National Trust Properties

Anglesey Abbey, Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge, CB25 9EJ

 

Anglesey Abbey

Built between 1100 and 1135AD on the remains of an Augustine Abbey. It was endowed as a priory in 1212 by Richard de Clare. It remained as a priory until 1536 when it was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Priory was largely demolished and in 1595 it was rebuilt as a Jacobean-style house and owned by the Fowkes family. The house had quite a few occupants, notably Thomas Hobson (of Hobson’s choice), his son-in-law, Thomas Parker, a barrister. Samuel Shepheard, a Cambridge MP. Anglesey was not always a place of residence with these various owners, at one time it was leased out as a farm. When Thomas Parker died in 1647, Anglesea changed from Priory to Abbey.

The Reverend John Hailstone purchased the property in 1848 and carried out many renovations. He converted the monks’ day room into an entrance Hall. He then added a stable block, then a service wing and undertook a programme of plants many trees which are a great feature of the grounds. Cedars, Wellingtonia, Acer, Silver Lime and Weeping Elm are just a few of the trees found there. The Reverend stayed in residence until his death in 1877 and his widow sold it in 1877 to another Churchman, Reverend James George Clark. He with his family lived there until 1912.

In 1926 the abbey was sold to the brothers Broughton, Urban Huttleston and Henry Rogers, they were very keen on horse racing and they purchased it because of its proximity to Newmarket and their stud farm near to Bury St Edmunds.

More changes to the property were made, the work done by architect Sidney Parvin, who worked for Turner Lord of London. It was featured in the 1930 edition of Country Life. In 1934 Lode Mill was purchased, it is now used for grinding corn.

In 1966 on the death of Lord Fairhaven, the Abbey was left to the National Trust.

The gardens are well set out, there is a walled garden filled with many plants and wonderful borders of colour. There is a Dahlia and a Rose Garden also a Hyacinth and Narcissus Garden. There are many statues in the grounds which cover close to 100 acres or 400,000 m2. There is also a wonderful avenue of trees as well as Silver Birch avenue close to the entrance. There is a superb walk from the house to the Lode Mill, alongside the river. Excellent to see in Springtime. Hopefully this will open and be enjoyed again in the not too distant future.

A definite house and garden to enjoy.

  

La Chaise Dieu, a millennial story - Haute-Loire - Auvergne - France - Europe

 

Érigée au XIe siècle, sur un plateau granitique à plus de 1 000 mètres d’altitude au cœur de l’Auvergne, l’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu domine la route qui vient de l’est, de Brioude, veillant et guettant le pèlerin. Cette abbaye a été fondée par Robert de Turlande, chanoine de Brioude, qui voulait s’établir en un lieu isolé pour vivre avec Dieu seul dans le silence et la prière. L’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu est fermée à la Révolution en 1790 et son église abbatiale devient église paroissiale. Au XXe siècle, une nouvelle communauté religieuse s’installe dans ses murs pour renouer avec la vie religieuse tout en accueillant pèlerins et touristes.

 

De 1043 à 1168 : L’élan monastique

Aux XIe et XIIe siècles, la société féodale en Auvergne est dominée par le comte d’Auvergne, lui-même suzerain du duc d’Aquitaine, par différentes familles (Mercœur, La Tour, Montboissier), par l’évêque de Clermont et par les chanoines-comtes de Brioude.

L’Église est marquée par un grand élan monastique. Dès le VIe siècle, saint Benoît de Nursie avait fondé le monastère du Mont-Cassin où la vie était réglée autour de la devise : « prier et travailler » ; un siècle plus tard, Benoît d’Aniane codifie cette règle bénédictine qu’il impose, à la demande du roi, à tous les monastères. Cluny est fondée en 910 et saint Robert s’inscrit dans ce mouvement en fondant l’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu en 1043. Saint Bruno fonde les Chartreux en 1089 et saint Bernard entre à Cîteaux en 1112.

Le conflit entre les papes et les empereurs romains germaniques avait commencé avec la querelle des investitures (ingérence des pouvoirs laïcs dans les nominations ecclésiastiques). C’est ainsi que Grégoire VII doit affronter l’Empereur d’Allemagne Henri IV, à Canossa en 1078, et que le Pape Alexandre III doit subir l’élection d’antipapes soutenus par l’empereur et se réfugier en France.

 

Le fondateur, saint Robert de Turlande (1043-1067)

Robert, chanoine de Brioude, arrive avec deux compagnons en décembre 1043 sur ce haut-plateau du Livradois pour une vie d’ermite. Ce sont les débuts de la vie religieuse à La Chaise-Dieu qui ne porte pas encore ce nom.

 

Ses successeurs et leur action

Durand (abbé de 1067 à 1078, mort en 1095)

Désigné par saint Robert pour lui succéder, il fut choisi par les moines comme abbé. Il œuvra pour la canonisation de saint Robert et se fit confirmer les privilèges dont l’abbaye bénéficiait. Le comte d’Auvergne, Robert II, jura de défendre l’abbaye contre tout adversaire. En 1076, il est nommé évêque de Clermont mais il resta abbé jusqu’en 1078, date à laquelle il démissionna ayant compris qu’il ne pouvait cumuler les deux charges sans nuire à l’abbaye. Il mourut le 19 novembre 1095 et le pape Urbain II présida ses obsèques. Pendant son abbatiat, La Chaise-Dieu se fit connaître dans de nombreuses régions de la Saintonge à la Savoie.

 

Saint Adelème (abbé en 1078, mort en 1097 en Espagne)

 

Maître des novices, Adelème fut élu en 1078 par les moines abbé de La Chaise-Dieu, pour succéder à Durand à cause de sa sainteté. Mais, trouvant la charge d’abbé trop lourde, il y renonça au bout d’un an. Appelé par le roi Alponse VI de Castille, pour aider à rétablir le rite romain en Espagne alors que la reconquête progressait, Tolède en 1085. Il fonda le monastère Saint-Jean à Burgos, qui resta rattaché à La Chaise-Dieu jusqu’en 1436. Appelé San Lesmes, il fut déclaré patron de Burgos au XVe siècle. Son corps fut transporté dans l’église qu’on lui construisit alors.

 

Seguin d’Escotay (abbé de 1078 à 1094, date de sa mort)

Cadet d’une famille noble, il entra au chapitre de Saint-Jean de Lyon, mais la vie canoniale ne le satisfaisant pas, il quitta celle-ci pour entrer à La Chaise-Dieu. Savant, de mœurs sévères, fort habile dans les affaires, ses frères le remarquèrent rapidement et le choisirent comme abbé. Il défendit l’indépendance de l’abbaye face aux pouvoirs féodaux, obtint en 1079 pour l’abbaye le rôle de chef de congrégation et étendit son influence vers le Rouergue (Saint-Théodard et Gaillac), le Languedoc (Saint-Baudille de Nîmes) et enfin les Apennins de Modène. Habile pour la gestion des affaires temporelles, il avait aussi l’humilité du moine et, en dix-sept années de gouvernement, avait fait de la fondation de saint Robert une des plus grandes abbayes de France, connue jusqu’en Italie et en Castille.

 

Étienne de Mercœur (abbé de 1111 à 1146, date de sa mort)

Extension de la congrégation à Montferrand, dans le Forez, à Chanteuges, Sainte-Livrade d’Agenais, Faverney en Bourgogne, Saint-Sixte de Plaisance dans la plaine du Pô et Montepeloso en Basilicate. Ces rattachements étaient souvent de convenance politique mais reposaient sur l’autorité morale de La Chaise-Dieu.

 

Jourdain de Montboisier (abbé de 1146 à 1157, date de sa mort)

Entré à La Chaise-Dieu au début du XIIe siècle, Jourdain était prieur depuis 1141 quand il fut élu abbé. Les Montboisier étaient de grands bienfaiteurs des églises et plusieurs frères de Jourdain étaient hommes d’Église. Le plus célèbre d’entre eux est Pierre le Vénérable, abbé de Cluny depuis 1122. Personnage effacé, Jourdain bénéficia du rayonnement de ce dernier pour consolider certains acquis de l’abbaye.

 

De 1168 à 1306 : Le difficile maintien de la congrégation casadéenne

À l’époque de Philippe-Auguste (1180-1223), l’Auvergne, est marquée par les rivalités entre les Capétiens auxquels l’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu reste loyale et les Plantagenets. La France de saint Louis (1226-1270) et de Philippe le Bel (1285-1314) voit l’affermissement du pouvoir royal. Au XIIIe siècle, l’Église est préoccupée d’une part par la querelle entre l’Empereur et le Pape et d’autre part par l’organisation des croisades.

 

Sous le pape Innocent III (1198-1216) de nouvelles formes de vie religieuse apparaissent avec François d’Assise, fondateur des franciscains, et saint Dominique de Guzman, fondateur des dominicains, qui entreprend de convertir les Albigeois, ou cathares.

 

Prépondérance du temporel

Pendant cette période, la congrégation de La Chaise-Dieu n’élit aucun abbé doté d’une personnalité marquante. L’abbaye voit son rôle de seigneurie du Livradois s’accroître, le pouvoir temporel tendant à prendre une part croissante. Par ailleurs, les abbés consacrent une énergie importante à maintenir des liens avec l’ensemble des abbayes et des prieurés qui lui sont rattachés, liens volontiers contestés par les seigneurs ou les évêques locaux. La croissance de la congrégation est achevée. L’organisation de la congrégation devient plus structurée, avec une règlementation des chapitres et la définition du rôle des officiers claustraux.

 

De 1306 à 1518 : Le déclin doré

En 1348, la peste noire ravage la France. Elle sévit jusqu’en 1419 et décime la moitié de la population. La guerre de Cent Ans entre les fidèles des rois de France et ceux du roi d’Angleterre commence en 1336. En 1429, Charles VII est sacré à Reims sous la conduite de Jeanne d’Arc, qui est brûlée à Rouen en 1431.

De 1305 à 1378, jugeant Rome peu sûre du fait des conflits entre différentes factions, la papauté s’installe en Avignon. Deux papes d’Avignon compteront dans l’histoire de La Chaise-Dieu : Clément VI (1342-1352) qui s’y fait enterrer, et Grégoire XI, son neveu (1370-1378), qui fait construire la tour Clémentine 1.

Le Pape Jules II (1503-1513) entreprend la construction du palais du Vatican et de la basilique Saint-Pierre.

 

Des abbés grands seigneurs

Paradoxalement, cette période désolée fut brillante pour La Chaise-Dieu. Grands seigneurs, les abbés, choisis parmi de riches et puissantes familles, ne réformaient plus mais présidaient à de grands travaux.

 

Jean de Chandorat (1318–1342)

Réputé pour son savoir et son énergie, il s’efforça de mettre en application les principes disciplinaires que demandait le Pape à un Ordre bénédictin qui se sclérosait en donnant de nouveaux statuts à l’abbaye. Il devint ensuite évêque du Puy. Il fut le compagnon de noviciat de Pierre Roger devenu pape en 1342 sous le nom de Clément VI qui le nomma évêque du Puy dès son avènement au siège de Pierre.

 

de 1342 à 1377

Pendant cette période, les abbés ne furent pas élus en chapitre général, mais nommés par le Pape, à commencer par Clément VI : ils étaient appelés « réservataires ». Ce fut le cas de Renaud de Montclar qui fut chargé de suivre le début des travaux de construction de la nouvelle abbatiale.

Si pendant cette époque troublée, les moines se trouvèrent à l’abri derrière leurs murailles, de nombreux prieurés souffrirent.

 

Hugues de Chauvigny de Blot (1420-1465)

La danse macabre fut réalisée sous son abbatiat.

 

Un abbé annonçant la Renaissance, Jacques de Saint-Nectaire (1491-1518, date de sa mort)

Jacques de Saint-Nectaire est né en 1461 d’une famille auvergnate riche et puissante. Les liens que cette famille entretenait avec l’abbaye étaient nombreux. Il entra à l’abbaye à l’âge de 12 ans. Devenu profès et prêtre, il fut d’abord nommé prieur de Saint-Pantaléon (Limousin), puis en 1483 de Saint-Gemme (Saintonge). Il fut élu abbé en 1491 et mourut en 1518. Il se distingua par le goût des arts et la munificence. Il fit achever le réfectoire et le cloître, reconstruisit la toiture de l’abbatiale et commanda les « draps imagés ». Il réalisa également des travaux importants (chapelle et maison de l’abbé) au prieuré de Chanteuges où il aimait résider.

 

De 1518 à 1640 : L’abbaye en commende

Si la Renaissance évoque une nouvelle vision de l’homme et des changements profonds dans l’art, cette époque est marquée, surtout en France, par les guerres de Religion. Nées de la Réforme (Martin Luther est excommunié en 1517), elles ensanglantent la France à partir de 1562 (Massacre de la Saint-Barthélemy en 1572). La promulgation de l’Édit de Nantes par Henri IV en 1598 ramène la paix civile. Le Concile de Trente en 1562 est à l’origine d’un sursaut disciplinaire de l’Église catholique en réaction aux critiques des réformés. Mais la monarchie française n’accepte pas l’existence de minorités protestantes et le problème perdure jusqu’à la révocation de l’Édit de Nantes par Louis XIV en 1685 qui oblige la majorité des protestants à émigrer.

 

La commende

Devenu roi en 1515, François Ier (1494-1547) signe un an plus tard, à Bologne, un concordat avec le Pape Léon X par lequel le roi de France peut nommer les évêques et abbés. Les rois abusent rapidement de cette facilité pour récompenser des proches, en particulier à La Chaise-Dieu. Les abbés nommés par le roi n’étaient pas tous ordonnés. S’ils venaient à La Chaise-Dieu au moins une fois pour prendre possession de leur charge, ils ne s’intéressaient guère à l’abbaye et se faisaient représenter par un vicaire général. Ainsi Henri d’Angoulême, fils naturel d’Henri II, fut abbé de 1562 à 1586. Son successeur, Charles de Valois, était, lui, le fils naturel de Charles IX ; il résigna en 1597 pour se marier. Son fils, Louis de Valois, devint plus tard abbé de 1609 à 1629 avant de, lui aussi, abandonner la charge. Son successeur fut le cardinal Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu.

 

François de Tournon, premier abbé commandataire

En 1533, alors qu’il est en route vers Le Puy en compagnie de la reine Éléonore d’Autriche, François Ier s’arrête à l’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu où il est accueilli par le premier abbé commendataire, François de Tournon.

 

Turbulences

En 1562, les Huguenots envahissent l’abbaye et la saccagent alors que les moines s’étaient réfugiés dans la tour Clémentine. Grâce au four et au puits dans la tour, ils purent tenir 15 jours de siège en attendant les renforts. Pendant ce temps, les tombes étaient profanées, les statues brisées ainsi que le gisant de Clément VI.

 

Le cardinal de Richelieu (1582-1642)

Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (1582-1642), ministre de Louis XIII de 1624 à 1642, est nommé abbé de La Chaise-Dieu et de Cluny en 1629. Devançant les projets de réorganisation de l’Ordre bénédictin par le pape, il veilla à regrouper l’ensemble des monastères de cet Ordre dans le royaume dans une seule congrégation : la Congrégation des Bénédictins de Saint-Maur2 dont la maison-mère était à l’origine aux Blancs-Manteaux à Paris. Le déclin de l’abbaye était évident et le nombre de moines réduit à une cinquantaine. En 1640, il signa l’ordre de rattachement de l’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu à la Congrégation de Saint-Maur.

 

De 1640 à 1790 : Les Mauristes

Le rattachement aux Mauristes ne fut pas accepté facilement par les bénédictins de La Chaise-Dieu : la congrégation mauriste était très centralisée et La Chaise-Dieu perdait une réelle autonomie. De plus, les Mauristes prenaient possession de l’abbaye au détriment des moines du lieu, lesquels étaient alors appelés les « anciens » et recevaient une pension jusqu’à leur décès. S’ils souhaitaient intégrer la Congrégation, les moines de La Chaise-Dieu devaient recommencer un noviciat selon les principes des Mauristes et prononcer de nouveaux vœux. Beaucoup refusèrent et on vit se côtoyer deux communautés : celle des Robertiens logés dans les bâtiments qui existaient place de l’Écho et celle des Mauristes qui s’installèrent dans les ailes des bâtiments existants qu’ils entreprirent de reconstruire. Ils se partageaient aussi l’église3. En 1643, après la mort du Cardinal de Richelieu, les moines casadéens tentèrent de remettre en cause ce rattachement. Cette démarche fut vaine, d’autant qu’ils étaient affaiblis en nombre et en moyens financiers.

 

Les Mauristes attachaient une très grande importance aux études. Désireux de s’inscrire dans l’histoire du monastère qu’ils « reprenaient », ils en écrivaient l’histoire grâce à leurs archives et cartulaires. À La Chaise-Dieu, ce travail de bénédictin s’est traduit par la publication de l’ouvrage de dom François Gardon sur la Vie de saint Robert et l’histoire de l’abbaye 4 , de l’Histoire générale de la congrégation de dom Victor Tiolier en 1652 et, en 1667, d’une histoire de l’abbaye en latin par dom Simon Genoux.

 

En même temps, ils entreprenaient de remettre en état l’abbatiale ravagée par les huguenots. Le tombeau du pape Clément VI fut reconstruit au milieu du chœur et le gisant put y être replacé. Le maître-autel, ceux des chapelles latérales ainsi que les retables datent de cette époque. Les bâtiments de la place de l’Écho (et donc la salle de l’Écho elle-même) ont été reconstruits à la fin du XVIIe siècle à la suite d’un incendie qui avait détruit les bâtiments datant de l’abbé Jacques de Saint-Nectaire. Ils reconstruisirent également le grand escalier de l’entrée de l’abbatiale et l’aile ouest des bâtiments abbatiaux.

 

Le jansénisme

La doctrine du jansénisme apparaît en 1640. Jansenius déclare dans son livre appelé « Augustinus » que la grâce n’est accordée qu’aux seuls élus. Cette théorie, condamnée par le Pape et la Sorbonne, est soutenue par le Parlement de Paris et les solitaires de Port-Royal (Antoine Arnaud, Blaise Pascal,..) Cette querelle s’apaise en 1668 quand tous les jansénistes acceptent de signer un Formulaire de Foi. Elle se rallume à l’occasion de la publication de la bulle Unigenitus en 1713.

 

L’abbaye devint un foyer d’accueil pour les jansénistes. La communauté casadéenne accueillit notamment Jean Soanen, évêque de Senez, l’un des plus farouches appelants, qui avait été suspendu de ses fonctions épiscopales et que le roi avait contraint à se retirer à La Chaise-Dieu, où il vécut de 1727 à sa mort en 1740 à l’âge de 93 ans.

 

Deux abbés de cette époque

Hyacinthe Serroni, abbé de La Chaise-Dieu de 1672 à 1687

Né en 1617 à Rome, il entre chez les dominicains. En 1645, il vient en France où il est nommé évêque d’Orange, puis de Mende en 1661. En 1672, prenant la suite de son protecteur le cardinal François-Marie Mancini, neveu de Mazarin, il est nommé abbé de La Chaise-Dieu. En 1676, il est nommé archevêque d’Albi et devient lui-même cardinal. En 1684, il vient à La Chaise-Dieu ; il offre à l’abbaye le magnifique buffet d’orgue et fait modifier le jubé pour permettre à la musique d’être mieux entendue dans le chœur. Ses libéralités pour la cathédrale d’Albi et l’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu le ruinèrent. Il mourut en 1687. Il écrivit de nombreux livres religieux.

 

Louis-René-Édouard, prince de Rohan-Guéménée,

cardinal-archevêque de Strasbourg,

abbé de La Chaise-Dieu de 1756 à la Révolution

Né en 1734 à Paris, il succède à son oncle en devenant le dernier abbé de La Chaise-Dieu en 1756. En 1761, il est élu à l’Académie française. Ami de Buffon et d’Alembert, c’était un prélat philosophe. En 1772, il est envoyé comme ambassadeur à Vienne où il scandalisa l’impératrice par son mode de vie. En 1777, il est nommé coadjuteur, puis grand aumônier de France, puis il est créé cardinal et enfin nommé prince-évêque de Strasbourg. Il se compromet dans l’affaire du collier de la reine : Louis XVI l’oblige à « purger à La Chaise ». Il n’y vient que 4 mois en 1786. Il ne put jamais retourner à la Cour. En 1789, il est désigné pour représenter le Clergé aux États Généraux puis à la Constituante. Refusant la Constitution civile du Clergé puis l’abolition de la monarchie, il s’exile dans la partie allemande de son diocèse. Il se démet de ses fonctions lors du Concordat de 1801 et meurt en 1803.

 

Ce renouveau mauriste, spirituel et intellectuel, avait suscité des vocations plus nombreuses. Mais le XVIIIe siècle se traduisit par une désaffection de la vie monastique. En 1790, les moines n’étaient plus qu’une trentaine et la règle n’était plus appliquée avec la même ferveur.

 

1790 : Fermeture de l’abbaye

Dès 1789, l’Assemblée nationale prend les décisions qui mettent un terme à la vie monastique :

 

le 2 novembre, les biens ecclésiastiques sont mis à la disposition de la Nation

le 13 novembre, les communautés doivent déclarer leurs biens mobiliers et immobiliers

le 13 février 1790, les vœux monastiques sont interdits et les ordres religieux supprimés

En 1792, la République décide la vente des biens nationaux.

La fermeture de l’abbaye de la Chaise-Dieu se fit sans incident en février 1790. Le dernier prieur, dom Pierre Terrasse, et tous les moines furent relevés de leurs vœux. La plupart se dispersèrent. Dom Pierre Terrasse fut désigné maire. Il veilla à ce que l’Inventaire fut établi en mars 1790 dans le calme. Il organisa la dispersion de l’importante bibliothèque de 5 853 volumes soit à l’évêché de Saint-Flour soit à la municipalité de Brioude. Le 3 mai 1790, jour de la prise de possession du monastère par le corps municipal, il demanda « de s’abstenir des fonctions municipales ».

 

Si l’église abbatiale fut relativement protégée par la population de La Chaise-Dieu, en revanche les bâtiments abbatiaux, abandonnés, furent pillés. En 1793, la plupart furent vendus aux enchères à des habitants du pays, dont certains moines rendus à la vie civile.

 

Le Concordat signé en 1801 par le Premier Consul Bonaparte et le Pape Pie VII, permet de rétablir une relative sérénité. L’évêché du Puy est alors rattaché à celui de Saint-Flour jusqu’à la Restauration.

 

En 1820, l’église abbatiale devint l’église paroissiale. Les trois anciennes églises paroissiales furent fermées et détruites.

 

Classement comme Monument historique

Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870), parallèlement à sa carrière d’écrivain, fut Inspecteur général des monuments historiques de 1834 à 1860, fonction à laquelle il donna un lustre exceptionnel. Dans ce cadre, il visita l’Auvergne en 1837 ; le rapport qu’il publia montre un désintérêt manifeste pour l’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu. Ceci ne l’empêcha pas d’inclure les bâtiments abbatiaux en 1840 dans la liste des monuments nécessitant une intervention, ni de les classer comme “Monuments Historiques” en 1847. Il devint sénateur sous le second Empire où il bénéficiait d’un grand prestige mondain. Cette visite de Mérimée marqua le début de la prise en charge des bâtiments et du trésor (en particulier des tapisseries), propriétés de la commune, par l’administration des Monuments Historiques. De grands travaux y sont périodiquement entrepris.

 

L’abbaye accueille des visiteurs dès le XIXe siècle : George Sand fait le récit de sa visite en juin 1859 dans son Voyage en Auvergne, .

 

Au XXe siècle

Installation des tapisseries dans le chœur

Le nombre des visiteurs culmine en 1960 où il dépasse 60 000.

 

Genèse du Festival de musique

En 1966, Georgy Cziffra donna le premier concert de ce qui allait devenir le festival de La Chaise-Dieu. Son succès et sa notoriété allait faire de l’abbatiale un haut-lieu de la musique en Europe.

 

Vers un renouveau spirituel

En 1984, pour renouer avec la grande prière monastique qui avait résonné pendant plus de 700 ans et pour accueillir les touristes, Mgr Cornet, alors évêque du Puy, demande à la Communauté Saint-Jean qui venait d’être fondée d’ouvrir un prieuré à La Chaise-Dieu.

 

En 1990, Mgr Henri Brincard confirme cette mission des frères et leur confie la paroisse de La Chaise-Dieu et des villages alentour.

 

En 2017, Mgr Luc Crepy, nouvel évêque du Puy-en-Velay, demande aux catholiques de La Chaise-Dieu de s’investir dans la Pastorale du tourisme afin que l’Église et la bonne nouvelle de l’Évangile soient présentes sur le site réhabilité des bâtiments abbatiaux et que l’esprit du fondateur de ces lieux, saint Robert, continue d’y souffler.

 

Un site exceptionnel restauré

À partir de 2007, de grands travaux de réhabilitation du site sont entrepris sous l’égide de l’État, du département, de la Communauté de Commune, de la Commune de La Chaise-Dieu :

 

la chapelle des Pénitents,

une partie des écuries et granges de l’abbaye situées place Lafayette sont aménagées en auditorium,

le chevet de l’église abbatiale,

l’aile de l’Écho est aménagé pour créer un parcours muséal,

l’aile ouest est aménagé pour y installer l’accueil du public et des loges pour les musiciens du Festival,

une salle est construite à l’emplacement des petites cours entre le mur de l’abbaye et celui de la bibliothèque pour accueillir « l’Historial des bâtisseurs » consacré à la chronologie de la construction de l’abbaye.

En 2018, ces travaux de réhabilitation sont terminés. Le site peut ouvrir au public et lui proposer une découverte historique de l’abbaye de La Chaise-Dieu axée sur la personne du pape Clément VI.

 

La tenture de chœur est installée dans une salle dédiée de l’aile de l’Écho

Source :

www.abbaye-chaise-dieu.com

 

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Built in the 11th century, on a granite plateau at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters in the heart of Auvergne, the abbey of La Chaise-Dieu dominates the road which comes from the east, from Brioude, watching and watching the pilgrim. This abbey was founded by Robert de Turlande, canon of Brioude, who wanted to settle in an isolated place to live with God alone in silence and prayer. The abbey of La Chaise-Dieu was closed during the Revolution in 1790 and its abbey church became a parish church. In the 20th century, a new religious community settled within its walls to reconnect with religious life while welcoming pilgrims and tourists.

 

From 1043 to 1168: Monastic momentum

In the 11th and 12th centuries, feudal society in Auvergne was dominated by the Count of Auvergne, himself overlord of the Duke of Aquitaine, by different families (Mercœur, La Tour, Montboissier), by the Bishop of Clermont and by the canon-counts of Brioude.

The Church is marked by a great monastic impulse. As early as the 6th century, Saint Benedict of Nursia had founded the monastery of Mont-Cassin where life was regulated around the motto: "pray and work"; a century later, Benoît d'Aniane codified this Benedictine rule which he imposed, at the request of the king, on all monasteries. Cluny was founded in 910 and Saint Robert was part of this movement by founding the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu in 1043. Saint Bruno founded the Carthusians in 1089 and Saint Bernard entered Cîteaux in 1112.

The conflict between the popes and the Holy Roman emperors had begun with the quarrel of investitures (interference of secular powers in ecclesiastical appointments). This is how Gregory VII had to face the German Emperor Henry IV, at Canossa in 1078, and Pope Alexander III had to undergo the election of antipopes supported by the emperor and take refuge in France.

 

The founder, Saint Robert of Turlande (1043-1067)

Robert, canon of Brioude, arrived with two companions in December 1043 on this high plateau of Livradois for a life of hermit. These are the beginnings of religious life in La Chaise-Dieu which does not yet bear this name.

 

His successors and their action

Durand (abbot from 1067 to 1078, died in 1095)

Appointed by Saint Robert to succeed him, he was chosen by the monks as abbot. He worked for the canonization of Saint Robert and had the privileges which the abbey enjoyed confirmed. The Count of Auvergne, Robert II, swore to defend the abbey against any adversary. In 1076, he was appointed bishop of Clermont but he remained abbot until 1078, when he resigned having understood that he could not combine the two charges without harming the abbey. He died on November 19, 1095 and Pope Urban II presided over his funeral. During his abbacy, La Chaise-Dieu became known in many regions from Saintonge to Savoy.

