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At the top of the hill is a tiny, Byzantine church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. At 300 m above sea level with commanding coastal views it worth to climb up to see. The legend is that any woman, who has problems having children should go up there (barefoot), to pray to the Virgin. She will be blessed with children. On Rhodes the success of this visit means the child must be called Tsambikos if it's a boy, and Tsampika if it's a girl. This name is unique on Rhodes.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tatev monastery is located in Armenia Tatev monastery
Shown within Armenia
Basic information
LocationTatev, Syunik Province, Armenia
Geographic coordinates39.379367°N 46.250031°ECoordinates: 39.379367°N 46.250031°E
AffiliationArmenian Apostolic Church
Architectural description
Architectural styleArmenian
Groundbreaking8th century
The Tatev monastery (Armenian: Տաթևի վանք Tat'evi vank' ) is a 9th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located on a large basalt plateau near the Tatev village in Syunik Province in southeastern Armenia. The term "Tatev" usually refers to the monastery. The monastic ensemble stands on the edge of a deep gorge of the Vorotan River. Tatev is known as the bishopric seat of Syunik and played a significant role in the history of the region as a center of economic, political, spiritual and cultural activity.
In the 14th and 15th centuries the monastery hosted one of the most important Armenian medieval universities, the University of Tatev, which contributed to the advancement of science, religion and philosophy, reproduction of books and development of miniature painting. Scholars of the Tatev University contributed to the preservation of Armenian culture and creed during one of its most turbulent periods in its history.
The monastery is the "best-known site" in Syunik. Wings of Tatev, a cableway from Tatev to Halidzor village was opened in October 2010.
It was included in the Guinness World Records as world's "longest non-stop double track cable car."
Geghard Monastery
Geghard (meaning "spear") is a medieval monastery in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The monastery had thus been originally named Ayrivank, meaning "the Monastery of the Cave". The name commonly used for the monastery today, Geghard, or more fully Geghardavank, meaning "the Monastery of the Spear", originates from the spear which had wounded Jesus at the Crucifixion, allegedly brought to Armenia by Apostle Jude, called here Thaddeus, and stored amongst many other relics. Now it is displayed in the Echmiadzin treasury.
The spectacular towering cliffs surrounding the monastery are part of the Azat River gorge, and are included together with the monastery in the World Heritage Site listing. Some of the churches within the monastery complex are entirely dug out of the cliff rocks, others are little more than caves, while others are elaborate structures, with both architecturally complex walled sections and rooms deep inside the cliff. The combination, together with numerous engraved and free-standing khachkars is a unique sight, being one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Armenia.
(source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geghard)
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...
This is the garden of the Văratec Monastery, Romania. “The monastery was founded in 1785 by Schema nun Olimpiada, with her confessor, Father Iosif. In this work, mother Olimpiada was guided by Father Paisius Velichkovsky, hegumen of Neamț Monastery. The monastery was set under the guidance of Agapia Monastery, which was close by, and afterwards the Monastery became an independent monastery in 1839.
“Massive stone walls enclose the main church, ‘The Dormition of the Virgin Mary,’ [originally a wooden church] the abbot's building and the administrative buildings (on the northern side of the enclosure) and the monastery's Museum, where the ‘Queen Mary’ workshop used to be (in the building on the south side). The monastic precinct is surrounded by the monastery village, made up of rural traditional houses, where the nuns live, and which lie along narrow alleys.” (Wikipedia)
Ongi Monastery - Karakorum - Karkhorum - Mongolia
Ongi Monastery is the collective name for the ruins of two monasteries that face each other across the Ongi River in Saikhan-Ovoo district of Dundgovi Province, in south-central Mongolia. The Barlim Monastery is located on the north bank of the river while the Khutagt Monastery sits on the south bank. The older southern complex consisted of various administrative buildings as well as 11 temples. The northern complex, built in the 18th century, consisted of 17 temples - among them one of the largest temples in all of Mongolia. The grounds housed also 4 Buddhist universities. Founded in 1660, it was one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia and housed over 1000 monks at its height. The ruins are situated about 18 km south of the town of Saikhan Ovoo.
