visitors from Spain, German with the Germans and, even, Hindi with the Indians, regardless of whether or not Hindi was their native language; not even considering the absurd idea of encouraging the international adoption of their language; thereby completely keeping English in English hands and allowing its proud polyglots to "practice" their languages. Indeed, the attempt of the Londoners to avail themselves of the rich mosaic of ethnic knowledge, and to seek a common understanding with a ubiquitous English accent is an exemplar, and the bedrock for any world city.
I celebrated Jesus' resurrection at the St. Andrew's Street Church in Cambridge. The parishioners of this Baptist church were warm and affable, and I met several of them, including one visiting (Halliday) linguistics scholar from Zhongshan university in Guangzhou, who in fact had visited my tiny City University of Hong Kong in 2003. The service itself was more traditional and the believers fewer in number than the "progressive" services at any of the charismatic, evangelical churches in HK; yet that's what makes this part of the body of Christ unique; besides, the message was as brief as a powerpoint slide, and informative no less; the power word which spoke into my life being a question from John 21:22 - what is that to you?
Big trees; exquisite lawns; and old, pointy colleges; that's Cambridge in a nutshell. Sitting here, sipping on a half-pint of Woodforde's Wherry, I've had a leisurely, if not languorous, day so far; my sole duty consisting of walking around while absorbing the verdant environment as though a sponge, camera in tow.
I am back at the sublime beer, savoring a pint of Sharp's DoomBar before my fish and chips arrive; the drinking age is 18, but anyone whose visage even hints of youthful brilliance is likely to get carded these days, the bartender told me. The youth drinking culture here is almost as twisted as the university drinking culture in America.
My stay in Cambridge, relaxing and desultory as it may be, is about to end after this late lunch. I an not sure if there is anything left to see, save for the American graveyard which rests an impossible two miles away. I have had a wonderful time in this town; and am thankful for the access into its living history - the residents here must demonstrate remarkable patience and tolerance what with so many tourists ambling on the streets, peering - and photographing - into every nook and cranny.
13.4.09
There are no rubbish bins, yet I've seen on the streets many mixed race couples in which the men tend to be white - the women also belonging to a light colored ethnicity, usually some sort of Asian; as well saw some black dudes and Indian dudes with white chicks.
People here hold doors, even at the entrance to the toilet. Sometimes it appears as though they are going out on a limb, just waiting for the one who will take the responsibility for the door from them, at which point I rush out to relieve them of such a fortuitous burden.
I visited the British Museum this morning. The two hours I spent there did neither myself nor the exhibits any justice because there really is too much to survey, enough captivating stuff to last an entire day, I think. The bottomless well of artifacts from antiquity, drawing from sources as diverse as Korea, and Mesopotamia, is a credit to the British empire, without whose looting most of this amazing booty would be unavailable for our purview; better, I think, for these priceless treasures to be open to all in the grandest supermarket of history than away from human eyes, and worst yet, in the hands of unscrupulous collectors or in the rubbish bin, possibly.
Irene and I took in the ballet Giselle at The Royal Opera House in the afternoon. The building is a plush marvel, and a testament to this city's love for the arts. The ballet itself was satisfying, the first half being superior to the second, in which the nimble dancers demonstrated their phenomenal dexterity in, of all places, a graveyard covered in a cloak of smoke and darkness. I admit, their dance of the dead, in such a gloomy necropolis, did strike me as, strange.
Two amicable ladies from Kent convinced me to visit their hometown tomorrow, where, they told me, the authentic, "working" Leeds Castle and the mighty interesting home of Charles Darwin await.
I'm nursing a pint of Green King Ruddles and wondering about the profusion of British ales and lagers; the British have done a great deed for the world by creating an interminable line of low-alcohol session beers that can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner; and their disservice is this: besides this inexhaustible supply of cheap beer ensnaring my inner alcoholic, I feel myself putting on my freshman fifteen, almost ten years after the fact; I am going to have to run a bit harder back in Hong Kong if I want to burn all this malty fuel off.
Irene suggested I stop by the National Art Gallery since we were in the area; and it was an hour well spent. The gallery currently presents a special exhibit on Picasso, the non-ticketed section of which features several seductive renderings, including David spying on Bathsheba - repeated in clever variants - and parodies of other masters' works. Furthermore, the main gallery houses two fabulous portraits by Joshua Reynolds, who happens to be favorite of mine, he in life being a close friend of Samuel Johnson - I passed by Boswells, where its namesake first met Johnson, on my way to the opera house.
14.4.09
I prayed last night, and went through my list, lifting everyone on it up to the Lord. That felt good; that God is alive now, and ever present in my life and in the lives of my brothers and sisters.
Doubtless, then, I have felt quite wistful, as though a specter in the land of the living, being in a place where religious fervor, it seems, is a thing of the past, a trifling for many, to be hidden away in the opaque corners of centuries-old cathedrals that are more expensive tourist destinations than liberating homes of worship these days. Indeed, I have yet to see anyone pray, outside of the Easter service which I attended in Cambridge - for such an ecstatic moment in verily a grand church, would you believe that it was only attended by at most three dozen spirited ones. The people of England, and Europe in general, have, it is my hope, only locked away the Word, relegating it to the quiet vault of their hearts. May it be taken out in the sudden pause before mealtimes and in the still crisp mornings and cool, silent nights. There is still hope for a revival in this place, for faith to rise like that splendid sun every morning. God would love to rescue them, to deliver them in this day, it is certain.
I wonder what Londoners think, if anything at all, about their police state which, like a vine in the shadows, has taken root in all corners of daily life, from the terrorist notifications in the underground, which implore Londoners to report all things suspicious, to the pair of dogs which eagerly stroll through Euston. What makes this all the more incredible is the fact that even the United States, the indomitable nemesis of the fledgling, rebel order, doesn't dare bombard its citizens with such fear mongering these days, especially with Obama in office; maybe we've grown wise in these past few years to the dubious returns of surrendering civil liberties to the state, of having our bags checked everywhere - London Eye; Hairspray; and The Royal Opera House check bags in London while the museums do not; somehow, that doesn't add up for me.
I'm in a majestic bookshop on New Street in Birmingham, and certainly to confirm my suspicions, there are just as many books on the death of Christianity in Britain as there are books which attempt to murder Christianity everywhere. I did find, however, a nice biography on John Wesley by Roy Hattersley and The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I may pick up the former.
Lunch with Sally was pleasant and mirthful. We dined at a French restaurant nearby New Street - yes, Birmingham is a cultural capitol! Sally and I both tried their omelette, while her boyfriend had the fish, without chips. Conversation was light, the levity was there and so was our reminiscing about those fleeting moments during our first year in Hong Kong; it is amazing how friendships can resume so suddenly with a smile. On their recommendation, I am on my way to Warwick Castle - they also suggested that I visit Cadbury World, but they cannot take on additional visitors at the moment, the tourist office staff informed me, much to my disappointment!
Visiting Warwick Castle really made for a great day out. The castle, parts of which were established by William the Conquerer in 1068, is as much a kitschy tourist trap as a meticulous preservation of history, at times a sillier version of Ocean Park while at others a dignified dedication to a most glorious, inexorably English past. The castle caters to all visitors; and not surprisingly, that which delighted all audiences was a giant trebuchet siege engine, which for the five p.m. performance hurled a fireball high and far into the air - fantastic! Taliban beware!
15.4.09
I'm leaving on a jet plane this evening; don't know when I'll be back in England again. I'll miss this quirky, yet endearing place; and that I shall miss Irene and Tom who so generously welcomed me into their home, fed me, and suffered my use of their toilet and shower goes without saying. I'm grateful for God's many blessings on this trip.
On the itinerary today is a trip to John Wesley's home, followed by a visit to the Imperial War Museum. Already this morning I picked up a tube of Oilatum, a week late perhaps, which Teri recommended I use to treat this obstinate, dermal weakness of mine - I'm happy to report that my skin has stopped crying.
John Wesley's home is alive and well. Services are still held in the chapel everyday; and its crypt, so far from being a cellar for the dead, is a bright, spacious museum in which all things Wesley are on display - I never realized how much of an iconic figure he became in England; at the height of this idol frenzy, ironic in itself, he must have been as popular as the Beatles were at their apex. The house itself is a multi-story edifice with narrow, precipitous staircases and spacious rooms decorated in an 18th century fashion.
I found Samuel Johnson's house within a maze of red brick hidden alongside Fleet Street. To be in the home of the man who wrote the English dictionary, and whose indefatigable love for obscure words became the inspiration for my own lexical obsession, this, by far, is the climax of my visit to England! The best certainly has been saved for last.
There are a multitude of portraits hanging around the house like ornaments on a tree. Every likeness has its own story, meticulously retold on the crib sheets in each room. Celebrities abound, including David Garrick and Sir Joshua Reynolds, who painted several of the finer images in the house. I have developed a particular affinity for Oliver Goldsmith, of whom Boswell writes, "His person was short, his countenance coarse and vulgar, his deportment that of a scholar awkwardly affecting the easy gentleman. It appears as though I, too, could use a more flattering description of myself!
I regretfully couldn't stop to try the curry in England; I guess the CityU canteen's take on the dish will have to do. I did, however, have the opportune task of flirting with the cute Cathay Pacific counter staff who checked me in. She was gorgeous in red, light powder on her cheeks, with real diamond earrings, she said; and her small, delicate face, commanded by a posh British accent rendered her positively irresistible, electrifying. Not only did she grant me an aisle seat but she had the gumption to return my fawning with zest; she must be a pro at this by now.
I saw her again as she was pulling double-duty, collecting tickets prior to boarding. She remembered my quest for curry; and in the fog of infatuation, where nary a man has been made, I fumbled my words like the sloppy kid who has had too much punch. I am just an amateur, alas, an "Oliver Goldsmith" with the ladies - I got no game - booyah!
Some final, consequential bits: because of the chavs, Burberry no longer sells those fashionable baseball caps; because of the IRA, rubbish bins are no longer a commodity on the streets of London, and as a result, the streets and the Underground of the city are a soiled mess; and because of other terrorists from distant, more arid lands, going through a Western airport has taken on the tedium of perfunctory procedure that doesn't make me feel any safer from my invisible enemies.
At last, I saw so many Indians working at Heathrow that I could have easily mistaken the place for Mumbai. Their presence surprised me because their portion of the general population surely must be less than their portion of Heathrow staff, indicating some mysterious hiring bias. Regardless, they do a superb job with cursory airport checks, and in general are absurdly funny and witty when not tactless.
That's all for England!
While waking along - this sign made me stop and think - something I should do more of. (I spend too much time as a practicing acognitive)
Buddhism - Hurt not others in ways that you yourself find hurtful.
Bahai - Blessed are those who prefer others before themselves
Islam - No one is a believer until you desire for another that which you desire for yourself
From Shared belief in the Golden Rule
Some "Ethic of Reciprocity" passages from the religious texts of various religions and secular beliefs:
Bahá'í Faith:
"Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not." "Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself." Baha'u'llah
"And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." Epistle to the Son of the Wolf
Brahmanism: "This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you". Mahabharata, 5:1517 "
Buddhism:
"...a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?" Samyutta NIkaya v. 353
Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." Udana-Varga 5:18
Christianity:
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12, King James Version.
"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31, King James Version.
"...and don't do what you hate...", Gospel of Thomas 6. The Gospel of Thomas is one of about 40 gospels that were widely accepted among early Christians, but which never made it into the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).
Confucianism:
"Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you" Analects 15:23
"Tse-kung asked, 'Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?' Confucius replied, 'It is the word 'shu' -- reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.'" Doctrine of the Mean 13.3
"Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence." Mencius VII.A.4
Ancient Egyptian:
"Do for one who may do for you, that you may cause him thus to do." The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 109 - 110 Translated by R.B. Parkinson. The original dates to 1970 to 1640 BCE and may be the earliest version ever written.
Hinduism:
This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you. Mahabharata 5:1517
Humanism:
"(5) Humanists acknowledge human interdependence, the need for mutual respect and the kinship of all humanity."
"(11) Humanists affirm that individual and social problems can only be resolved by means of human reason, intelligent effort, critical thinking joined with compassion and a spirit of empathy for all living beings. "
"Don't do things you wouldn't want to have done to you, British Humanist Society. 3
Islam: "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." Number 13 of Imam "Al-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths."
Jainism:
"Therefore, neither does he [a sage] cause violence to others nor does he make others do so." Acarangasutra 5.101-2.
"In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self." Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara
"A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated. "Sutrakritanga 1.11.33
Judaism:
"...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.", Leviticus 19:18
"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary." Talmud, Shabbat 31a.
"And what you hate, do not do to any one." Tobit 4:15 6
Native American Spirituality:
"Respect for all life is the foundation." The Great Law of Peace.
"All things are our relatives; what we do to everything, we do to ourselves. All is really One." Black Elk
"Do not wrong or hate your neighbor. For it is not he who you wrong, but yourself." Pima proverb.
Roman Pagan Religion: "The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves."
Shinto:
"The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form"
"Be charitable to all beings, love is the representative of God." Ko-ji-ki Hachiman Kasuga
Sikhism:
Compassion-mercy and religion are the support of the entire world". Japji Sahib
"Don't create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone." Guru Arjan Devji 259
"No one is my enemy, none a stranger and everyone is my friend." Guru Arjan Dev : AG 1299
Sufism: "The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven't the will to gladden someone's heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone's heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this." Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order.
Taoism:
"Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien.
"The sage has no interest of his own, but takes the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind; he is also kind to the unkind: for Virtue is kind. He is faithful to the faithful; he is also faithful to the unfaithful: for Virtue is faithful." Tao Teh Ching, Chapter 49
Unitarian:
"The inherent worth and dignity of every person;"
"Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.... "
"The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;"
"We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Unitarian principles.
Wicca: "An it harm no one, do what thou wilt" (i.e. do what ever you will, as long as it harms nobody, including yourself). One's will is to be carefully thought out in advance of action. This is called the Wiccan Rede
Yoruba: (Nigeria): "One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts."
Zoroastrianism:
"That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself". Dadistan-i-dinik 94:5
"Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others." Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29
Some philosophers' statements are:
Epictetus: "What you would avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on others." (circa 100 CE)
Kant: "Act as if the maxim of thy action were to become by thy will a universal law of nature."
Plato: "May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me." (Greece; 4th century BCE)
Socrates: "Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you." (Greece; 5th century BCE)
Seneca: "Treat your inferiors as you would be treated by your superiors," Epistle 47:11 (Rome; 1st century CE)
i09_0104 140
181,246 items / 1,429,372 views
The CROSS
The Indian Christian Church (Clergy & Laity) Initiative
Sub: Request to Announce & Cover Good Friday, 22nd April, 2011, 10.30am to 2.30 pm.
Place: Sacred Heart Church, Khar (W), Mumbai 10.30 am onwards
24th Annual Lenten Walking Pilgrimage
Thousands to Walk in Prayer & ProtestGood Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday. It commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary.
Original Events of Good Friday
According to the New Testament, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane by the Temple Guards through the guidance of his disciple, Judas Iscariot. Judas received money for betraying Jesus. He told the guards that whomever he kisses is the one they are to arrest. Jesus was brought to the house of Annas, who is the father-in-law of the current high priest, Caiaphas. There he is interrogated with little result, and sent bound to Caiaphas the high priest, where the Sanhedron had assembled (John 18:1-24).
Conflicting testimony against Jesus is brought forth by many witnesses, to which Jesus answers nothing. Finally the high priest adjures Jesus to respond under solemn oath, saying "I adjure you, by the Living God, to tell us, are you the Anointed One, the Son of God?" Jesus testifies in the affirmative, "You have said it, and in time you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Almighty, coming on the clouds of Heaven." The high priest condemns Jesus for blasphemy, and the Sanhedron concurs with a sentence of death (Matthew 26:57-66). Peter also denies Jesus three times during the interrogations. Jesus already knew that Peter would deny him three times.
