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La basilica di San Francesco in Assisi, è il luogo che dal 1230 conserva e custodisce le spoglie mortali del Santo serafico. Voluta da papa Gregorio IX quale specialis ecclesia[1], venne insignita dallo stesso Pontefice del titolo di Caput et Mater dell'Ordine minoritico[2] e contestualmente affidata in perpetuo agli stessi frati.
Nella complessa storia che ha segnato l'evoluzione dell'Ordine, la basilica (e l'annesso Sacro Convento) fu sempre custodita dai cosiddetti "frati della comunità", il gruppo che andò in seguito a costituire l'Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali.
Nell'anno 2000, insieme ad altri siti francescani del circondario, la basilica è stata inserita nella Lista del patrimonio dell'umanità dell'UNESCO.
Il 16 luglio del 1228, a soli due anni dalla morte, Francesco venne proclamato santo da papa Gregorio IX; il giorno dopo, 17 luglio, lo stesso Pontefice e il rappresentante dell'Ordine minoritico, frate Elia da Cortona, posero la prima pietra per la costruzione di quella imponente basilica.
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A Basílica de São Francisco de Assis, na região italiana da Úmbria, é a igreja-mãe da Ordem Franciscana e um Patrimônio da Humanidade desde 2000.
A construção da basílica começou logo após a canonização de Francisco em 1228. Simone di Pucciarello doou o local para a igreja, uma colina a oeste da cidade de Assis, conhecida como Colina do Inferno (onde os criminosos eram mortos). Hoje, o local é conhecido como Colina do Paraíso. A pedra fundamental foi posta pelo Papa Gregório IX, em 17 de Julho de 1228. A igreja foi projetada e supervisionada pelo irmão Elia Bombardone, um dos primeiros seguidores do santo. A basílica inferior foi terminada em 1230.
No dia de Pentecostes, em 25 de Maio de 1230, o corpo de Francisco foi trazido para o local. A construção da basílica superior começou logo após 1239 e foi finalizada em 1253. Sua arquitetura é uma síntese do Românico e do Gótico Italiano. As igrejas foram decoradas pelos maiores artistas daquele tempo, vindos de Roma, Toscana e Úmbria. A igreja inferior tem afrescos de Cimabue e Giotto; na igreja superior está uma série de afrescos com cenas da vida de São Francisco, também atribuída a Giotto e seus seguidores. A Basílica é administrada pelos Frades Menores Conventuais (OFM Conv.). Os Frades Franciscanos Conventuais são os gardiães dos restos mortais do Santo de Assis.
No dia 26 de setembro de 1997, Assis foi atingida por dois fortes terremotos que danificaram severamente a basílica (parte do teto dela ruiu durante o segundo tremor, destruindo um afresco de Cimabue) que passou dois anos fechada para restauração.
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The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Francesco, Latin: Basilica Sancti Francisci Assisiensis) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor—commonly known as the Franciscan Order—in Assisi, Italy, the city where St. Francis was born and died. The basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The interior of the Upper Church is an important early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period.
Quiet times in Hallstatt because of the coronavirus pandemic in August 2020.
View Halstättersee.
Swan paddle boats Hallstättersee.
Schwan Tretboot Hallstättersee.
Vaults and keystone of St. Marienkirche" (St. Mary's Church), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary's_Church,_L%c3%bcbeck about St. Marienkirche:---
The Lutheran Marienkirche (St. Mary's church) in Lübeck (German: Lübecker Marienkirche or officially St. Marien zu Lübeck: St. Mary's of Lübeck) was constructed between 1250 and 1350. For many years it has been a symbol of the power and prosperity of the old Hanseatic city, and as Germany's third largest church it remains the tallest building of the old part of Lübeck. It is larger than Lübeck Cathedral. Along with the city, the church has been listed by UNESCO as of cultural significance.
It is a model for the brick Gothic style of northern Germany, reflected in approximately 70 churches in the Baltic Area. In Lübeck, the high-rising Gothic style of France was adapted to north German brick. At 38.5 meters (125 ft) the church has the highest brick vault in the world. Taking the weather vanes into account, the towers are 124.95 meters (406 ft) and 124.75 meters (405.5 ft) high.
St. Mary's is located in the merchant's borough, which stretches from the docks of the River Trave all the way up to the church itself. It is the main church of the local council and the people of Lübeck, and was erected near the market and town hall. (...)
On the night of Palm Sunday from 28 to 29 March 1942, the church was almost completely burnt out during an Allied bombing raid along with about a fifth of Lübeck city centre, including the Lübeck Cathedral and St. Peter's Church. (...) Reconstruction began in 1947, and, in 12 years, the majority was complete.
---end of quotation---
The old city center of Lübeck is in great parts inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. A plan of the inscribed zones can be found here: whc.unesco.org/download.cfm?id_document=102311
---quotation from whc.unesco.org:---
Lübeck – the former capital and Queen City of the Hanseatic League – was founded in the 12th century and prospered until the 16th century as the major trading centre for northern Europe. It has remained a centre for maritime commerce to this day, particularly with the Nordic countries. Despite the damage it suffered during the Second World War, the basic structure of the old city, consisting mainly of 15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, public monuments (the famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, remains unaltered.
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Sightseeing tour with Seppo and Merja on 15 September 2013.
Gargoyle in the cloister of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hieronymites Monastery), Belém, Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal.
The Hieronymites Monastery (official name: Mosteiro da Santa Maria de Belém), located near the shore of Rio Tejo (Tagus river), is one of the most prominent monuments of the Manueline style architecture. Along with the predominant Manueline style, there are also elements of the Spanish Plateresque style, and of Renaissance style.
The monastery was built by order of Manuel I. shortly after Vasco da Gama had returned from his first journey to India. The building was financed with the money now rolling in from the overseas trade. Work began in 1502 and ended in 1544 (except for some extensions that were added later).
Up to 1834, the monastery gave home to the order of the Hieronymites (that's where it's got its name from). The building survived the great earthquake of 1755 without larger damage, but was ravaged by Napoleon's troops in the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1983, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was - together with the nearby Torre de Belém (Bélem tower) - inscribed on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
On December 13, 2007, the Treaty of Lisbon was signed at the monastery, laying down the basis for the reform of the European Union.
----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about the cloister----
Work on the vast square cloister (55 x 55 m) of the monastery was begun by Boitac. He built the groin vaults with wide arches and windows with tracery resting on delicate mullions. Juan de Castilho finished the construction by giving the lower storey a classical overlay and building a more recessed upper-storey. The construction of such a cloister was a novelty at the time. Castilho changed the original round columns of Boitac into rectangular ones, and embellished it with Plateresque-style ornamentation. Each wing consists of six bays with tracery vaults. The four inner bays rest on massive buttresses, forming broad arcades. The corner bays are linked by a diagonal arched construction and show the richly decorated corner pillars. The cloister had a religious function as well as a representative function by its decorative ornamentation and the dynastic symbolic motives, such as the armillarium, coat-of-arms, and the cross from the Order of Christ, showing the growing world power of Portugal.
