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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.
Details of the Gomari Monastery
Rebkong is located in the Golden Valley of the Rongwu Guchu River in Malho prefecture southeast of Qinghai province, The valley is at about 2600m above sea-level, extends from the north to south, and is surrounded by several mountains. Rebkong is also famous for itâs Tibetan traditional arts and cultural preservation. The there are several large monasteries and villages scattering around the Rongwu town which is home to hundreds of artist. The most well known villages and monasteries are Sanggeshung Yago and Sanggeshung Mago(upper and lower Wutun), Gomar Gompa, Nyamtok village.etc. If you are interested in learning Tibetan culture and Tibetan traditional arts, Rebkong will be one of most recommend region.
Calaraseuca Monastery - Moldova
Calaraseuca 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.
Lhasa - Tibet Autonomous Region - Tibetan Plateau - China - Tibet
Sera Monastery - Gelukpa ( debating monks)
The monastery is located on the northern outskirts of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sera_Monastery
Every afternoon, monks of the monastery gather in the debating courtyard and argue over philosophy in the most animated fashion. It is quite a spectacle,
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.
It was built between 1713 and 1715 by Saint Anthim the Iberian, at that time a Metropolitan Bishop of Wallachia.
The buildings were restored by Patriarch Justinian Marina in the 1960s.
As of 2005, there were 7 monks living in the Monastery.
The monastery also hosts a museum with religious objects and facts about the life of Anthim the Iberian.
During the communist rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the government threatened demolition of the church and many other historic structures in Romania.
A project organized by engineer Eugeniu Iordăchescu moved the church to a different nearby site and saved it in time.
The splendid Antim Monastery, with its elegant dome and gold finish was constructed between 1708 and 1715 on the orders of polymath Antim Ivireanul, patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Wallachia at the time.
Antim originally intended the monastery to be a refuge for fallen women and refugees, as well as a seat of learning.
The bell tower through which we today enter the monastery was added in 1857.
The monastery church is particularly worth admiring, for its sumptuous icons featuring scenes from the Nativity and Revelations, painted in 1812 by Petre Alexandrescu.
The sculptures on the wooden double doors of the church were executed by Patriarch Antim himself.
The Lepavina Monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Presentation of Mary and located in Croatia. Established in 1550.
From Wikipedia:
The Monastery of Sant Cugat is a Benedictine abbey in Sant Cugat del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain. Founded in the 9th century, and built until the 14th century, it was the most important monastery in the county of Barcelona. It has its main feature in the large cloister, in Romanesque style.
The Lepavina Monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Presentation of Mary and located in Croatia. Established in 1550.
Sanahin Monastery is an Armenian monastery founded in the 10th century in the Lori Province of Armenia.
The name Sanahin literally translates from Armenian as "this one is older than that one", presumably representing a claim to having an older monastery than the neighbouring Haghpat Monastery. The two villages and their monasteries are similar in many ways, and lie in plain view of each other on a dissected plateau formation, separated by a deep "crack" formed by a small river flowing into the Debed river.
The complex belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church with numerous khachkars (stones with elaborate engravings representing a cross) and bishop gravesites scattered throughout it.
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.
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...
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...
Lhasa - Tibet Autonomous Region - Tibetan Plateau - China - Tibet
Sera Monastery - Gelukpa ( debating monks)
The monastery is located on the northern outskirts of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sera_Monastery
Every afternoon, monks of the monastery gather in the debating courtyard and argue over philosophy in the most animated fashion. It is quite a spectacle,
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 (Այրիվանք), meaning "the Monastery of the Cave". The name commonly used for the monastery today, Geghard, or more fully Geghardavank (Գեղարդավանք), 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 namchi monastery, actually known as the decchen choyling gumpa is located at ahaley...a small area within the namchi town, just beyond the baichung bhutia stadium...the monastery complex is lovely and quite charming with gold wall imprints of the various bodhisatvas (visible on the left hand side of the pic, near the other gumpa)
this should be one of the other major attractions of the namchi town, but it barely gets written about because most of the hype and traffic is directed to the sandruptse statue
This monastery was built in the 1850's and is still in excellent condition. The last Sisters left the monastery during the 1990's and it has been left abandoned since.
Currently plans are being signed off to renovate the monastery into rooms for students.
Please visit www.preciousdecay.com for more pictures!
Bachkovo is Bulgaria's second largest monastery, and is to be found 30 kilometres south-east of Plovdiv.
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 a 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 "top architect". His name is not known, so the name given to him by art historians is "Meister des Maulbronner Paradieses" (Master of Maulbronn Paradise).