In the morning, the whole assembly brings Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, under charges of subverting the nation, opposing taxes to Caesar, and making himself a king (Luke 23:1-2). Pilate authorizes the Jewish leaders to judge Jesus according to their own Law and execute sentencing, however the Jewish leaders reply that they are not allowed by the Romans to carry out a sentence of death (John 18:31).
Pilate questions Jesus, and tells the assembly that there is no basis for sentencing. Upon learning that Jesus is from Galilee, Pilate refers the case to the ruler of Galilee, King Herod, who was in Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. Herod questions Jesus but receives no answer; Herod sends Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate tells the assembly that neither he nor Herod have found guilt in Jesus; Pilate resolves to have Jesus whipped and released (Luke 23:3-16).
It was a custom during the feast of Passover for the Romans to release one prisoner as requested by the Jews. Pilate asks the crowd who they would like to be released. Under the guidance of the chief priests, the crowd asks for Barabbas, who had been imprisoned for committing murder during an insurrection. Pilate asks what they would have him do with Jesus, and they demand, "Crucify him" (Mark 15:6-14). Pilate's wife had seen Jesus in a dream earlier that day; she forewarns Pilate to "have nothing to do with this righteous man" (Matthew 27:19).
Pilate has Jesus flogged, then brings him out to the crowd to release him. The chief priests inform Pilate of a new charge, demanding Jesus be sentenced to death "because he claimed to be God's son." This possibility filled Pilate with fear, and he brought Jesus back inside the palace and demanded to know from where he came (John 19:1-9).
Coming before the crowd one last time, Pilate declares Jesus innocent, washing his own hands in water to show he has no part in this condemnation. Nevertheless, Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified in order to forestall a riot (Matthew 27:24-26). The sentence written is "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Jesus carries his cross to the site of execution (assisted by Simon of Cyrene), called the place of the Skull, or "Golgotha" in Hebrew and "Calvary" in Latin. There he is crucified along with two criminals (John 19:17-22).
Jesus agonizes on the cross for three hours, during which there is darkness over the whole land.[1] With a loud cry, Jesus gives up his spirit. There is an earthquake, tombs break open, and the curtain in the Temple is torn from top to bottom. The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declares, "Truly this was God's Son!" (Matthew 27:45-54)
Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and secret follower of Jesus, who had not consented to his condemnation, goes to Pilate to request the body of Jesus (Luke 23:50-52). Pilate asks confirmation from the centurion whether Jesus is dead (Mark 15:44). A soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a lance causing blood and water to flow out (John 19:34), and the centurian informs Pilate that Jesus is dead (Mark 15:45).
Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus, wraps it in a clean linen shroud, and places it in his own new tomb that had been carved in the rock (Matthew 27:59-60) in a garden near the site of crucifixion. Another secret follower of Jesus and member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus (John 3:1) also came bringing 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, and places them in the linen with the body of Jesus, according to Jewish burial customs (John 19:39-40). They rolled a large rock over the entrance of the tomb (Matthew 27:60). Then they returned home and rested, because at sunset began the Sabbath (Luke 23:54-56).
On the third day, Sunday, which is now known as Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead
In the Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church treats Good Friday as a fast day, which in the Latin Rite Church is understood as having only one full meal (but smaller than a regular meal) and two collations (a smaller repast, two of which together do not equal one full meal). In countries where Good Friday is not a day of rest from work, the afternoon liturgical service is usually put off until a few hours after the recommended time of 3 p.m.
Crucifix prepared for veneration on Good Friday.The Roman Rite has no celebration of Mass after that of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening until that of the Easter Vigil, and the only sacraments celebrated are Penance and Anointing of the Sick.[2] While there is no celebration of the Eucharist, Holy Communion is distributed to the faithful only in the Service of the Passion of the Lord, but can be taken at any hour to the sick who are unable to attend this service.[3]
The altar remains completely bare, without cross, candlesticks or altar cloths.[4] It is customary to empty the holy water fonts in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil.[5] Traditionally, no bells are rung on Good Friday or Holy Saturday until the Easter Vigil.
The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord takes place in the afternoon, ideally at three o'clock, but for pastoral reasons a later hour may be chosen.[6] The vestments used are red.[7] Before 1970, they were black except for the Communion part of the rite, for which violet was used,[8] and before 1955 black was used throughout.[9]If a bishop celebrates, he wears a plain mitre.[10]
The liturgy consists of three parts: the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion.