 

Saint Adelème (abbot in 1078, died in 1097 in Spain)

 

Master of novices, Adelème was elected in 1078 by the monks Abbot of La Chaise-Dieu, to succeed Durand because of his holiness. But, finding the charge of abbot too heavy, he gave it up after a year. Called by King Alponse VI of Castile, to help restore the Roman Rite in Spain as the reconquest progressed, Toledo in 1085. He founded the monastery of Saint John in Burgos, which remained attached to La Chaise-Dieu until 1436 Called San Lesmes, it was declared patron of Burgos in the 15th century. His body was taken to the church that was then built for him.

 

Seguin d'Escotay (abbot from 1078 to 1094, date of his death)

The youngest of a noble family, he entered the chapter of Saint-Jean de Lyon, but the canonical life did not satisfy him, he left it to enter La Chaise-Dieu. Scholarly, of severe morals, very skilful in business, his brothers quickly noticed him and chose him as abbot. He defended the independence of the abbey against the feudal powers, obtained in 1079 for the abbey the role of head of the congregation and extended his influence to Rouergue (Saint-Théodard and Gaillac), Languedoc (Saint-Baudille de Nîmes ) and finally the Apennines of Modena. Skilled in the management of temporal affairs, he also had the humility of a monk and, in seventeen years of government, had made the foundation of Saint Robert one of the largest abbeys in France, known as far as Italy and Castile. .

 

Étienne de Mercœur (abbot from 1111 to 1146, date of his death)

Extension of the Congregation to Montferrand, in the Forez, to Chanteuges, Sainte-Livrade d'Agenais, Faverney in Burgundy, Saint-Sixte de Plaisance in the Po plain and Montepeloso in Basilicata. These connections were often of political convenience but rested on the moral authority of La Chaise-Dieu.

 

Jourdain de Montboisier (abbot from 1146 to 1157, date of his death)

Having entered La Chaise-Dieu at the beginning of the 12th century, Jourdain had been prior since 1141 when he was elected abbot. The Montboisiers were great benefactors of the churches and several Jourdain brothers were churchmen. The most famous of them is Pierre the Venerable, abbot of Cluny since 1122. An erased character, Jourdain benefited from the influence of the latter to consolidate certain achievements of the abbey.

 

From 1168 to 1306: The difficult maintenance of the Casadean congregation

At the time of Philippe-Auguste (1180-1223), Auvergne was marked by rivalries between the Capetians, to whom the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu remained loyal, and the Plantagenets. The France of Saint Louis (1226-1270) and Philippe le Bel (1285-1314) saw the strengthening of royal power. In the 13th century, the Church was preoccupied on the one hand by the quarrel between the Emperor and the Pope and on the other hand by the organization of the Crusades.

 

Under Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) new forms of religious life appeared with Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscans, and Saint Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Dominicans, who undertook to convert the Albigenses, or Cathars.

 

Preponderance of the temporal

During this period, the congregation of La Chaise-Dieu did not elect any abbot endowed with an outstanding personality. The abbey sees its role as lordship of Livradois increase, the temporal power tending to take an increasing part. In addition, the abbots devote considerable energy to maintaining links with all the abbeys and priories attached to them, links willingly disputed by the local lords or bishops. The growth of the congregation is complete. The organization of the congregation becomes more structured, with a regulation of the chapters and the definition of the role of the cloister officers.

 

1306 to 1518: The Golden Decline

In 1348, the Black Death ravaged France. It raged until 1419 and decimated half of the population. The Hundred Years War between the faithful of the kings of France and those of the king of England began in 1336. In 1429, Charles VII was crowned in Reims under the leadership of Joan of Arc, who was burned in Rouen in 1431.

From 1305 to 1378, judging Rome unsafe because of the conflicts between different factions, the papacy settled in Avignon. Two popes from Avignon will figure in the history of La Chaise-Dieu: Clément VI (1342-1352) who was buried there, and Grégoire XI, his nephew (1370-1378), who built the Clémentine 1 tower.

Pope Julius II (1503-1513) undertakes the construction of the Vatican Palace and Saint Peter's Basilica.

 

Great lord abbots

Paradoxically, this desolate period was brilliant for La Chaise-Dieu. Great lords, the abbots, chosen from rich and powerful families, no longer reformed but presided over great works.

 

Jean de Chandorat (1318–1342)

Renowned for his knowledge and his energy, he endeavored to apply the disciplinary principles that the Pope demanded of a Benedictine Order which was becoming ossified by giving new statutes to the abbey. He then became bishop of Le Puy. He was the novitiate companion of Pierre Roger, who became pope in 1342 under the name of Clement VI, who appointed him bishop of Le Puy upon his accession to the see of Pierre.

 

from 1342 to 1377

During this period, the abbots were not elected at the general chapter, but appointed by the Pope, starting with Clement VI: they were called “reservators”. This was the case of Renaud de Montclar who was responsible for monitoring the start of construction work on the new abbey.

If during this troubled time, the monks found themselves sheltered behind their walls, many priories suffered.

 

Hugues de Chauvigny de Blot (1420-1465)

The macabre dance was performed under his abbacy.

 

An abbot announcing the Renaissance, Jacques de Saint-Nectaire (1491-1518, date of his death)

Jacques de Saint-Nectaire was born in 1461 from a rich and powerful Auvergne family. The links that this family had with the abbey were numerous. He entered the abbey at the age of 12. Having become professed and a priest, he was first appointed prior of Saint-Pantaléon (Limousin), then in 1483 of Saint-Gemme (Saintonge). He was elected abbot in 1491 and died in 1518. He distinguished himself by his taste for the arts and his munificence. He completed the refectory and the cloister, rebuilt the roof of the abbey church and ordered the "imaged sheets". He also carried out important works (chapel and house of the abbot) at the priory of Chanteuges where he liked to reside.

 

From 1518 to 1640: The abbey as a commend

If the Renaissance evokes a new vision of man and profound changes in art, this period is marked, especially in France, by the Wars of Religion. Born of the Reformation (Martin Luther was excommunicated in 1517), they bloodied France from 1562 (Massacre of Saint-Barthélemy in 1572). The promulgation of the Edict of Nantes by Henri IV in 1598 brought back civil peace. The Council of Trent in 1562 is at the origin of a disciplinary burst of the Catholic Church in reaction to the criticisms of the Reformed. But the French monarchy did not accept the existence of Protestant minorities and the problem persisted until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685 which forced the majority of Protestants to emigrate.

 

the order

Having become king in 1515, François I (1494-1547) signed a concordat with Pope Leo X a year later in Bologna, whereby the King of France could appoint bishops and abbots. The kings quickly abused this facility to reward relatives, in particular at La Chaise-Dieu. The abbots appointed by the king were not all ordained. If they came to La Chaise-Dieu at least once to take up their duties, they had little interest in the abbey and were represented by a vicar general. Thus Henri d'Angoulême, natural son of Henri II, was abbot from 1562 to 1586. His successor, Charles de Valois, was the natural son of Charles IX; he resigned in 1597 to marry. His son, Louis de Valois, later became abbot from 1609 to 1629 before also giving up the charge. His successor was Cardinal Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu.

 

François de Tournon, first commissioning abbot

In 1533, while on his way to Le Puy in the company of Queen Éléonore of Austria, François I stopped at the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu where he was welcomed by the first commendatory abbot, François de Tournon. .

 

turbulence

In 1562, the Huguenots invaded the abbey and ransacked it while the monks had taken refuge in the Clémentine tower. Thanks to the oven and the well in the tower, they were able to hold out for 15 days of siege while waiting for reinforcements. During this time, the tombs were desecrated, the statues broken as well as the recumbent statue of Clement VI.

 

Cardinal de Richelieu (1582-1642)

Armand-Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (1582-1642), minister of Louis XIII from 1624 to 1642, was appointed abbot of La Chaise-Dieu and Cluny in 1629. Anticipating the Pope's plans to reorganize the Benedictine Order, he took care to bring together all the monasteries of this Order in the kingdom into a single congregation: the Congregation of the Benedictines of Saint-Maur2 whose motherhouse was originally at Blancs-Manteaux in Paris. The decline of the abbey was evident and the number of monks reduced to around fifty. In 1640, he signed the order linking the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu to the Congregation of Saint-Maur.

 

From 1640 to 1790: The Maurists

Attachment to the Maurists was not easily accepted by the Benedictines of La Chaise-Dieu: the Maurist congregation was very centralized and La Chaise-Dieu lost real autonomy. In addition, the Maurists took possession of the abbey to the detriment of the local monks, who were then called the "elders" and received a pension until their death. If they wanted to join the Congregation, the monks of La Chaise-Dieu had to start a novitiate again according to the principles of the Maurists and take new vows. Many refused and two communities rubbed shoulders: that of the Robertians housed in the buildings that existed on the Place de l'Écho and that of the Maurists who settled in the wings of the existing buildings which they undertook to rebuild. They also shared the church. In 1643, after the death of Cardinal de Richelieu, the Casadean monks tried to question this connection. This approach was in vain, especially since they were weakened in number and financial means.

 

The Maurists attached great importance to studies. Wishing to be part of the history of the monastery that they were "taking over", they wrote its history thanks to their archives and cartularies. At La Chaise-Dieu, this Benedictine work resulted in the publication of the work of Dom François Gardon on the Life of Saint Robert and the history of the abbey 4 , the General History of the Congregation of Dom Victor Tiolier in 1652 and, in 1667, a history of the abbey in Latin by Dom Simon Genoux.

 

At the same time, they undertook to restore the abbey devastated by the Huguenots. The tomb of Pope Clement VI was rebuilt in the middle of the choir and the recumbent could be replaced there. The high altar, those of the side chapels and the altarpieces date from this period. The buildings in the Place de l'Écho (and therefore the Salle de l'Écho itself) were rebuilt at the end of the 17th century following a fire which had destroyed the buildings dating from Abbé Jacques de Saint Nectaire. They also rebuilt the grand staircase at the entrance to the abbey and the west wing of the abbey buildings.

 

Jansenism

The doctrine of Jansenism appears in 1640. Jansenius declares in his book called “Augustinus” that grace is granted only to the elect. This theory, condemned by the Pope and the Sorbonne, is supported by the Parliament of Paris and the solitaries of Port-Royal (Antoine Arnaud, Blaise Pascal,..) This quarrel subsides in 1668 when all the Jansenists agree to sign a Form of Faith. It revives on the occasion of the publication of the bull Unigenitus in 1713.

 

The abbey became a home for the Jansenists. The Casadean community notably welcomed Jean Soanen, bishop of Senez, one of the fiercest appellants, who had been suspended from his episcopal functions and whom the king had forced to retire to La Chaise-Dieu, where he lived from 1727 to his death. died in 1740 at the age of 93.

 

Two abbots of this time

Hyacinthe Serroni, abbot of La Chaise-Dieu from 1672 to 1687

Born in 1617 in Rome, he joined the Dominicans. In 1645, he came to France where he was appointed bishop of Orange, then of Mende in 1661. In 1672, taking over from his protector Cardinal François-Marie Mancini, nephew of Mazarin, he was appointed abbot of La Chaise- God. In 1676, he was appointed archbishop of Albi and himself became a cardinal. In 1684, he came to La Chaise-Dieu; he donated the magnificent organ case to the abbey and had the rood screen modified to allow the music to be heard better in the choir. His liberalities for the cathedral of Albi and the abbey of La Chaise-Dieu ruined him. He died in 1687. He wrote many religious books.

 

Louis-René-Édouard, Prince of Rohan-Guéménée,

Cardinal-Archbishop of Strasbourg,

Abbot of La Chaise-Dieu from 1756 to the Revolution

Born in 1734 in Paris, he succeeded his uncle by becoming the last abbot of La Chaise-Dieu in 1756. In 1761, he was elected to the French Academy. A friend of Buffon and d'Alembert, he was a philosophical prelate. In 1772, he was sent as ambassador to Vienna where he scandalized the Empress by his way of life. In 1777, he was appointed coadjutor, then grand chaplain of France, then he was created cardinal and finally appointed prince-bishop of Strasbourg. He compromises himself in the affair of the queen's necklace: Louis XVI forces him to "purge at La Chaise". He only came there for 4 months in 1786. He was never able to return to Court. In 1789, he was appointed to represent the Clergy in the Estates General and then in the Constituent Assembly. Refusing the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and then the abolition of the monarchy, he went into exile in the German part of his diocese. He resigned from office during the Concordat of 1801 and died in 1803.

 

This Maurist revival, spiritual and intellectual, had given rise to more numerous vocations. But the 18th century resulted in a disaffection with monastic life. In 1790, the monks were only around thirty and the rule was no longer applied with the same fervor.

 

1790: Closing of the abbey

From 1789, the National Assembly took the decisions that put an end to monastic life:

 

on November 2, ecclesiastical goods are made available to the Nation

on November 13, communities must declare their movable and immovable property

February 13, 1790, monastic vows are prohibited and religious orders suppressed

In 1792, the Republic decided to sell national property.

The closure of the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu took place without incident in February 1790. The last prior, Dom Pierre Terrasse, and all the monks were released from their vows. Most dispersed. Dom Pierre Terrasse was appointed mayor. He ensured that the Inventory was established in March 1790 in peace. He organized the dispersal of the important library of 5,853 volumes either to the bishopric of Saint-Flour or to the municipality of Brioude. On May 3, 1790, the day on which the municipal body took possession of the monastery, he asked “to abstain from municipal functions”.

 

If the abbey church was relatively protected by the population of La Chaise-Dieu, on the other hand the abbey buildings, abandoned, were looted. In 1793, most were sold at auction to locals, including some monks returned to civilian life.

 

The Concordat signed in 1801 by First Consul Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII restored relative serenity. The bishopric of Le Puy was then attached to that of Saint-Flour until the Restoration.

 

In 1820, the abbey church became the parish church. The three old parish churches were closed and destroyed.

 

Classification as a Historic Monument

Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870), alongside his career as a writer, was Inspector General of Historic Monuments from 1834 to 1860, a position to which he gave exceptional luster. In this context, he visited Auvergne in 1837; the report he published shows a manifest disinterest in the abbey of La Chaise-Dieu. This did not prevent him from including the abbey buildings in 1840 in the list of monuments requiring intervention, nor from classifying them as “Historic Monuments” in 1847. He became a senator under the Second Empire where he enjoyed great prestige worldly. This visit to Mérimée marked the beginning of the management of the buildings and the treasure (in particular the tapestries), properties of the municipality, by the administration of the Historic Monuments. Major works are periodically undertaken there.

 

The abbey has been welcoming visitors since the 19th century: George Sand recounts her visit in June 1859 in her Voyage en Auvergne, .

 

In the 20th century

Installation of tapestries in the choir

The number of visitors peaked in 1960 when it exceeded 60,000.

 

Genesis of the Music Festival

In 1966, Georgy Cziffra gave the first concert of what was to become the La Chaise-Dieu festival. Its success and its notoriety would make the abbey church a Mecca for music in Europe.

 

Towards spiritual renewal

In 1984, to reconnect with the great monastic prayer that had resounded for more than 700 years and to welcome tourists, Mgr Cornet, then bishop of Le Puy, asked the Community of Saint John, which had just been founded, to open a priory at La Chaise-Dieu.

 

In 1990, Bishop Henri Brincard confirms this mission of the brothers and entrusts them with the parish of La Chaise-Dieu and the surrounding villages.

 

In 2017, Mgr Luc Crepy, new bishop of Puy-en-Velay, asked the Catholics of La Chaise-Dieu to invest in the pastoral care of tourism so that the Church and the good news of the Gospel are present on the site rehabilitated from the abbey buildings and that the spirit of the founder of these places, Saint Robert, continues to breathe there.

 

An exceptional restored site

From 2007, major site rehabilitation works were undertaken under the aegis of the State, the department, the Community of Communes, the Commune of La Chaise-Dieu:

 

the Chapel of the Penitents,

part of the stables and barns of the abbey located on Place Lafayette have been converted into an auditorium,

the apse of the abbey church,

the Echo wing is laid out to create a museum trail,

the west wing is fitted out to accommodate the reception of the public and dressing rooms for the musicians of the Festival,

a room was built on the site of the small courtyards between the wall of the abbey and that of the library to house the "Historial of the builders" devoted to the chronology of the construction of the abbey.

In 2018, these rehabilitation works were completed. The site can open to the public and offer them a historical discovery of the abbey of La Chaise-Dieu centered on the person of Pope Clement VI.

 

The choir hanging is installed in a dedicated room in the Echo wing.

Source :

www.abbaye-chaise-dieu.com

Şirince (pronounced [ʃiˈɾindʒe]) is a village of 600 inhabitants in İzmir Province, Turkey, located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of the town Selçuk.

 

Şirince was settled when Ephesus was abandoned in the 15th century but most of what one sees today dates from the 19th century. There is a story that the village was settled by freed Greek slaves who named the village Çirkince (meaning "Ugly" in Turkish) to deter others from following them. The village's name was changed to Şirince (meaning "Pleasant") in 1926 by the governor of Izmir Province.

 

In the 1990s the well-known Istanbul linguist Sevan Nişanyan and his wife Müjde Tönbekici settled in Şirince, which had been semi-derelict since the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. They were instrumental in having the village declared a national heritage site, and they undertook to renovate ruined historic houses using the original materials and building techniques of the village.

 

Several of the renovated village houses were eventually converted into a highly acclaimed Hotel de Charme by the name of the Nisanyan Houses.

 

After 2006 Nișanyan collaborated with Ali Nesin, a prominent mathematician and philanthropist, in developing the Nesin Mathematics Village near Şirince. Constructed strictly along the lines of traditional Aegean rural architecture, the village offered summer courses in college-level and postgraduate mathematics. It attracted prominent lecturers from around the world, accommodating over 300 resident students by summer 2013.

 

Nisanyan also built Thethre Madrasa (in Turkish Tiyatro Medresesi), a theater institute and actors’ retreat in the manner of mediaeval Muslim seminaries. The Nisanyan Memorial Library was completed in 2013. A philosophy school became operative on the grounds of Mathematics Village in 2014.

 

Ref: www.wikizero.com/en/Şirince

It was a cool foggy morning on the beach when I found you. That is to say, I almost stepped on you, lying there flat on your back in the wet sand right at the waterline. I thought you were a goner. One wing flapped a little bit even though there was no wind, and that’s how I knew you were alive. So I knelt down beside you and offered you a warm finger to grab on to – which you did as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

 

It made my heart flutter to see you holding on to my finger so trustingly, just like my dear friend Rinky used to do. There is something about your cute little face that I’ve grown so very fond of. On close inspection, I saw nothing wrong with you. How did you get yourself into such a predicament? Maybe you needed a safe place to wait for the sun to return and warm you up. I carried you high above the tide line and set you down on a sturdy bit of driftwood. And that’s when Blanca undertook her own close inspection of you.

 

Butterflies are a little bit like unicorns. Meeting one can change your life. You seem far too beautiful and too fragile to even possibly exist. I stare at you in wonder. Holding you on my finger is a rare and sacred conference with the heart of all life, and it’s much softer than I expected.

 

Be brave on your magical travels!

Claudia

 

SÜDAFRIKA( South-Africa), Hermanus .

Hermanus (ursprünglich Hermanuspietersfontein) ist ein Ort im Distrikt Overberg der südafrikanischen Provinz Westkap. Er ist Verwaltungssitz der Lokalgemeinde Overstrand und liegt etwa 120 Kilometer südöstlich von Kapstadt an der Atlantikküste.

Hermanuspietersfontein wurde 1855 gegründet und erlangte 1904 den Stadtstatus. Aus diesem Anlass wurde der Name zu Hermanus verkürzt.

Von Hermanus können in den Monaten Juli bis Dezember Südkaper beobachtet werden, die die Bucht Walker Bay in großer Zahl aufsuchen. Am Höhepunkt der Saison, im Oktober, werden regelmäßig etwa 150 Wale vor Hermanus gezählt....

Und vor allem deshalb habe ich diese Rundreise unternommen.

 

Hermanus (originally Hermanuspietersfontein) is a town in the Overberg district of the South African province of Western Cape. It is the administrative seat of the local municipality of Overstrand and is located about 120 kilometers southeast of Cape Town on the Atlantic coast.

Hermanuspietersfontein was founded in 1855 and achieved city status in 1904. On this occasion, the name was shortened to Hermanus.

From Hermanus, southern right whales can be observed from July to December, visiting Walker Bay in large numbers. At the peak of the season, in October, around 150 whales are regularly counted off Hermanus....

And that is the main reason why I undertook this round trip.

  

National Trust Properties

Anglesey Abbey, Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge, CB25 9EJ

 

Anglesey Abbey

Built between 1100 and 1135AD on the remains of an Augustine Abbey. It was endowed as a priory in 1212 by Richard de Clare. It remained as a priory until 1536 when it was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Priory was largely demolished and in 1595 it was rebuilt as a Jacobean-style house and owned by the Fowkes family. The house had quite a few occupants, notably Thomas Hobson (of Hobson’s choice), his son-in-law, Thomas Parker, a barrister. Samuel Shepheard, a Cambridge MP. Anglesey was not always a place of residence with these various owners, at one time it was leased out as a farm. When Thomas Parker died in 1647, Anglesea changed from Priory to Abbey.

The Reverend John Hailstone purchased the property in 1848 and carried out many renovations. He converted the monks’ day room into an entrance Hall. He then added a stable block, then a service wing and undertook a programme of plants many trees which are a great feature of the grounds. Cedars, Wellingtonia, Acer, Silver Lime and Weeping Elm are just a few of the trees found there. The Reverend stayed in residence until his death in 1877 and his widow sold it in 1877 to another Churchman, Reverend James George Clark. He with his family lived there until 1912.

In 1926 the abbey was sold to the brothers Broughton, Urban Huttleston and Henry Rogers, they were very keen on horse racing and they purchased it because of its proximity to Newmarket and their stud farm near to Bury St Edmunds.

More changes to the property were made, the work done by architect Sidney Parvin, who worked for Turner Lord of London. It was featured in the 1930 edition of Country Life. In 1934 Lode Mill was purchased, it is now used for grinding corn.

In 1966 on the death of Lord Fairhaven, the Abbey was left to the National Trust.

The gardens are well set out, there is a walled garden filled with many plants and wonderful borders of colour. There is a Dahlia and a Rose Garden also a Hyacinth and Narcissus Garden. There are many statues in the grounds which cover close to 100 acres or 400,000 m2. There is also a wonderful avenue of trees as well as Silver Birch avenue close to the entrance. There is a superb walk from the house to the Lode Mill, alongside the river. Excellent to see in Springtime. Hopefully this will open and be enjoyed again in the not too distant future.

A definite house and garden to enjoy.

 

Church of st. Mary Magdalene in Dukla is one of the most valuable Polish rococo churches.

 

It was built as a gothic one, around 1461, with a brick chancel and a wooden nave. When in 1738 there was a fire in the city, the nave burned down entirely, and the chancel became the basis for the reconstruction of the temple.

 

The owner of Dukla and the Grand Marshal of the Crown, Józef Wandalin Mniszech, the same one who donated the land for the Bernardine monastery, undertook it. The temple was given a baroque appearance, but another fire and the death of Józef Vandalin in 1747 interrupted the work. They were continued in 1764 by the son of the marshal, Jerzy August Mniszech, supported by his wife, Maria Amalia. It was then that the church's interior acquired a rococo interior and fittings that have survived to this day.

 

gorybezgranic.pttk.pl/en/295-gory-bez-granic-the-church-o...

Normandy Isle is a neighborhood of North Beach in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States. It is located along the eastern shore of Biscayne Bay.

After building a chain of movie theaters in Cincinnati, Alsace native Henri Levi (or Levy) moved to Miami Beach in 1922. In 1926 he undertook a 2-year period of 24-hour-a-day dredging to create Normandy Isle from the natural swampy land mass in Biscayne Bay west of 71st street theretofore called Warner-Meade Island. Levy was also instrumental in the construction of the 79th Street Causeway.

Most streets on Normandy Isle were named after French cities and architectural landmarks.

 

East-West

 

Bay Drive

Biarritz Drive

Biarritz Court

71st Street (originally Everglades Concourse)

Maimonides Street

Everglades Court (alley)

Normandy Drive

Normandy Court

Marseille Drive

Calais Drive

North-South

 

Brest Esplanade

Rue Vendome

Vendome Court

Rue Versailles

Versailles Court

Vichy Drive

Rue Notre Dame

Rue Bordeaux

Trouville Esplanade

Rue Granville

Verdun Drive

National Trust Properties

Anglesey Abbey, Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge, CB25 9EJ

 

Anglesey Abbey

Built between 1100 and 1135AD on the remains of an Augustine Abbey. It was endowed as a priory in 1212 by Richard de Clare. It remained as a priory until 1536 when it was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Priory was largely demolished and in 1595 it was rebuilt as a Jacobean-style house and owned by the Fowkes family. The house had quite a few occupants, notably Thomas Hobson (of Hobson’s choice), his son-in-law, Thomas Parker, a barrister. Samuel Shepheard, a Cambridge MP. Anglesey was not always a place of residence with these various owners, at one time it was leased out as a farm. When Thomas Parker died in 1647, Anglesea changed from Priory to Abbey.

The Reverend John Hailstone purchased the property in 1848 and carried out many renovations. He converted the monks’ day room into an entrance Hall. He then added a stable block, then a service wing and undertook a programme of plants many trees which are a great feature of the grounds. Cedars, Wellingtonia, Acer, Silver Lime and Weeping Elm are just a few of the trees found there. The Reverend stayed in residence until his death in 1877 and his widow sold it in 1877 to another Churchman, Reverend James George Clark. He with his family lived there until 1912.

In 1926 the abbey was sold to the brothers Broughton, Urban Huttleston and Henry Rogers, they were very keen on horse racing and they purchased it because of its proximity to Newmarket and their stud farm near to Bury St Edmunds.

More changes to the property were made, the work done by architect Sidney Parvin, who worked for Turner Lord of London. It was featured in the 1930 edition of Country Life. In 1934 Lode Mill was purchased, it is now used for grinding corn.

In 1966 on the death of Lord Fairhaven, the Abbey was left to the National Trust.

The gardens are well set out, there is a walled garden filled with many plants and wonderful borders of colour. There is a Dahlia and a Rose Garden also a Hyacinth and Narcissus Garden. There are many statues in the grounds which cover close to 100 acres or 400,000 m2. There is also a wonderful avenue of trees as well as Silver Birch avenue close to the entrance. There is a superb walk from the house to the Lode Mill, alongside the river. Excellent to see in Springtime. Hopefully this will open and be enjoyed again in the not too distant future.

A definite house and garden to enjoy.

 

Brockhampton, Herefordshire, England.

 

Brockhampton Coordinates...: 52°12′4.68″N 2°27′30.96″W

 

The Brockhampton Estate is a farmed estate in Herefordshire, England, which is owned by the National Trust.

 

The Brockhampton Estate is located on the edge of Bringsty Common near the town of Bromyard.

 

The main attraction of the Brockhampton Estate is Lower Brockhampton, a timber framed manor house that dates back to the late 14th century. The manor house is surrounded by a moat and is entered by a newly restored gatehouse at the front of the house.

 

The house is surrounded by 1,000 acres (400 ha) of farmland, some of it parkland with fine specimen trees, and 700 acres (280 ha) of woodland.

 

In 2010, the National Trust undertook a major restoration project to the house using traditional wattle and daub building methods.

 

The Brockhampton Estate was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1946 by Colonel John Lutley, in whose family it had been for more than twenty generations, although the name of the family had changed several times through marriage.

 

The site of the medieval village of Studmarsh is thought to be located in the estate. In 2012, an archaeological dig unearthed the foundations of two buildings that may have been part of the village.

Click the pic to view large!