Both complexes of Ongi Monastery were completely destroyed in 1939 during anti-religious purges carried out under Khorloogiin Choibalsan, the then leader of the Communist Party of Mongolia. Over 200 monks were killed, and many surviving monks were imprisoned or forcibly laicized and conscripted into the Communist controlled army.
A large number of ruins including a tall stupa can be seen on the river and on the surrounding hills. In the 1990s, it was decided to rebuild the monastery. The first temple was inaugurated in 2004. There is a small museum in a ger in front of it. One of the stupas has just been reconstructed as well. It has a commemorative plaque indicating the names of the monks who were killed in 1939.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ongi_Monastery
www.amicusmongolia.com/attraction/erdenezuu-monastery-bud...
Ongi Monastery - Karakorum - Karkhorum - Mongolia
Ongi Monastery is the collective name for the ruins of two monasteries that face each other across the Ongi River in Saikhan-Ovoo district of Dundgovi Province, in south-central Mongolia. The Barlim Monastery is located on the north bank of the river while the Khutagt Monastery sits on the south bank. The older southern complex consisted of various administrative buildings as well as 11 temples. The northern complex, built in the 18th century, consisted of 17 temples - among them one of the largest temples in all of Mongolia. The grounds housed also 4 Buddhist universities. Founded in 1660, it was one of the largest monasteries in Mongolia and housed over 1000 monks at its height. The ruins are situated about 18 km south of the town of Saikhan Ovoo.
Both complexes of Ongi Monastery were completely destroyed in 1939 during anti-religious purges carried out under Khorloogiin Choibalsan, the then leader of the Communist Party of Mongolia. Over 200 monks were killed, and many surviving monks were imprisoned or forcibly laicized and conscripted into the Communist controlled army.
A large number of ruins including a tall stupa can be seen on the river and on the surrounding hills. In the 1990s, it was decided to rebuild the monastery. The first temple was inaugurated in 2004. There is a small museum in a ger in front of it. One of the stupas has just been reconstructed as well. It has a commemorative plaque indicating the names of the monks who were killed in 1939.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ongi_Monastery
www.amicusmongolia.com/attraction/erdenezuu-monastery-bud...
Amarbayasgalant Monastery is one of the three largest Buddhist monastic centers in Mongolia. The monastery complex is located in the Iven Valley near the Selenge River, at the foot of Mount Büren-Khaan in Baruunbüren sum (district) of Selenge Province in northern Mongolia. The nearest town is Erdenet which is about 60 km to the southwest.
Amarbayasgalant was one of the very few monasteries to have partly escaped destruction during the Stalinist purges of 1937, after which only the buildings of the central section remained. Many of the monks were executed by the country's Communist regime and the monastery's artifacts, including thangkas, statues, and manuscripts were looted, although some were hidden until more fortunate times.
Today, only 28 temples remain. Restoration work began in 1988 with funds provided by UNESCO and private sources and some of the new statuary was commissioned in New Delhi, India.
Alcobaca, Portugal, a town of just 15,000 population.
A female gargoyle on the upper front of the building.
The Alcobaça Monastery is a Catholic monastic complex located in the town of Alcobaça in central Portugal. The monastery was established in 1153 by the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques, and would develop a close association with the Portuguese monarchy throughout its seven-century-long history.
The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal and was one of the most important medieval monasteries in Portugal.
In the transept of the church are located the tombs of King Pedro I and his mistress, Inês de Castro, who was assassinated in 1355 on orders of Pedro's father, King Afonso IV. After becoming king, Pedro ordered the remains of his beloved to be transferred to her tomb in Alcobaça and, according to a popular legend, had her crowned as queen of Portugal and ordered court members to pay her homage by kissing her decomposing hand.
The two royal tombs are among the best works of Gothic sculpture in Portugal. The tombs are supported by lions, in the case of the king, and half-men half-beasts, in the case of Ines, and both carry the recumbent figures of the deceased assisted by a group of angels. The sides of Pedro's tomb are magnificently decorated with reliefs showing scenes from Saint Bartholomew's life, as well as scenes from Pedro and Ines' life. Her tomb is decorated with scenes from the life of Christ, including the Crucifixion, and with the Last Judgement.