The first part, the Liturgy of the Word, consists of the reading or chanting of Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9, and the Passion account from the Gospel of John, which is often divided between more than one singer or reader. This part concludes with a series of prayers: for the Church, the Pope, the clergy and laity of the Church, those preparing for baptism, the unity of Christians, the Jewish people, those who do not believe in Christ, those who do not believe in God, those in public office, those in special need.[11]
The second part of the Good Friday liturgy is the Veneration of the Cross: a crucifix, not necessarily the one that is normally on or near the altar at other times, is solemnly displayed to the congregation and then venerated by them, individually if possible, while special chants are sung.[12]
Communion from the Reserved Sacrament on Good Friday (Our Lady of Lourdes, Philadelphia).The third and last part is Holy Communion according to a rite based on that of the final part of Mass, from the Our Father on. The Eucharist, consecrated at the Mass of Holy Thursday is distributed at this service.[13] Before the reform of Pope Pius XII, only the priest received Communion in the framework of what was called the "Mass of the Presanctified", which included the usual Offertory prayers, with the placing of wine in the chalice, but which omitted the Canon of the Mass.[14]
Priest and people then depart in silence, and the altar cloth is removed, leaving the altar bare except for the cross and two or four candlesticks.[15]
The Way of the Cross, celebrated at the Colloseum in Rome on Good Friday.In addition to the prescribed liturgical service, the Stations of the Cross are often prayed either in the church or outside, and a prayer service may be held from midday to 3.00 p.m., known as the Three Hours' Agony. In countries such as Malta, Italy, Philippines and Spain, processions with statues representing the Passion of Christ are held.
In Polish churches, a tableau of Christ's Tomb is unveiled in the sanctuary. Many of the faithful spend long hours into the night grieving at the Tomb, where it is customary to kiss the wounds on the Lord's body. A life-size figure of Christ lying in his tomb is widely visited by the faithful, especially on Holy Saturday. The tableaux may include flowers, candles, figures of angels standing watch, and the three crosses atop Mt Calvary, and much more. Each parish strives to come up with the most artistically and religiously evocative arrangement in which the Blessed Sacrament, draped in a filmy veil, is prominently displayed.
[edit] Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ
El Greco's Jesus Carrying the Cross, 1580.The Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for the sufferings and insults that Jesus suffered during His Passion on Good Friday. These Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ do not involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair the sins against Jesus. Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of 1854, and published by the Holy See in 1898) which also includes prayers as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.[16][17][18][19]
In his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor on reparations, Pope Pius XI called Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ a duty for Catholics and refered to them as "some sort of compensation to be rendered for the injury" with respect to the sufferings of Jesus.[20]
Pope John Paul II referred to Acts of Reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".[21]
[edit] An example: Malta
The statue of Our Lady of Sorrows (or La Pietà) used during the Good Friday procession, Żejtun, MaltaThe Holy Week commemorations reach their peak on Good Friday as the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the passion of Jesus. Solemn celebrations take place in all churches together with processions in different villages around Malta and Gozo. During the celebration, the narrative of the passion is read in some localities. The Adoration of the Cross follows. Good Friday processions take place in Birgu, Bormla, Ghaxaq, Luqa, Mosta, Naxxar, Paola, Qormi, Rabat, Senglea, Valletta, Żebbuġ (Città Rohan) and Żejtun. Processions in Gozo will be in Nadur, Victoria (St. George and Cathedral), Xaghra and Żebbuġ, Gozo.
The following site is about Good Friday Celebration in Valletta, The Capital City of Malta. [22]
[edit] An example: The Philippines
In the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines, the day is commemorated with street processions, the Way of the Cross, and a Passion play called the Senakulo. The Church keeps the day solemn by not tolling the church bells, and no Mass will be celebrated. In some communities (most famously in San Fernando, Pampanga), the processions include devotees who self-flagellate and sometimes even have themselves nailed to crosses as expressions of penance despite health issues and disapproval from the church.[23] After three o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday (the time at which Jesus is traditionally believed to have died), noise is discouraged, some radio stations and television stations sign off, businesses automatically close, and the faithful are urged to keep a very solemn and prayerful disposition through to Easter Sunday.
Major television networks are paid to broadcast events at Roman Catholic parishes. These events include the reading of the Seven Last Words, the recitation of the Stations of the Cross, and the service of the Commemoration of the Lord's Passion.
[edit] Churches of Byzantine tradition
Icon of the Crucifixion, 16th century, by Theophanes the Cretan (Stavronikita Monastery, Mount Athos).Because of the penitence and sorrow associated with the Crucifixion, the Divine Liturgy is never celebrated on Good Friday, which Byzantine Christians (Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholics) call "Holy and Great Friday", except when this day coincides with the feast of the Annunciation (which falls on the fixed date of March 25).
The faithful revisit the events of the day through public reading of the Psalms and Gospels, and singing hymns about Christ's death. Rich visual imagery and symbolism as well as stirring hymnody are remarkable elements of these observances. In the Orthodox understanding, the events of Holy Week are not simply an annual commemoration of past events, but the faithful actually participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Each hour of this day is the new suffering and the new effort of the expiatory suffering of the Savior. And the echo of this suffering is already heard in every word of our worship service - unique and incomparable both in the power of tenderness and feeling and in the depth of the boundless compassion for the suffering of the Savior. The Holy Church opens before the eyes of believers a full picture of the redeeming suffering of the Lord beginning with the bloody sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane up to the crucifixion on Golgotha. Taking us back through the past centuries in thought, the Holy Church brings us to the foot of the cross of Christ erected on Golgotha, and makes us present among the quivering spectators of all the torture of the Savior.[24]
Holy and Great Friday is observed as a strict fast, and adult Byzantine Christians are expected to abstain from all food and drink the entire day to the extent that their health permits. "On this Holy day neither a meal is offered nor do we eat on this day of the crucifixion. If someone is unable or has become very old [or is] unable to fast, he may be given bread and water after sunset. In this way we come to the holy commandment of the Holy Apostles not to eat on Great Friday."[24]
[edit] Matins of Holy and Great Friday
The Byzantine Christian observance of Holy and Great Friday, which is formally known as The Order of Holy and Saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, begins on Thursday night with the Matins of the Twelve Passion Gospels. Scattered throughout this Matins service are twelve readings from all four of the Gospels which recount the events of the Passion from the Last Supper through the Crucifixion the burial of Jesus. The first of these twelve readings John 13:31-18:1 is the longest Gospel reading of the year. Just before the sixth Gospel reading, which recounts Jesus being nailed to the cross, a large cross is carried out of the sanctuary by the priest, accompanied by incense and candles, and is placed in the center of the nave (where the congregation gathers), with a two-dimensional painted icon of the body of Christ (soma or corpus) affixed to it. As the cross is being carried, the priest or a chanter chants a special antiphon:
Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross (three times).
