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Maulbronn Monastery was founded in 1147. The church, built in a style transitional from Romanesque to Gothic, was consecrated in 1178. Most other buildings followed within the 13th century. The complex is believed to be one of the the best-preserved medieval Cistercian monastery complex north of the Alpes (some claim "in Europe"). Since 1993 Maulbronn is part of the Unesco World Heritage.
After the consecration, the construction of the abbey continued. Around 1200 the narthex was added and the cloister was started. Some buildings are done in a really remarkable architectural, early gothic style. The person, who built that must have had experiences from Northern France and Burgundy. With all the cistercian connections, it was probably easy to find a medieval "top architect". His name is not known. The name given to him by art historians is "Meister des Maulbronner Paradieses" (Master of Maulbronn Paradise).
He created not only the narthex ("Paradies"), but as well parts of the cloister and the refectorium. After completing his job in Maulbronn he turned northeast. His typical works can be found as well in Halberstadt and in Magdeburg, but here is, where he started his career in Germany..
It is visible, where "Meister des Maulbronner Paradieses" planned and built the cloister, as there (near the church) is a very early gothic style. Walking around the cloister, the style of the arches changes to high gothic.
There is no Cistercian cloister without a fountain. The fountain is inside a gothic fountain house, that was built within the 14th century. The fountain is probably the most photographed piece of art in Maulbrunn.
Re-established in 1630, the historic Monastery, belonging to the Drukpa Lineage houses some of the most invaluable cultural as well as religious artefacts including images, scriptures, etc. The entry ticket for the monastery-cum-museum was priced at Rs 50.
Sept 2012
Alaverdi St. George Cathedral (first half of the 11th century) is located 18 km from the town of Telavi in the Alazani-River valley. Earliest structures of Alaverdi Monastery date back to 6th century. The present day Cathedral is part of an 11th century Georgian Orthodox monastery. The Monastery was founded by the monk Joseph [Abba] Alaverdeli, who came from Antioch and settled in Alaverdi, then a small village and the former pagan religious centre dedicated to Moon. At the beginning of 11th century, Kakhetian King Kvirike the Great built a cathedral in the place of a small church of St. George.
Alaverdi is the highest cathedral in Georgia (up to 50 meters). It dominates the surrounding landscape in a fertile river valley against the backdrop of the Caucasus Mountains.
This is the largest monastery at Sanchi. There are many other smaller monasteries in this place. All the others are worse than this though. This is the most well preserved one. Pretty good view the monks must have woken up to every day.
Rizong Monastery (Ladakh).
Ladakh at a height of 9,800 feet surrounded by the Himalayas and Karakoram Range houses incredible monasteries in its folds. On your tour to Ladakh you can spot monks in maroon robes silently plodding their ways to the monasteries. Rizong Monastery is situated at a distance of about 73 kilometers from the Leh town. Founded by the great Lama, Tsultim Nima in the year 1831, the Rizong Monastery belongs to the Gelukpa order. Monasteries, which are the centers of worship for the monks, are also great seats of learning. Where 40 monks reside, Rizong Monastery educates monks who have chosen the path to God as their goal on life. Strict rules are adhered to and monks follow a daily course of life following the Buddhist principles and learning the scriptures and texts. A number of shrines are located within the premises of the Rizdong Monastery and a rich collection of scriptures, texts and biographies of great Lamas like Tsultim Nima are preserved here. Books composed by first Sras Rinpoche are also kept here.
Summer 2014.
Taken at Bukorovski Monastery in North Western Bulgaria. This small dog and its mother had followed me to the monastery all the way from a small river and cave named 'Drakul'.
Wall paintings.
Stakna Monastery.
Stakna Gompa of Ladakh is situated on the right bank of the Indus River, at a distance of approximately 25 km from the town of Leh. The name, 'Stakna' literally means 'tiger's nose'. The monastery was so named because it was built on a hill, which is shaped just like a tiger's nose.
