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You could have gone somewhere
But you didn't
It'll never come out now
And it's all your fault
This goes on and on
Because you didn't change it
You destroy the flower
Destroy the flower
Lisa Germano - "Destroy the Flower"
a new built wall when they built the new cinema and the sea is breaking it up bit by bit redcar north yorkshire
Christchurch is a town, civil parish and former borough now in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority, on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in the county of Hampshire, it became part of the administrative county of Dorset in the 1974 reorganisation of local government. Covering an area of 19.5 square miles (51 km2).
Founded in the seventh century at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Stour which flow into Christchurch Harbour, the town was originally named Twynham but became known as Christchurch following the construction of the priory in 1094. The town developed into an important trading port, and was fortified in the 9th century. Further defences were added in the 12th century with the construction of a castle, which was destroyed during the English Civil War by the Parliamentarian Army. During the 18th and 19th centuries smuggling flourished in Christchurch and became one of the town's most lucrative industries. The town was heavily fortified during the Second World War as a precaution against an expected invasion and in 1940 an Airspeed factory was established on the town's airfield which manufactured aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
The town's harbour, beaches, nature reserves and historically important buildings have made Christchurch a popular tourist destination attracting some 1.5 million visitors a year. Bournemouth Airport, an international airport which handles approximately 800,000 passengers a year, was located within the borough boundary at Hurn. The airport's industrial park contains a number of aerospace and engineering businesses and is one of the largest employment sites in Dorset. Christchurch is a popular destination for retirees, and has one of the oldest populations in the country, with 30 per cent of residents aged over 65.
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
No acostumo a posar aquí fotografies antigues de la guerra civil, o de les guerres mundials (ja tinc un altre lloc per a això), però he de fer una petita excepció, aquí. Vaig trobar a Internet en venda una serie de fotografies originals, provinents d'un album d'un membre de la infame Legion Condor. Formaven part segurament d'un album fotografic recollint les seves experiencies bèliques. Com vaig veure que unes quantes clàrament mostraven el camp de batalla del Ebre, que conec prou bé, vaig decidir fer-me amb elles per a poder-les compartir amb tots vosaltres. Pe això les pujo aquí, per a integrar-les amb l'album que tinc dedicat a la batalla del Ebre.
L'autor de les imatges sembla que fou Erich Schumann (1914-1999), de Halle-Saale. Després de la guerra civil, va lluitar i sobreviure a la Segona Guerra Mundial.
Impactant vista de Corbera d'Ebre poc despres de ser aniquilada pel bombardeig artiller i aeri, durant la Batalla del Ebre. No he trobat gaires fotografies de Corbera bomberdejada, i la majoria semblen com a minim de diversos anys després. Però considerant que aquestes fotos les varen fer membres de la Legion Condor sense dubte son de durant la batalla, poc després de que Corbera caigués de nou, ara completament destruida, en mans feixistes.
De fet, aquesta imatge és senses dubte Corbera, mentre que altres del mateix conjunt només es pot hipotetitzar pel context.
ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legi%C3%B3_C%C3%B2ndor
======================
I do not indent to put old photos of the spanish Civil War, or the World Wars here (I already have another place for that), but I have to make a small exception, here. I found a series of original photographs for sale on the Internet, from an album by a member of the infamous nazi Legion Condor. They were probably part of a photo album recounting their war experiences. As I saw that a few clearly showed the battlefield of the Ebro (1938), which I know well enough, I decided to take them so I could share them with all of you. That's why I upload them here, to integrate them with the album I have dedicated to the battle of the Ebro.
The owner of the album, and probably photographer, was a Legion Condor veteran named Erich Schumann (1914-1999), from Halle-Saale. He also fought as captain in the Luftwaffe in WW2.
Shocking view of Corbera d'Ebre shortly after being destroyed by artillery and aerial bombardment, during the Battle of the Ebro. The Legion Condor was an active part of this. I haven't found many photographs of Corbera just bombed, and most of them look like at least several years later. But considering that these photos were taken by members of the Condor Legion, they are certainly from during the battle, shortly after Corbera fell again, now completely destroyed, into fascist hands.