He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns.
He who wraps the heaven in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery.
He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon His face.
The Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails.
The Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear.
We venerate Thy Passion, O Christ (three times).
Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection.[25]
During the service, all come forward to kiss the feet of Christ on the cross. After the Canon, a brief, moving hymn, The Wise Thief is chanted by singers who stand at the foot of the cross in the center of the nave. The service does not end with the First Hour, as usual, but with a special dismissal by the priest.
[edit] Royal Hours
The next day, in the forenoon on Friday, all gather again to pray the Royal Hours, a special expanded celebration of the Little Hours (including the First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Ninth Hour and Typica) with the addition of scripture readings (Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel) and hymns about the Crucifixion at each of the Hours (some of the material from the previous night is repeated). This service is somewhat more festive in character, and derives its name of "Royal" from both the fact that the Hours are served with more solemnity than normal, commemorating Christ the King who humbled himself for the salvation of mankind, and also from the fact that this service was in the past attended by the Emperor and his court.
[edit] Vespers of Holy and Great Friday
The epitaphios ("winding sheet"), depicting the preparation of the body of Jesus for burial.In the afternoon, around the 3 p.m. all gather for the Vespers of the Taking-Down from the Cross, commemorating the Deposition from the Cross. The Gospel reading is a concatenation taken from all four of the Gospels. During the service, the body of Christ (the soma) is removed from the cross, as the words in the Gospel reading mention Joseph of Arimathea, wrapped in a linen shroud, and taken to the altar in the sanctuary. Near the end of the service an epitaphios or "winding sheet" (a cloth embroidered with the image of Christ prepared for burial) is carried in procession to a low table in the nave which represents the Tomb of Christ; it is often decorated with an abundance of flowers. The epitaphios itself represents the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud, and is a roughly full-size cloth icon of the body of Christ. Then the priest may deliver a homily and everyone comes forward to venerate the epitaphios. In the Slavic practice, at the end of Vespers, Compline is immediately served, featuring a special Canon of the Crucifixion of our Lord and the Lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos by Symeon the Logothete.
[edit] Matins of Holy and Great Saturday
The Epitaphios being carried in procession.On Friday night, the Matins of Holy and Great Saturday, a unique service known as the The Lamentation at the Tomb (O Epitaphios Threnos) is celebrated. This service is also sometimes called Jerusalem Matins. Much of the service takes place around the tomb of Christ in the center of the nave. A unique feature of the service is the chanting of the Lamentations or Praises (Engkomia), which consist of verses chanted by the clergy interspersed between the verses of Psalm 119 (which is, by far, the longest psalm in the Bible). At the end of the Great Doxology, while the Trisagion is sung, the epitaphios is taken in procession around the outside the church, and is then returned to the tomb. Some churches observe the practice of holding the epitaphios at the door, above waist level, so the faithful most bow down under it as they come back into the church, symbolizing their entering into the death and resurrection of Christ.
The Troparion (hymn of the day) of Good Friday is:
The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen, and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
The angel came to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb and said:
Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption.
[edit] Anglican Communion
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer did not specify a particular rite to be observed on Good Friday but local custom came to mandate an assortment of services, including the Seven Last Words from the Cross and a three-hour service consisting of Matins, Ante-communion (using the Reserved Sacrament in high church parishes) and Evensong. In recent times revised editions of the Prayer Book and Alternative Service Book have re-introduced pre-Reformation forms of observance of Good Friday corresponding to those in today's Roman Catholic Church, with special nods to the rites that had been observed in the Church of England prior to the Henrican, Edwardian and Elizabethan reforms, including Creeping to the Cross.
[edit] Other Protestant Traditions
Many Protestant communities hold special services on this day as well. In the German Lutheran tradition from the 16th to the 20th century, this was the most important holiday, and abstention from all worldly works was expected. Lutheranism had no restrictions on the celebration of Holy Communion on Good Friday; on the contrary, it was a prime day on which to receive Holy Communion, and services were often accentuated by special music such as the St. Matthew Passion by Lutheran Johann Sebastian Bach. Mid-20th century Lutheran liturgical practice moved away from Holy Communion celebrated on Good Friday, and among the major North American Lutheran bodies today, Holy Communion is not celebrated on Good Friday, but rather on Maundy Thursday. Moravians hold a Lovefeast on Good Friday as they receive Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday. The Methodist Church also commemorates Good Friday with a service of worship, often based on the Seven Last Words from the Cross.[26][27]
Some Baptist, many Sabbatarian and non-denominational churches do not celebrate Good Friday, instead observing the Crucifixion on Wednesday to coincide with the Jewish sacrifice of the Passover Lamb (which Christians believe is an Old Testament pointer to Jesus Christ). A Wednesday Crucifixion of Jesus Christ allows for Christ to be in the tomb (heart of the earth) for three days and three nights as he told the Pharisees he would be (Matthew 12:40), rather than two nights and a day if he died on Friday.