Stakna Monastery of Leh Ladakh owes its inception to Chosje Jamyang Palkar, the great scholar saint of Bhutan. It formed a part of the many religious estates offered by the Dharmaraja Jamyang Namgial to the saint, around 1580 AD.
The central image inside the monastery is that of the sacred Arya Avalokitesvara from Kamrup (Assam). Stakna belongs to the Dugpa order and serves as the residence of approximately 30 monks. The successive reincarnations of the Stakna Tulku continue to serve as the incumbents of the monastery, preserving the teachings of the Dugpa order. Stakna Gompa also has a number of monasteries attached to it, namely Mud and Kharu and those of Stakrimo, Bardan and Sani in Zanskar.
On entering the central courtyard, one comes across the Dukhang (main assembly hall). The head lama got seven feet high, silver gilted chorten erected inside the Dukhang, in the 1950s. The chorten comprises of a statue of the Buddha as well as numerous Buddhist texts. The left wall of the Dukhang is adorned with three new paintings, those of the Tsephakmad (a Buddhist deity), Sakyamni (the Historical Buddha) and Amchi (the Medical Buddha).
The wall opposite to the Dukhang entrance is also painted with three images, those of a Bodhisattva, Padma Sambhava (8th century Indian Buddhist scholar and translator of Buddhist texts into Tibetan) and Tshong-san-gompo (an early king of Tibet). To the right of the hall are the statues of Sakyamuni (Past Buddha), the Present Buddha and Maitreya (Future Buddha). And, the throne of the head lama of Stakna lies on the left side of the Dukhang
The monastery of Agia Triada of Tzagarolon is one of the richest and most beautiful monasteries in Crete. It is built near the airport of Chania, in the position Tzobomylos of the Cape Melecha and at the foothills of Stavros Mount. The distance from Chania is only 15km.
The monastery was built by the Venetian nobles Jeremiah and Lawrence Tzagarolo. Jeremiah was a famous scholar of his era with rich education and was a friend of the Patriarch of Alexandria, Meletios Pigas. Jeremiah himself was a candidate for Patriarch of Constantinople. Moreover, Jeremiah designed and built the monastery complex of the monastery, being affected by the architect Sebastiano Serlio from Verona, Italy.
Po Lin Monastery is a Buddhist monastery, located on Ngong Ping Plateau, on Lantau Island, in Ngong Ping, Hong Kong.
The Ngong Ping 360, consisting of the Ngong Ping village and a gondola lift running between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping, was built near to the Po Lin Monastery.The monastery has boasting many prominent architectural structures, such as the Main Shrine Hall of Buddha, the Hall of Bodhisattva Skanda.
The monastery was founded in 1906 by three Zen masters of Jin Shan Monastery of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province in China who had travelled south to Lantau Island to spread the Buddhist doctrine. The monastery was originally simply a stone thatched house without a name (Sometimes referred to as "The Big Hut") but as more and more monks gathered there a large hut was built to accommodate them. At the invitation of the three Zen masters, Monk Jixiu of Jin Shan Monastery became the first abbot in 1924 changed the name of the hut to “Po Lin Monastery”, Po Lin meaning “Precious Lotus”.
One of the monastery's former abbots was the eminent monk Venerable Fat Hot (1893-1972), who was appointed in 1930 and expanded the monastery greatly. In December 1941, when Hong Kong was under Japanese occupation and the monastery was desperately short of food, Venerable Fat Hot travelled to Guangzhou to publicise Buddhism and beg for alms and during this time founded the Hong Kong Buddhist Association and established a charitable school and Buddhist hospital. He resigned as abbot in 1952 but resumed the post again one year later. Venerable Fat Hot died in 1972 and is buried in the mountain at the back of the monastery. Since then, the monastery has further and been a major draw for tourists and locals since its main hall opened in 1972.
Construction of the Tian Tan Buddha statue, which was completed in 1993 and the opening of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car system and Ngong Ping Village in 2006 have made it one of Hong Kong's busiest attractions and a further major expansion, due for completion in 2014, has been under way since 2007. The monastery is currently home to about 100 monks and nuns.