In fact, this image is undoubtedly Corbera, while others of the same set can only be hypothesized by context. The description of the image was "bombed village" only, but I recognized the bell tower.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxQZ_gKCHtk
Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña - Escocia - Saint Andrews - Catedral
ENGLISH
The Cathedral of St Andrew (often referred to as St Andrews Cathedral) is a ruined Roman Catholic cathedral in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was built in 1158 and became the centre of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland as the seat of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and the Bishops and Archbishops of St Andrews. It fell into disuse and ruin after Catholic mass was outlawed during the 16th-century Scottish Reformation. It is currently a monument in the custody of Historic Scotland. The ruins indicate that the building was approximately 119m (391 feet) long, and is the largest church to have been built in Scotland.
The cathedral was founded to supply more accommodation than the older church of St. Regulus (St. Rule) afforded. This older church, located on what became the cathedral grounds, had been built in the Romanesque style. Today, there remains the square tower, 33 metres (108 feet) high, and the quire, of very diminutive proportions. On a plan of the town from about 1530, a chancel appears, and seals affixed to the city and college charters bear representations of other buildings attached. To the east is an even older religious site, the Church of St Mary on the Rock, the Culdee house that became a Collegiate Church.
Work began on the new cathedral in 1158 and continued for over a century. The west end was blown down in a storm and rebuilt between 1272 and 1279. It was dedicated on 5 July 1318, in a ceremony before King Robert I . When intact it had, besides a central tower, six turrets; of these remain two at the east and one of the two at the western extremity, rising to a height of 30 metres (100 feet).
A fire partly destroyed the building in 1378; restoration and further embellishment were completed in 1440.
The cathedral was served by a community of Augustinian Canons, the St Andrews Cathedral Priory, which were successors to the Culdees of the Celtic church.
Greyfriar (Franciscan) and Blackfriar (Dominican) friars had properties in the town by the late 15th century and possibly as late as 1518.
The ruins of the nave of St. Andrews Cathedral
Historic view of St Andrews Cathedral
In 1559, during the Scottish reformation, the building was stripped of its altars and images; and by 1561 it had been abandoned and left to fall into ruin.
At about the end of the sixteenth century the central tower apparently gave way, carrying with it the north wall. Afterwards large portions of the ruins were taken away for building purposes, and nothing was done to preserve them until 1826. Since then it has been tended with scrupulous care, an interesting feature being the cutting out of the ground-plan in the turf. The principal portions extant, partly Norman and partly Early Scottish, are the east and west gables, the greater part of the south wall of the nave and the west wall of the south transept.
At the end of the seventeenth century some of the priory buildings remained entire and considerable remains of others existed, but nearly all traces have now disappeared except portions of the priory wall and the archways, known as The Pends.
*******************************************************************************
ESPAÑOL
La Catedral de St. Andrews fue, en su momento, la mayor de toda Escocia y, aunque en la actualidad solo quedan en pie sus ruinas, puede deducirse por su grandiosidad la enorme pujanza que debió tener durante su época de mayor esplendor.
Sus orígenes se remontan hasta el año 742, cuando las reliquias del apóstol San Andrés (St Andrews), luego patrón de Escocia, llegaron a esas tierras. Sobre una zona rocosa, justo donde hoy se alzan las ruinas de la catedral, se levantó entonces la iglesia de St Mary on the Rocks, la primera de las tres que sucesivamente irían ocupando este lugar. En 1140 una comunidad de agustinos fundó aquí mismo su propia iglesia (iglesia de St. Rules), cuya alta torre cuadrada y aislada aún se conserva y usa como mirador de todo este lugar privilegiado sobre la costa escocesa. Finalmente, sería ya en el año 1160 cuando el Obispo de Sant Andrews promovió la construcción de una gran catedral, cuyas ruinas son las que hoy podemos ver.
Su construcción se llevó a cabo a lo largo de 158 años, siendo finalmente consagrada en 1318. A partir de ahí su historia fue muy agitada, pasando por numerosas vicisitudes. Así, en 1270 y por tanto antes de su terminación, su costado oeste fue destruido por los efectos de una galerna. Posteriormente sufrió un importante incendio en 1378, lo que obligó a su reconstrucción; y más adelante, en 1409 otra tormenta acabó con el lado sur; como se ve, tormentas y vendavales que le efectaron muy directamente debido a su posición directa frente a la costa abierta, en un paraje agreste y muy expuesto a las inclemencias naturales.
Pero además la catedral de Saint Andrews fue víctima de los turbulentos momentos vividos en Escocia durante el siglo XVI con motivo de la Reforma Protestante y la dura reacción del presbítero John Knox, lo que dio lugar a que fuera semiderruida. Tras un tiempo en el que se dudó sobre la posibilidad de su reconstrucción, poco a poco sus piedras se fueron utilizando para distintas obras civiles en la propia localidad de Saint Andrews. Así, de aquella catedral hoy solo queda una gran explanada con algunos muros en pie, uno de los testeros frontales casi completo con sus dos altas torres a los lados, y parte de lo que fue su claustro, de estilo gótico.
Gran parte del terreno se encuentra ocupado por un enorme cementerio, donde antiguas tumbas de distintos tamaños y categorías se distribuyen libremente por doquier, dando lugar a un escenario impresionante que evoca la grandiosidad de esta catedral, en su día la más grande de Escocia. La torre cuadrada de la antigua iglesia de Sant Rule se conserva en relativo buen estado y es visitable, con unas vistas espectaculares desde su parte superior, tanto del acantilado y la costa, como de las propias ruinas de la catedral, de las ruinas del cercano castillo, o de la actual localidad de Saint Andrews.
Searching, seek and destroy
Searching, seek and destroy
Searching, seek and destroy
Searching, seek and destroy
There is no escape and that's for sure
This is the end, we won't take anymore
Say goodbye to the world you live in
Debris, Perv, Quilt OSA, Shick MGS, Bufn OBS, Brews, Rank, Mr. Space, Mentl Mesk LGK's, Slaze, Reps, Truk, Waste One, Suek, Dter, Oops
Visitor at Herculaneum (Italian: Ercolano) is an ancient town in what is now Campania, Italy that preserved ruins.
The city was destroyed and buried under volcanic ash & pumice in the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD.
Like the nearby city Pompeii, Herculaneum is interesting to stroll through but is much smaller and easier to see in a couple of hours.
Info: The thick layer of ash that blanketed the town also protected it against looting and the elements. Unlike Pompeii, the mainly pyroclastic material that covered Herculaneum carbonized and preserved more wood in objects such as roofs, beds, and doors, as well as other organic-based materials such as food and papyrus - Herculaneum, wikipedia.
Carlyon Bay was quite a nice beach, I used to go there a lot as a kid but I hadn't been since the "development" started. What a state the place has been left in - and I can't see it ever being finished. Just behind this shot is the ugliest sea defence ever - totally unnecessary as there are no buildings for it to protect. I really hope the lesson has been learned and our council doesn't plan to develop/ruin any more of the Cornish Coast.
Nikon D40, 18-55, (no tripod), ND110, f/22 and exp = 30 secs
The inspired hill of Vézelay
The Burgundy hill of Vézelay, which French writer Paul Claudel named “eternal”, has been drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims (nowadays more likely tourists) since time immemorial. It has also drawn strife, battles and pillage: the big monastery was no less than six times destroyed by fire, and always rebuilt. Here, the Second Crusade was preached on Easter Day of 1146 by Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, whom King Louis VII of France had summoned to be lectured on the sort of penance his royal person should submit to to atone for his many sins: Bernard chose the Crusade. Crusaders congregated here as well for the Third one, in 1190.
The history of Vézelay began around 850, when Count Girard de Roussillon founded a nunnery at the foot of the hill, in the locale now occupied by the village of Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay. Fifteen years later, the nuns had been replaced by monks for reasons that never reached us. What we know is that further to a Viking raid on Burgundy in 887, the monks took refuge at the top of the hill, in the remnants of a Roman oppidum, and never went down again.
Originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the monastery they built on the hilltop was placed in 1050 under the patronage of Mary Magdalene, further to the claimed transport of her bones from the Holy Land by a monk named Badillon. This so-called “transposition” was validated by the Pope, but the people of Provence rebelled fiercely against that ruling: it had indeed always been well known that the saint, who had been the very first, even before the apostles, to see Christ resuscitated, had left the Holy Land and come to France where she finished her life in the mountains of the Sainte- Baume, which were named after her. Her bones had been kept in the basilica of Saint-Maximin, the largest church in the whole of Provence.
Thus sanctioned by the Pope, and confirmed yet again by Pascal II in 1103, the claim of the Vézelay monks drew immense crowds (and brought enormous riches). The fact that they also claimed to have the bones of Martha and Lazarus were not for nothing in the considerable attraction the abbey had on a pilgrimage-hungry Christendom. However, the Provençal people were victorious in the end, when they revealed that the bones of the Magdalene, which had been hidden during the 900s as the Saracens drew nearer, were opportunely re-discovered in 1279. This time, Pope Boniface VIII found in their favor and that ruling was never overturned: the pilgrimage to Vézelay was dead, even though the big church kept its dedication.
The rest of the history of Vézelay is a long downhill walk. In 1537, the Benedictine monks are replaced by canons. In 1568, the Protestants seize the church and burn it again. Finally, in 1819, lightning strikes and sets the church aflame for the last time. When architect Viollet-le-Duc, mandated by Minister Prosper Mérimée, arrives on-site in 1840, the abbey church of Vézelay is but a gutted carcass, ready to collapse. That same year, the church was put on the first list of French Historic Landmarks (“Monuments historiques”) and restoration works were undertaken urgently; they were to last until 1861, and many other such works have been undertaken since.
The church was granted basilica status in 1920, and in 1979 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, as it is the starting point of one of the major Paths to Compostela, the Via Lemovicensis, so-named because it runs through the large city of Limoges.
On that day of June 2024 I went to Vézelay as a side trip during a photographic expedition for the Fondation pour la Sauvegarde de l’Art Français, one of the non-profit heritage organizations I work for as a pro bono photographer, it was raining. Therefore, I took no photo of the outside, but instead concentrated on the inside. Furthermore, a lot of what can be seen on the outside, including the façade and the tympanum, are re-creations of the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc, and thus much less interesting for our purpose.
Closeup shot of one of the sculptures on the tympanum illustrating the peoples of the world. Here we see on the left the mad, deformed and diseased, and on the right a depiction of those who have not yet been evangelized and are still considered half-animal, in this instance cynocephalus beings, i.e., humans with dog heads. Tomorrow I will upload another closeup showing pig-faced human beings.
It is to be noted that such depictions are not the product of Mediæval beliefs: they were so described by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder († 79 CE), and this sculpture tells us that this author was still read by the clergy during Romanesque times.
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides
By the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men
Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will
Shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness
For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children
And I will strike down upon thee
With great vengeance and furious anger
Those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers
And you will know my name is the Lord
When I lay my vengeance upon thee" - Ezekiel 25:17
Der Yardang Geopark ist nicht frei zugänglich. Kein Individualverkehr, keine PKW, keine Fahrräder, keine Fußgänger. Immer, wenn sich 50 Menschen zusammengefunden haben, fährt ein Bus zu den wichtigsten Aussichtspunkten. Bislang fand ich es immer befremdlich und belächelte asiatische Touristengruppen, die z.B. hier bei uns in Heidelberg aus den Bussen regelrecht herausquollen, sich gierig auf irgendwelche Sehenswürdigkeiten stürzten um alsbald wieder zum Bus zurückhetzten und zur nächsten Attraktion weiterzufahren. Und jetzt ?! Jetzt steckt man mich selbst auch in so einen Bus. Ausgerechnet MICH, der ich immer so viel Wert auf Freiheit, Individualität, Ruhe und Muße setzte. Aber, hilft ja nix, besser in dem Gedränge das Naturwunder erleben, als komplett drauf verzichten. Dennoch, es zerreisst mir fast das Herz, dass man auf diese Weise das, was für mich das ganz Besondere dieser Landschaft ausmacht, nämlich Weite, Einsamkeit und natürlich Stille nicht erleben kann.
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The Yardang Geopark is not freely accessible. No individual traffic, no cars, no bicycles, no pedestrians. Whenever 50 people come together, a bus brings them to the most important viewpoints. Till now I have always found it strange and ridiculed Asian tourist groups, which, e.g. here in Heidelberg, literally oozed out of the buses, greedily plunged into any sights to rush back to the bus and continue to the next attraction. And now ?! Now I am put in a bus like that myself. ME, who always put so much emphasis on freedom, individuality, calm and leisure. But, that's the way it is, it's better to experience the natural wonder in the throng than to do without it entirely. Nevertheless, it almost tears my heart that in this way you cannot experience what makes the landscape so special for me, namely expanse, loneliness and of course silence.
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Please darken your room and
turn the brightness of your display all the way up,
lay back, press L and
enjoy this picture in full screen size ;-)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . looks muuuch better. PROMISE !
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Thanks for FAVing, 1000 thanks for looking at the picture, 1000000 thanks for commenting
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Dear Flickr friends, stay at home, stay safe !
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp6gzhxNPXk&feature=related
B&W - Serial
Copyright: ©Uros Zunic. All rights reserved. Please do not use this image, or any images from my photostream, without my permission.
World War II Memorial complex Saur-Mogila was destroyed in August 2014 during the armed conflict in the east of Ukraine.
A Caterpillar used for crushing concrete into smaller pieces sits inbetween two buildings in muddy soil in the Binondo District, Manila, Phlippines.
Today was a "destroyed drop" day .. every spash has many holes in it. I don't know why ??? Maybe because i wasn't in the mood ..
View my work on : My Website and FB Page
------------------------ JESUS ✝️ SAVES-------------------------
10 The thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY; I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL. (John 10:10)
Jesus came to bring spiritual LIFE to the spiritually dead and set the captives FREE! FREE from RELIGION, ERROR and outright LIES, so they might serve THE LIVING GOD! In SPIRIT and in TRUTH!
For the best Biblical teaching in the last 2 centuries! Please listen to and down load these FREE audio files that were created with YOU in mind. It's ALL FREE, if you like it, please share it with others. ❤️
archive.org/details/PeopleToPeopleByBobGeorgeFREE-ARCHIVE...
CLICK THE LETTER "L" TO ENLARGE THE IMAGE.
My THANK'S to all those who have taken the time to view, fave, comment or share my photo's with others. I really appreciate it! ❤️
Jello Biafra, of the punk band Dead Kennedys, runs for mayor of San Francisco in September of 1979. He came in fourth.
The original: res.cloudinary.com/ybmedia/image/upload/c_crop,h_1329,w_2...
The inspired hill of Vézelay
The Burgundy hill of Vézelay, which French writer Paul Claudel named “eternal”, has been drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims (nowadays more likely tourists) since time immemorial. It has also drawn strife, battles and pillage: the big monastery was no less than six times destroyed by fire, and always rebuilt. Here, the Second Crusade was preached on Easter Day of 1146 by Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, whom King Louis VII of France had summoned to be lectured on the sort of penance his royal person should submit to to atone for his many sins: Bernard chose the Crusade. Crusaders congregated here as well for the Third one, in 1190.
The history of Vézelay began around 850, when Count Girard de Roussillon founded a nunnery at the foot of the hill, in the locale now occupied by the village of Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay. Fifteen years later, the nuns had been replaced by monks for reasons that never reached us. What we know is that further to a Viking raid on Burgundy in 887, the monks took refuge at the top of the hill, in the remnants of a Roman oppidum, and never went down again.
Originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the monastery they built on the hilltop was placed in 1050 under the patronage of Mary Magdalene, further to the claimed transport of her bones from the Holy Land by a monk named Badillon. This so-called “transposition” was validated by the Pope, but the people of Provence rebelled fiercely against that ruling: it had indeed always been well known that the saint, who had been the very first, even before the apostles, to see Christ resuscitated, had left the Holy Land and come to France where she finished her life in the mountains of the Sainte- Baume, which were named after her. Her bones had been kept in the basilica of Saint-Maximin, the largest church in the whole of Provence.
Thus sanctioned by the Pope, and confirmed yet again by Pascal II in 1103, the claim of the Vézelay monks drew immense crowds (and brought enormous riches). The fact that they also claimed to have the bones of Martha and Lazarus were not for nothing in the considerable attraction the abbey had on a pilgrimage-hungry Christendom. However, the Provençal people were victorious in the end, when they revealed that the bones of the Magdalene, which had been hidden during the 900s as the Saracens drew nearer, were opportunely re-discovered in 1279. This time, Pope Boniface VIII found in their favor and that ruling was never overturned: the pilgrimage to Vézelay was dead, even though the big church kept its dedication.
The rest of the history of Vézelay is a long downhill walk. In 1537, the Benedictine monks are replaced by canons. In 1568, the Protestants seize the church and burn it again. Finally, in 1819, lightning strikes and sets the church aflame for the last time. When architect Viollet-le-Duc, mandated by Minister Prosper Mérimée, arrives on-site in 1840, the abbey church of Vézelay is but a gutted carcass, ready to collapse. That same year, the church was put on the first list of French Historic Landmarks (“Monuments historiques”) and restoration works were undertaken urgently; they were to last until 1861, and many other such works have been undertaken since.
The church was granted basilica status in 1920, and in 1979 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, as it is the starting point of one of the major Paths to Compostela, the Via Lemovicensis, so-named because it runs through the large city of Limoges.
On that day of June 2024 I went to Vézelay as a side trip during a photographic expedition for the Fondation pour la Sauvegarde de l’Art Français, one of the non-profit heritage organizations I work for as a pro bono photographer, it was raining. Therefore, I took no photo of the outside, but instead concentrated on the inside. Furthermore, a lot of what can be seen on the outside, including the façade and the tympanum, are re-creations of the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc, and thus much less interesting for our purpose.
This length-wise photograph of the crypt gives a good perception of its three naves, its groin vaulting and the spacious (for a crypt!) semi-circular choir and apse at the eastern end.
The walls in the apse bear alfresco paintings from the 14th century, but on the vaulting in the foreground, you can see painted decorations that date back to the actual times when the abbey church of Vézelay was built, i.e., around 1120–50.
The inspiration for this geometric motif may be found in the narthex of the abbey church of Tournus, which had already been completed for some decades when construction began on the Vézelay church we see today. I will post a photo of that Tournus motif below.
JESUS ❤️ SAVES
10 The thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY; I have come that they may have LIFE, and have it to the FULL. (John 10:10)
Jesus came to bring spiritual LIFE to the spiritually dead and set the captives FREE! FREE from RELIGION, ERROR and outright LIES, so they might serve THE LIVING GOD! In SPIRIT and in TRUTH!
For the best Biblical teaching in the last 2 centuries! Please listen to and down load these FREE audio files that were created with YOU in mind. It's ALL FREE, if you like it, please share it with others. ❤️
archive.org/details/PeopleToPeopleByBobGeorgeFREE-ARCHIVE...
CLICK THE LETTER "L" TO ENLARGE THE IMAGE.
My THANK'S to all those who have taken the time to view, fave, comment or share my photo's with others. I really appreciate it! ❤️
in the side chapel of
the Basilica of the Birth of Mary in Frauenkirchen is a Baroque , Roman Catholic pilgrimage church in Burgenland, Austria . The church became in the 14th Century to a well-known place of pilgrimage.
In 1529 it was destroyed with the entire village by the Turks. Of the church at that time nothing remains. When the count Esterházy in 1622 came into the possession of the place, the church was rebuilt in 1668 under its aegis. Also a Franciscan monastery was built here. Both fell in 1683 again the Turks to the victim.
In 1695 as Foundation of Prince Paul Esterhazy by Francesco Martinelli rebuilt a church. This current church was inaugurated No 1702. In 1720 the Franciscan monastery was built. In 1990 the church was raised by Pope John Paul II to the Minor Basilica.
The Catherine Palace (Russian: Екатерининский дворец) was the Rococo summer residence of the Russian tsars, located in the town of Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), 25 km south-east of St. Petersburg, Russia.
The residence originated in 1717, when Catherine I of Russia engaged the German architect Johann-Friedrich Braunstein to construct a summer palace for her pleasure. In 1733, Empress Anna commissioned Mikhail Zemtsov and Andrei Kvasov to expand the Catherine Palace. Empress Elizabeth, however, found her mother's residence outdated and incommodious and in May 1752 asked her court architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli to demolish the old structure and replace it with a much grander edifice in a flamboyant Rococo style. Construction lasted for four years and on 30 July 1756 the architect presented the brand-new 325-meter-long palace to the Empress, her dazed courtiers and stupefied foreign ambassadors.[citation needed]
During Elizabeth's lifetime, the palace was famed for its obscenely lavish exterior.[citation needed] More than 100 kilograms of gold were used to gild the sophisticated stucco façade and numerous statues erected on the roof. It was even rumoured that the palace's roof was constructed entirely of gold. In front of the palace a great formal garden was laid out. It centres on the azure-and-white Hermitage Pavilion near the lake, designed by Zemtsov in 1744, overhauled by Rastrelli in 1749 and formerly crowned by a grand gilded sculpture representing The Rape of Persephone. The interior of the pavilion featured dining tables with dumbwaiter mechanisms. The grand entrance to the palace is flanked by two massive "circumferences", also in the Rococo style. A delicate iron-cast grille separates the complex from the town of Tsarskoe Selo.
Although the palace is popularly associated with Catherine the Great, she actually regarded its "whipped cream" architecture as old-fashioned. When she ascended the throne, a number of statues in the park were being covered with gold, in accordance with the last wish of Empress Elizabeth, yet the new monarch had all the works suspended upon being informed about the expense. In her memoirs she censured the reckless extravagance of her predecessor:
"The palace was then being built, but it was the work of Penelope: what was done today, was destroyed tomorrow. That house has been pulled down six times to the foundation, then built up again ere it was brought to its present state. The sum of a million six hundred thousand rubles was spent on the construction. Accounts exist to prove it; but besides this sum the Empress spent much money out of her own pocket on it, without ever counting".
In order to gratify her passion for antique and Neoclassical art, Catherine employed the Scottish architect Charles Cameron who not only refurbished the interior of one wing in the Neo-Palladian style then in vogue, but also constructed the personal apartments of the Empress, a rather modest Greek Revival structure known as the Agate Rooms and situated to the left from the grand palace. Noted for their elaborate jasper decor, the rooms were designed so as to be connected to the Hanging Gardens, the Cold Baths, and the Cameron Gallery (still housing a collection of bronze statuary) - three Neoclassical edifices constructed to Cameron's designs. According to Catherine's wishes, many remarkable structures were erected for her amusement in the Catherine Park. These include the Dutch Admiralty, Creaking Pagoda, Chesme Column, Rumyantsev Obelisk, and Marble Bridge.
Upon Catherine's death in 1796, the palace was abandoned in favour of the Pavlovsk Palace. Subsequent monarchs preferred to reside in the nearby Alexander Palace and, with only two exceptions, refrained from making new additions to the Catherine Palace, regarding it as a splendid monument to Elizabeth's wealth and Catherine II's glory. In 1817, Alexander I engaged Vasily Stasov to refurbish some interiors of his grandmother's residence in the Empire style. Twenty years later, the magnificent Stasov Staircase was constructed to replace the old circular staircase leading to the Palace Chapel. Unfortunately, most of Stasov's interiors - specifically those dating from the reign of Nicholas I - have not been restored after the destruction caused by the Germans during World War Two.[citation needed]
When the German forces retreated after the siege of Leningrad, they had the residence intentionally destroyed,[1] leaving only the hollow shell of the palace behind. Prior to World War II, the Russian archivists managed to document a fair amount of the contents, which proved of great importance in reconstructing the palace. Although the largest part of the reconstruction was completed in time for the Tercentenary of St Petersburg in 2003, much work is still required to restore the palace to its former glory. In order to attract funds, the administration of the palace has leased the Grand Hall to such high-profile events as Elton John's concert for the elite audience in 2001 and the 2005 exclusive party which featured the likes of Bill Clinton, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Naomi Campbell, and Sting.
In Twentieth Century Fox's 1997 animated feature, "Anastasia", the Catherine Palace is depicted inaccurately as the home of the last imperial family.Although Stasov's and Cameron's Neoclassical interiors are superb manifestations of the late 18th-century and early 19th-century taste, the palace is best known for Rastrelli's grand suit of formal rooms known as the Golden Enfilade. It starts at the spacious airy ballroom, the "Grand Hall" or the "Hall of Lights", with a spectacular painted ceiling, and comprises numerous distinctively decorated smaller rooms, including the reproduced Amber Room.
The Great Hall, or the Light Gallery as it was called in the 18th century, is a formal apartment in the Russian baroque style designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli between 1752 and 1756. The Great Hall was intended for more important receptions such as balls, formal dinners, and masquerades. The hall was painted in two colors and covers an area of approximately 1,000 square meters. Occupying the entire width of the palace, the windows on the eastern side look out onto the park while the windows of the western side look out to the palace plaza. In the evening, 696 lamps are lit on 12-15 chandeliers located near the mirrors. The halls sculptural and gilded carvings and ornimantation were created according to sketches by Rastrelli and models by Johann Franz Dunker.
Beyond the Great Hall is the dining room for the courtiers in attendance (the Courtiers-in-Attendance Dining Room). The room was designed by Rastrelli in the mid-18th century. The small room is lit by four windows which look out into the formal courtyard. The architect placed false windows with mirrors and mirrored glass on the opposite wall, making the hall more spacious and bright. Decorated in the typical baroque interior style, the hall is filled with gilded wall-carvings, complex gilded pieces on the doors, and ornamental patterns of stylized flowers. The ceiling mural was painted by a well known student of the Russian School from the mid-18th century. It is based on the Greek myth of the sun god Helios and the goddess of the dawn, Eos.
Across from the Courtiers-in-Attendance Dining Room, on the other side of the Main Staircase, is the White Formal Dining Room. The hall was used for the empresses' formal dinners or "evening meals". The walls of the dining hall were decorated with the utmost extravagance with gilded carvings. The furnishings consist of gilded carvings on the consoles. The painted mural, The Triumph of Apollo is a copy of a painting completed in the 16th century by Italian artist, Guido Reni.
The Portrait Hall is a formal apartment that covers 100 square meters of space. The room's walls boast large formal portraits of Empress Catherine I, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, as well as paintings of Natalya Alexeyevna, sister of Peter the Great, and Empress Catherine II. The inlaid floors of the hall contain precious woods. The Drawing Room of Alexander I was designed between 1752 and 1756 and belonged to the Emperor's private suite. The drawing room stood out from the rest of the formal rooms in the palace due to the fact that the walls were covered in Chinese silk. Other decor in the room was typical for the palace's formal rooms, a ceiling mural, gilded carvings. The elegant card-tables and inlaid wood commode display Japanese, Chinese, and Berlin porcelain.
The Green Dining Room, which replaced Rastrelli's "Hanging Garden" in 1773, is the first of the rooms in the northern wing of the Catherine Palace, designed by Cameron for the future Emperor Paul and his wife. The pistachio-coloured walls of the room are lined with stucco figures by Ivan Martos. During the great fire of 1820 the room was seriously damaged, thus sharing the fate of other Cameron's interiors. It was subsequently restored under Stasov's direction.
Other Cameron's interiors include the Waiters' Room, with the inlaid floor of rosewood, amaranth and mahogany and stylish Chippendale card-tables; the Blue Formal Dining-Room, with white-and-blue silk wallpapers and Carrara marble chimneys; the Chinese Blue Drawing Room, a curious combination of Adam style with the Chinoiserie; the Choir Anteroom, with walls lined in apricot-colored silk; and the columned boudoir of Alexander I, executed in the Pompeian style.