Curchi Monastery, view from inner yard.
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Întrarea in Mănastirea.
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Монастырь Куркь, вид со внутреннего двора.
(By Vladimir Bujac)
Amarbayasgalant Monastery is one of the three largest Buddhist monastic centers in Mongolia. The monastery complex is located in the Iven Valley near the Selenge River, at the foot of Mount Büren-Khaan in Baruunbüren sum (district) of Selenge Province in northern Mongolia. The nearest town is Erdenet which is about 60 km to the southwest.
Amarbayasgalant was one of the very few monasteries to have partly escaped destruction during the Stalinist purges of 1937, after which only the buildings of the central section remained. Many of the monks were executed by the country's Communist regime and the monastery's artifacts, including thangkas, statues, and manuscripts were looted, although some were hidden until more fortunate times.
Today, only 28 temples remain. Restoration work began in 1988 with funds provided by UNESCO and private sources and some of the new statuary was commissioned in New Delhi, India.
Amarbayasgalant Monastery is one of the three largest Buddhist monastic centers in Mongolia. The monastery complex is located in the Iven Valley near the Selenge River, at the foot of Mount Büren-Khaan in Baruunbüren sum (district) of Selenge Province in northern Mongolia. The nearest town is Erdenet which is about 60 km to the southwest.
Amarbayasgalant was one of the very few monasteries to have partly escaped destruction during the Stalinist purges of 1937, after which only the buildings of the central section remained. Many of the monks were executed by the country's Communist regime and the monastery's artifacts, including thangkas, statues, and manuscripts were looted, although some were hidden until more fortunate times.
Today, only 28 temples remain. Restoration work began in 1988 with funds provided by UNESCO and private sources and some of the new statuary was commissioned in New Delhi, India.
Amarbayasgalant Monastery is one of the three largest Buddhist monastic centers in Mongolia. The monastery complex is located in the Iven Valley near the Selenge River, at the foot of Mount Büren-Khaan in Baruunbüren sum (district) of Selenge Province in northern Mongolia. The nearest town is Erdenet which is about 60 km to the southwest.
Amarbayasgalant was one of the very few monasteries to have partly escaped destruction during the Stalinist purges of 1937, after which only the buildings of the central section remained. Many of the monks were executed by the country's Communist regime and the monastery's artifacts, including thangkas, statues, and manuscripts were looted, although some were hidden until more fortunate times.
Today, only 28 temples remain. Restoration work began in 1988 with funds provided by UNESCO and private sources and some of the new statuary was commissioned in New Delhi, India.
This monastery -- Snagov Monastery -- is located about 25 miles north of Bucharest in Ilfov County. (It's close enough that I'm including it as a Bucharest album.)
So what's the deal with Snagov Monastery? Honestly, I don't know. It seems there's no consensus on much of anything here, other than that the monastery exists. Nobody is sure when it was built, exactly, and that may have part to do with the reason it was built...if you choose to believe that, too.
This is (or not?) Vlad Tepes's final resting place. (For sake of argument, I'll say it is, though...who knows?) Vlad's English sobriquet is Vlad the Impaler (Tepes in Romanian), and he was...rather cruel. By the time of his death, he had many enemies, and it seems he was beheaded as his form of demise. This monastery was possibly built Vlad himself (at his orders, that is), or at the request of his grandfather.
Vlad's "tomb" in the middle of the church floor. Well...as he had a lot of enemies, one thought is that his burial spot was hidden. Some say he was -- and still is -- buried here, but deep under the floor, and animal bones were buried above him to throw off anyone who found the location. Well...the place was excavated, animal bones were found, and (I guess?) they didn't dig deeper. Short answer...nobody knows and it serves tourism's interests not to confirm. I'll leave it at that.