The main temple houses three bronze statues of the Buddha – representing his past, present and future lives – as well as many Buddhist scriptures.
The area consists of the Po Lin Monastery main temple, Po Lin Monastery interiorTian Tan Buddha, a giant Buddha statue completed in 1993, is an extension of the monastery.
This monastery is also famous for making wooden bracelets that are only sold near the Tian Tan Buddha statue.
Canon EOS 5D, 24-70L
2013
_MG_2538
The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery (Bulgarian: Рилски манастир, Rilski manastir) is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River ("Rila River") at an elevation of 1,147 m above sea level, inside of Rila Monastery Nature Park. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila (876 - 946 AD), and houses around 60 monks.
Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe.
Lhatse - Sakya - Shigatse - Tibetan Plateau - Tibet Autonomous Region - China
Narthang Monastery - Sakya Monastery
Narthang Monastery is a monastery located 15 km west of Shigatse in Tibet. Founded in 1153 by one of the disciples of Atisha, Nathang was the fourth great monastery of Tsang with Shalu Monastery, Sakya and Tashilhunpo. Narthang was first famous for its scriptual teaching and monastic discipline. After the fourteenth century it gained great eminence as the oldest of Tibet's three great printing centres (the other being the Potala and the Derge).
The Fifth Panchen Lama took control of the monastery and it continued printing the Buddhist scriptures the Kangyur and the Tengyur up until 1959. Narrthang's five main buildings and large chanting hall were razed to the ground by the Chinese in 1966. They had contained priceless 14th century murals possibly painted by the artist scholars of nearby Shalu Monastery. Today only the mud-brick foundations can be discerned although parts of the Mongolian styled high-fortress walls are still standing.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narthang_Monastery
Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê, is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, It is located within the historical Tsang province of Tibet.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigatse
With jeep on the road.
The Tibetan Plateau, also known in China as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qingzang Plateau or Himalayan Plateau, is a vast elevated plateau in Central Asia or East Asia, covering most of the Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province in western China, as well as part of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir state of India. It stretches approximately 1,000 kilometres north to south and 2,500 kilometres east to west. With an average elevation exceeding 4,500 metres , the Tibetan Plateau is sometimes called "the Roof of the World" and is the world's highest and largest plateau, with an area of 2,500,000 square kilometres (about five times the size of Metropolitan France). Sometimes termed the "Third Pole", the Tibetan Plateau is the headwaters of the drainage basins of most of the streams in surrounding regions. Its tens of thousands of glaciers and other geographical and ecological features serve as a "water tower" storing water and maintaining flow. The impact of global warming on the Tibetan Plateau is of intense scientific interest.
These pictures from Gansu province were taken during a nine-day trip in May 2015. Gansu is a province at the geographical heart of China. Its capital, Lanzhou, is pretty close to the center of the country as can be from what I can tell by looking at maps.
Gansu, though, is most certainly considered west China by the Chinese. Physically, the province reminds me of a small dumbbell sitting on an angle. There’s a southern (southeastern) section that is slightly large and has a high elevation (often between 2,000-3,000 meters) with a higher concentration of Muslims and Tibetans than most other areas of China. When you get closer to Xiahe, where Labrang Monastery is located, road signs are both in Tibetan and Mandarin. The LP 2011 had listed three places of interest in southern Gansu: Milarepa Palace in Hezuo, Labrang Monstery in Xiahe (listed as one of the 30 “Must Dos” in China), and Langmusi down on the Sichuan border. I had originally intended to visit all three places, but ended up dropping Langmusi – the Alpine village – and spending an extra day out west.
So all told in the south, I spent a few overcast hours in Hezuo at Milarepa Palace (as quirky as I recall LP saying it is, but also something I could have done without) before spending two nights at the Overseas Tibetan Hotel about 100 meters outside the eastern gate of Labrang Monastery in Xiahe. Xiahe was mesmerizing to me. It reminded me a little of some western US towns: one wide, main street that runs the length of town and most of the buildings are two- or three-story establishments.
