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Alcobaca, Portugal, a town of just 15,000 population.
A side entrance to the church, in need to a good sandblasting.
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.
Monastery is an Orthodox Christian monastery for women of the Church of Romania. It is the largest & also the last built of the painted monasteries of Bucovina. It was built in 1581 by the Bishop of Rădăuţi, Gheorghe Movila. Frescoes are the work of 2 master painters, Ioan and his brother Sofronie from Suceava.
Surrounded by pine forest, the monastery of Panagia Kalopetra was built in 1782 on a mountain slope above the Valley of the Butterflies (Petaloudes). It was founded by Alexander Ypsilantis during his exiles in Rhodes. Ypsilantis was a Greek prince, ruler of Wallachia and Moldavia, engaged in various wars against the Ottomans. His grandson was the leader of the Filiki Eteria that began the Greek Revolution in 1821.
There are two contrasting stories involving the founding of this small monastery. One, the most plausible, relates that Ypsilantis brought his daughter to the area to cure her of tuberculosis, as the water that sprung from a rock on the mountain was considered to be therapeutic. In gratitude, he founded this small monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary, giving it the name of Kalopetra which in Greek means 'good stone'.
According to the other story the prince built the monastery after having survived a terrible storm at sea with his two children. This version says that Ypsilantis saw a divine light emanating from the area of Kalopetra that helped their ship reach land safely.
Grecja, Korfu, Paleokastritsa, monastyr, monaster, klasztor, Greece, Corfu, monastery, Kerkyra, Kérkyra, Kerkira, Palaiokastritsa, Ελλάδα, Κέρκυρα, Παλαιοκαστρίτσα, μοναστήρι
Saint George Monastery or Deir Mar Jirjis is a historic Antiochian Orthodox monastery located in northwestern Syria's "Valley of the Christians" (Wadi al-Nasara) in the town of Meshtaye, a village belonging to the Hims Governorate, just a few kilometers north of the famous castle Krak des Chevaliers.
Kiev Monastery of the Caves, a historic Orthodox Christian monastery also known as Kiev Pechersk Lavra or Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
"Tengboche monastery located amidst the Sagarmatha National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site of "outstanding universal value”), is draped with a panoramic view of the Himalayan Mountains, including the well known peaks of Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku." - Wikipedia
Tenzing Norgay was once sent here to be a monk too.
This beautiful monastery was built in the 17th century. In 1880 is was used as an children’s asylum and was only used to treat girls. Around 1920 St. Anna was used to treat mentally ill people and currently it is abandoned and left with only memories…
There are a lot of stories going around that children have been abused in there. A lot of things happened behind these walls…
These pictures were taken in 2010.
Please visit www.preciousdecay.com for more pictures
The monastery is busiest during pilgrimages at the feast of Saint George (May 6) and the feast of the elevation of the Holy Cross on (September 14).
Thiksey Monastery, located about 19 kilometers from Leh, is one of the largest and most architecturally impressive monasteries in Ladakh. It was founded in the mid-15th century by Palden Sherab, a disciple of the renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher Je Tsongkhapa, who established the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is modeled after the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, and is often referred to as a mini Potala due to its striking resemblance. Perched on a hilltop, it offers panoramic views of the Indus Valley and houses a stunning 15-meter statue of Maitreya Buddha, which was built to commemorate the visit of the 14th Dalai Lama in 1970. The monastery also serves as an important cultural and spiritual center, with numerous stupas, wall paintings, and a vast collection of ancient scriptures. Thiksey continues to be a vibrant hub of monastic life, hosting an annual Gustor Festival (held annually, usually in the 9th month of the Tibetan calendar, which typically falls around October or November) that attracts pilgrims and tourists alike.
Thiksey Monastery, Leh
August 2024
Cernica Monastery is located near the town of Pantelimon, in Ilfov County.
It was founded in 1608 by the nobleman Cernica Știrbei.
The monastery sits on the shore of Lake Cernica, offering a picturesque landscape and a serene atmosphere for prayer and reflection.
Cernica Monastery, established in 1608 during the reign of Radu Șerban, was founded by Cernica Știrbei, the great vornic of Michael the Brave, and his wife, Chiajna.
This monastic complex has been a significant center of monastic education.
Within the monastery grounds, three churches and three chapels have been constructed.
The main church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, suffered damage during the 1802 earthquake and was repaired between 1809 and 1815 by Archimandrite Timotei.