Shooting a lot at night in deserted places I sometimes feel the presence of the activity present during busier times. I undertook a series to try to capture that feeling. I took shots of busy places at night when they were quiet then came back & took multiple shots from exactly the same spot when they were busy. Figures from those daytime shots have been added (at less than full transparency) to the night base shot. This shot is the result of combining elements of daytime shots with the base night shot.

National Trust Properties

Anglesey Abbey, Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge, CB25 9EJ

 

Anglesey Abbey

Built between 1100 and 1135AD on the remains of an Augustine Abbey. It was endowed as a priory in 1212 by Richard de Clare. It remained as a priory until 1536 when it was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Priory was largely demolished and in 1595 it was rebuilt as a Jacobean-style house and owned by the Fowkes family. The house had quite a few occupants, notably Thomas Hobson (of Hobson’s choice), his son-in-law, Thomas Parker, a barrister. Samuel Shepheard, a Cambridge MP. Anglesey was not always a place of residence with these various owners, at one time it was leased out as a farm. When Thomas Parker died in 1647, Anglesea changed from Priory to Abbey.

The Reverend John Hailstone purchased the property in 1848 and carried out many renovations. He converted the monks’ day room into an entrance Hall. He then added a stable block, then a service wing and undertook a programme of plants many trees which are a great feature of the grounds. Cedars, Wellingtonia, Acer, Silver Lime and Weeping Elm are just a few of the trees found there. The Reverend stayed in residence until his death in 1877 and his widow sold it in 1877 to another Churchman, Reverend James George Clark. He with his family lived there until 1912.

In 1926 the abbey was sold to the brothers Broughton, Urban Huttleston and Henry Rogers, they were very keen on horse racing and they purchased it because of its proximity to Newmarket and their stud farm near to Bury St Edmunds.

More changes to the property were made, the work done by architect Sidney Parvin, who worked for Turner Lord of London. It was featured in the 1930 edition of Country Life. In 1934 Lode Mill was purchased, it is now used for grinding corn.

In 1966 on the death of Lord Fairhaven, the Abbey was left to the National Trust.

The gardens are well set out, there is a walled garden filled with many plants and wonderful borders of colour. There is a Dahlia and a Rose Garden also a Hyacinth and Narcissus Garden. There are many statues in the grounds which cover close to 100 acres or 400,000 m2. There is also a wonderful avenue of trees as well as Silver Birch avenue close to the entrance. There is a superb walk from the house to the Lode Mill, alongside the river. Excellent to see in Springtime. Hopefully this will open and be enjoyed again in the not too distant future.

A definite house and garden to enjoy.

 

Şirince (pronounced [ʃiˈɾindʒe]) is a village of 600 inhabitants in İzmir Province, Turkey, located about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of the town Selçuk.

 

Şirince was settled when Ephesus was abandoned in the 15th century but most of what one sees today dates from the 19th century. There is a story that the village was settled by freed Greek slaves who named the village Çirkince (meaning "Ugly" in Turkish) to deter others from following them. The village's name was changed to Şirince (meaning "Pleasant") in 1926 by the governor of Izmir Province.

 

In the 1990s the well-known Istanbul linguist Sevan Nişanyan and his wife Müjde Tönbekici settled in Şirince, which had been semi-derelict since the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. They were instrumental in having the village declared a national heritage site, and they undertook to renovate ruined historic houses using the original materials and building techniques of the village.

 

Several of the renovated village houses were eventually converted into a highly acclaimed Hotel de Charme by the name of the Nisanyan Houses.

 

After 2006 Nișanyan collaborated with Ali Nesin, a prominent mathematician and philanthropist, in developing the Nesin Mathematics Village near Şirince. Constructed strictly along the lines of traditional Aegean rural architecture, the village offered summer courses in college-level and postgraduate mathematics. It attracted prominent lecturers from around the world, accommodating over 300 resident students by summer 2013.

 

Nisanyan also built Thethre Madrasa (in Turkish Tiyatro Medresesi), a theater institute and actors’ retreat in the manner of mediaeval Muslim seminaries. The Nisanyan Memorial Library was completed in 2013. A philosophy school became operative on the grounds of Mathematics Village in 2014.

 

Ref: www.wikizero.com/en/Şirince

“Good conversation is just as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after.”

- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

 

Soundtrack : www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d9rRNbOijc

BLACK COFFEE – LACY J DALTON

 

We couldn't get in at the restaurant we wanted

we didn't think to book

so we were re-directed across the road

and found a cosy comfy nook

this poster caught my eye and so

I pointed shot and took

a little boy from olden days

who caught a big fish on a little hook

the carvery was excellent

I met and congratulated the cook

we piled our plates as high as we could

we signed our names in the visitor's book

the place was a little dark but not shabby

it had it's own style; conversation babbled like a brook

we felt relaxed and satiated and happy

as we left for the theatre for which we DID book

an amateur production of Agatha Christie's

play called Black Coffee; well worth a look

the performers were brilliant; very professional

we couldn't second-guess who was the crook

Hercule Poirot arrived looking a bit dishevelled

in a well-worn well-creased linen jacket he forsook

to press it as well as Captain Hasting's trousers

the audience laughed; our shoulders shook

the stage was set; the lights were dimmed

until the interval came and everyone took

a break for an ice-cream, fresh air and ablutions

returned for the final half of this lesser known book

I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner and visit

to the Palace Theatre as we undertook

to applaud the wonderful players of this play

sad to say goodnight as the room fell dark as a rook.

 

- AP - Copyright © remains with and is the intellectual property of the author

 

Copyright © protected image please do not reproduce without permission

   

National Trust Properties

Anglesey Abbey, Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge, CB25 9EJ

 

Anglesey Abbey

Built between 1100 and 1135AD on the remains of an Augustine Abbey. It was endowed as a priory in 1212 by Richard de Clare. It remained as a priory until 1536 when it was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Priory was largely demolished and in 1595 it was rebuilt as a Jacobean-style house and owned by the Fowkes family. The house had quite a few occupants, notably Thomas Hobson (of Hobson’s choice), his son-in-law, Thomas Parker, a barrister. Samuel Shepheard, a Cambridge MP. Anglesey was not always a place of residence with these various owners, at one time it was leased out as a farm. When Thomas Parker died in 1647, Anglesea changed from Priory to Abbey.

The Reverend John Hailstone purchased the property in 1848 and carried out many renovations. He converted the monks’ day room into an entrance Hall. He then added a stable block, then a service wing and undertook a programme of plants many trees which are a great feature of the grounds. Cedars, Wellingtonia, Acer, Silver Lime and Weeping Elm are just a few of the trees found there. The Reverend stayed in residence until his death in 1877 and his widow sold it in 1877 to another Churchman, Reverend James George Clark. He with his family lived there until 1912.

In 1926 the abbey was sold to the brothers Broughton, Urban Huttleston and Henry Rogers, they were very keen on horse racing and they purchased it because of its proximity to Newmarket and their stud farm near to Bury St Edmunds.

More changes to the property were made, the work done by architect Sidney Parvin, who worked for Turner Lord of London. It was featured in the 1930 edition of Country Life. In 1934 Lode Mill was purchased, it is now used for grinding corn.

In 1966 on the death of Lord Fairhaven, the Abbey was left to the National Trust.

The gardens are well set out, there is a walled garden filled with many plants and wonderful borders of colour. There is a Dahlia and a Rose Garden also a Hyacinth and Narcissus Garden. There are many statues in the grounds which cover close to 100 acres or 400,000 m2. There is also a wonderful avenue of trees as well as Silver Birch avenue close to the entrance. There is a superb walk from the house to the Lode Mill, alongside the river. Excellent to see in Springtime. Hopefully this will open and be enjoyed again in the not too distant future.

A definite house and garden to enjoy.

 

Lost

On a painted sky

Where the clouds are hung

For the poet's eye

You may find him

If you may find him

 

There

On a distant shore

By the wings of dreams

Through an open door

You may know him

If you may

 

Be

As a page that aches for a word

Which speaks on a theme that is timeless

And the one God will make for your day

Sing

As a song in search of a voice that is silent

And the Son God will make for your way

 

And we dance

To a whispered voice

Overheard by the soul

Undertook by the heart

And you may know it

If you may know it

 

While the sand

Would become the stone

Which begat the spark

Turned to living bone

Holy, holy

Sanctus, sanctus

 

Be

As a page that aches for a word

Which speaks on a theme that is timeless

While the one God will make for your day

Sing

As a song in search of a voice that is silent

And the one God will make for your way

 

Neil Diamond

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

  

National Trust Properties

Anglesey Abbey, Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge, CB25 9EJ

 

Anglesey Abbey

Built between 1100 and 1135AD on the remains of an Augustine Abbey. It was endowed as a priory in 1212 by Richard de Clare. It remained as a priory until 1536 when it was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Priory was largely demolished and in 1595 it was rebuilt as a Jacobean-style house and owned by the Fowkes family. The house had quite a few occupants, notably Thomas Hobson (of Hobson’s choice), his son-in-law, Thomas Parker, a barrister. Samuel Shepheard, a Cambridge MP. Anglesey was not always a place of residence with these various owners, at one time it was leased out as a farm. When Thomas Parker died in 1647, Anglesea changed from Priory to Abbey.

The Reverend John Hailstone purchased the property in 1848 and carried out many renovations. He converted the monks’ day room into an entrance Hall. He then added a stable block, then a service wing and undertook a programme of plants many trees which are a great feature of the grounds. Cedars, Wellingtonia, Acer, Silver Lime and Weeping Elm are just a few of the trees found there. The Reverend stayed in residence until his death in 1877 and his widow sold it in 1877 to another Churchman, Reverend James George Clark. He with his family lived there until 1912.

In 1926 the abbey was sold to the brothers Broughton, Urban Huttleston and Henry Rogers, they were very keen on horse racing and they purchased it because of its proximity to Newmarket and their stud farm near to Bury St Edmunds.

More changes to the property were made, the work done by architect Sidney Parvin, who worked for Turner Lord of London. It was featured in the 1930 edition of Country Life. In 1934 Lode Mill was purchased, it is now used for grinding corn.

In 1966 on the death of Lord Fairhaven, the Abbey was left to the National Trust.

The gardens are well set out, there is a walled garden filled with many plants and wonderful borders of colour. There is a Dahlia and a Rose Garden also a Hyacinth and Narcissus Garden. There are many statues in the grounds which cover close to 100 acres or 400,000 m2. There is also a wonderful avenue of trees as well as Silver Birch avenue close to the entrance. There is a superb walk from the house to the Lode Mill, alongside the river. Excellent to see in Springtime. Hopefully this will open and be enjoyed again in the not too distant future.

A definite house and garden to enjoy.

 

Der Kapellenbau ist der Familienhistorie geschuldet: Ulrich Rauch, ein Vorfahr Leopoldsbergers, war 1752 wegen eines Steuerstreits mit dem Grafen von Ortenburg vom Hof vertrieben worden. Daraufhin hatte er eine Fußwallfahrt nach Rom unternommen und mit Hilfe von Papst Clemens VIII. das Gut im Jahr 1764 wieder zurück erhalten. Zur Erinnerung und aus Dankbarkeit ließ Georg Leopoldsberger 100 Jahre später eine Hofkapelle am leicht ansteigenden Westhang des Gutes errichten. Anmutig erhebt sie sich über dem Hofweg neben alten Pappeln.

 

The construction of the chapel is a tribute to the family's history: Ulrich Rauch, an ancestor of Leopoldsberger, was expelled from the estate in 1752 due to a tax dispute with the Count of Ortenburg. He subsequently undertook a pilgrimage to Rome on foot and, with the help of Pope Clement VIII, regained the estate in 1764. In remembrance and as a token of gratitude, Georg Leopoldsberger had a court chapel built 100 years later on the gently sloping western slope of the estate. It rises gracefully above the farm path next to old poplars.

The Viking Age (793–1066 AD) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe, and reached North America.

It followed the Migration Period and the Germanic Iron Age. The Viking Age applies not only to their homeland of Scandinavia, but to any place significantly settled by Scandinavians during the period.

The Scandinavians of the Viking Age are often referred to as Vikings as well as Norsemen, although few of them were Vikings in the technical sense.

Voyaging by sea from their homelands in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the Norse people settled in the British Isles, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Normandy, the Baltic coast, and along the Dnieper and Volga trade routes in eastern Europe, where they were also known as Varangians. They also briefly settled in Newfoundland, becoming the first Europeans to reach North America. The Norse-Gaels, Normans, Rus' people, Faroese and Icelanders emerged from these Norse colonies. The Vikings founded several kingdoms and earldoms in Europe: the kingdom of the Isles (Suðreyjar), Orkney (Norðreyjar), York (Jórvík) and the Danelaw (Danalǫg), Dublin (Dyflin), Normandy, and Kievan Rus' (Garðaríki). The Norse homelands were also unified into larger kingdoms during the Viking Age, and the short-lived North Sea Empire included large swathes of Scandinavia and Britain.

Several things drove this expansion. The Vikings were drawn by the growth of wealthy towns and monasteries overseas, and weak kingdoms. They may also have been pushed to leave their homeland by overpopulation, lack of good farmland, and political strife arising from the unification of Norway. The aggressive expansion of the Carolingian Empire and forced conversion of the neighboring Saxons to Christianity may also have been a factor.

Sailing innovations had allowed the Vikings to sail further and longer to begin with.

Information about the Viking Age is drawn largely from primary sources written by those the Vikings encountered, as well as archaeology, supplemented with secondary sources such as the Icelandic Sagas.

National Trust Properties

Anglesey Abbey, Quy Road, Lode, Cambridge, CB25 9EJ

 

Anglesey Abbey

Built between 1100 and 1135AD on the remains of an Augustine Abbey. It was endowed as a priory in 1212 by Richard de Clare. It remained as a priory until 1536 when it was closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Priory was largely demolished and in 1595 it was rebuilt as a Jacobean-style house and owned by the Fowkes family. The house had quite a few occupants, notably Thomas Hobson (of Hobson’s choice), his son-in-law, Thomas Parker, a barrister. Samuel Shepheard, a Cambridge MP. Anglesey was not always a place of residence with these various owners, at one time it was leased out as a farm. When Thomas Parker died in 1647, Anglesea changed from Priory to Abbey.