Xiahe is around 3,300 meters in elevation, so altitude sickness is mentioned a few times, though I never experienced any type of nausea. I have nothing but good things to say about the hotel (not extravagant, but nice and comfortable beds), the owner (Lohsang Amso – a good man – who can also arrange bike rental, local and regional travel, etc.) and the good folks a few doors down at the Snowy Mountain Cafe – which seems to only be open in the evening – but where you can eat yak…which I did. One night, I had Nepalese yak curry (Nepalese chicken curry the other night). Other than that, I was amazed at how close (and countless) the stars in the night sky seemed to be, but given the altitude and lack of surface light, it wasn’t unexpected…just amazing.
Having spent the previous day on a morning flight from Chengdu to Lanzhou (one provincial capital to another), an hour bus ride from Lanzhou Airport downtown, another 45 minute taxi ride across town (through horrendous traffic), a 4 hour bus ride from Lanzhou down to southern Gansu that ended in Hezuo, an hour or two at Milarepa Palace in Hezuo, then finally another 1-2 hour bus from Hezuo to Xiahe, I finally found myself plopping down on my bed at the Overseas Tibetan…sometime in early evening.
Though things didn’t go exactly as planned, they were close enough and I really had no complaints. My biggest surprise was the number of mosques I saw en route to Xiahe. (I hadn’t realized that the Muslim population in this particular region was quite so large.)
Upon waking the following morning – it was a Monday, I recall – I made the incredibly short walk to the Labrang Monastery. Labrang Monastery is a fascinating place. It was founded in 1709 by Ngagong Tsunde (first generation of the third in line behind the Dalai and Panchen Lamas). It is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat sect) order of Tibetan Buddhism. Three of the other six are near Lhasa, one near Shigatse, and the other near Xining (Qinghai province).
This is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple (if I remember reading correctly) outside Tibet. To walk the entire kora (circumference of the temple with prayer wheels) is over a 3 km endeavor, which I undertook on that Monday morning.
It was a pleasant walk, rife with photographic opportunities – people don’t mind having their pictures taken, though the Tibetan monks…not so much. They had to give their permission, and usually didn’t want to, which was fine by me. Around the back (north) side of the monastery, there’s an outer kora trail up the mountain that would give a nice view, but I was frankly too lazy to take it (and didn’t find it, anyway).
And the people. Photographing people here (monks or otherwise) is just…a treasure trove waiting to happen. Regarding the monks living here, there apparently used to be about four thousand, but limits have been set to around 1,800 now. (All I’ll say is, like most places in China, the Cultural Revolution was none too kind...)
After walking the kora, I hung out at Everest Cafe (Lohsang’s restaurant at the Overseas Tibetan) for a no frills breakfast, then spent the remainder of the morning with a tour of the interior of the temple and wandering around the grounds. The monastery has a few different temples, monastic colleges, living residences…it’s really quite a large compound.
The day had started sunny, but by sundown was turning pretty cloudy, so no great sunset shots to be had here, and it was getting a bit chilly in the evening at that altitude, so as soon as it was evident there wouldn’t be any more shooting, I went on over to Snowy Mountain for a relaxing dinner alone before retiring to my room for the night. Tuesday morning found me on another long travel day via bus, taxi, and train…to the opposite side of the province: western Gansu province, which was almost like another planet.
The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland, is a famous Polish shrine to the Virgin Mary and one of the country's places of pilgrimage for many the monastery is a spiritual capital. The image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, also known as Our Lady of Częstochowa, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is one of Jasna Góra's most precious treasures.
Jasna Góra Monastery was founded in 1382 by Pauline monks who came from Hungary at the invitation of Władysław, Duke of Opole. The monastery has been a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of years, and it contains an important icon of the Virgin Mary. The icon, depicting the Mother of God with the Christ Child, is known as the Black Madonna of Częstochowa or Our Lady of Częstochowa, which is widely venerated and credited with many miracles.[3] Among these, it is credited with miraculously saving the Jasna Góra monastery during a siege that took place at the time of The Deluge, a 17th-century Swedish invasion. The event stimulated the Polish resistance. The Poles could not immediately change the course of the war, but, after an alliance with the Crimean Khanate, they repulsed the Swedes. Shortly thereafter, in the cathedral of Lviv, on April 1, 1656, Jan Kazimierz, the King of Poland, solemnly pronounced his vow to consecrate the country to the protection of the Mother of God and proclaimed Her the Patron and Queen of the lands in his kingdom.
Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have both prayed in this Chapel.
Paul VI wanted to use his visit at Jasna Góra to offer to the custodians of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa the gold rose, the highest distinction to be granted by the pope. His absence prevented this and the golden rose was donated only by John Paul II during his first pilgrimage to Poland. The other rose for Our Lady of Częstochowa was offered by Benedict XVI in 2006
The 6th World Youth Day was hosted in Poland in the city of Czestochowa. The theme for WYD1991 was taken from St. Paul's letter to Romans: "You received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out 'Abba, Father!'" (Rom 8, 15).
Pope Francis will pray here on
on 28 July during WYD
© Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk
The Monastery of Saint Jovan Bigorski (Macedonian: Свети Јован Бигорски) is a Macedonian Orthodox monastery located in the western part of Macedonia, near the road connecting the towns of Debar and Gostivar.
The monastery church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. According to the monastery's 1833 chronicle, it was built in 1020 by Ivan I Debranin. The Ottomans destroyed the monastery in the 16th century. The monastery was restored in 1743 by the monk Ilarion, who also built several monk cells. Later, in the period from 1812 to 1825 the monastery was expanded by archimandrite Arsenius. Among the donors there is also a mention of a monk Iov, recognized by some researchers as the future educator Yoakim Karchovski. One of the most valuable treasures of the monastery is the iconostasis created by Petre Filipovski Garkata from the nearby village of Gari. This iconostasis is considered a most beautiful and most valuable wood-carved iconostasis. Another valuable monastery treasure is an icon dating from 1020 with supposedly miraculous healing power.
Most of the old monastery complex was burnt down in 2009, while the new sections of the complex and church were saved. Reconstruction of the old palaces begun in May 2010 with the aim to reconstruct it as authentic as possible.
The Govora Monastery is an active monastery of the Romanian Orthodox Church , which was of primary importance for the existence of Slavic writing in the Danubian Principalities in the pre- Enlightenment era.
The Chrysobull of September 27, 1485, is the oldest surviving written text attesting to the monastery's existence. This means it was built during the reign of Vlad Dracula . However, there is archaeological evidence that an older building from the time of Mircea the Old may have existed here .
The name of the monastery is not disputed even among Romanian linguists, and it means what is understood in Russian.
In 1637, Matei Basarab established the second printing press in the history of Wallachia in the monastery (after the one brought from Montenegro to Targovishte in the early 16th century ), which was brought from Kiev (a gift from Peter Mogila ). In 1640, the monks Miletiy Macedonian and Stefan Ohridski printed the " Rules of Dialogue " in the monastery printing house, which are actually the Kormchaya Kniga ( The Kormchaya Book ).
Current painting dates from the restoration of the church by abbot Paisie, late 17th or early 18th century.
source: ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0
San Simon Monastery is a Greek-Orthodox complex built in the 19th century in Jeruslaem. By mediavel tradition it is the burial site of “Saing Simon”, A jewish elder who met and blessed Jesus when he was an infant (Luke 2).
Today the monastery is maintained by a single monk (Theodoritus) and is opened only for Christian pilgrims.
This week I attended the institute trip to Klosterneuburg Monastery near Vienna. At our arrival we had an hour free to walk around and I took a look into the church. Unfortunately there was a locked iron gate such that I was only able to take a picture from the entrance, where this wide angle shot turned out to look very impressive. Since carrying a tripod would have been way to heavy I had to shoot at ISO 800 which yields a fairly noisy picture, but I hope you like it anyway!