[edit] Customs associated with Good Friday
In many countries with a strong Christian tradition such as Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, the countries of the Caribbean, Germany, Malta, Australia, New Zealand[28][29][30] and the United Kingdom, the day is observed as a public or federal holiday.
In many English-speaking countries, most shops are closed for the day and advertising from television and radio is withdrawn to some degree.
In Canada, banks and government offices (at all levels) and public sector businesses are closed, along with most private sector businesses (except in Quebec).
In Hong Kong, all businesses and government offices are closed for a public holiday.
In the United States, Good Friday is not a government holiday. Private businesses and certain other institutions may close or not for Good Friday, according to their preferences. The stock market is closed on Good Friday. However, the vast majority of businesses are open on Good Friday. Some public schools may incidentally be closed on Good Friday because of the proximity of secular "spring break" holidays. The postal service operates, and banks regulated by the federal government do close for Good Friday.
Hot cross bunsIreland, a predominantly Catholic country, prohibits all alcohol from being sold on Good Friday. The day is a bank holiday, but not a public holiday. All pubs and many restaurants in Ireland close for the duration of the day. It is similar to Christmas Day in this regard. This tradition has come under criticism of late, with secular businesses claiming a loss in earnings by way of a religious festival. Many people cross the border to Northern Ireland to shop or visit pubs or restaurants.
In Germany, comedic theater performances and events which include public dancing are illegal on the day (although this restriction is enforced unevenly); cinemas and television are not affected, although many TV channels show religious material on the day. The enforcement of these rules even on non-Christians has met with increased opposition in the last decade.
In South Africa, the government regulates the opening of businesses and entertainment outlets on this day (as with Christmas Day). All government offices, schools and certain businesses are closed on Good Friday by law. The buying and selling of alcohol is prohibited.
In India, Good Friday is a Central Government as well as a State holiday, although Stock Markets are usually closed. Some other businesses are also closed in states where Christians are in the majority like Assam, Goa, and Kerala (higher percentage of Christians, even though not the majority) but the majority of businesses are open on Good Friday in rest of the country. Most schools are closed on Good Friday.
In Muslim-majority Indonesia, Good Friday is a national holiday. All government offices, schools and certain businesses are closed on Good Friday by law and many newspapers choose not to publish on this day. Public holiday is also observed in Singapore and in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Eastern Orthodox Christians are not supposed to eat at all on this day and the next, while the Roman Catholic Church observes fasting and abstinence for this day as well as Ash Wednesday.
In many English speaking countries, hot cross buns are eaten.
In Bermuda, kites are flown. They are often handmade with wooden sticks, colorful tissue paper, glue, and string. The shape of the kite and the use of wood is meant to symbolize the cross that Jesus died on. Also, the kite flying in the sky symbolizes his ascension to heaven.
Traditionally, Roman Catholics are to abstain from eating meat every Friday of the year as penance. Nowadays, this is only a requirement during Fridays of Lent; during Fridays of the rest of the year, other methods of penance may be followed, for example an extra prayer. As a modern tradition, many Roman Catholics (and members of other Christian denominations as well) will eat fish and vegetables on Good Friday.
There is no horse racing on Good Friday in the UK. However, in 2008, betting shops will open for the first time. The BBC has for many years introduced its 7 am News broadcast on Radio 4 on Good Friday with a verse from Isaac Watts' hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross".
In Sweden, Good Friday - as well as Easter Monday - is a national holiday. Some shops are open a few hours in the morning. People not particularly religious use Good Friday as a day of meeting relatives. The biggest community, Church of Sweden, does not celebrate Mass and therefore no Eucharist is distributed. Linked below is an English description of the Good Friday service. [31]
In Louisiana, the Cajuns have a tradition to not dig in the dirt on Good Friday.[citation needed]
[edit] Calculating the Date of Good Friday
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, which is calculated differently in Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity (see Computus for details). Easter falls on the first Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon, the full moon on or after 21 March, taken to be the date of the vernal equinox. The Western calculation uses the Gregorian calendar, while the Eastern calculation uses the Julian calendar, whose 21 March now corresponds to the Gregorian calendar's 3 April. The calculations for identifying the date of the full moon also differ. See Easter Dating Method (Astronomical Society of South Australia).
Châteaudun (Eure-et-Loir) - Le château - Aile Longueville - Appartements du duc - Tenture de l'Ancien Testament (XVIIe) (4/7)
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%c3%a2teau_de_Ch%c3%a2teaudun#Ten...
This stained glass window, showing Old Testament scenes, was made in 1610 by the glass-painters Richard Butler of Southwark, 'Lewis Dolphin, a French painter' (probably Louis Dauphin) and Martin van Bentheim of Emden, Holland. At Hatfield House, Hertfordshire.
The scenes depicted, starting at the top and looking from left to right, are as follows:
Visit of the Angel to Abraham; Moses in the bulrushes; Solomon and the Queen of Sheba;
Jacob's dream;
Jonah and the whale;
Passover of the Israelites; Samson and Delilah;
Abraham offering up Isaac; Naaman in the River Jordan; David and Goliath;
Elisha raising the son of the Shunamite woman;
and Elijah in the fiery chariot.
Hand stitched and bound shibori techniques on habotai silk
Image: Pinegate Photographics, Cardiff
Endogenous, meaning ‘from within’, refers to her own Endogenous Depression, but also to the act of giving her inner-most feelings a physical form. This series of sculptures has become the means by which she externalises her continuing battle with depression. Whilst the sculptures represent her inner self, bound by the constraints of depression, their inherent purity and beauty are a testament to the new confidence and inner peace she has gained through her art.
The act of hand stitching and binding the fabric is as important to her as the resulting sculpture. The concept of “the hand healing the mind” is a significant aspect of her work; the repetitive rhythmical action of stitching or binding the cloth being a meditative one. By becoming “one with the cloth” one is taken out of oneself. The act of engaging with the cloth removes one from depressive self-absorption. The realisation of her own depression has led to her preoccupation with how other sufferers envision their own condition. Her resolve is to explore/record these through an extensive series of sculptural pieces.
Her work records the actions found within shibori; stitching, binding, gathering, manipulating and folding - not through the expected dye process, but purely as texture and form. It was whilst in Japan as part of her Embroiderers' Guild mature scholarship studies (May/June 2002) that she first observed the artisans who had spent their entire lives manipulating cloth prior to its being dyed. As a trained musician, she was fascinated to see that the repetitive shibori actions were not only represented on the cloth as pattern and texture, but were also imprinted upon the artisans hands and minds. She wished to learn more about these traditional techniques in order that these skills would not be lost with the passing generations, whilst at the same time developing her own personal shibori vocabulary suitable for the 21st Century.
"In him the Old Testament finds its fitting close. He brought the noble line of patriarchs and prophets to its promised fulfilment. What the divine goodness had offered as a promise to them, he held in his arms."
- From a sermon by Saint Bernardine of Siena
19 March is the Solemnity of St Joseph, and this statue is in St Dominic's Priory, London.
En la "Historia del Antiguo y Nuevo Testamento y de los Judíos" escrita en Francia por el benedictino Agustín Calmet, que se tradujo al español en los primeros años del siglo XIX, se dice: "No se sabe el tiempo de su muerte; pero convienen muchos en el sentir de que fue martirizado y crucificado. Unos dicen que fue atado a un árbol; otros añaden que fue un olivo; muchos a una cruz ordinaria; otros con la cabeza hacia abaxo; otros a una cruz llamada de San Andrés, que tiene la figura de un aspa; unos creen que fue clavado, y otros atado con cordeles para que viviera más tiempo". Y, considerando que todas estas afirmaciones son dudosas, concluye que la tradición de que fue crucificado no hubiera perdurado si no fuera cierta.
books.google.es/books?id=rIqtaGXIa1UC&pg=PA68&lpg...
En la "Leyenda dorada" (ca. 1264) a Andrés "lo ataron por los pies y las manos a una cruz; no lo clavaron a ella para que tardara más en morir y sus padecimientos fueran más prolongados". El relato está claramente basado en los apócrifos "Hechos de Andrés", cuyos textos más antiguos de los conservados nos llevan al siglo X y hablan simplemente de una cruz a la que el apóstol es atado por "los pies y las axilas", cuidándose de especificar: "sin clavarle las manos ni los pies, y sin quebrarle las articulaciones" ("Hechos apócrifos de los Apóstoles", Vol. I, BAC, Madrid, 2004, p. 221)
He leído referencias de que en el siglo XII ya se le identifica por la cruz en aspa; no he podido constatarlas. A principios del siglo XIV se le representa así en pinturas de la catedral de Norwich, al este de Inglaterra y en el también inglés salterio de Lutrell (ca.1330).
Lo cierto es que no hay apoyo documental para la cruz en aspa que triunfó en la iconografía desde entonces, quizás porque facilitaba su identificación. La asociación de la "X" que dibuja el aspa con Χριστός (Cristo, Mesías) podría ayudar; algo así como muerto en la cruz por Cristo, pero es sólo una conjetura.
La catedral de Tuy se consagra en torno a 1225, pero la torre (torre de San Andrés) en la que está esta figura se añade en 1419 por el obispo Juan Fernández de Sotomayor. La factura de la figura puede no corresponder a esta fecha y su reutilización es hipotéticamente posible, pero no parece serlo el que sea la de un "caballero templario" como afirma Wikipedia, porque en la fecha de levantamiento de la torre la orden llevaba un siglo disuelta (1312). Por otra parte, una de las estatuas columna de la fachada occidental (que también presentan interpretaciones distintas y se llega a decir que una de ellas es la de la Reina de Saba), es muy similar a ésta, portando el personaje una cruz latina con Cristo crucificado, esta vez en la posición clásica, y, donde unos hablan de San Andrés, otros lo hacen de Jeremías sin que tampoco conozca las razones de esta afirmación.
Sea como sea, es singular la representación de la crucifixión de brazos invertidos (que no de cruz invertida) y, aunque ya estaba en mi galería, ahora está limpia de los verdines que la afeaban y me sirve para felicitar a todos los Andrés y Andreas que hoy celebran su onomástica.