STOP! Signs (Ode to the Octagon)
View allAll Photos Tagged octagonal
I don’t see many of these around, always wanted to know why they built them octagon, made for a super photo opportunity.
The anniversaries are short lived
But they come back around at a breakneck speed
My world spins so fast
The centrifugal force keep me stuck in the middle
We close our eyes
Learn our pain
Nobody ever could explain
Orleans House, Twickenham, Richmond-Upon-Thames, London. Public art gallery and events venue with an interesting history. Completed in 1720.
Octagonal designed domed church of Willemstad, built in 1607, was the first Protestant church of the Netherlands.
William of Orange gave his name to the town of Willemstad. Yet the town does not owe its existence to him but to the marquis of Bergen op Zoom, Jan IV of Glymes. He ordered that some salt marshes should be drained and surrounded by dykes. That’s were the village of Ruygenhil came into being in 1565.
In 1582 the Province of Brabant gave the village to Prince William of Orange in compensation for what he had spent and lost in the “cause of freedom”. After his dead in 1584 his son Prince Maurits named the town Willemstad (William’s Town), as we call it in Dutch.
Denton, Texas
The Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square was constructed in 1896 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Courthouse lawn is the final resting place of John B. Denton, the county's and city's namesake.
The grey sandstone for the courthouse trimming came from Mineral Wells and the eighty-two columns are of red Burnet County granite.
Will I find you
In the halls of perfection
Somewhere between
The circle and the square
There exists a star in the ether
One can sense it near
My heart will beat again
In the starlight
New life will find a way
I can then travel through the colonnades
Soar up through the arches
See how you were made
The moon dips low on the horizon
But the star still brilliantly shows
What can I become now
Who will I be
Maybe it is too late here
I think we can agree
But squaring the circle
Helps me to believe
That all is not lost yet
And I will find what I need
***
When I was in Ocklynge Cemetery in Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK, this unusual octagon star in the centre of this cross caught my eye, as did the sculpted acanthus leaves at the ends of the arms of the cross.
The octagon is the shape of perfection, the number eight the 'eighth day’, in essence the ‘spiritual’ day of the week. The number eight is representative of eternity, infinity.
The octagon is transitional between the circle and the square - and came to represent Christ’s resurrection. Hence it is used in many martyriums and baptisteries for that reason. The Dome of The Rock is constructed as an octagon, and The Templars identified the Dome of The Rock as the site of the Temple of Solomon, therefore continuing this symbolism in their devotions.
The acanthus leaves have long been associated with rejuvenation, new life. This cross is an example of the ‘Flowering Cross’, the acanthus used in Christian symbolism for resurrection.
The unusual star-like octagon and the deeper symbolism of the memorial gave the Cross an esoteric beauty which appealed to me.
I have paired this work with Loreena McKennitt’s ‘Dante’s Prayer’, as her music often explores the path of the soul.
And if you would like to see more of my work, have a look at my website at:
Vista dal cortile interno di Castel del Monte, un edificio del XIII secolo fatto costruire nell'omonina frazione in provincia di Andria dall'imperatore Federico II di Svevia.
L'edificio, oltre a essere un esempio di costruzione precisa, è carico di simbolismi che hanno appassionato numerosi studiosi.
L'ottagono su cui è basata la pianta del complesso e dei suoi elementi è una forma geometrica fortemente simbolica: si tratta della figura intermedia tra il quadrato, simbolo della terra, e il cerchio, che rappresenta l'infinità del cielo, e quindi segnerebbe il passaggio dell'uno all'altro.
L'intera costruzione è intrisa di forti simboli astrologici e la sua posizione è studiata in modo che nei giorni di solstizio ed equinozio le ombre gettate dalle pareti abbiano una particolare direzione.
(Da Wikipedia)
Castel del Monte stands on a promontory close to the monastery of Santa Maria del Monte (near Andria), where it was constructed during the 1240s by the Emperor Frederick II. The octagonal plan is unusual in castle design. Historians have debated the purpose of the building and one theory is that the octagon is an intermediate symbol between a square (representing the earth) and a circle (representing the sky)..
(From Wikipedia)
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Magnificent Neogothic temple, built by the town of Benissa and completed in 1929.
It is popularly known as the Marina Cathedral because of its large size.
It is worth visiting and enjoying its indisputable beauty, whether its imposing exterior or its luminous interior, with its organ or its stained glass windows.
Magnifico templo Neogótico, construido por el pueblo de Benissa y finalizado en 1929.
Es popularmente conocido como Catedral de la Marina por por sus grandes dimensiones.