A major restoration was undertaken in 1925 following another earthquake in 1838 that caused the collapse of a turret, and a fire in 1923.[2]
The church dedicated to Saint George was originally built in the 18th century by Dan Brașoveanu.
It was completely rebuilt between 1962 and 1964, and further consolidated after the damages from the large Vrancea earthquake of March 1977.
In 1804, Archimandrite George constructed the small, beautiful Church of Saint Lazarus within the monastery's cemetery.
The three chapels of the monastery are "The Dormition of the Mother of God," built in 1790, "Saint John," constructed in 1842, and "The Entrance into the Church."
Between 1900 and 1904, the poet Tudor Arghezi was a monk at Cernica Monastery.
The cemetery of Cernica Monastery is the final resting place of many Romanian personalities, including painter Ion Țuculescu, Metropolitan Nifon, theologian Saint Dumitru Stăniloae, writer Gala Galaction, orientalist Athanase Negoiță, sociologist Ernest Bernea, pianist Johnny Răducanu, singer Zavaidoc, actress Stela Popescu, director Geo Saizescu, translator Stelian Gruia, academician Emilian Popescu, broadcaster Marioara Murărescu, and politician Pan Halippa.
The church is built in Neoclassical with Romanian decorative elements.
The architecture of the monastery features monumental churches with trilobed plans, lateral apses, and prominent domes.
Structures like the Church of Saint Nicholas and the Church of Saint George are built with strong masonry columns that support the vaults of the nave and narthex, highlighting a traditional ecclesiastical architectural style.
The Church of Saint Lazarus, located in the monastery's cemetery, is notable for its rich external decorations.
It exemplifies the traditional monastic architectural style that combines functionality with spiritual aesthetics, characteristic of Orthodox Christian architecture.
This monastery was built in the 17th century, and is home to monks who sell wine and olive oil, presumably to generate money for the church. The olive oil they sell here is pretty famous, so these guys know what they are doing.
Labrang Monastery (Tibetan: བླ་བྲང་བཀྲ་ཤིས་འཁྱིལ་, Wylie: bla-brang bkra-shis-'khyil) is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its formal name is Genden Shédrup Dargyé Trashi Gyésu khyilwé Ling (Tibetan: དགེ་ལྡན་བཤད་སྒྲུབ་དར་རྒྱས་བཀྲ་ཤིས་གྱས་སུ་འཁྱིལ་བའི་གླིང༌།, Wylie: dge ldan bshad sgrub dar rgyas bkra shis gyas su 'khyil ba'i gling).
Labrang is located in Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu, in the traditional Tibetan area of Amdo. Labrang Monastery is home to the largest number of monks outside the Tibet Autonomous Region. Xiahe is about four hours by car from the provincial capital Lanzhou.
In the early part of the 20th century, Labrang was by far the largest and most influential monastery in Amdo. It is located on the Daxia River, a tributary of the Yellow River.
The monastery was founded in 1709 by the first Jamyang Zhépa, Ngawang Tsöndrü.It is Tibetan Buddhism's most important monastery town outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
Labrang Monastery is situated at the strategic intersection of two major Asian cultures—Tibetan and Mongolian — and was one of the largest Buddhist monastic universities. In the early 20th century, it housed several thousand monks. Labrang was also a gathering point for numerous annual religious festivals and was the seat of a Tibetan power base that strove to maintain regional autonomy through the shifting alliances and bloody conflicts that took place between 1700 and 1950.[5]
In April 1985 the Assembly Hall burned down. It was replaced and the new building was consecrated in 1990
The monastery complex dominates the western part of the village. The white walls and gilded roofs feature a blend of Tibetan and Indian Vihara architectural styles. The monastery contains 18 halls, six institutes of learning, a gilded stupa, a sutra debate area, and houses nearly 60,000 sutras.
At its height the monastery housed 4,000 monks. Like so many religious institutions, it suffered during the Cultural Revolution; and the monks were sent to their villages to work. After it was reopened in 1980, many of the monks returned; but the government restricted enrolment to around 1,500.[7]
It has a Buddhist museum with a large collection of Buddha statues, sutras and murals. In addition, a large amount of Tibetan language books, including books on history is available for purchase, together with medicines, calendars, music and art objects.