The Reverend John Hailstone purchased the property in 1848 and carried out many renovations. He converted the monks’ day room into an entrance Hall. He then added a stable block, then a service wing and undertook a programme of plants many trees which are a great feature of the grounds. Cedars, Wellingtonia, Acer, Silver Lime and Weeping Elm are just a few of the trees found there. The Reverend stayed in residence until his death in 1877 and his widow sold it in 1877 to another Churchman, Reverend James George Clark. He with his family lived there until 1912.

In 1926 the abbey was sold to the brothers Broughton, Urban Huttleston and Henry Rogers, they were very keen on horse racing and they purchased it because of its proximity to Newmarket and their stud farm near to Bury St Edmunds.

More changes to the property were made, the work done by architect Sidney Parvin, who worked for Turner Lord of London. It was featured in the 1930 edition of Country Life. In 1934 Lode Mill was purchased, it is now used for grinding corn.

In 1966 on the death of Lord Fairhaven, the Abbey was left to the National Trust.

The gardens are well set out, there is a walled garden filled with many plants and wonderful borders of colour. There is a Dahlia and a Rose Garden also a Hyacinth and Narcissus Garden. There are many statues in the grounds which cover close to 100 acres or 400,000 m2. There is also a wonderful avenue of trees as well as Silver Birch avenue close to the entrance. There is a superb walk from the house to the Lode Mill, alongside the river. Excellent to see in Springtime. Hopefully this will open and be enjoyed again in the not too distant future.

A definite house and garden to enjoy.

  

The castle of the Roche Goyon has been classified as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1925.

 

The castle was built in the 14th century by the Lord of Matignon, Etienne III Gouÿon. The construction of the castle began in the 1340s, its keep dates from the years 1365–1370.

 

In 1379, following the return from exile of the Duke of Brittany Jean IV, the castle was besieged by Bertrand Du Guesclin. The castle was attacked and taken a second time during the Wars of Religion in the sixteenth century, this defeat marking a time of abandonment of the building. It was not until the 18th century, under Louis XIV, that the castle resumed its strategic interest and was bastioned.

 

It was in service until the end of the First Empire when the evolution of military techniques led to its unsuitability. From 1892, it was sold to various private owners before being bought by the historian Frédéric Joüon Des Longrais in 1931 who, having a lifelong passion for archeology, undertook heavy restoration work which took more than twenty years.

 

Electricity only arrived at the castle in 2015.

Taken at Sandy Camp Rd Wetlands Reserve, Lytton, Queensland.

 

A group of juvenile Black Faced Cuckoo Shrikes were occupying the tall tree-top of a dead tree, which made for an excellent aerial surveillance post. From there they undertook sorties to collect and feed on insects on the wing.

These young birds resemble the adults, except the black facial mask is reduced to an eye stripe, which may cause them to resemble the smaller White-bellied Cuckoo-shrike which also has a black eye stripe.

It's early Fall in Washington State, but as of today the snow level is 3500 feet with six inches at Paradise. As the show says, Winter is Coming. Standing here in a brisk wind last week made me wonder about the Longmire's and the preparations they must have undertook to 'settle in' for the long winter ahead. For most it's time to go but it sure is compelling in it's solitude. Might be time to buy some snow shoes. :-)

As always, blow it up and step inside, it's beautiful in there. :-)

The Viking Age (793–1066 AD) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe, and reached North America.

It followed the Migration Period and the Germanic Iron Age. The Viking Age applies not only to their homeland of Scandinavia, but to any place significantly settled by Scandinavians during the period.

The Scandinavians of the Viking Age are often referred to as Vikings as well as Norsemen, although few of them were Vikings in the technical sense.

Voyaging by sea from their homelands in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the Norse people settled in the British Isles, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Normandy, the Baltic coast, and along the Dnieper and Volga trade routes in eastern Europe, where they were also known as Varangians. They also briefly settled in Newfoundland, becoming the first Europeans to reach North America. The Norse-Gaels, Normans, Rus' people, Faroese and Icelanders emerged from these Norse colonies. The Vikings founded several kingdoms and earldoms in Europe: the kingdom of the Isles (Suðreyjar), Orkney (Norðreyjar), York (Jórvík) and the Danelaw (Danalǫg), Dublin (Dyflin), Normandy, and Kievan Rus' (Garðaríki). The Norse homelands were also unified into larger kingdoms during the Viking Age, and the short-lived North Sea Empire included large swathes of Scandinavia and Britain.

Several things drove this expansion. The Vikings were drawn by the growth of wealthy towns and monasteries overseas, and weak kingdoms. They may also have been pushed to leave their homeland by overpopulation, lack of good farmland, and political strife arising from the unification of Norway. The aggressive expansion of the Carolingian Empire and forced conversion of the neighboring Saxons to Christianity may also have been a factor.

Sailing innovations had allowed the Vikings to sail further and longer to begin with.

Information about the Viking Age is drawn largely from primary sources written by those the Vikings encountered, as well as archaeology, supplemented with secondary sources such as the Icelandic Sagas.

Torre de Mangana, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, España.

 

La torre de Mangana es un edificio de la ciudad española de Cuenca, con el estatus de bien de interés cultural. Como un monumento de larga historia, ha tenido varias modificaciones a lo largo del tiempo.

 

La primera torre de Mangana era de planta cuadrada, y se conoce gracias al pintor Antón Wyngaerde; aunque en el dibujo que dejó de ella (1565) no aparecen la cruz y la veleta de hierro que, en 1532, el rejero Esteban Limosín puso en el chapitel que cerraba la torre, y que estaba recubierto de hojalata.

 

Hay constancia de que, a fines del siglo XVI, el arquitecto Juan Andrea Rodi ejecutó unas obras en la torre; pero ni éstas ni otras obras realizadas posteriormente alteraron su fisonomía pues, según podemos observar estudiando la vista que de la ciudad realizó Juan Llanes y Massa en el siglo XVIII, la torre era igual a la que dos siglos antes dibujara Wyngaerde.

 

La caída de un rayo a fines del siglo XVIII y la venida de los franceses a principios del XIX motivaron la intervención del arquitecto Mateo López, que se ocupó de reparar los importantes daños que por estos dos sucesos había sufrido la torre.

 

Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, se decidió cambiar el remate de la torre; el cual, a pesar de las restauraciones, nos consta que en 1862 estaba en un pésimo estado.

 

En 1926, la fisonomía de la torre cambiará notablemente, con la reforma que el arquitecto Fernando Alcántara llevó a cabo dentro de un estilo neomudéjar, ajeno al monumento. Suprimió el chapitel y, en su lugar, puso un pequeño cuerpo de campanas, de planta cuadrada, que cubrió con un cupulín. Las paredes fueron revestidas con una decoración rica y colorista en yeso, inspirada en motivos islámicos, principalmente norteafricanos; mientras que las almenas escalonadas que remataban la torre nos remiten a la mezquita cordobesa.

 

Pero esta pintoresca y exótica torre neomudéjar no habría de ser la definitiva: Mangana volvió a ser nuevamente remodelada en 1970. Con esta restauración se pretendía, según se hace constar en la memoria del proyecto, dignificar una torre que, aunque no se podía considerar un monumento artístico de primer orden, tenía una gran importancia para Cuenca, pues se había convertido en uno de sus símbolos.

 

Dignificarla significó robustecerla, en este caso. El proyecto que en 1968 realizó Víctor Caballero, supuso encastillar la torre y darle un carácter fortificado y defensivo que como parte de la vieja muralla, había tenido en su origen. Caballero dotó a la construcción de un potentísimo matacán, y la remató sin tejado; con lo que colocó en difícil competencia el nuevo aire compacto cobrado por la torre con sus genuinas características de fragilidad y esbeltez. Diversas opiniones se han manifestado respecto de su restauración, pero es evidente que el monumento ha ganado notoriedad pública y se ha convertido en lugar obligado de visita de la ciudad.

 

The Mangana tower is a building in the Spanish city of Cuenca, with the status of an asset of cultural interest. As a monument with a long history, it has undergone several modifications over time.

 

Mangana's first tower had a square plan, and is known thanks to the painter Antón Wyngaerde; although the drawing that he left of it (1565) does not show the cross and the iron vane that, in 1532, the locksmith Esteban Limousin placed on the spire that closed the tower, and which was covered in tin.

 

There is evidence that, at the end of the 16th century, the architect Juan Andrea Rodi carried out some works on the tower; but neither these nor other works carried out later altered its physiognomy because, as we can see by studying the view of the city made by Juan Llanes y Massa in the 18th century, the tower was the same as the one drawn two centuries earlier by Wyngaerde.

 

A lightning strike at the end of the 18th century and the arrival of the French at the beginning of the 19th century led to the intervention of the architect Mateo López, who undertook to repair the significant damage that the tower had suffered due to these two events.

 

During the second half of the 19th century, it was decided to change the top of the tower; which, despite the restorations, we know that in 1862 it was in a terrible state.

 

In 1926, the physiognomy of the tower will change notably, with the reform that the architect Fernando Alcántara carried out within a neo-Mudéjar style, alien to the monument. He removed the spire and, in its place, put a small body of bells, square in plan, which he covered with a dome. The walls were covered with a rich and colorful plaster decoration, inspired by Islamic motifs, mainly North African; while the stepped battlements that finished off the tower refer us to the Cordovan mosque.

 

But this picturesque and exotic neo-Mudéjar tower would not be the definitive one: Mangana was again remodeled in 1970. With this restoration, as stated in the project report, it was intended to dignify a tower that, although it could not be considered a An artistic monument of the first order, it was of great importance for Cuenca, as it had become one of its symbols.

 

Dignifying it meant strengthening it, in this case. The project that Víctor Caballero carried out in 1968, involved encastling the tower and giving it a fortified and defensive character that, as part of the old wall, it had originally had. Caballero endowed the construction with a very powerful machicolation, and finished it off without a roof; with which he placed in difficult competition the new compact air charged by the tower with its genuine characteristics of fragility and slenderness. Various opinions have been expressed regarding its restoration, but it is evident that the monument has gained public notoriety and has become a must-visit place in the city.

The experimental Hunting 126 jet flap research aircraft XN714 on static display at RAF Cosford air show on 11th June 2023. During the 1960s, there was considerable international interest in vertical and short take-off and landing technologies. The Hunting 126 is one of several experimental designs which added research data but did not achieve a production application.

 

The first flight of the Hunting 126 was made at RAE Bedford (where it was to spend much of its career) on 26th March 1963. The aircraft undertook a programme of research flying, the last recorded flight being on 9th November 1967, at which time, total flying time was 141.5 hours. It was also taken to the United States for full-scale wind tunnel testing at NASA Ames.

 

The aircraft succeeded in achieving very low stabilised flight speeds (reportedly as low as 32 mph), although it demonstrated quite a violent wing drop at the stall, with very little warning. After completion of its research trials, the Hunting 126 was placed into store, prior to being displayed alongside a number of other notable experimental aircraft, at the RAF Museum, Cosford.

Shooting a lot at night in deserted places I sometimes feel the presence of the activity present during busier times. I undertook a series to try to capture that feeling. I took shots of busy places at night when they were quiet then came back & took multiple shots from exactly the same spot when they were busy. Figures from those daytime shots have been added (at less than full transparency) to the night base shot. This image is the result of combining elements of daytime shots with the base night shot.

The “SS Sir Walter Scott” the only surviving screw steamer has been providing pleasure cruises on Loch Katrine in The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park for more than a century. The steamer was assembled with nuts and bolts at Denny’s shipyard in Dumbarton in 1899, it undertook performance trials and was then dismantled and the numbered pieces were transported by barge up Loch Lomond and overland by horse-drawn cart to Stronachlachar pier at the western end of Loch Katrine where it was reassembled with permanent rivets and launched in 1900.

SÜDAFRIKA( South-Africa), Hermanus .

Hermanus (ursprünglich Hermanuspietersfontein) ist ein Ort im Distrikt Overberg der südafrikanischen Provinz Westkap. Er ist Verwaltungssitz der Lokalgemeinde Overstrand und liegt etwa 120 Kilometer südöstlich von Kapstadt an der Atlantikküste.

Hermanuspietersfontein wurde 1855 gegründet und erlangte 1904 den Stadtstatus. Aus diesem Anlass wurde der Name zu Hermanus verkürzt.

Von Hermanus können in den Monaten Juli bis Dezember Südkaper beobachtet werden, die die Bucht Walker Bay in großer Zahl aufsuchen. Am Höhepunkt der Saison, im Oktober, werden regelmäßig etwa 150 Wale vor Hermanus gezählt....

Und vor allem deshalb habe ich diese Rundreise unternommen.

 

Hermanus (originally Hermanuspietersfontein) is a town in the Overberg district of the South African province of Western Cape. It is the administrative seat of the local municipality of Overstrand and is located about 120 kilometers southeast of Cape Town on the Atlantic coast.

Hermanuspietersfontein was founded in 1855 and achieved city status in 1904. On this occasion, the name was shortened to Hermanus.

From Hermanus, southern right whales can be observed from July to December, visiting Walker Bay in large numbers. At the peak of the season, in October, around 150 whales are regularly counted off Hermanus....

And that is the main reason why I undertook this round trip.

  

Sur le panneau du site:

"Le premier château , forteresse féodale des Mauvoisin, a été détruit par les Anglais en 1435 et laissé à l'abandon. Passé aux mains de la famille de Béthune en 1529, le Duc de Sully entreprit de reconstruire l'édifice en 1598 avec un plan en U. Au XVIIIe s., le Comte de Senozan agrandit le domaine, redessina les jardins et fit construire au bord de la Seine un pavillon des Bains. Racheté en 1818 par le Duc et la Duchesse de Berry, cette dernière s'y réfugia après l'assassinat de son époux jusqu'au départ en exil de la famille royale à la Révolution de 1830. Pour en faire une maison de campagne à l'anglaise ouverte sur la nature, elle restaura le château en surélevant, entre autre, les ailes laissées inachevées par Sully, aménagea le parc et le peupla de daims, biches et kangourous, fit ériger un pavillon de repos, créa une serre chaude et un jardin potager planté de 14000 pieds de fraises. Sauvé de la destruction en 1840 par le comte Le Marois, le domaine a été acheté en 1869 par les Lebaudy, puissants industriels sucriers, et entièrement restauré. De nouveaux bâtiments (le Petit Français et la Solitude) ont été construits et la ferme transformée en communs avec écuries. Le château est classé Monument historique en 1941. Devenu propriété d'une société japonaise en 1984, il fut pillé de ses meubles et tapisseries avant d'être ravagé par un incendie."