Vale la pena visitarlo y disfrutar de su belleza indiscutible ya sea su imponente parte exterior o su interior luminoso, con su órgano o sus vidrieras de colores.
The Charter Oak Schoolhouse is a historic redbrick octagonal-shaped one-room schoolhouse in Schuline, Illinois, on the Evansville/Schuline Road between Schuline and Walsh. Built in 1873, it is one of 53 octagonal schoolhouses built in the United States, and is the only octagonal school built in Illinois. Only three of these octagonal schoolhouses are still standing.
The Charter Oak Schoolhouse was the third public school built at its location. The first school building was a simple log structure built in 1848. The second school building, a frame structure constructed in 1863, was destroyed by a tornado, necessitating the construction of a new building. Contractor William H. Holcomb constructed the third building at a cost of $1000. The school's teacher, Daniel Bishop Ling, proposed the construction of an octagonal building, which he believed would allow more light into the classroom and be more likely to survive severe winds. In addition to classes, the school building also hosted local meetings, competitions, and political events during its tenure as a school.
The building's foundation is made of locally quarried limestone, while the building's walls were built with red brick. A louvered belfry, which may not have been added until 1883, tops the building's low-sloping roof. Courses of corbelled brick along the roof line form the building's cornice. The vestibule at the school's entrance is sided with clapboard and rests on a concrete foundation.
Charter Oak schoolhouse closed in 1953, as did all other one-room schoolhouses in the area with the opening of a new and larger school. The Randolph County Historical Society purchased the building in 1960, and subsequently restored and converted it to an interpretive center of the history of the one-room schoolhouse. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
In the coming week I will be away visiting, among other things, two Japanese gardens. To help set the mood, today's theme is photos framed by apertures in a Chinese garden.
Germany, Berlin, Mitte
Located close to Checkpoint Charlie at Zimmerstrasse, there is a colorful building complex designed by the Italian star architect and built after the fall of the wall from 1994 to 1998. One of the four inner courtyards of the district houses shines with red facades, and the visitors are surrounded by a ectagon. This is a very well-known photographic spot indeed.
Always enchanting Apulia, truly southern Italy's forgotten land, and thank goodness as well; no flocks of tourist. Here you find King Frederick II, Castel del Monte, built in 1240's. Supposedly built as a hunting lodge there is no note of it actually being occupied. Beautiful marbles and interior decorations have been stripped by vandals over the years.
Fortresses geometric design was unique, its octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner was a design never seen in the peninsula.
The Paththirippuwa, also known as the Octagonal Pavilion, is a magnificent architectural structure located at the entrance of the Kandy Maligawa(Palace) in Sri Lanka.
The front section of the temple, together with the Pattirippuwa was built in 1802, during the reign of King Sri Vickrama Rajasingha, by the royal architect, Devendra Moolacharya. Moolacharya is also credited with the designing and construction of the Magul Maduwa (the Audience Hall), the Kandy Lake (Kiri Muhuda), Walakula Bamma (Cloud Wall) and Diyarella Bemma.
The Pattirippuwa was intended as a place where Rajasingha could exhibit the sacred tooth relic to the surrounding populace, view the temple festivals, peraheras and on important occasions address his subjects. The symbolism of its octagonal form, reinforced the view that when the king stood in the tower, with the eight points in the compass radiating out around him he stood at the centre of the world.
During the British period, it had been used to house an oriental library where the upstairs was used to accommodate the library and downstairs to provide space for the librarian monk. It currently houses the temple's library of ancient palm leaf buddhist manuscripts and books.
On 11 February 1948, following the country's political independence from British rule, the national flag (Lion Flag) was raised for the first time over the Paththirippuwa.
On 25 January 1998 the temple, including the Pattirippuwa, was severely damaged following the detonation of a truck bomb by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The restoration process took over a year and was completed by August 1999
[Wikipedia]
Many thanks to all those who view, comment and or fave my photos....It is greatly appreciated ......Chandana ❤️
A windy day up on Darwen Moor. This is the Jubilee Tower, an octagonal tower that can be seen from miles around Lancashire. It looks like a rocket awaiting lift off although it was actually completed back in 1898 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and the victory of local peoples rights to roam the moors.
I had intended to get a shot of the Tower and the heather, but it was so windy the heather was blowing around too much and the heather on top of the moor is already past its best. It still looks good on the lower slopes, but on top the wind burn effect had muted the colours. So I tried a long exposure to try and capture movement in the clouds. The really long exposures just turned the cloud movement into a complete smooth blur, so I tried some shorter times and I quite liked this one which I converted into black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro2 plug in. You can also make out the Trig Point for the top of Darwen Hill at the top of the path, which stands at 372 metres.