As for the aesthetics of the monastery, it's a standard Greek Orthodox church on the inside. That means...lots of paintings covering 100% of the wall. (This small monastery, though, is not a great example of Romanian churches; the churches up in Transylvania at Maramures are all much better representations. The painted monasteries there are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Having said all of that, if you're in Bucharest, this is worth seeing just for the fun of it. Day trips are cheap and easy.
The Monastery of Batalha is a Dominican convent in the municipality of Batalha, in the district of Leiria, in the Centro Region of Portugal. Originally, and officially, known as the Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory, it was erected in commemoration of the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota and would serve as the burial church of the 15th-century Aviz dynasty of Portuguese royalty. It is one of the best and original examples of Late Flamboyant Gothic architecture in Portugal, intermingled with the Manueline style.
(Cont. from the description in the last photo.)
This guy here at the lower left (an Australian) and I hiked up through the forest south of Rila monastery (judging from the location of the sun in this shot, taken in the late afternoon/early evening the next day) up into the mountains within the Rila National Park and above the tree line that first evening. I was prepared to camp but we found an unlocked cabin ("a shepherd's cottage" in a note I wrote on the back of a photo 20 yr.s ago) with at least 2 beds, which seemed to be open and available for the use of hikers, and settled in for the night. The next morning we hiked along a ridge above and alongside a rolling expanse of mountains with slopes covered in large patches of snow, and exposed between the steeper parts. (This was in early June, and from what I've seen online, much of that snow would melt over the summer.) We had good views over some of the smaller Rila lakes (the Urdini lakes? ponds really), with some ice cover remaining, and which I descended to at one point to see up close and to fill up my water bottle. This was an ad hoc hike w/o a map and we didn't hike over to the famous '7 Rila lakes' (only 1.5 km.s away, but which I hadn't heard of). The ones we saw were similar to those but smaller. (I'll scan a photo). www.google.com/maps/place/Urdini+Ezera/@42.1761044,23.327...
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCEeM5bfdYw
- The view in this shot was as rewarding as any I had that hike.
- I stayed another night in a room in the monastery and toured more of it the next day before leaving and heading west to the border by bus down the 107 to Blagoevgrad, and by bus on the 106 to and across the border with Macedonia (now Northern Macedonia) and then by bus SW and NW along the A3 and A4 through Delčevo, Kočani (which has a great communist-era 'Freedom monument' with huge modernist mosaics en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko%C4%8Dani#/media/File:Spomenik_na... , a miss), historic Shtip, Tri Češmi, Krivi dol, Kadrifakovo, etc., to Skopje.
- Skopje was the dustiest and smoggiest city and one of the most faded that I toured (briefly) in Eastern Europe, but it was also one of the more atmospheric. There were more bits of garbage strewn about there than I'd seen in Bulgaria, some stray dogs and cats were in rougher shape (I saw a rake thin dog or puppy convulsing in an abandoned bldg.), and the city centre, the vast 'Macedonia square', was in a haze of smog and dust with ongoing construction or reconstruction. Skopje wasn't yet 'the city of statues' (no other city I toured that trip has reinvented itself since to such an extent; it doesn't look dusty or smoggy or run down in current videos online, although all those new, mass-produced statues aren't my taste), but there was much charming, 2-storey domestic architecture and an old-world-vibe in the bazaar and in the 'old town' that I liked. I don't think I stayed much longer than 24 hr.s, if that long, but Skopje merits a much better look.
- Again, my initial impressions of Skopje involved smog and dust. Well. According to Wikipedia, "air pollution is a serious problem" there, and "with India and Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia is one of the most polluted places anywhere. ... Central heating isn't affordable for many and so households often burn firewood as well as used car tires, plastic refuse, petroleum and other flammable waste, which emits toxic chemicals harmful to the population, in particular to children and the elderly." (Wikipedia)
- I toured the baroque Ottoman 'Mustafa Pasha' mosque (1492) above the 'Old Bazaar', "built by Çoban Mustafa Pasha who would become vizier in the court of Sultan Selim I (1512-1520)." The mosque is largely unaltered and in its original state. I'll scan a photo. "Umi, the daughter of Mustafa Pasha, is entombed in the türbe next to the mosque." (Wikipedia). Some Ottoman tombs with delicate but intact, upright tombstones, together with Umi's sarcophagus, are in a cemetery there. Most or the vast majority of devotees at the mosque are Albanian Muslims. (Although I'd been to Pecs and Shumen, I found such mosques and Ottoman aspects to be very exotic, but much less so 3 mos. later.)