The inside walls of the cloister have a wealth of Manueline motives with nautical elements, in addition to European, Moorish and Eastern motifs. The round arches and the horizontal structure are clearly in line with the Renaissance style, while at the same time there is also a relationship with Spanish architecture. The decorations on the outer walls of the inner courtyard were made in Plateresco style by Castilho: the arcades include traceried arches that give the construction a filigree aspect.
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-----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Manueline style-----
Several elements appear regularly in these intricately carved stoneworks:
- elements used on ships: the armillary sphere (a navigational instrument and the personal emblem of Manuel I and also symbol of the cosmos), spheres, anchors, anchor chains, ropes and cables.
- elements from the sea, such as shells, pearls and strings of seaweed.
- botanical motifs such as laurel branches, oak leaves, acorns, poppy capsules, corncobs, thistles.
- symbols of Christianity such as the cross of the Order of Christ (former Templar knights), the military order that played a prominent role and helped finance the first voyages of discovery. The cross of this order decorated the sails of the Portuguese ships.
- elements from newly discovered lands (such as the tracery in the Claustro Real in the Monastery of Batalha, suggesting Islamic filigree work, influenced by buildings in India)
- columns carved like twisted strands of rope
- semicircular arches (instead of Gothic pointed arches) of doors and windows, sometimes consisting of three or more convex curves
- multiple pillars
- eight-sided capitals
- lack of symmetry
- conical pinnacles
- bevelled crenellations
- ornate portals with niches or canopies.
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Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011
La basilica di San Francesco in Assisi, è il luogo che dal 1230 conserva e custodisce le spoglie mortali del Santo serafico. Voluta da papa Gregorio IX quale specialis ecclesia[1], venne insignita dallo stesso Pontefice del titolo di Caput et Mater dell'Ordine minoritico[2] e contestualmente affidata in perpetuo agli stessi frati.
Nella complessa storia che ha segnato l'evoluzione dell'Ordine, la basilica (e l'annesso Sacro Convento) fu sempre custodita dai cosiddetti "frati della comunità", il gruppo che andò in seguito a costituire l'Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali.
Nell'anno 2000, insieme ad altri siti francescani del circondario, la basilica è stata inserita nella Lista del patrimonio dell'umanità dell'UNESCO.
Il 16 luglio del 1228, a soli due anni dalla morte, Francesco venne proclamato santo da papa Gregorio IX; il giorno dopo, 17 luglio, lo stesso Pontefice e il rappresentante dell'Ordine minoritico, frate Elia da Cortona, posero la prima pietra per la costruzione di quella imponente basilica.
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A Basílica de São Francisco de Assis, na região italiana da Úmbria, é a igreja-mãe da Ordem Franciscana e um Patrimônio da Humanidade desde 2000.
A construção da basílica começou logo após a canonização de Francisco em 1228. Simone di Pucciarello doou o local para a igreja, uma colina a oeste da cidade de Assis, conhecida como Colina do Inferno (onde os criminosos eram mortos). Hoje, o local é conhecido como Colina do Paraíso. A pedra fundamental foi posta pelo Papa Gregório IX, em 17 de Julho de 1228. A igreja foi projetada e supervisionada pelo irmão Elia Bombardone, um dos primeiros seguidores do santo. A basílica inferior foi terminada em 1230.
No dia de Pentecostes, em 25 de Maio de 1230, o corpo de Francisco foi trazido para o local. A construção da basílica superior começou logo após 1239 e foi finalizada em 1253. Sua arquitetura é uma síntese do Românico e do Gótico Italiano. As igrejas foram decoradas pelos maiores artistas daquele tempo, vindos de Roma, Toscana e Úmbria. A igreja inferior tem afrescos de Cimabue e Giotto; na igreja superior está uma série de afrescos com cenas da vida de São Francisco, também atribuída a Giotto e seus seguidores. A Basílica é administrada pelos Frades Menores Conventuais (OFM Conv.). Os Frades Franciscanos Conventuais são os gardiães dos restos mortais do Santo de Assis.
No dia 26 de setembro de 1997, Assis foi atingida por dois fortes terremotos que danificaram severamente a basílica (parte do teto dela ruiu durante o segundo tremor, destruindo um afresco de Cimabue) que passou dois anos fechada para restauração.
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The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Francesco, Latin: Basilica Sancti Francisci Assisiensis) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor—commonly known as the Franciscan Order—in Assisi, Italy, the city where St. Francis was born and died. The basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The interior of the Upper Church is an important early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period.
Painted gable of a house on Wenceslas Square (Czech: Václavské náměstí), New Town (Nové Město), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.
The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616
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Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.
Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.
The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.
Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.
In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.
As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.
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End of citation
UNESCO World Heritage - Porto - Ota - Gulf of Porto - Les Calanches De Piana / Calanche Of Piana / Calanques De Piana - Parc Naturel Régional De Corse / Regional Natural Park Of Corsica - Corse Du Sud - Corsica - France
La basilica di San Francesco in Assisi, è il luogo che dal 1230 conserva e custodisce le spoglie mortali del Santo serafico. Voluta da papa Gregorio IX quale specialis ecclesia[1], venne insignita dallo stesso Pontefice del titolo di Caput et Mater dell'Ordine minoritico[2] e contestualmente affidata in perpetuo agli stessi frati.
Nella complessa storia che ha segnato l'evoluzione dell'Ordine, la basilica (e l'annesso Sacro Convento) fu sempre custodita dai cosiddetti "frati della comunità", il gruppo che andò in seguito a costituire l'Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali.
Nell'anno 2000, insieme ad altri siti francescani del circondario, la basilica è stata inserita nella Lista del patrimonio dell'umanità dell'UNESCO.
Il 16 luglio del 1228, a soli due anni dalla morte, Francesco venne proclamato santo da papa Gregorio IX; il giorno dopo, 17 luglio, lo stesso Pontefice e il rappresentante dell'Ordine minoritico, frate Elia da Cortona, posero la prima pietra per la costruzione di quella imponente basilica.
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A Basílica de São Francisco de Assis, na região italiana da Úmbria, é a igreja-mãe da Ordem Franciscana e um Patrimônio da Humanidade desde 2000.
A construção da basílica começou logo após a canonização de Francisco em 1228. Simone di Pucciarello doou o local para a igreja, uma colina a oeste da cidade de Assis, conhecida como Colina do Inferno (onde os criminosos eram mortos). Hoje, o local é conhecido como Colina do Paraíso. A pedra fundamental foi posta pelo Papa Gregório IX, em 17 de Julho de 1228. A igreja foi projetada e supervisionada pelo irmão Elia Bombardone, um dos primeiros seguidores do santo. A basílica inferior foi terminada em 1230.
No dia de Pentecostes, em 25 de Maio de 1230, o corpo de Francisco foi trazido para o local. A construção da basílica superior começou logo após 1239 e foi finalizada em 1253. Sua arquitetura é uma síntese do Românico e do Gótico Italiano. As igrejas foram decoradas pelos maiores artistas daquele tempo, vindos de Roma, Toscana e Úmbria. A igreja inferior tem afrescos de Cimabue e Giotto; na igreja superior está uma série de afrescos com cenas da vida de São Francisco, também atribuída a Giotto e seus seguidores. A Basílica é administrada pelos Frades Menores Conventuais (OFM Conv.). Os Frades Franciscanos Conventuais são os gardiães dos restos mortais do Santo de Assis.