 

"The first castle, feudal fortress of the Mauvoisin, was destroyed by the English in 1435 and left abandoned. The castle was taken over by the Bethune family in 1529. The Duke of Sully undertook to rebuild the building in 1598 with a plan in U. In the 18th century, the Count of Senozan enlarged the estate, redesigned the gardens and built a pavilion on the banks of the Seine. Redeemed in 1818 by the Duke and Duchess of Berry, the latter took refuge there after the assassination of her husband until the departure in exile of the royal family in the Revolution of 1830. To make it an English country house open to nature, she restored the castle by raising, among other things, the wings left unfinished by Sully, landscaped the park and the people of fallow deer, deer and kangaroos, erected a resting lodge, created a greenhouse and a vegetable garden planted with 14,000 feet of strawberries. Saved from destruction in 1840 by Count Le Marois, the estate was bought in 1869 by the Lebaudy, powerful sugar manufacturers, and completely restored. New buildings (the Petit Français and the Solitude) were built and the farm transformed into common with stables. The castle was declared a Historical Monument in 1941. Owned by a Japanese company in 1984, it was looted from furniture and tapestries before being ravaged by fire."

 

Pentax Super ME

Pellicule Kodak ProImage 100

Développement en kit Colorchem C41

Jakob Eduard Polak (1818-1891), scion of a Jewish Bohemian family, can be called the father of 'western' medicine in Persia (now Iran). In 1851 he joined the newly founded Dâr ul-funun - the polytechnic college in Tehran - to teach would-be doctors. But Polak was far more than a medical man. His interests ranged from anthropology and linguistics to botany and zoology, and he was instrumental in opening up Persia to European culture and vice versa. He was a gifted linguist and learned Persian in a mere six months and was then proficient enough to teach in it! Together with Thomas Pichler (1824-1914) he undertook a botanical expedition (1882) in 'Karaghan' (Kharraqan Mountains of northern Iran). There they found this Lowly Red Tulip which hugs the ground to shield itself against the cold winds. In Amsterdam it's just raised its head in one of the Hortus's tubs. Polak and Pichler's finds were published in 1885 by botanist Otto Stapf (1857-1933), another frequenter of Persia, who after 1890 worked for the British Kew Botanical Gardens.

The Duchess of Portland (Winifred Anna Cavendish-Bentick, born Dallas-Yorke)

 

1902 Oil paint on canvas

 

In his later career Sargent mostly undertook commissions at his London studio, but this portrait was painted at the Portland estate, Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire. The creation of the portrait was laborious - after two weeks of work Sargent destroyed his first attempt and started again – but the result is one of his grandest later paintings. The Duchess of Portland, who was an active philanthropist and president of the RSPB for many years, wears a velvet cloak over a satin evening gown, showcasing Sargent's ability to paint contrasting fabrics.

 

Private collection X75775

 

'Modernity seen at its best and in happiest circumstances.' - Roger Fry

 

The Duchess of Portland by Keturah Collings, 1908 RSPB Bird Notes and News (vol. III No.1) Image provided by RSPB Library

 

Happy Bench Monday!

With snow on the upper slopes of Whernside, it's a raw wintry day up here in the Yorkshire Dales - but at least the sun is shining, if intermittently.

 

In this, another unused shot from the archives, DB Cargo 'Shed' 66142 rounds the corner towards Ribblehead station with the 10.44am Newbiggin British Gypsum - Milford West Sidings discharged gypsum JRA wagons (6E95).

 

The station, just a stone's throw away from the famous viaduct, was built by the Midland Railway and opened in 1886 as Batty Green. For some reason that name didn't stick and, just 5 months later, the station was changed to Ribblehead.

 

Closed in 1970 when the prospects for the Settle & Carlisle line as a whole looked distinctly bleak, it was reopened again in 1986 and would eventually be leased to the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust who undertook a complete restoration and refurbishment, before reopening it with a visitor shop, resident caretaker, and holiday accommodation. Today (2025) the station is served by Northern Rail services running between Leeds and Carlisle, with a train in each direction roughly every 1½ - 2½ hours.

 

The two railwaymen in hi-vis clothing are waiting for a light engine to arrive and collect the loaded aggregate wagons from the virtual-quarry railhead behind me. I couldn't resist framing the image around what look to be the original MR gas lamps - nice touches, even if they are no longer operational.

 

Looks best full-screen. Comments off for this one, thanks.

 

16th February 2018

C’est par le jeu des héritages et de diverses acquisitions que Louis de Gruuthuse entre en possession de différentes seigneuries qui lui procurent les revenus nécessaires. Une autre source importante de revenus est la taxe qu’il est en droit de percevoir sur (presque) chaque tonneau de bière importé ou localement brassé, le ‘gruutgeld’.

Grâce à ces revenus, Louis est en mesure de mener un train de vie luxueux. Splendeur et fastes caractérisent sa cour. C’est sous son règne que le Palais Gruuthuse fait l’objet d’une extension importante sous la forme de l’aile principale. Il fait aussi construire la chapelle richement décorée. Il collectionne et commande des manuscrits richement enluminés. Il possède une vaste bibliothèque, qui comprend, en plus de manuscrits, des ouvrages du célèbre imprimeur brugeois Colard Mansion. Ses revenus lui permettent aussi de jouer un rôle politique, diplomatique et militaire important à Bruges et au-delà des limites de cette ville.

À un très jeune âge, Louis pourvoit le duc Philippe le Bon de Bourgogne d’écuyers. À partir de là, sa carrière est étroitement liée à la cour bourguignonne. Il prend part à des actions militaires et entreprend des missions diplomatiques pour les ducs successifs, à savoir Philippe le Bon, Charles le Téméraire et Marie de Bourgogne. Ces missions le mettent aussi en contact avec la maison royale anglaise.

À la mort de Marie de Bourgogne – décès intervenu à un jeune âge –, Louis de Gruuthuse est désigné comme étant l’un des exécuteurs testamentaires. Lors des événements intervenant après ce décès, Louis se trouve opposé à l’époux de Marie, Maximilien d’Autriche. Tous les biens de Louis sont confisqués en 1485. Il se retrouve même enfermé dans une cellule d’une prison de Malines pendant trois ans. Louis est libéré à la faveur d’une évolution de la situation politique, mais Maximilien reprend le pouvoir en Flandre dès 1489. Ceci sonne définitivement le glas de la carrière de Louis. En 1491, il est accusé de trahison lors d’une réunion capitulaire de l’Ordre de la Toison d’or et il tombe en disgrâce. Avant même que ne soit prononcé un verdict, il décède dans son palais à Bruges.

 

It was through inheritance and various acquisitions that Louis de Gruuthuse came into possession of various seigneuries which provided him with the necessary income. Another important source of income is the tax he is entitled to levy on (almost) every barrel of imported or locally brewed beer, the ‘gruutgeld’.

Thanks to this income, Louis is able to lead a luxurious lifestyle. Splendor and splendor characterize his court. It was under his reign that the Gruuthuse Palace underwent a major extension in the form of the main wing. He also built the richly decorated chapel. He collects and commissions richly illuminated manuscripts. It has an extensive library, which includes, in addition to manuscripts, works by the famous Bruges printer Colard Mansion. Its income also allows it to play an important political, diplomatic and military role in Bruges and beyond the limits of this city.

At a very young age, Louis provided Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy with squires. From there, his career is closely linked to the Burgundian court. He took part in military actions and undertook diplomatic missions for the successive dukes, namely Philippe le Bon, Charles le Téméraire and Marie de Bourgogne. These missions also put him in contact with the English royal house.

On the death of Marie de Bourgogne – who died at a young age – Louis de Gruuthuse was designated as one of the executors. During the events occurring after this death, Louis finds himself opposed to Marie's husband, Maximilian of Austria. All of Louis' property was confiscated in 1485. He even found himself locked up in a cell in a Mechelen prison for three years. Louis was freed thanks to a change in the political situation, but Maximilian regained power in Flanders in 1489. This definitely sounded the death knell for Louis' career. In 1491, he was accused of treason at a chapter meeting of the Order of the Golden Fleece and fell into disgrace. Even before a verdict is pronounced, he dies in his palace in Bruges.

 

This irish lighthouse is a unique example of an intact medieval lighthouse. Earl of Pembroke & Lord of Leinster, undertook the building of the lighthouse, it dates from the early 13th century and was a major feat of construction at this time.

A very small bird in the family of Piciformes - a family of birds that also includes woodpeckers and Wrynecks. This bird around 9-10.5 cms long is sometimes noted as the smallest woodpecker in the world. They behave like woodpeckers pecking on trees and picking out insects, grub, ants and maybe foots off the trees. We can hear them drumming as well many a time much like a woodpecker.

 

The birds are found in several pockets of Indian forests from South to North and Eastern India. I had seen many times, but getting a decent shot is very hard due to their small size. They climb trees like Nuthatches looking for insects, but then are quite shy and fly off very fast while trying to photograph. The piculets are generally seen in pairs and this year, have seen in all the 3 birding trips I undertook in March / April / May. I was lucky to sight them in a hunting party recently - sight around 8-10 of them in a tree.

 

This was shot on the roadside slopes in Himachal Pradesh - they are quite common there.

 

Many thanks in advance for your views, feedback and faves. Much appreciated.

British Museum London

 

Terracotta cylinders describing Nebuchadnezzar's building works

 

Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, 605 - 562 BC

From Babylon, southern Iraq

 

These cylinders commemorate the ambitious building programme Nebuchadnezzar undertook throughout Babylonia. In Babylon itself he repaired his father's palace, and the city's temples, shrines, quays and gates.

In 1975, Morrison-Knudsen undertook a program to rebuild eight Delaware & Hudson RS3’s with 12-cylinder 251C prime movers, upgrading them to 2000 horsepower. The chopped nose and air filter box gave them a less-than-classic look, earning them the nickname, “clubfoot”. Here one of the rebuilds leads a train approaching BD interlocking in typical Binghamton, New York weather.

Le château se dresse à l’extrémité d’un plateau rocheux formant un éperon grâce à la présence d’une faille naturelle. Dominant le pays dit des quatre rivières, il fut le siège d’une importante baronnie issue de l’aristocratie carolingienne quercynoise - la famille des Castelnau de Bretenoux - déjà en possession d’une résidence fortifiée dans les environs au 11e siècle. Au cours des 14e et 15e siècle, le château adopte sa configuration définitive. La famille de Clermont-Lodève qui a hérité de la baronnie en 1530, entreprend d’importants travaux d’embellissement de l’austère château au milieu du 17e siècle. Ce château est l’un des plus beaux exemples de l’architecture militaire du Moyen Age.

 

The castle stands at the end of a rocky plateau forming a spur thanks to the presence of a natural fault. Dominating the so-called four rivers country, it was the seat of an important barony from the Carolingian aristocracy of Quercy - the Castelnau de Bretenoux family - already in possession of a fortified residence in the vicinity in the 11th century. During the 14th and 15th century, the castle adopts its final configuration. The Clermont-Lodève family, who inherited the barony in 1530, undertook major works to embellish the austere château in the mid-17th century. This castle is one of the finest examples of military architecture from the Middle Ages.

The abbey was founded in 1129 by Duke Godfrey, surnamed "Barbatus" ("the Bearded"), who possessed an immense park near Leuven and had invited the Premonstratensians to take possession of a small church he had built there.

 

Walter, abbot of St Martin's, Laon, brought a colony of his canons and acted as their superior for nearly three years, until the canons, now in sufficient number, elected Simon, another canon of Laon, as their abbot. The canons performed the general work of the ministry in the district of Leuven, in opposition to the heretic Tanchelm.

 

In 1137 the abbot was able to found Ninove Abbey. Godfrey made the Abbot of the Park and his successors his archchaplains. Simon died on 30 March 1142 and was succeeded by Philip, whose correspondence with Saint Hildegard of Bingen was preserved in the Park Abbey archives. Philip and his successors enlarged the buildings and prepared the land for agriculture. At the time there a canon living in the abbey, Blessed Rabado, whose devotion to the Passion was attested by miracles.

 

Abbot Gerard van Goetsenhoven (1414–34) had much to do with the establishment of the Catholic University of Leuven, and was also delegated by John IV, Duke of Brabant to transact state affairs with the King of England and the Duke of Burgundy. Abbot van Tulden (1462–94) was successful in his action against commendatory abbots being imposed on religious houses in Belgium. Abbot van den Berghe (1543–58) managed the contributions levied in support of the Belgian theologians present at the resumed Council of Trent.

The abbey seen from across one of the fishponds

 

The abbey frequently suffered during the wars waged by William of Orange and the Calvinists. Abbots included Loots (1577–1583), van Vlierden (1583–1601), Jan Druys (1601–1634), Maes (1635–1647), De Pape (1648–1682), and van Tuycum (1682–1702). They all favoured higher education at the University of Leuven, and academic study flourished in the abbey.

 

Under Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, the abbey was confiscated, because Abbot Wauters (died 23 November 1792) refused to send his religious to the general seminary erected by the emperor at Leuven. In the successful revolution against the emperor, the religious returned to their abbey. Wauters was succeeded by Melchior Nysmans (1793–1810).

 

Under the French Republic the abbey was confiscated again on 1 February 1797. At the request of the people the church was declared to be a parish church and was thus saved. The abbey was bought by a friendly layman who wished to preserve it for the religious, in better times. One of the canons, in the capacity of parish priest, remained in or near the abbey.

 

When Belgium was made a kingdom and religious freedom was restored, the surviving religious resumed community life and elected Peter Ottoy, then rural dean of Diest, as their superior.