There used to be a great gold-painted statue of the Buddha, more than 50 feet high, which was surrounded by rows of surrounding Buddhas in niches.[8]
The monastery today is an important place for Buddhist ceremonies and activities. From January 4 to 17 and June 26, to July 15, (these dates may change according to the lunar calendar), the great Buddhist ceremony will be held with Buddha-unfolding, sutra enchanting, praying, sutra debates, etc.
Germany 2017 - Maulbronn Monastery (German: Kloster Maulbronn) is a former Roman Catholic Cistercian Abbey and Protestant seminary located at Maulbronn in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.[2] The 850 year old, mostly Romanesque monastery complex, one of the best preserved examples of its kind in Europe,[3] is one of the very first buildings in Germany to use the Gothic style.[4] In 1993, the abbey was declared a UNESCO World Heritage The complex, surrounded by turreted walls and a tower gate, today houses the Maulbronn
Under the auspices of the abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, the Cistercians began major expansion into southern Germany. A knight named Walter von Lomersheim became very enthused in the spread of this order of monks and donated a stretch of land between to the Cistercian order. So it was that, in 1147, the monastery was founded by 12 monks who traveled from Alsace.[2] The main church, built in a style transitional from Romanesque to Gothic, was consecrated in 1178 by Arnold, Bishop of Speyer. A number of other buildings — infirmary, refectory, cellar, auditorium, porch, south cloister, hall, another refectory, forge, inn, cooperage, mill, and chapel — followed in the course of the 13th century. The west, east and north cloisters date back to the 14th century, as do most fortifications and the fountain house or lavatorium.
After the Reformation began in the year 1517, Ulrich, Duke of Württemberg, seized the monastery in 1504,[dubious – discuss] later building his hunting lodge and stables there. The monastery was pillaged repeatedly: first by the knights under Franz von Sickingen in 1519, then again during the German Peasants' War six years later. In 1534, Duke Ulrich secularised the monastery, but the Cistercians regained control — and Imperial recognition — under Charles V's Augsburg Interim. In 1556, Christoph, Duke of Württemberg, built a Protestant seminary, with Valentin Vannius becoming the first abbot two years later, odd, because the Reformation banned religious orders and abbots; Johannes Kepler studied there 1586–89.
In 1630, the abbey was returned to the Cistercians by force of arms, with Christoph Schaller von Sennheim becoming abbot. This restoration was short-lived, however, as Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden forced the monks to leave again two years later, with a Protestant abbot returning in 1633; the seminary reopened the following year, however the Cistercians under Schaller also returned in 1634. Under the Peace of Westphalia, in 1648, the confession of the monastery was settled in favour of Protestantism; with abbot Buchinger withdrawing in process. A Protestant abbacy was re-established in 1651, with the seminary reopening five years later. In 1692, the seminarians were removed to safety when Ezéchiel du Mas, Comte de Mélac, torched the school, which remained closed for a decade.
The monastery was secularised by Frederick I, King of Württemberg, in the course of the German Mediatisation in 1807, forever removing its political quasi-independence; the seminary merged with that of Bebenhausen the following year, now known as the Evangelical Seminaries of Maulbronn and Blaubeuren.
The monastery, which features prominently in Hermann Hesse's novel Beneath the Wheel, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993. The justification for the inscription was as follows: "The Maulbronn complex is the most complete survival of a Cistercian monastic establishment in Europe, in particular because of the survival of its extensive water-management system of reservoirs and channels". Hesse himself attended the seminary before fleeing in 1891 after a suicide attempt, and a failed attempt to save Hesse from his personal religious crisis by a well-known theologian and faith healer.[6]
To represent Baden-Württemberg, an image of the Abbey appears on the obverse of the German 2013 €2 commemorative coin.
Monastery is an Orthodox Christian monastery for women of the Church of Romania. It is the largest & also the last built of the painted monasteries of Bucovina. It was built in 1581 by the Bishop of Rădăuţi, Gheorghe Movila. Frescoes are the work of 2 master painters, Ioan and his brother Sofronie from Suceava.
Panormitis lies at the other end of the island from Yialos, at the head of a sheltered bay, and is famous for the Byzantine style Monastery of the Archangel Michael, originally built about 450AD, and rebuilt in 1783.
The magnificent Medieval Studenica Monastery is the mother church of all Serbian Orthodox shrines. The Monastery was found somewhere around 1190 AD by Grand Price [ Serbian: Veliki Župan ] Stefan Nemanja, founder of the great Nemanjići dynasty, as the principal endowment and mausoleum church. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 and as a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance by the Republic of Serbia in 1979.