No dia 26 de setembro de 1997, Assis foi atingida por dois fortes terremotos que danificaram severamente a basílica (parte do teto dela ruiu durante o segundo tremor, destruindo um afresco de Cimabue) que passou dois anos fechada para restauração.
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The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Francesco, Latin: Basilica Sancti Francisci Assisiensis) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor—commonly known as the Franciscan Order—in Assisi, Italy, the city where St. Francis was born and died. The basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The interior of the Upper Church is an important early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period.
Hiking tour from Queimadas to Caldeirão Verde ("Green cauldron") and (somewhere near) Caldeirão do Inferno ("Cauldron of hell"), island of Madeira, Portugal.
This region of Madeira is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Laurisilva of Madeira.
Madeira is a Portuguese island in the Atlantic ocean, approximately 1000 km (620 mi) southwest of Lisbon and 700 km (435 mi) west of the Moroccan coast. Situated in a hot spot area, Madeira is of volcanic origin, formed during several eruptive phases, the last of which ended around 6500 years ago. Madeira is a very mountainous island. With an extent of only 57 km (35 mi) from west to east and 22 km (14 mi) from north to south, and with the highest mountain having an elevation of 1862 m (6109 ft), the terrain of the island is mostly very rocky and steep, except for the high plateau Paul da Serra.
Madeira is also known as the "island of flowers", although most of the popular "typical" Madeiran flowers (like the bird of paradise flower, the hydrangea, the agapanthus and others) are neither endemic nor native. Some of the genuine Madeiran plants are the "Pride of Madeira" (Echium candicans), Canary Islands Juniper (Juniperus cedrus) and the laurel forests of Madeira (the latter one being listed as UNESCO World Heritage).
Madeira is permeated by artificially built water channels called levadas, which distribute the water from the wetter northern half of the island to the agricultural regions of the south. The levadas, mostly built by prisoners or slaves, were cut into the side of the mountains, partly running through tunnels, and enabled for example the cultivation of sugar cane which was the source of the Madeiran wealth during the 15th to 17th century.
Today most of the levadas are still in use, not only for irrigation but also for hydroelectricity. Running across the whole island, they provide a wide network of walking paths, making even extremely remote regions of the island accessible to pedestrians, which is one of the reasons for Madeira's popularity as a hiking paradise.
Madeira hiking holiday July 2013.
Detail of the Nativity Facade of Sagrada Família, Barcelona, autonomous community Catalonia, Spain.
Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family), commonly called Sagrada Família (Holy Family), is an unfinished Roman Catholic basilica in Barcelona. It was designed by the famous Catalan modernisme architect Antoni Gaudí. Construction works started in 1882 and are estimated to be finished until the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death in 2026 - provided that there'll be enough money, as the construction of Sagrada Família is funded solely by private donations and the entrance fees.
Sagrada Família has a nave with 5 aisles and a transept with 3 aisles. It is surrounded by a cloister. The whole church is adorned with complex ornaments and decorative elements. The columns carrying the hyperboloid vaults are designed to resemble trees and branch out at the top.
According to Gaudí's drafts, the church will have three grand facades and eighteen spires:
Nativity facade and Passion facade are already completed, Glory facade is under construction now.
Twelve of the spires (four of them above each facade, eight of them already completed) will be for the Twelve Apostles, four spires for the four Evangelists, and one spire each for the Virgin Mary and for Jesus Christ. With a height of 170 m it will be the tallest church building in the world.
Together with six other buildings, Gaudí’s work on the Nativity facade and the Crypt of Sagrada Família is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO as Works of Antoni Gaudí.
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Antoni Gaudí:---
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (...25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.
Much of Gaudí's work was marked by his big passions in life: architecture, nature, religion. Gaudí studied every detail of his creations, integrating into his architecture a series of crafts in which he was skilled: ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís, made of waste ceramic pieces.
After a few years under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Catalan Modernista movement which was reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work transcended mainstream Modernisme, culminating in an organic style inspired by nature. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and molding the details as he was conceiving them.
Gaudí’s work enjoys widespread international appeal and many studies are devoted to understanding his architecture. Today, his work finds admirers among architects and the general public alike. His masterpiece, the still-uncompleted Sagrada Família, is one of the most visited monuments in Spain. Between 1984 and 2005, seven of his works were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
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---quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Barcelona:---
Barcelona (...) is the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, with a population of 1,620,943 within its administrative limits on a land area of 101.4 km² (39 sq mi). The urban area of Barcelona extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of around 4.5 million within an area of 803 km² (310 sq mi), being the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, the Ruhr, Madrid and Milan. About five million people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is also the largest metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea. It is located on the Mediterranean coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs and is bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola ridge (512 metres (1,680 ft)).
Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona became the most important city of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean is located in Barcelona. The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expositions and also many international sport tournaments.
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Costa Brava holiday April 2009.
Casa Batlló, Passeig de Gràcia 43, Barcelona, autonomous community Catalonia, Spain.
Casa Batlló is a building by the famous modernisme architect Antoni Gaudí and, together with six of his other works, is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO as "Works of Antoni Gaudí".
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Casa Batlló:---
Casa Batlló (...) is a renowned building located in the heart of Barcelona and is one of Antoni Gaudí’s masterpieces. Casa Batlló is a remodel of a previously built house. It was redesigned in 1904 by Gaudí and has been refurbished several times after that. Casa Batlló evokes the creativity and playfulness of Gaudí’s work through the incracite facades and creative floors. Gaudí's assistants Domènec Sugrañes i Gras, Josep Canaleta and Joan Rubió also contributed to the renovation project.
The local name for the building is Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), as it has a visceral, skeletal organic quality. It was originally designed for a middle-class family and situated in a prosperous district of Barcelona.
The building looks very remarkable — like everything Gaudí designed, only identifiable as Modernisme or Art Nouveau in the broadest sense. The ground floor, in particular, is rather astonishing with tracery, irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone work.
It seems that the goal of the designer was to avoid straight lines completely. Much of the façade is decorated with a mosaic made of broken ceramic tiles (trencadís) that starts in shades of golden orange moving into greenish blues. The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the lance of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia, Gaudí's home), which has been plunged into the back of the dragon.
---end of quotation---
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Antoni Gaudí:---
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (...25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.
Much of Gaudí's work was marked by his big passions in life: architecture, nature, religion. Gaudí studied every detail of his creations, integrating into his architecture a series of crafts in which he was skilled: ceramics, stained glass, wrought ironwork forging and carpentry. He introduced new techniques in the treatment of materials, such as trencadís, made of waste ceramic pieces.
After a few years under the influence of neo-Gothic art and Oriental techniques, Gaudí became part of the Catalan Modernista movement which was reaching its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work transcended mainstream Modernisme, culminating in an organic style inspired by nature. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and molding the details as he was conceiving them.
Gaudí’s work enjoys widespread international appeal and many studies are devoted to understanding his architecture. Today, his work finds admirers among architects and the general public alike. His masterpiece, the still-uncompleted Sagrada Família, is one of the most visited monuments in Spain. Between 1984 and 2005, seven of his works were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
---end of quotation---
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Barcelona:---
Barcelona (...) is the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, with a population of 1,620,943 within its administrative limits on a land area of 101.4 km² (39 sq mi). The urban area of Barcelona extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of around 4.5 million within an area of 803 km² (310 sq mi), being the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, the Ruhr, Madrid and Milan. About five million people live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is also the largest metropolis on the Mediterranean Sea. It is located on the Mediterranean coast between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs and is bounded to the west by the Serra de Collserola ridge (512 metres (1,680 ft)).
Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona became the most important city of the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean is located in Barcelona. The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expositions and also many international sport tournaments.
---end of quotation---
Costa Brava holiday April 2009.
Archway of Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles) in Palacios Nazaries (Nasrid palaces), Alhambra, Granada, Province of Granada, Andalusia, Spain.
Granada is the capital of the Andalusian Province of Granada, located near the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is a popular tourist destination because of the world famous Alhambra, a palace and fortress from Moorish times.
----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:------
Alhambra (...) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was constructed during the mid 14th century by the Amazigh ruler Badess Ben Habuss of the Emirate of Granada in al-Andalus, occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada.
The Alhambra's Moorish palaces were built for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain and its court, of the Nasrid dynasty. After the Reconquista (reconquest) by the Reyes Católicos ("Catholic Monarchs") in 1492, some portions were used by the Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was "discovered" in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration for many songs and stories.
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Andalusia holiday April 2012
Sculpture of Pandora with the box in the cloister of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hieronymites Monastery), Belém, Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal.
The Hieronymites Monastery (official name: Mosteiro da Santa Maria de Belém), located near the shore of Rio Tejo (Tagus river), is one of the most prominent monuments of the Manueline style architecture. Along with the predominant Manueline style, there are also elements of the Spanish Plateresque style, and of Renaissance style.
The monastery was built by order of Manuel I. shortly after Vasco da Gama had returned from his first journey to India. The building was financed with the money now rolling in from the overseas trade. Work began in 1502 and ended in 1544 (except for some extensions that were added later).
Up to 1834, the monastery gave home to the order of the Hieronymites (that's where it's got its name from). The building survived the great earthquake of 1755 without larger damage, but was ravaged by Napoleon's troops in the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1983, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos was - together with the nearby Torre de Belém (Bélem tower) - inscribed on the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
On December 13, 2007, the Treaty of Lisbon was signed at the monastery, laying down the basis for the reform of the European Union.
----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about the cloister----
Work on the vast square cloister (55 x 55 m) of the monastery was begun by Boitac. He built the groin vaults with wide arches and windows with tracery resting on delicate mullions. Juan de Castilho finished the construction by giving the lower storey a classical overlay and building a more recessed upper-storey. The construction of such a cloister was a novelty at the time. Castilho changed the original round columns of Boitac into rectangular ones, and embellished it with Plateresque-style ornamentation. Each wing consists of six bays with tracery vaults. The four inner bays rest on massive buttresses, forming broad arcades. The corner bays are linked by a diagonal arched construction and show the richly decorated corner pillars. The cloister had a religious function as well as a representative function by its decorative ornamentation and the dynastic symbolic motives, such as the armillarium, coat-of-arms, and the cross from the Order of Christ, showing the growing world power of Portugal.
The inside walls of the cloister have a wealth of Manueline motives with nautical elements, in addition to European, Moorish and Eastern motifs. The round arches and the horizontal structure are clearly in line with the Renaissance style, while at the same time there is also a relationship with Spanish architecture. The decorations on the outer walls of the inner courtyard were made in Plateresco style by Castilho: the arcades include traceried arches that give the construction a filigree aspect.
----end of quotation----
-----quotation from en.wikipedia.org about Manueline style-----
Several elements appear regularly in these intricately carved stoneworks:
- elements used on ships: the armillary sphere (a navigational instrument and the personal emblem of Manuel I and also symbol of the cosmos), spheres, anchors, anchor chains, ropes and cables.
- elements from the sea, such as shells, pearls and strings of seaweed.
- botanical motifs such as laurel branches, oak leaves, acorns, poppy capsules, corncobs, thistles.
- symbols of Christianity such as the cross of the Order of Christ (former Templar knights), the military order that played a prominent role and helped finance the first voyages of discovery. The cross of this order decorated the sails of the Portuguese ships.
- elements from newly discovered lands (such as the tracery in the Claustro Real in the Monastery of Batalha, suggesting Islamic filigree work, influenced by buildings in India)
- columns carved like twisted strands of rope
- semicircular arches (instead of Gothic pointed arches) of doors and windows, sometimes consisting of three or more convex curves
- multiple pillars
- eight-sided capitals
- lack of symmetry
- conical pinnacles
- bevelled crenellations
- ornate portals with niches or canopies.
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Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011
Signs along the main street in Hallstatt, Austria.
(We visited Hallstatt in August 2020, when it was quiet because of the coronavirus pandemic.)
Because of the influx of tourists, Hallstatt can feel like an amusement park. That is why these signs like this can be found along the main street.
With a population of 770 inhabitants, Hallstatt welcomed before the coronavirus pandemic around 10,000 tourists, mostly Asians, every day! The village attracted 13 times more visitors than inhabitants, which demonstrated a real issue to manage, especially for the locals, who could not live peacefully in their village.
It really began when the village was proclaimed “the most instagrammable village in the world” in Asia and was replicated identically in China.
Add to that the common belief that Hallstatt was the real-life inspiration for the kingdom of Arendelle in Disney’s movie “Frozen,” and it’s not hard to see why tourism here has exploded in recent years.
Spišský hrad (Spiš Castle, German: Zipser Burg), municipality Žehra, district Spišská Nová Ves, Košický kraj (Košice region), Slovakia.
Spiš Castle is inscribed in the World Heritage list of the UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Site Levoča, Spišský Hrad and the Associated Cultural Monuments.
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org:---
The ruins of Spiš Castle (Slovak: Spišský hrad; Hungarian: Szepesi vár; German: Zipser Burg) in eastern Slovakia form one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe. The castle is situated above the town of Spišské Podhradie and the village of Žehra, in the region known as Spiš (Hungarian: Szepes, German: Zips, Polish: Spisz, Latin: Scepusium). It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1993 (together with the adjacent locations of Spišská Kapitula, Spišské Podhradie and Žehra). This is one of the biggest European castles by area (41 426 m²).
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Slovakia holidays May 2016
Harley Dome Cologne 2016
The third event of this kind in Cologne, now a firm part of the Harley-Davidson event calendar in Europe.
Unfortunately, the event suffered from a lot of rain, too bad for the organisation team. However, the tough guys and girls were there ;-).
Blick von dem Burgberg Le Chateau auf Vieille Ville/Vieux Nice, die Altstadt von Nizza, mit der Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate (Département Alpes-Maritimes/Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Südfrankreich).
Students of Universidade de Coimbra (University of Coimbra) in traditional costumes, Coimbra, Portugal.
The students really walk through the streets like that! Not all of them and not all the time, of course, but you see them every here and there. For me as a German, where we don't even know school uniforms, this is a very unfamiliar sight.
Coimbra is a city at the Rio Mondego in Mid-Portugal with now over 100.000 inhabitants. The first settlement on the site probably was Celtic, later it was Roman, Visigothic and Moorish. In 1064 Coimbra was conquered by the Spanish King Fernando I of Castile. The first king of Portugal, Dom Afonso Henriques, was born here and integrated the city into the Portuguese territory in 1131.
Coimbra was the setting of the forbidden love of Dom Pedro I (Peter I of Portugal, 1357-67) and Dona Inês, a lady at court. The legend of their tragic love is omnipresent and still alive everywhere in Coimbra.
Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, Coimbra is better-known for its university, the Universidade de Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world.
The area around Coimbra University was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list as University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia in 2013.
Coimbra also is a city of the typical Portuguese music genre Fado. There are two main styles of Fado in Portugal, one is Lisbon Fado and one is Coimbra Fado, also known as Student Fado (Fado de Estudante).
Fado, Urban Popular Song of Portugal was declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO.
Natur und Kultur in Mittelportugal (Nature and Culture in Mid-Portugal), Wikinger-Reisen, September 2011
Wiltshire -England
All rights reserved - Copyright © Joerg Reichel
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Statue of Saint Augustine of Hippo on Charles Bridge (Karlův most), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.
Charles Bridge (formerly called Stone Bridge or just Prague Bridge) crosses the Vltava river and connects the quarters Old Town (Staré Město) and Lesser Town (Malá Strana). It is protected by three bridge towers (one on the Old Town side, the others on the Lesser Town side) and is decorated by an alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them in baroque style. Charles Bridge is one of the most famous sites of Prague.
The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616
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Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.
Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.
The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.
Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.
In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.
As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.
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End of citation
Pool in the gardens of Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Palace of the Christian Kings), Córdoba, Province of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain.
In the early middle ages the site of the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos was occupied by a Visigoth fortress and later by a moorish fortress with baths, gardens, and the largest library in the West. Watermills on the nearby Guadalquivir powered water lifting to irrigate the extensive gardens.
During the Reconquista period (13th century) Córdoba was taken by Christian forces. On the site of the former moorish fortress the Christian Kings built their own Alcázar in Mudéjar style, which was used as fortress and, later, as headquaters for the Spanish Inquisition. Today it's a tourist attraction and a national monument.
The Historic Centre of Córdoba is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
-------quotation from whc.unesco.org:-------
Cordoba's period of greatest glory began in the 8th century after the Moorish conquest, when some 300 mosques and innumerable palaces and public buildings were built to rival the splendours of Constantinople, Damascus and Baghdad. In the 13th century, under Ferdinand III, the Saint, Cordoba's Great Mosque was turned into a cathedral and new defensive structures, particularly the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos and the Torre Fortaleza de la Calahorra, were erected.
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Andalusia holiday April 2012
Die Seiser Alm ist die größte Hochalm Europas. Sie liegt in den Südtiroler Dolomiten in Italien, rund 20 km nordöstlich von Bozen und oberhalb der bekannten Tourismus-Orte Seis am Schlern, Kastelruth und St. Ulrich in Gröden. Wikipedia
Mitten im Trierer Stadtzentrum gelegen, steht der Trierer Dom - die ältestes Bischofskirche Deutschlands - heute über einer ehemaligen konstantinischen Palastanlage, die im frühen 4. Jahrhundert durch die größte christliche Kirchenanlage der Antike überbaut wurde. Sie bestand aus vier Basiliken, die durch ein großes Taufbecken miteinander verbunden waren, und bedeckte eine Fläche, die an ihren Grenzen bis zum heutigen Hauptmarkt reichte. Unter dem Gebäude der Dom-Information können noch die Reste der ersten frühchristlichen Versammlungsstätte nördlich der Alpen aus dem späten 3. Jahrhundert und die Reste der ersten Basilika bei einer Führung besichtigt werden.
Der heutige Dom enthält noch den römischen Kernbau, den sogenannten „Quadratbau“ mit Originalmauern bis zu einer Höhe von 25,88 m. Auch das riesige Fragment einer Granitsäule neben dem Eingang zum Dom deutet auf den römischen Ursprung dieses Gotteshauses hin: Der Domstein war ursprünglich eine der tragenden Säulen des Quadratbaus; er wurde im Zuge des Einbaus eines Seitenaltars im 17. Jahrhundert vor dem Dom abgelegt und bildet dort wohl die älteste Rutschbahn Deutschlands und ein heute noch begehrtes Fotomotiv für Gruppen. Der Legende nach soll der Teufel die Säule vor den Dom geworfen haben, als er hörte, man baue nicht die größte Kneipe, sondern ein Gotteshaus.
Nach Teil-Zerstörungen im 5. und 9. Jahrhundert wurde der intakt gebliebene antike Kernbau durch romanische Anbauten erweitert, im 13. Jahrhundert wurde auf den Resten der niedergelegten antiken Südbasilika die Liebfrauenkirche unmittelbar neben dem Dom errichtet – als erste Kirche auf deutschem Boden im spätgotischen Stil. Später wurde ein Westturm des Doms aufgestockt, und im 17. Jahrhundert folgte eine weitere Umgestaltung im barocken Stil: Die Decke der Westapsis wurde reich mit Stuck verziert, und am Scheitel des Ostchors wurde die Heilig-Rock-Kapelle angebaut. Sie birgt die kostbarste Reliquie des Doms, die Tunika Christi, den Heiligen Rock, den der Legende nach die Mutter Konstantins, die Hl. Helena, von einer Pilgerreise mit nach Trier gebracht haben soll. 1512 wurde der Hl. Rock zum ersten Mal öffentlich gezeigt, was den Dom im Laufe der Jahrhunderte zu einer Stätte großer Pilgerströme machte.
Im 20. Jahrhundert wurde der Dom restauriert und der Altarraum umgestaltet. So zeigt die älteste deutsche Bischofskirche mit ihren drei Krypten, dem Kreuzgang und der Domschatzkammer Kunst und Architektur aus einer Zeitspanne von über 1750 Jahren.
Quelle: www.trier-info.de/dom-info
Art nouveau entrance in Masarykovo nábřeží (Masaryk Embankment), New Town (Nové Město), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.
The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616
-----------------------------------------------------------
Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.
Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.
The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.
Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.
In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.
As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.
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End of citation
La basilica di San Francesco in Assisi, è il luogo che dal 1230 conserva e custodisce le spoglie mortali del Santo serafico. Voluta da papa Gregorio IX quale specialis ecclesia[1], venne insignita dallo stesso Pontefice del titolo di Caput et Mater dell'Ordine minoritico[2] e contestualmente affidata in perpetuo agli stessi frati.
Nella complessa storia che ha segnato l'evoluzione dell'Ordine, la basilica (e l'annesso Sacro Convento) fu sempre custodita dai cosiddetti "frati della comunità", il gruppo che andò in seguito a costituire l'Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali.
Nell'anno 2000, insieme ad altri siti francescani del circondario, la basilica è stata inserita nella Lista del patrimonio dell'umanità dell'UNESCO.
Il 16 luglio del 1228, a soli due anni dalla morte, Francesco venne proclamato santo da papa Gregorio IX; il giorno dopo, 17 luglio, lo stesso Pontefice e il rappresentante dell'Ordine minoritico, frate Elia da Cortona, posero la prima pietra per la costruzione di quella imponente basilica.
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A Basílica de São Francisco de Assis, na região italiana da Úmbria, é a igreja-mãe da Ordem Franciscana e um Patrimônio da Humanidade desde 2000.
A construção da basílica começou logo após a canonização de Francisco em 1228. Simone di Pucciarello doou o local para a igreja, uma colina a oeste da cidade de Assis, conhecida como Colina do Inferno (onde os criminosos eram mortos). Hoje, o local é conhecido como Colina do Paraíso. A pedra fundamental foi posta pelo Papa Gregório IX, em 17 de Julho de 1228. A igreja foi projetada e supervisionada pelo irmão Elia Bombardone, um dos primeiros seguidores do santo. A basílica inferior foi terminada em 1230.
No dia de Pentecostes, em 25 de Maio de 1230, o corpo de Francisco foi trazido para o local. A construção da basílica superior começou logo após 1239 e foi finalizada em 1253. Sua arquitetura é uma síntese do Românico e do Gótico Italiano. As igrejas foram decoradas pelos maiores artistas daquele tempo, vindos de Roma, Toscana e Úmbria. A igreja inferior tem afrescos de Cimabue e Giotto; na igreja superior está uma série de afrescos com cenas da vida de São Francisco, também atribuída a Giotto e seus seguidores. A Basílica é administrada pelos Frades Menores Conventuais (OFM Conv.). Os Frades Franciscanos Conventuais são os gardiães dos restos mortais do Santo de Assis.
No dia 26 de setembro de 1997, Assis foi atingida por dois fortes terremotos que danificaram severamente a basílica (parte do teto dela ruiu durante o segundo tremor, destruindo um afresco de Cimabue) que passou dois anos fechada para restauração.
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The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Francesco, Latin: Basilica Sancti Francisci Assisiensis) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor—commonly known as the Franciscan Order—in Assisi, Italy, the city where St. Francis was born and died. The basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The interior of the Upper Church is an important early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period.
Sign of Optiker Binar (optician Binar's shop) in Knieperstraße, Hanseatic Town of Stralsund, district of Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Germany.
----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:----
The town of Stralsund lies in Northeast Germany in the region of Western Pomerania in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
...
The town lies on the sound of Strelasund, a strait of the Baltic Sea. Its geographic proximity to the island of Rügen, whose only fixed link to the mainland, the Strelasund Crossing, runs between Stralsund and the village of Altefähr, has given Stralsund the sobriquet "Gateway to the Island of Rügen" (Tor zur Insel Rügen). Stralsund lies close to the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park.
A municipal forest and three municipal ponds (the Knieperteich, Frankenteich and Moorteich) belong to the Stralsund's town borough . The three ponds and the Strelasund lend the Old Town, the original settlement site and historic centre of the town, a protected island location.
...
The centre of Stralsund has a wealth of historic buildings. Since 1990, large parts of the historic old town have been renovated with private and public capital, and with the support of foundations. As a result of the contempt for historic buildings in East Germany many houses were threatened by ruin. The Old Town in particular, offers a rich variety of historic buildings, with many former merchants' houses, churches, streets and squares. Of more than 800 listed buildings in Stralsund, more than 500 are designated as individual monuments in the Old Town. In twenty years, from the Wende in 1990 to November 2010, 588 of the more than 1,000 old buildings were completely refurbished, including 363 individual monuments. Because of its historical and architectural significance, in 2002 Stralsund's old town together with the old town of Wismar were added to entitled the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as the "Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar".
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----quotation from whc.unesco.org:----
The medieval towns of Wismar and Stralsund, on the Baltic coast of northern Germany, were major trading centres of the Hanseatic League in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries they became Swedish administrative and defensive centres for the German territories. They contributed to the development of the characteristic building types and techniques of Brick Gothic in the Baltic region, as exemplified in several important brick cathedrals, the Town Hall of Stralsund, and the series of houses for residential, commercial and crafts use, representing its evolution over several centuries.
----end of quotation----
Stralsund short trip October 2012
Pietà by Ernst Barlach, St. Johanniskloster (Monastery of St John), Hanseatic Town of Stralsund, district of Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Germany.
----quotations from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Barlach and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degenerate_art:----
"Ernst Barlach (2 January 1870 – 24 October 1938) was a German expressionist sculptor, printmaker and writer. Although he was a supporter of the war in the years leading to World War I, his participation in the war made him change his position, and he is mostly known for his sculptures protesting against the war. This created many conflicts during the rise of the Nazi Party, when most of his works were confiscated as degenerate art."
...
"Degenerate art is the English translation of the German entartete Kunst, a term adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe virtually all modern art. Such art was banned on the grounds that it was un-German or Jewish Bolshevist in nature, and those identified as degenerate artists were subjected to sanctions. These included being dismissed from teaching positions, being forbidden to exhibit or to sell their art, and in some cases being forbidden to produce art entirely."
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The Franciscan Monastery of St. John was founded in 1254 and was built directly at the town wall in the north of the Old Town. It is a large complex of buildings grouped around two courtyards, decorated with precious medieval murals and vault paintings inside. The monastery church, however, fell to ruin due to a great fire in 1624 and the World War II air raid of 6 October 1944, with only the walls of the choir remaining.
----quotation from en.wikipedia.org:----
The town of Stralsund lies in Northeast Germany in the region of Western Pomerania in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
...
The town lies on the sound of Strelasund, a strait of the Baltic Sea. Its geographic proximity to the island of Rügen, whose only fixed link to the mainland, the Strelasund Crossing, runs between Stralsund and the village of Altefähr, has given Stralsund the sobriquet "Gateway to the Island of Rügen" (Tor zur Insel Rügen). Stralsund lies close to the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park.
A municipal forest and three municipal ponds (the Knieperteich, Frankenteich and Moorteich) belong to the Stralsund's town borough . The three ponds and the Strelasund lend the Old Town, the original settlement site and historic centre of the town, a protected island location.
...
The centre of Stralsund has a wealth of historic buildings. Since 1990, large parts of the historic old town have been renovated with private and public capital, and with the support of foundations. As a result of the contempt for historic buildings in East Germany many houses were threatened by ruin. The Old Town in particular, offers a rich variety of historic buildings, with many former merchants' houses, churches, streets and squares. Of more than 800 listed buildings in Stralsund, more than 500 are designated as individual monuments in the Old Town. In twenty years, from the Wende in 1990 to November 2010, 588 of the more than 1,000 old buildings were completely refurbished, including 363 individual monuments. Because of its historical and architectural significance, in 2002 Stralsund's old town together with the old town of Wismar were added to entitled the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list as the "Historic Centres of Stralsund and Wismar".
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----quotation from whc.unesco.org:----
The medieval towns of Wismar and Stralsund, on the Baltic coast of northern Germany, were major trading centres of the Hanseatic League in the 14th and 15th centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries they became Swedish administrative and defensive centres for the German territories. They contributed to the development of the characteristic building types and techniques of Brick Gothic in the Baltic region, as exemplified in several important brick cathedrals, the Town Hall of Stralsund, and the series of houses for residential, commercial and crafts use, representing its evolution over several centuries.
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Stralsund short trip October 2012
Billboard in front of a street café on Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí), Old Town (Staré Město), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.
How may a "Men Steak" taste?
The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616
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Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.
Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.
The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.
Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.
In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.
As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.
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End of citation
Im Tal der Königinnen, Theben West. Es finden sich hier über 90 Gräber, von denen viele unvollendet blieben oder schwer beschädigt sind.
The St. John's Church (Jāņa baznīca) first was built for the Dominican order in the 13th century. The current late Gothic church was built in the late 15th century. It features a stunning net vault (Netzgewölbe). In 1523, it became a Lutheran parish church. Since 1587, it has been serving the Latvian-speaking community.
Bronze relief city map of Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
This is a view from the south, with the Dom (Cathedral) in the foreground.
You find this kind of relief maps in more and more cities in Germany. Originally created as a city map for the blind they are supplemented with information in Braille. But not only blind people enjoy these wonderful pieces of art which sometimes contain some additional funny details (like, for example, the relief map of Wernigerode showing some oversized cats playing in the streets).
The old city center of Lübeck is in great parts inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. A plan of the inscribed zones can be found here: whc.unesco.org/download.cfm?id_document=102311
---quotation from whc.unesco.org:---
Lübeck – the former capital and Queen City of the Hanseatic League – was founded in the 12th century and prospered until the 16th century as the major trading centre for northern Europe. It has remained a centre for maritime commerce to this day, particularly with the Nordic countries. Despite the damage it suffered during the Second World War, the basic structure of the old city, consisting mainly of 15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, public monuments (the famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, remains unaltered.
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Sightseeing tour with Seppo and Merja on 15 September 2013.
Sculpture near the Estates Theatre (Stavovské divadlo), Ovocný trh (fruit market), Old Town (Staré Město), Prague (Praha), Czech Republic.
The title of the sculpture is "Il Commendatore", it was created by Anna Chromy in memory of W.A. Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, premiered in the Estates Theatre on Oct. 29th, 1787.
The Historic Centre of Prague is inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO.
Citation from whc.unesco.org/en/list/616
-----------------------------------------------------------
Built between the 11th and 18th centuries, the Old Town, the Lesser Town and the New Town speak of the great architectural and cultural influence enjoyed by this city since the Middle Ages. The many magnificent monuments, such as Hradcani Castle, St Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge and numerous churches and palaces, built mostly in the 14th century under the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV.
Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe in terms of its setting on both banks of the Vltava River, its townscape of burger houses and palaces punctuated by towers, and its individual buildings.
The Historic Centre represents a supreme manifestation of Medieval urbanism (the New Town of Emperor Charles IV built as the New Jerusalem). The Prague architectural works of the Gothic Period (14th and 15th centuries), of the High Baroque of the 1st half of the 18th century and of the rising modernism after the year 1900, influenced the development of Central Europe, perhaps even all European architecture. Prague represents one of the most prominent world centres of creative life in the field of urbanism and architecture across generations, human mentality and beliefs.
Prague belongs to the group of historic cities which have preserved the structure of their development until the present times. Within the core of Prague, successive stages of growth and changes have respected the original grand-scale urban structure of the Early Middle Ages. This structure was essentially and greatly enlarged with urban activities in the High Gothic period with more additions during the High Baroque period and in the 19th century. It has been saved from any large-scale urban renewal or massive demolitions and thus preserves its overall configuration, pattern and spatial composition.
In the course of the 1100 years of its existence, Prague’s development can be documented in the architectural expression of many historical periods and their styles. The city is rich in outstanding monuments from all periods of its history. Of particular importance are Prague Castle, the Cathedral of St Vitus, Hradćany Square in front of the Castle, the Valdgtejn Palace on the left bank of the river, the Gothic Charles Bridge, the Romanesque Rotunda of the Holy Rood, the Gothic arcaded houses round the Old Town Square, the High Gothic Minorite Church of St James in the Stark Mĕsto, the late 19th century buildings and town plan of the Nave Mĕsto.
As early as the Middle Ages, Prague became one of the leading cultural centres of Christian Europe. The Prague University, founded in 1348, is one of the earliest in Europe. The milieu of the University in the last quarter of the 14th century and the first years of the 15th century contributed among other things to the formation of ideas of the Hussite Movement which represented in fact the first steps of the European Reformation. As a metropolis of culture, Prague is connected with prominent names in art, science and politics, such as Charles IV, Petr Parléř, Jan Hus, Johannes Kepler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Kafka, Antonín Dvořák, Albert Einstein, Edvard Beneš (co-founder of the League of Nations) and Václav Havel.
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End of citation
Seit 1986 ist die Liebfrauenkirche Teil des UNESCO-Welterbes Römische Baudenkmäler, Dom und Liebfrauenkirche in Trier.
Die Geschichte der Liebfrauen-Basilika führt in das Jahr 326 n. Chr. Zum 20-jährigen Regierungsjubiläum machte Kaiser Konstantin große Stiftungen. Unter anderem ließ er an den bedeutendsten Orten der Christenheit Kirchen bauen: die Geburtskirche in Bethlehem, die Grabeskirche in Jerusalem, die 1. Sophienkirche in Konstantinopel, die Peterskirche und die Laterankirche in Rom und eben die Doppelkirchenanlage in Trier, aus der die Hohe Domkirche und die Liebfrauenkirche hervorgegangen sind.
Nach den Wechselfällen der Geschichte stand der Erzbischof Theoderich von Wied (1212 - 1242) im Blick auf die Südkirche, die den Titel einer Aula beatae Mariae Virginis trug, vor einem Neuanfang. Die Baufälligkeit der Kirche ließ ihn französischen Baumeistern Gehör schenken, die aus der Champagne kamen, in der gerade die Gotik erfunden worden war. Was sie dem Erzbischof anboten, war eine Kirche im allerfeinsten hochgotischen Stil. Auf der Basis einer zwölfblättrigen Rose (Rosa Mystica) wollten sie eine Kirche bauen, die - vom Kreuz durchwebt - wie ein Juwel in der Sonne funkeln sollte, mit großen, die Heilsgeschichte erzählenden Fenstern, licht und weit und himmelhoch. Zwölf schlanke Säulen sollten das Gewölbe tragen, das, übersät mit leuchtenden Lilien, den Garten des Paradieses vorstellen sollte, in dem Maria und Jesus dargestellt sind. Eine Aula Dei als Liebeserklärung an die Gottesmutter. Der Kurfürst war begeistert. 1227 begannen die unbekannten gotischen Baumeister ihre Arbeit, die sie 33 Jahre an Trier binden sollte. Es entstand im reinsten Stil der Hochgotik der Champagne, als eines der Wunder der Gotik eine der ganz seltenen gotischen Zentralkirchen von außerordentlicher Schönheit und Harmonie.
1803 wurde Liebfrauen vom Dom getrennt und trat in eine neue Phase ihrer Geschichte: Sie wurde Pfarrkirche und nahm die Laurentiuspfarrei auf. Als Trier 1944 schwer bombardiert wurde, traf es mit aller Härte auch die Liebfrauenkirche; unter größter Anstrengung wurde sie nach dem Krieg gerettet und wiederhergestellt.
Quelle: www.liebfrauen-trier.de/pfarrkirche%20liebfrauen.htm
"Fantova kavárna -- Fanta's Cafe.