 

In 1897 the abbey undertook the foundation of a priory in Brazil. (Wikipedia) Leuven, Belgium

Clifden - Irish: An Clochán, meaning "stepping stones" is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". Frequented by tourists, Clifden is linked to Galway city by the N59.

 

The foundation for this beautiful Church was laid in 1872 and was completed seven years later. It was dedicated in July 1879 by Archbishop Mc Hale. This was a considerable achievement considering the poverty of the people who were emerging from famine periods, and also the courage of Dean Mc Manus who undertook this task in his late 70’s.

 

During his 34 years 1898—1932 Canon Mc Alpine did much to furnish and beautify the Church. In 1898 the Church Spire was completed standing at a height of 150 feet. In 1900 the bell was erected and first rung on St. Patrick’s Day. In 1901 the beautiful Joshua Clarke stained glass windows were installed.

The Viking Age (793–1066 AD) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest and trading throughout Europe, and reached North America.

It followed the Migration Period and the Germanic Iron Age.

The Viking Age applies not only to their homeland of Scandinavia, but to any place significantly settled by Scandinavians during the period.

The Scandinavians of the Viking Age are often referred to as Vikings as well as Norsemen, although few of them were Vikings in the technical sense.

 

Voyaging by sea from their homelands in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the Norse people settled in the British Isles, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Normandy, the Baltic coast, and along the Dnieper and Volga trade routes in eastern Europe (where they were also known as Varangians). They also briefly settled in Newfoundland, becoming the first Europeans to reach North America. The Norse-Gaels, Normans, Rus' people, Faroese and Icelanders emerged from these Norse colonies.

The Vikings founded several kingdoms and earldoms in Europe: the kingdom of the Isles (Suðreyjar), Orkney (Norðreyjar), York (Jórvík) and the Danelaw (Danalǫg), Dublin (Dyflin), Normandy, and Kievan Rus' (Garðaríki). The Norse homelands were also unified into larger kingdoms during the Viking Age, and the short-lived North Sea Empire included large swathes of Scandinavia and Britain.

 

Several things drove this expansion.

The Vikings were drawn by the growth of wealthy towns and monasteries overseas, and weak kingdoms. They may also have been pushed to leave their homeland by overpopulation, lack of good farmland, and political strife arising from the unification of Norway. The aggressive expansion of the Carolingian Empire and forced conversion of the neighboring Saxons to Christianity may also have been a factor.

Sailing innovations had allowed the Vikings to sail further and longer to begin with.

 

Information about the Viking Age is drawn largely from primary sources written by those the Vikings encountered, as well as archaeology, supplemented with secondary sources such as the Icelandic Sagas.wikipedia

Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years' War. Of quadrangular plan, Bodiam Castle has no keep, having its various chambers built around the outer defensive walls and inner courts. Its corners and entrance are marked by towers, and topped by crenellations. Its structure, details and situation in an artificial watery landscape indicate that display was an important aspect of the castle's design as well as defence. It was the home of the Dalyngrigge family and the centre of the manor of Bodiam. Possession of Bodiam Castle passed through several generations of Dalyngrigges, until their line became extinct, when the castle passed by marriage to the Lewknor family. During the Wars of the Roses, Sir Thomas Lewknor supported the House of Lancaster, and when Richard III of the House of York became king in 1483, a force was despatched to besiege Bodiam Castle. It is unrecorded whether the siege went ahead, but it is thought that Bodiam was surrendered without much resistance. The castle was confiscated, but returned to the Lewknors when Henry VII of the House of Lancaster became king in 1485. Descendants of the Lewknors owned the castle until at least the 16th century.

By the start of the English Civil War in 1641, Bodiam Castle was in the possession of John Tufton. He supported the Royalist cause, and sold the castle to help pay fines levied against him by Parliament. The castle was subsequently dismantled, and was left as a picturesque ruin until its purchase by John Fuller in 1829. Under his auspices, the castle was partially restored before being sold to George Cubitt, 1st Baron Ashcombe, and later to Lord Curzon, both of whom undertook further restoration work.

 

Copyright © PRH Photography. All Rights Reserved.

 

This work is protected under international copyright laws and agreements. No part of this photostream may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without my prior permission.

 

Le château se dresse à l’extrémité d’un plateau rocheux formant un éperon grâce à la présence d’une faille naturelle. Dominant le pays dit des quatre rivières, il fut le siège d’une importante baronnie issue de l’aristocratie carolingienne quercynoise - la famille des Castelnau de Bretenoux - déjà en possession d’une résidence fortifiée dans les environs au 11e siècle. Au cours des 14e et 15e siècle, le château adopte sa configuration définitive. La famille de Clermont-Lodève qui a hérité de la baronnie en 1530, entreprend d’importants travaux d’embellissement de l’austère château au milieu du 17e siècle. Ce château est l’un des plus beaux exemples de l’architecture militaire du Moyen Age.

 

The castle stands at the end of a rocky plateau forming a spur thanks to the presence of a natural fault. Dominating the so-called four rivers country, it was the seat of an important barony from the Carolingian aristocracy of Quercy - the Castelnau de Bretenoux family - already in possession of a fortified residence in the vicinity in the 11th century. During the 14th and 15th century, the castle adopts its final configuration. The Clermont-Lodève family, who inherited the barony in 1530, undertook major works to embellish the austere château in the mid-17th century. This castle is one of the finest examples of military architecture from the Middle Ages.

This 1935 Morris Minor van, GGH987, started life as a G.P.O. mail van. Three basic types of ‘Minor’ van were used. The Mail Van was known as the ‘35 cu.ft.’ van, with a coach-built body finished in red. The Internal Engineers’ Van and the External Telephone Engineers’ Van were both of a similar design, but painted green. Something like 4,000 ‘Engineer’ vans and 3,700 ‘Mail’ vans were used by the G.P.O., none of which are known to have continued in service much after 1948.

 

The chassis were purchased from Morris Motors, Cowley and the bodies are believed to have been constructed by Duple Bodies and Motors Limited of Hendon.

 

This vehicle had been with its previous owner, Mr Ward of Bromsgrove, for many years. During that time it had been in daily use as a garage runabout, collecting spares for "modern" cars.

 

Having bought the vehicle, Haynes International Motor Museum undertook a full restoration in its own ‘Morris’ workshop garage, which was situated inside the museum at the time.

Saturday Self Challenge: Arch

This one was a challenge, and had me searching for arches on every walk and drive we undertook. Being away from towns, there were no man-made arches to photograph, so I finally settled on shapes from the grasses growing at a creek edge.

 

I hope the above photograph is not pushing the theme just too far. By using my imagination a little, and together with their shadows, I found at least 10 arch shapes in the above photograph.

Witley Court, Great Witley, Worcestershire, England is a ruined Italianate mansion. Built for the Foleys in the seventeenth century on the site of a former manor house, it was enormously expanded in the early nineteenth century by the architect John Nash for Thomas Foley, 3rd Baron Foley. The estate was later sold to the Earls of Dudley, who undertook a second massive reconstruction in the mid-19th century, employing the architect Samuel Daukes to create one of the great palaces of Victorian and Edwardian England.

 

The declining fortune of the Dudleys saw the sale of the court after the First World War to a Kidderminster carpet manufacturer. In 1937 a major fire caused great damage to the court, the estate was broken up and sold and the house was subsequently stripped of its fittings and furnishings. Forty years of decay followed before the house and grounds were taken into the care of The Department of the Environment in 1972. Since that point, significant restoration and stabilisation have secured the house as a spectacular ruin.

 

Witley Court, and the attached Church of St Michael and All Angels, are both Grade I listed buildings

Torre de Mangana, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, España.

 

La torre de Mangana es un edificio de la ciudad española de Cuenca, con el estatus de bien de interés cultural. Como un monumento de larga historia, ha tenido varias modificaciones a lo largo del tiempo.

 

La primera torre de Mangana era de planta cuadrada, y se conoce gracias al pintor Antón Wyngaerde; aunque en el dibujo que dejó de ella (1565) no aparecen la cruz y la veleta de hierro que, en 1532, el rejero Esteban Limosín puso en el chapitel que cerraba la torre, y que estaba recubierto de hojalata.

 

Hay constancia de que, a fines del siglo XVI, el arquitecto Juan Andrea Rodi ejecutó unas obras en la torre; pero ni éstas ni otras obras realizadas posteriormente alteraron su fisonomía pues, según podemos observar estudiando la vista que de la ciudad realizó Juan Llanes y Massa en el siglo XVIII, la torre era igual a la que dos siglos antes dibujara Wyngaerde.

 

La caída de un rayo a fines del siglo XVIII y la venida de los franceses a principios del XIX motivaron la intervención del arquitecto Mateo López, que se ocupó de reparar los importantes daños que por estos dos sucesos había sufrido la torre.

 

Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, se decidió cambiar el remate de la torre; el cual, a pesar de las restauraciones, nos consta que en 1862 estaba en un pésimo estado.

 

En 1926, la fisonomía de la torre cambiará notablemente, con la reforma que el arquitecto Fernando Alcántara llevó a cabo dentro de un estilo neomudéjar, ajeno al monumento. Suprimió el chapitel y, en su lugar, puso un pequeño cuerpo de campanas, de planta cuadrada, que cubrió con un cupulín. Las paredes fueron revestidas con una decoración rica y colorista en yeso, inspirada en motivos islámicos, principalmente norteafricanos; mientras que las almenas escalonadas que remataban la torre nos remiten a la mezquita cordobesa.

 

Pero esta pintoresca y exótica torre neomudéjar no habría de ser la definitiva: Mangana volvió a ser nuevamente remodelada en 1970. Con esta restauración se pretendía, según se hace constar en la memoria del proyecto, dignificar una torre que, aunque no se podía considerar un monumento artístico de primer orden, tenía una gran importancia para Cuenca, pues se había convertido en uno de sus símbolos.

 

Dignificarla significó robustecerla, en este caso. El proyecto que en 1968 realizó Víctor Caballero, supuso encastillar la torre y darle un carácter fortificado y defensivo que como parte de la vieja muralla, había tenido en su origen. Caballero dotó a la construcción de un potentísimo matacán, y la remató sin tejado; con lo que colocó en difícil competencia el nuevo aire compacto cobrado por la torre con sus genuinas características de fragilidad y esbeltez. Diversas opiniones se han manifestado respecto de su restauración, pero es evidente que el monumento ha ganado notoriedad pública y se ha convertido en lugar obligado de visita de la ciudad.

 

The Mangana tower is a building in the Spanish city of Cuenca, with the status of an asset of cultural interest. As a monument with a long history, it has undergone several modifications over time.

 

Mangana's first tower had a square plan, and is known thanks to the painter Antón Wyngaerde; although the drawing that he left of it (1565) does not show the cross and the iron vane that, in 1532, the locksmith Esteban Limousin placed on the spire that closed the tower, and which was covered in tin.

 

There is evidence that, at the end of the 16th century, the architect Juan Andrea Rodi carried out some works on the tower; but neither these nor other works carried out later altered its physiognomy because, as we can see by studying the view of the city made by Juan Llanes y Massa in the 18th century, the tower was the same as the one drawn two centuries earlier by Wyngaerde.

 

A lightning strike at the end of the 18th century and the arrival of the French at the beginning of the 19th century led to the intervention of the architect Mateo López, who undertook to repair the significant damage that the tower had suffered due to these two events.

 

During the second half of the 19th century, it was decided to change the top of the tower; which, despite the restorations, we know that in 1862 it was in a terrible state.

 

In 1926, the physiognomy of the tower will change notably, with the reform that the architect Fernando Alcántara carried out within a neo-Mudéjar style, alien to the monument. He removed the spire and, in its place, put a small body of bells, square in plan, which he covered with a dome. The walls were covered with a rich and colorful plaster decoration, inspired by Islamic motifs, mainly North African; while the stepped battlements that finished off the tower refer us to the Cordovan mosque.

 

But this picturesque and exotic neo-Mudéjar tower would not be the definitive one: Mangana was again remodeled in 1970. With this restoration, as stated in the project report, it was intended to dignify a tower that, although it could not be considered a An artistic monument of the first order, it was of great importance for Cuenca, as it had become one of its symbols.

 

Dignifying it meant strengthening it, in this case. The project that Víctor Caballero carried out in 1968, involved encastling the tower and giving it a fortified and defensive character that, as part of the old wall, it had originally had. Caballero endowed the construction with a very powerful machicolation, and finished it off without a roof; with which he placed in difficult competition the new compact air charged by the tower with its genuine characteristics of fragility and slenderness. Various opinions have been expressed regarding its restoration, but it is evident that the monument has gained public notoriety and has become a must-visit place in the city.

On the quay in the historic town of Hoorn in the Netherlands, three bronze cabin boys gaze out over the wide waters of what was once the Zuiderzee. They are listening to ‘the voice of the sea, which entices and intoxicates’. They are Hajo, Padde and Rolf, the cabin boys of shipmaster Willem IJsbrantsz Bontekoe (1587–1657), who found fame with the publication of his ship’s log about his improbable journey to Bantam (East Indies) in 1618, which he undertook in the service of the Dutch East India Company during the Golden Age.

 

Hajo, Padde and Rolf are now more famous than the master of their ship, thanks to one of the greatest storytellers and most prolific writers in Dutch literature, Johan Fabricius, who was inspired by Bontekoe’s log to write Bontekoe’s Cabin Boys (Dutch: De scheepsjongens van Bontekoe) in 1924. This superlative, thrilling sea adventure is one of the classics of Dutch (children’s) literature. At the end of 2007 a large-scale adventure movie about the cabin boys was coming out.

 

This is what we saw during our Cycling holiday in Noord-Holland, the Netherlands, where we have cycled through the beautiful landscape.

© www.tomjutte.tk

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I know, I've AWOL again, but as you can see, I've been somewhat restricted, hehe. Seriously, I've not been able to get out and about with my camera for various reasons, including a trapped nerve in my shoulder, but things have improved and I hope to get back to business this year - I've even gone pro with flickr to prove it!

 

This photo, was taken on a tour of Kingston (Ontario) penitentiary last September - an amazing visit we undertook whilst out there visiting family.