- I had a meal or a drink or 2 at cafes near this mosque and close to or in the 'Old Bazaar' (originally dating from the 12th cent.), which I explored along its pedestrianized, flag-stone-covered streets. It contains historic 15th and 16th cent. Ottoman structures, incl. "mosques linked with madrassas, caravansaries, libraries, water fountains and burial chambers [kulliye complexes]." (There's more intact Ottoman and Muslim heritage in Skopje than in any other European city west of Turkey.) "In the 16th and 17th cent.s, the Bazaar reached its urban and economic zenith, developing into one of the greatest oriental bazaars in the Balkans." (Wikipedia) The juxtaposition of so many mosques and Orthodox churches, and the call of the muezzin together with the ringing of church bells was a theme for some of the postcards on sale. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ_0-Igicg4 I don't recall the double-domed Gazi-Isisa-Bey Djamia, the Aldza Djamia, the Kursumli An caravanserai [now a lapidarium], the Daut Pashin Hamam (the largest in the Balkans with 13 cupolas, now a gallery), nor the Ottoman kale. I might've seen some of those, but at least I'd go on to tour so much that's Ottoman (and more impressive) in Edirne, Istanbul, and Bursa.
- I don't recall it, but I must have crossed the famous 214 m. long, old stone bridge, the Kameni Most, that spans the Vardar river which divides the 'new' and 'old' towns. It was "reconstructed under the patronage of Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror /b/ 1451 and '69."
- I don't recall which churches I toured. (I balked at the price of a ticket for admission to one off a square in the old town, built with its floor beneath that of the ground of the square [as seen at Tryavna and elsewhere, per the Ottoman stipulation for church construction that they be semi-subterranean] and accessed by descending steps, which I gathered was full of much old wood carving.) None predate a devastating fire in 1689, and in 1535 "all churches [in the city] were demolished by the decree of the (Ottoman) governor" (wikipedia). (But there are a few ancient but well-preserved monasteries in the scenic Matka canyon not far from town.) I don't recall the 'Museum of Macedonia', nor the 'Museum of the City of Skopje' in the communist-era railway station. (? - I must've seen more than a mosque and a bazaar.)
- My biggest miss in town, after the National museum, is some good brutalist, concrete architecture, incl. a trippy Post Office, a Telecommunications office bldg. next to it (both 1972-'74), and the 'Hydrometeorological Service Building' (1975). www.exutopia.com/exclusion-zone/brutalist-modernist-mad-y...
- Skopje was tense in 2000 with friction between Slavic or ethnic Macedonians and Albanian Macedonians (@ 40% in Macedonia), and with Nato troops passing through en route to Kosovo at the time. In fact, the border with Kosovo is only 15-20 km.s NW of the city centre. War would break out only 7 mos. later, from February to August, 2001, "/b/ the government and ethnic Albanian insurgents, primarily in the north and west of the country. The war ended with the arrival and intervention of a NATO ceasefire monitoring force. Under the terms of 'the Ohrid Agreement', the government agreed to devolve greater political power and cultural recognition to the Albanian minority. The Albanian insurgents agreed to abandon separatist demands, to recognize all Macedonian institutions fully, and the NLA were to disarm and hand over their weapons to a NATO force." (Wikipedia)
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBg_Bta0DGg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8tSFvuYXYc
- The Balkans are said to be the theatre of the most continuous history of warfare anywhere. I made a friend in grad school residence in the late 90s who was a student of military history and whose area of expertise (at the time) was Balkan history. (I quote him here.: flickr.com/photos/97924400@N00/2939679388/in/photolist-2m... He's an assoc. prof. at Duke U. now.) His accounts of the history of the 2nd Balkan war, with the shifting alliances, the betrayals, etc. were complex, and he would highlight the absurdity of much of it. (War is absurd, generally.)
- I don't recall what discussions I had if any with anyone in Macedonia as to the tensions or Kosovo, but once I was called over by a large man sitting with his friends at a table in or near the bazaar, and handy to the Mustafa Pasha mosque (I can stand out as a tourist) who proclaimed that "all this was Albanian!" Skopje, or that part of the city, had been Albanian, he said, and he might have said that the FYR of Macedonia had been Albanian. In 2000 and until recently, it was generally assumed that the Christian Slavic Macedonians, together with the Bulgarians, Serbs, etc., had descended from invading or migrating Slavic tribes from further NE (the Ukrainian steppe?), although recent DNA studies indicate that the Bulgarians (at least) descend largely from the local, ancient Thracians. The alleged mass migration or invasion is said to have occurred in the early centuries of the 'dark ages' following the fall of Rome, @ 1400-1500 years ago (!). The Slavs are hardly newcomers to the Balkans, even if their ancestors or some of them had arrived on that schedule, but they seem to be a bit insecure as a result, possibly in light of the glorious ancient history of the region. The Greeks and Albanians are openly and vocally proud of their ancient heritage. (I went to a high school with a large Greek population, and they were great kids in every way [I used to joke that they 'Balkanized' my high school] but I did have a discussion or 2 with a friend who insisted that 'everything came from the Greeks, everything!', the version of events that he'd grown up with. The out-sized pride in all things Greek comes through in Nia Vardolos' cult hit.: youtu.be/epu_zBlX4tA?si=SrGkCKzu1cawyVds The house at the 9:13 min. pt. is a real house in East York, Toronto, not far from where my grandparents had lived, and I can attest that the ONLY change or embellishment to it or to its front yard for the film was the painted Greek flag on the garage door, and the American flag hanging beside it of course, to help Toronto pass for Chicago. Tbh, I'm envious of people who come from such close, loving families and proud cultures.)
- Re the history of Skopje: "... Originally a Paeonian city, 'Scupi 'became the capital of Dardania in the 2nd cent. BC. On the eve of the 1st cent. AD, the settlement was seized by the Romans and became a military camp and a colony of legionnaires, primarily veterans of the Legio VII Claudia in the time of Domitian (81-96 CE). The city's population was diverse. Engravings on tombstones suggest that only a minority of the population were from Italy, while many veterans were from Dalmatia, South Gaul and Syria. But as a function of this diversity, Latin maintained itself as the main language in the city at the expense of Greek, which was spoken in most of the Moesian and Macedonian cities. When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves in 395 AD, Scupi came under Byzantine rule from Constantinople. Scupi was sacked by Slavs (likely the Berziti who had invaded the entire Vardar valley) at the end of the 6th cent. and seems to have fallen under Slavic rule in 595 before it was abandoned. During much of the early medieval period, the town was contested between the Byzantines and the Bulgarian Empire, whose capital it was between 972 and 992. Samuil ruled it from 976 to 1004 when it was surrendered to Byzantine Emperor Basil the Bulgar Slayer. From 1282, the town was part of the Serbian Empire, and acted as its capital city from 1346 to 1371. In 1346, Serbian king Stefan Dušan was crowned 'Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks' in Skopje. In 1392, Skopje was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, who named it Üsküb (اسکوب); this name was also in use in English for a time. The town remained under Ottoman control for over 500 years, serving as the capital of the pashasanjak of Üsküp and later of the Vilayet of Kosovo. In 1912, it was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia in the Balkan Wars. The city was seized by the Kingdom of Bulgaria during WWI, and then, following the war, it became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Yugoslavia. During WWII the city was again captured by Bulgaria and in 1945 became the capital of SR Macedonia, a federated state within Yugoslavia. ..." (Wikipedia) This doesn't do the city's eventful history any justice. Every few years it seems power would change hands and it was sacked or burned or otherwise destroyed several times. See the Wikipedia entry.
- "The meaning of [the early name Scupi] is unknown, but it might derive from the Greek ἐπίσκοπος, (lit. "watcher, observer"), a reference to the elevated position of the site from which the surrounding area could be observed. After antiquity, Scupi was occupied by various peoples and its name was translated several times into several languages. It was adapted into the Slavic form following Proto-Albanian phonetic rules [which] might indicate that Proto-Albanian was spoken in the region in pre-Slavic antiquity. Thus Scupi became 'Skopje'. (Wikipedia)
From Skopje I took a bus 2 and 3/4 hrs., 173 km.s west and then south along the E-65 or a train SW to Ohrid. One of my 2 biggest misses in the country was along that route, the unusual, well-decorated 'Pasha's mosque' (1438) in Tetovo, the most impressive mosque in Europe outside of Edirne and Istanbul. Tetovo's also home to an interesting, old Sufi dervish medressah (much of it built of wood). www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CpwuY3ZeMQ
Calaraseuca Monastery - Moldova
Decorations in the Chapel
insideCalaraseuca Monastery is a monastery in the north of Moldova, located on the right a river Nistru. It was founded in the eighteenth century. In 1780 the old church could no longer be used, and Hagi Marcu Donici of Movilau, on the left a river Nistru, built a church and a steeple, which was sanctified in 1782 dedicated to the Assumption Holy Mother of God. In 1853 starts the construction of two churches dedicated to St. Mitrofan of Voronejului.
In 1916 the monks go to other monasteries, and nuns are brought Calaraseuca Virov refugees in the monastery, from Poland (located at the time of the Austro-German occupation). In 1961 the communist authorities Calaraseuca monastery transformed into a hospital for mentally disabled children. The church winter was transformed in a club and summer in the hospital warehouse. On 3 May 1991, nuns from the monastery was reopened Calaraseuca.
Monasteries of Meteora are built on natural conglomerate pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece
Leh: Thiksey Monastery (June, 2016)
Title:
People:
Place:Thiksey
Date:2016:06:23 15:10:12
File:DSC01443.jpg
The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, also known as the Monastery of Batalha is without doubt one of the most beautiful examples of Portuguese and European architecture.
This dazzling architectural ensemble was born out of a promise the King, João I, made in thanks for his victory at Aljubarrota, a battle fought on August 14, 1385, which assured him the throne and guaranteed independence for Portugal.
The construction took over 150 years, across various phases. This is the reason why one can find not only gothic style (for the most part), but also manualine style and some renaissance touches. A number of alterations were made to the initial project, resulting in a vast monastic complex that today includes a church, two cloisters with annexed dependencies and two royal pantheons, the Founder’s Chapel and the Unfinished Chapels.
King João I gave it to the order of Saint Dominic, under the good auspices of Doctor João das Regras, chancellor of the kingdom, and Friar Lourenço Lampreia, confessor of the monarch.
In the Dominicans’ possession until the extinction of the religious orders in 1384, the monument was then incorporated within the Public Exchequer, and today it is a cultural, touristic and devotional Monument under the jurisdiction of IGESPAR, national Monument also declared World Heritage by UNESCO, in 1983. www.mosteirobatalha.pt/en/
From Wikipedia: Khor Virap is significant in Armenian history because it is the where Saint Gregory the Illuminator (the patron-saint of Armenia) was imprisoned in a deep dungeon for 13 years by the then pagan Armenian King Trdat III.
"Monks-in-training" during a break at Lingdum Monastery, Sikkim.
The monastery had a very calm and peaceful atmosphere about it, being situated a few kms from the nearest village, Ranka. Although constructed only in 1998 and less important than Rumtek, it was nonetheless a refreshing change since the presence of the army ruins the atmosphere there. Sitting on the roof of the monastery, soaking in the sunshine, watching the students playing and joking around while on break was perhaps one of the most peaceful moments of my life. I was even allowed to enter the prayer hall where I saw them chanting, and reading from the scriptures with trumpets, drums and cymbals in the background.
View of the Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Trinity, Meteora / Kalambaka, Greece, on Wednesday June 27, 2007.
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
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