It is a small place, with tables around a hole looking down into the lower passage to the train platforms.... The attraction is that it sits in the preserved Art Nouveau entrance hall of the station. I use the term preserved loosely. Very loosely. This gorgeous, artistic building is falling apart. But it still has a great amount of beauty....The café gets its name from the architect of the train station, Josef Fanta. It was finished in 1909." (Source)
All pictures clickable and some more in the set
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"Der Hauptbahnhof von Prag ist eines der architektonischen Meisterstücke des untergehenden Habsburger Reiches. Er wurde von Josef Fanta entworfen und offiziell 1909 als Franz-Josef-Bahnhof eröffnet. Zwischen 1972 und 1979 wurde der Bahnhof um ein neues Terminal vergrößert, zu dem eine U-Bahn Station und eine Hauptstraße auf dem Dach des Gebäudes gehören.
Wenn man nur kurz auf der Durchreise ist oder mit der Metro ankommt, kann man die verbliebenen Art Nouveau Teile leicht übersehen; vor allem die luftige Kuppel, die Glasfenster und die geschnitzten Frauengesichter repräsentieren Prag als „Mutter aller Städte“. Oben befindet sich neben dem Fantova Kavarna (Cafe) der ursprüngliche Eingang, der mit seinem schmiede-eisernen Baldachin und den nackten Figuren, die sich an beiden Seiten des Turms festhalten, nach wie vor kaiserlich anmutet." (Mal nicht Wikipedia)
Alle Bilder anklickbar und noch mehr im Album.
Votive candle holder in St. Marienkirche" (St. Mary's Church), Hanseatic City of Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
---quotation from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary's_Church,_L%c3%bcbeck about St. Marienkirche:---
The Lutheran Marienkirche (St. Mary's church) in Lübeck (German: Lübecker Marienkirche or officially St. Marien zu Lübeck: St. Mary's of Lübeck) was constructed between 1250 and 1350. For many years it has been a symbol of the power and prosperity of the old Hanseatic city, and as Germany's third largest church it remains the tallest building of the old part of Lübeck. It is larger than Lübeck Cathedral. Along with the city, the church has been listed by UNESCO as of cultural significance.
It is a model for the brick Gothic style of northern Germany, reflected in approximately 70 churches in the Baltic Area. In Lübeck, the high-rising Gothic style of France was adapted to north German brick. At 38.5 meters (125 ft) the church has the highest brick vault in the world. Taking the weather vanes into account, the towers are 124.95 meters (406 ft) and 124.75 meters (405.5 ft) high.
St. Mary's is located in the merchant's borough, which stretches from the docks of the River Trave all the way up to the church itself. It is the main church of the local council and the people of Lübeck, and was erected near the market and town hall. (...)
On the night of Palm Sunday from 28 to 29 March 1942, the church was almost completely burnt out during an Allied bombing raid along with about a fifth of Lübeck city centre, including the Lübeck Cathedral and St. Peter's Church. (...) Reconstruction began in 1947, and, in 12 years, the majority was complete.
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The old city center of Lübeck is in great parts inscribed in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. A plan of the inscribed zones can be found here: whc.unesco.org/download.cfm?id_document=102311
---quotation from whc.unesco.org:---
Lübeck – the former capital and Queen City of the Hanseatic League – was founded in the 12th century and prospered until the 16th century as the major trading centre for northern Europe. It has remained a centre for maritime commerce to this day, particularly with the Nordic countries. Despite the damage it suffered during the Second World War, the basic structure of the old city, consisting mainly of 15th- and 16th-century patrician residences, public monuments (the famous Holstentor brick gate), churches and salt storehouses, remains unaltered.
---end of quotation---
Sightseeing tour with Seppo and Merja on 15 September 2013.
Peru
All rights reserved - Copyright © Joerg Reichel
All images are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed, written permission of the photographer.
La basilica di San Francesco in Assisi, è il luogo che dal 1230 conserva e custodisce le spoglie mortali del Santo serafico. Voluta da papa Gregorio IX quale specialis ecclesia[1], venne insignita dallo stesso Pontefice del titolo di Caput et Mater dell'Ordine minoritico[2] e contestualmente affidata in perpetuo agli stessi frati.
Nella complessa storia che ha segnato l'evoluzione dell'Ordine, la basilica (e l'annesso Sacro Convento) fu sempre custodita dai cosiddetti "frati della comunità", il gruppo che andò in seguito a costituire l'Ordine dei Frati Minori Conventuali.
Nell'anno 2000, insieme ad altri siti francescani del circondario, la basilica è stata inserita nella Lista del patrimonio dell'umanità dell'UNESCO.
Il 16 luglio del 1228, a soli due anni dalla morte, Francesco venne proclamato santo da papa Gregorio IX; il giorno dopo, 17 luglio, lo stesso Pontefice e il rappresentante dell'Ordine minoritico, frate Elia da Cortona, posero la prima pietra per la costruzione di quella imponente basilica.
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A Basílica de São Francisco de Assis, na região italiana da Úmbria, é a igreja-mãe da Ordem Franciscana e um Patrimônio da Humanidade desde 2000.
A construção da basílica começou logo após a canonização de Francisco em 1228. Simone di Pucciarello doou o local para a igreja, uma colina a oeste da cidade de Assis, conhecida como Colina do Inferno (onde os criminosos eram mortos). Hoje, o local é conhecido como Colina do Paraíso. A pedra fundamental foi posta pelo Papa Gregório IX, em 17 de Julho de 1228. A igreja foi projetada e supervisionada pelo irmão Elia Bombardone, um dos primeiros seguidores do santo. A basílica inferior foi terminada em 1230.
No dia de Pentecostes, em 25 de Maio de 1230, o corpo de Francisco foi trazido para o local. A construção da basílica superior começou logo após 1239 e foi finalizada em 1253. Sua arquitetura é uma síntese do Românico e do Gótico Italiano. As igrejas foram decoradas pelos maiores artistas daquele tempo, vindos de Roma, Toscana e Úmbria. A igreja inferior tem afrescos de Cimabue e Giotto; na igreja superior está uma série de afrescos com cenas da vida de São Francisco, também atribuída a Giotto e seus seguidores. A Basílica é administrada pelos Frades Menores Conventuais (OFM Conv.). Os Frades Franciscanos Conventuais são os gardiães dos restos mortais do Santo de Assis.
No dia 26 de setembro de 1997, Assis foi atingida por dois fortes terremotos que danificaram severamente a basílica (parte do teto dela ruiu durante o segundo tremor, destruindo um afresco de Cimabue) que passou dois anos fechada para restauração.
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The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Francesco, Latin: Basilica Sancti Francisci Assisiensis) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor—commonly known as the Franciscan Order—in Assisi, Italy, the city where St. Francis was born and died. The basilica is one of the most important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark to those approaching Assisi. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The basilica, which was begun in 1228, is built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are interred. The interior of the Upper Church is an important early example of the Gothic style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti and possibly Pietro Cavallini. The range and quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating the development of Italian art of this period.
Scan of an analog photo taken in May 2005.
Unfortunately ub 2005 it was quite impossible to take any good photos with an analog camera within this dimly lit but nevertheless very stunning villa which once belonged to Poppea, the wife of Emperor Nero. A good photo docmentation is available on the Spanish Wikipedia entry of Villa Poppea.