Rizong Monastery (Ladakh).
Ladakh at a height of 9,800 feet surrounded by the Himalayas and Karakoram Range houses incredible monasteries in its folds. On your tour to Ladakh you can spot monks in maroon robes silently plodding their ways to the monasteries. Rizong Monastery is situated at a distance of about 73 kilometers from the Leh town. Founded by the great Lama, Tsultim Nima in the year 1831, the Rizong Monastery belongs to the Gelukpa order. Monasteries, which are the centers of worship for the monks, are also great seats of learning. Where 40 monks reside, Rizong Monastery educates monks who have chosen the path to God as their goal on life. Strict rules are adhered to and monks follow a daily course of life following the Buddhist principles and learning the scriptures and texts. A number of shrines are located within the premises of the Rizdong Monastery and a rich collection of scriptures, texts and biographies of great Lamas like Tsultim Nima are preserved here. Books composed by first Sras Rinpoche are also kept here.
Shigatse - Gyangtse - Tibet Autonomous Region - Tibetan Plateau - China - Tibet
Nyenying Monastery
There used to be thousands of monasteries in Tibet. Every family was expected to send at least one boy to a monastery. Usually, boys would be ordained at the age of seven; girls, a bit older. The monastery life used to be the only access to education and improved social status. People went to monasteries to get educated, to merit their family and to pursue religious fulfillment. Although educational and economic conditions in Tibet have improved, many Tibetans are still drawn to the monasteries.
Very interesting to read:
www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/tibet/monastery-life.htm
Cozia Monastery - Romania
Cozia Monastery, erected close to Călimănești by Mircea cel Bătrân in 1388 and housing his tomb, is one of the most valuable monuments of national medieval art and architecture in Romania.
Cozia features a museum of exhibiting old art: old manuscripts and prints, embroideries and objects of worship.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozia_Monastery
Interesting te read:
www.romanianmonasteries.org/other-monasteries/cozia-monas...
A large religious compound right in the center of the city.
It sits on a hill on the oldest area of the city. The building started in the XVII century and is still considered unfinished.
it is the second largest Benedictine monastery after the larger brother of Mafra in Porugal.
Today the compound (which includes the church of St. Nicolò: www.flickr.com/photos/controtono/14413688301/ ) is used by the Foreign Language department of the University of Catania.
The University undertook a gigantic restoration work after the damages made by the WWII bombardments.
another shot here:
The highlight of any visit to Lisbon, this is a stunning place with the cloister being simply superb. Situated in Belém and easily reached by public transport allow a half day to visit to what is a World Heritage Site .
From Sacred Locations.
Founded in 1501, the magnificent Jerónimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) in Lisbon is a great monument to the Age of Discovery and a magnificent example of the Manueline style of architecture. The monastery was founded by King Manuel I in celebration of - and funded by - successful Portuguese voyages around the world.
History of Jeronimos Monastery
In 1496, King Manuel I (1495–1521) asked the pope for permission to build a great monastery in thanks to the Virgin Mary for Vasco de Gama's successful voyage to India. The request was granted and construction began on the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos on January 6, 1501. The project was funded by treasures from explorations in Africa, Asia, and South America, as well as a stiff tax on the Portuguese-controlled spice trade with Africa and the East.
The king hired French architect Diogo de Boitaca (1460-1528; master of the pioneering Igreja de Jesus in Setúbal), who was later succeeded by João de Castilho (1475-1552) of Spain, Diogo de Torralva (c.1500-1566), and Jerónimo de Ruão (1530-1601). The site Manuel chose for the new monastery was on the banks of the Tagus river, replacing a small chapel dedicated to St. Mary of Belém by Henry the Navigator.
King Manuel I named his new foundation the Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Belém and invited the Order of St. Jerome (Hieronymites, or dos Jerónimos) to occupy it. The powerful Hieronymites were known for their contemplative spirituality and productive intellectual output; they also shared the king's political views.
The Hieronymites monk were expected to celebrate daily mass for the souls of Prince Henry the Navigator, King Manuel I and his successors in perpetuity, in addition to hearing confessions and providing spiritual counsel to seamen and navigators who sailed from Belém.
As for the monastery, it would be not only a thank-offering to the Virgin Mary but a lasting monument to the Age of Discovery and the mausoleum of King Manuel I and his successors. The project was completed around 1600, by which time Renaissance and Baroque elements were incorporated into the design.
The 1755 earthquake damaged the monastery but thankfully did not destroy it. Many restoration projects have been undertaken since then, some executed better than others. The Hieronymites occupied the monastery for 400 years until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1833, when the building became state property. It was used as a college for the Casa Pia of Lisbon (a children's charity) until around 1940.
What to See at Jeronimos Monastery
Jerónimos Monastery is an prime example of Manueline architecture, a style unique to Portugal that combines Flamboyant Gothic, Moorish, and early Renaissance influences. It is characterized by an elaborate use of sculptural detail and often includes maritime motifs. Other notable Manueline structures in Portugal include Batalha Monastery and the Templar Convento de Cristo in Tomar.
The main entrance to the monastic church is the south portal, designed by João de Castilho. Occupying the central pillar is a statue of Henry the Navigator. Inside, fragile-looking pillars covered with sculpture support a complex web of lierne vaulting over three aisles. Much of the artwork depicts scenes of St. Jerome, translator of the Vulgate and patron of the Hieronymite order.
The west door leads into the cloisters, where the stonework is even more impressive than the church. Designed by João de Castilho, the cloisters have two levels, the lower one having a groin vault and the most exuberant decoration. Virtually every surface of the arches and pillars are covered in elaborate Manueline sculpture.
Jerónimos Monastery contains the tombs of King Manuel and other Portuguese royalty, as well as many important figures from Portuguese history. Most famous among the latter is Vasco de Gama, whose accomplishments at sea inspired the monastery. Other notables include the romantic poet Herculano (1800-54) and the poet Fernando Pessoa.
Part of the monastic complex is the freestanding Chapel of St. Jerome, built in 1514. It is a small rectangular building with conical pinnacles at the four corners and stone "rope" along the roofline. Gargoyles look out from the corners. From the west doorway, there is a fine view all the way out to sea.
Cozia Monastery - Romania
Cozia Monastery, erected close to Călimănești by Mircea cel Bătrân in 1388 and housing his tomb, is one of the most valuable monuments of national medieval art and architecture in Romania.
Cozia features a museum of exhibiting old art: old manuscripts and prints, embroideries and objects of worship.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozia_Monastery
Interesting te read:
www.romanianmonasteries.org/other-monasteries/cozia-monas...
Owned by the Benedictine Monks, this pyramid-shape monastery is located in between the hills of Malaybalay City, Bukidnon Province, Philippines...
"Sremski Karlovci (one of my favourite towns here). While in that part of the country, we also went to visit two of the monasteries in Fruska Gora, Krusedol and Grgeteg, and learned a bit about the history of the Serbian Church in that region. Both were fascinating; here is a picture of Krusedol"
Read more at our Ambassador to Serbia, Stephen Wordsworth's blog
Cozia Monastery - Romania
Cozia Monastery, erected close to Călimănești by Mircea cel Bătrân in 1388 and housing his tomb, is one of the most valuable monuments of national medieval art and architecture in Romania.
Cozia features a museum of exhibiting old art: old manuscripts and prints, embroideries and objects of worship.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozia_Monastery
Interesting te read:
www.romanianmonasteries.org/other-monasteries/cozia-monas...
Chrysoskalitissa Monastery is a 17th-century Orthodox Christian monastery located on the island of Crete, Greece. Located on the south-west coast of the island, in the municipal unit Innachori, it lies some 72 kilometres south-west of Chania. Built up on rocks some 35 metres high, it overlooks the Libyan Sea. According to local tradition, the name of the monastery is derived from one of the ninety steps which lead there, which is said to be golden and visible only to devout Christians. The monastery is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the Dormition of Virgin Mary.