After the Reformation the monastery was damaged and looted a couple of times. It got secularised in 1534 and a Protestant seminary was opened here. One of the students of the early years was mathematican, astronomer (and astrologer) Johannes Kepler, author of "Mysterium Cosmographicum".
In 1807 the seminary merged with another to "Evangelical Seminaries of Maulbronn and Blaubeuren" - and still today a boarding school exists here. Hermann Hesse ("The Steppenwolf", "The Glass Bead Game", "Siddhartha"..) had lived here for a very unhappy year at the age of fourteen. Actually he fled from the Seminary in 1892 - and later featured his experiences in the novel "Beneath the Wheel".
I had noticed, that the walls of the narthex, the cloister and even the church, were covered with thousends of graffitis and the knowledgeable lady had told me, that already very early it was customary to the students, to carve in their names somewhere into the stones..
This led to the "idée fixe", that I would be the lucky guy, to find a carved autograph of Hermann Hesse. I spent hours. Meanwhile the museum in Calw closed. I found many names, but no "Hermann Hesse", no "H.Hesse", no "Hesse" not even a "H.H.".
Haghpat Monastery, also known as Haghpatavank (Armenian: Հաղպատավանք), is a medieval monastery complex in Haghpat, Armenia.
The monastery was founded by Queen Khosrovanuysh, wife of the Bagratid king Ashot III, probably in 976. The nearby monastery at Sanahin was built around the same time.
The location of Haghpat Monastery was chosen so that it overlooks the Debed River in northern Armenia's Lori region. It was built, not on a peak, but halfway up a hillside on a site chosen to afford protection and concealment from prying eyes and also in response to a kind of monastic humility. It is built on a verdant promontory located in the middle of a mountain cirque, which is often wreathed in clouds. A peak on the opposite side of the river is over 2,500 meters high. The monasteries of northern Armenia are not isolated, unlike their counterparts in the country's arid regions. They were built in a village environment and Haghpat is surrounded by many hamlets.
The largest church in the complex, the Cathedral of Surb Nishan, probably begun in 976, was completed in 991 by king Smbat. It is a typical example of tenth century Armenian architecture, its central dome rests on the four imposing pillars of the lateral walls. The outside walls are dotted with triangular recesses. A fresco in the apse depicts Christ Pantocrator. Its donor, the Armenian Prince Khutulukhaga, is depicted in the south transept (a transversal nave intersecting the main nave). The sons of the church's founder, Princes Smbat and Kurike, are shown with Queen Khosravanuysh in a bas-relief on the east gable. Apart from one or two minor restorations carried out in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the church has retained its original character.
There are several other structures at the site as well. There is the small domed Church of Sourb Grigor (St. Gregory ) from 1005. Two side chapels were added to the original church; the larger one built in the beginning of the 13th century and the smaller, known as "Hamazasp House", built in 1257. In 1245, a three-story tall free-standing belltower was constructed. Other 13th century additions include the chapel of Sourb Astvatsatsin, the scriptorium, and a large refectory which is outside the monastery limits.
There are also a number of splendid khachkars (cross-stones) of the 11th-13th centuries standing on the territory of the monastery, the best known among them is the "Amenaprkich" (All-Savior) khachkar which has been standing since 1273.
The monastery has been damaged many times. Sometime around 1130, an earthquake destroyed parts of Haghpat Monastery and it was not restored until fifty years later. It also suffered numerous attacks by armed forces in the many centuries of its existence and from a major earthquake in 1988. Nevertheless, much of the complex is still intact and stands today without substantial alterations.
This monastery was built in the 1850's and is still in excellent condition. The last Sisters left the monastery during the 1990's and it has been left abandoned since.
Currently plans are being signed off to renovate the monastery into rooms for students.
Please visit www.preciousdecay.com for more pictures!
Lhasa - Tibet Autonomous Region - Tibetan Plateau - China - Tibet
Nechung Monastery - Gelukpa
It is about 10 minutes walk down from Drepung Monastery, and was the residence of the three-headed, six-armed Pehar, the chief protector of the Gelugs (Yellow Hat sect) and the seat of the State Oracle or Nechung Oracle. It is medium-sized temple which used to house about a hundred monks
Noravank (Armenian: Նորավանք, meaning "New Monastery" in Armenian) is a 13th century Armenian monastery.
The gorge where the monastery is located is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery.
The monastery is best known for its two-storey Surp Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) church, which grants access to the second floor by way of a narrow stone-made staircase jutting out from the face of building.
Noravank was founded in 1205. The monastic complex includes the church of S. Karapet, S. Grigor chapel with a vaulted hall, and the church of S. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God). Ruins of various civil buildings and khachkars are found both inside and outside of the compound walls.
For more information: