View allAll Photos Tagged rectangular
Much defaced rectangular stone; a row of palmettes along the top, below a line of painted lettering largely unreadable; outline ? cross in centre; unreadable gothic lettering near the bottom.
West wall of south aisle arch (below 85)
39”x99”
...LIETH...AT THE...
The rectangular fabric expansion joints consisted of two carbon and stainless steel frames separated by a high temperature Silica fabric. The frames measured 13” × 37” × 6”, 14½” × 20½” × 6” and 17¼” × 17¼” × 4” and weighed 90, 115, and 170 lb. Each expansion joint was designed for a 15” Water Column (W.C.) with a temperature of 750°F and allowed for movement ranging from ±½” to ±1” in both the axial and lateral directions.
Rectangular cast iron socket with rounded corners, cast iron plate. Lifting socket at right hand end, with additional slot in the socket.The anti-slip pattern is made of geometric forms.
Large raised letters "FH". Maker's mark "GLYNWED BRICKHOUSE", BS kitemark and number "8050", and responsible service company ("SOUTHERN WATER LTD"). This hydrant cover has no attendant marker sign or post.
Situated on the SE facing slope of rising ground in mountain valley overlooking valley to the S and E with higher ground to the N and W. The main house consists of a two bay single storey high rectangular building built with intermittently coursed granite rubble which is covered with an external render. The main room of this house is accessed directly from a doorway in the centre of the SE wall, a second room is accessed through a doorway in the partition wall to the NE of the main room. The front doorway of the house was protected by a projecting porch. The internal walls of the house are covered in a lime render. The main room of this building was heated by a fireplace now mainly broken out that is located in the centre of the SW gable. This fireplace has a stone chimney hood that was supported on corbels which projected into the room of the house in a manner reminiscent of medieval fireplaces. This unusual stone fireplace may suggest that this house was built as early as the 17th century as this type of fireplace construction is not found in the 18th/19th century vernacular houses of this region. Alternatively this farmhouse may have been built in the 18th century with the fireplace built in a manner similar to the houses of the medieval period. The main room was lit by a window located in the SE wall which has evidence for a drawbar slot in the embrasure of the window opening. There is evidence for a second window in the NW wall and possibly a third window in the NW wall of this room. The smaller room to the NE has evidence for only one window which is located in the centre of the SE wall. A third room which is accessed from its own doorway in the SE wall appears to have been built onto the NE gable of this house. During this time an outhouse appears to have been built to the NE of the extension now forming an L-shaped range of buildings. To the SW of the house there is a two bay single storey high building with no evidence of any fireplace which may have been built later than the main house. The fields to the S and E represent the extent of the farmstead around this farmhouse and there is no evidence of any cultivation ridges within the fields which would suggest that they were built to stock livestock.
This rectangular metallic expansion joint was custom engineered for an oil refinery in Texas. The unit's dimensions are 148" x 148" and 17" face-to-face length. The bellows, flanges, and hardware were completely fabricated from 316 stainless steel. It is designed for an operating temperature of 350°F at +50" water column and 1.5" of axial compression. The unit was 100% dye-penetrant and air & soap tested prior to shipment.
RRFBs are becoming the solution of choice for cities across North America when looking to reconnect existing walkable and bikeable routes.
Rectangular Prism Definition is said to be a 3 dimensional solid shape. This type of prism has six faces, and all the faces of the prism are rectangle in shape. In this section, we will discuss about rectangular prism and the formulas used to find the Volume and Surface Area of a Rectangular Prism.The volume of a Rectangular Prism is represented by cubic units like cubic centimeter, cubic millimeter and so on. It is also defined as the number of units used to fill a Rectangular Prism.
VESPASIAN. 69-79 AD. AR Denarius (3.66 gm). "Tribute Penny" of Tiberius, struck at Lugdunum, RIC 30. Countermark IMP VES ligate within rectangular incuse before portrait on obverse. Howgego 839; see BMCRE vol. II, pg. xvii where it is mentioned that the countermark is found on denarii from about 120 BC to those struck under Augustus. cngcoins.com
My Rapunzel Adventure Doll has been deboxed. She is standing, supported by a modified Kaiser stand. She has her accessories: frying pan and Pascal.
Detailed photos of the Rapunzel Adventure Doll by the Disney Store. She is based on the animated lead character in the Disney Channel's Tangled: The Series, who is voiced by Mandy Moore. She is a fully articulated 10 inch vinyl doll, with 17 inches of straight golden blonde hair. She comes in a purple box with a large rectangular front window, plain borders, and to top window. Her accessories are her black frying pan, her pet chameleon Pascal, and white flower clip in her hair. She comes with a purple one piece dress, 3/4 sleeves, and glitter covered skirt.
She is more cartoonish than the Classic Rapunzel doll, with huge green eyes and outsized head, and tiny hands. She is glancing to her upper right. She has a few freckles across the bridge of her tiny pointy nose. She has a small mouth with thin red lips in a charming smirk.
She has 16 points of articulation. She has ball jointed neck, waist, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hips and ankles, and double hinge jointed knee joints, with kneecaps. The waist and knee joints make her much more posable than the Disney Store Classic Princess dolls. Her hands are more realistic, with fully separate fingers that are curved and more flexible, the better to hold things (such as her frying pan). She is barefoot and with her flat feet can free stand (although isn't very stable that way). So I used a modified Kaiser stand to support her for all but a few of the photos of her standing.
She is a great looking doll, and is a very accurate depiction of the character in Tangled: The Series. I love her expression and articulation, and her accessories. She is well worth her $19.95 price.
Rapunzel Adventure Doll - Tangled The Series - 10''
$19.95
Item No. 6002040900276P
US Disney Store
Released 2017-05-22
Purchased in store 2017-05-25
Vallbona de les Monges
Santa Maria de Vallbona de les Monges és un monestir cistercenc, al municipi de Vallbona de les Monges, a la comarca de l'Urgell. És un monument declarat Bé Cultural d'Interès Nacional.
Fundat a la primera meitat del segle xii, és el monestir cistercenc femení més important de Catalunya. S'emplaça al centre de la població de Vallbona de les Monges, formada a redós del conjunt monàstic al segle xvi.[1]
L'església constitueix un clar exemple de transició romànic-gòtic. La planta, de creu llatina, consta d'una sola nau i de tres absis rectangulars amb ornamentació escultòrica. Cada una de les galeries del claustre és d'un estil diferent. La sala capitular (segle xiv) acull una imatge de Nostra Senyora de la Misericòrdia (segle xv).[1]
Història
Vista general
Fundació
El monestir de Vallbona de les Monges és el cenobi cistercenc femení més important de Catalunya, el qual —juntament amb el monestir de Poblet i el monestir de Santes Creus— forma la trilogia dels grans monestirs cistercencs de la Catalunya Nova. El seu origen cal cercar-lo en el segle xii, en una petita comunitat d'anacoretes, homes i dones, fundada per Ramon de Vallbona i documentada des del 1153.[1]
Inicialment eren unes agrupacions mixtes d'ermitans que, amb el temps, es convertirien en cenobites, que s'organitzaven en forma de comunitat doble. La primera documentació que se’n té és del 26 de maig de 1157; quan Ramon Berenguer IV dona el seu permís a l'eremita Ramon de Vallbona i als seus companys per crear un monestir consagrat a Déu i a Santa Maria, sota l'observança de la Regla de sant Benet,[2] fent donació al mateix temps del lloc de Sòrboles (actualment La Pobla de Cérvoles).[3] L'any 1172 s'hi incorporen un grup de monges provinents del monestir de Tulebras (Navarra), comandades per l'abadessa Òria Ramíres, que seria la primera abadessa de 1177 a 1190. El 1175 els homes es traslladaren a la serra de Montsant, i així la comunitat restà exclusivament femenina.[1]
Autogovern
En morir Ramon de Vallbona en 1176, quedava a decisió de les monges, i molt especialment de l'abadessa de Cérvoles, triar entre quedar-s'hi o passar a Vallbona i assumir-ne el govern. La majoria de les monges deuria ésser partidària de romandre a Cérvoles, però una dama important de la comarca, Berenguera d'Anglesola, intervingué amb la seva autoritat moral per convèncer Òria de traslladar-se a presidir la comunitat de la vall.[2]
El matrimoni, el 1164, de Berenguera d'Anglesola amb Guillem III de Cervera unia dues grans famílies de la zona, benefactores ambdues del monestir femení. Berenguera destacà en la seva predilecció per la comunitat, especialment després d'enviudar el 1172. Va conèixer personalment el fundador Ramon, amb qui degué col·laborar en el finançament dels grups eremítics a la falda septentrional de la serra del Tallat. Després del traspàs de l'eremita, la seva relació amb les monges s'incrementà i va arribar a quedar-se algunes temporades en la residència que anaven construint lentament les religioses. Amb freqüència, el nom d'aquesta il·lustre senyora apareix immediatament darrere del de l'abadessa i abans del de la resta de les monges —circumstància que marcaria la seva preeminència en el si de la comunitat— en les donacions de drets i terres a favor del monestir. En tot cas, una filla seva, Eldiarda d'Àger, ingressà a Vallbona i en fou abadessa entre 1229 i 1242, any en què va renunciar al càrrec.
L'abaciologi més antic del monestir comença amb unes paraules dedicades a aquesta dama:
« »
El text s'atribueix a la noble que fou la primera dama d'alt llinatge vinculada al monestir; que feu gestions per a l'adscripció de les eremites al Cister —probablement, en aquest sentit, va col·laborar en el projecte del fundador, especialment intentant convèncer les eremites reticents—, i que, mort el fundador, fou ella qui es va dirigir a Colobres per persuadir Òria de traslladar-se a dirigir les religioses de Vallbona a mitjan octubre de 1176.
Apoderament
L'assumpció del govern de la comunitat de Vallbona per part d'Òria —que ja consta a mitjan 1176— va fer que es convertís en abadia. L'any següent, al mes de març, el monarca Alfons el Cast, potser per demostrar el seu suport a la nova prelada, li donava una propietat a Rufea (a la ciutat de Lleida) i el mes següent, juntament amb la seva esposa Sança, concedien un privilegi d'immunitat a favor de les cases, granges, homes i ramats de Vallbona. Encara més, per fer més patent l'interès dels monarques, no van dubtar a visitar el monestir durant uns dies que desconeixem, entre febrer i mitjans de març de 1178.[4]
Alfons i Sança van tenir ocasió d'inspeccionar personalment el lloc, de conversar amb les religioses, de comprovar el seu estat d'ànim, potser de sentir les seves explicacions sobre la construcció de la nova abadia, de la qual probablement en aquell temps ja havien iniciat les obres o estaven a punt de començar. Fou tal la bona disposició i coratge que els reis van percebre en les religioses, que Alfons, el 26 de març de 1178, després d'abandonar Vallbona i mentre es trobava a Saragossa, va donar a la comunitat una torre i l'honor que posseïa l'església de Girona a la ciutat de Lleida perquè hi fundessin un nou monestir de monges cistercenques. Foren testimonis d'aquestes donacions uns personatges relacionats amb el monestir, sigui com a benefactors o parents de religioses o futures religioses. Eren Guillem de Cervera, Guerau de Jorba, Bernat i Guillem d'Anglesola, Pere de Bellvís, Berenguer de Boixadors, i el degà de la catedral de Barcelona, Ramon de Caldes.
D'aquesta mateixa època degué ser també l'actuació personal de la reina Sança relativa a Vallbona: la compra del lloc que pertanyia a les religioses per 500 sous, seguda de l'entrega immediata d'aquest de nou a les monges perquè hi construïssin un cenobi, i el compromís de la reina de proporcionar-los les rendes necessàries per a la seva subsistència.
També fou en aquests inicis un recer de filles de la noblesa, implicant també la recepció de substancioses donacions d'alous, propietats i deixes testamentàries. Ha quedat constància de les donacions fetes per Ermengol VII d'Urgell i el seu senescal Gombau de Ribelles, Bernat de Caldes, Ramon de Torroja, Guillem d'Anglesola i Guillem I de Cardona, entre altres.
Consolidació
Tomba de Violant d'Hongria
Amb el suport reial —abans de finalitzar el segle Alfons concediria el 1183 a la comunitat la torre coneguda per Serralada, dins dels límits de la ciutat de Lleida, i tres jovades (una jovada és el tros de terra que poden llaurar dos bous en un dia) de terra— i de la noblesa de la zona i amb les obres de construcció del complex monàstic ja iniciades, Vallbona ja es va poder presentar davant de la societat de l'època com una institució religiosa amb garanties de futur. Nobles i fidels van afavorir-lo amb la donació de terres i drets, alguns fins i tot oferint algunes de les seves filles per integrar la comunitat; els més pròspers, generalment cavallers posseïdors de feus dels seus senyors, també, seguint l'exemple d'aquests, els van emular amb donacions de terres i béns veïns al terme monacal. Fruit de tot això fou la constitució, en aquest últim quart del segle xii, d'un domini territorial, el nucli principal del qual el constituïa el terme de Vallbona, si bé s'havia ampliat als llocs veïns de Colobrers (1164), els Eixaders (1179), el Vilet (1180), Llorens (1182) i als relativament propers de Maldanell (1182), Tàrrega (1185-1186), Preixana (1189), Barbens (1177), Linyola (1177) i Sant Martí (1180), on el cenobi va obtenir diverses propietats i drets. D'altra banda, va millorar també la situació econòmica, ja que, començant pels comtes i grans aristòcrates del país, amb freqüència en l'atorgament dels testaments no s'oblidaven de fer algun llegat, generalment dinerari, a favor de Vallbona: així ho feu el rei Alfons I (1194), el comte d'Urgell Ermengol VII (1177) i els nobles Gombau de Ribelles i la seva esposa Marquesa (1179), Berenguer de Boixadors (1186), Guillem d'Anglesola (1186) i molts d'altres. Però també els fidels de la zona van demostrar en els seus testaments la seva simpatia vers el cenobi, com Joan Bonsom, habitant de Vimbodí, que el 1192 va llegar 12 diners a la comunitat.
Sepulcre Ferrer Alemany i Beatriu de Guimerà (ca. 1360)
Sota la direcció d'Òria —que el va governar entre 1176 i 1185— i les abadesses immediates es van dur a terme les primeres construccions del complex monàstic, seguint el model cistercenc, si bé adoptant-lo a les característiques del terreny que li ha donat en alguns aspectes una accentuada originalitat. Així mateix, en aquest mateix període i a principis del segle següent, els comtes-reis catalans i els pontífexs van garantir el seu futur amb privilegis de protecció que van evidenciar la seva predilecció per la nova comunitat femenina. També es va convertir aviat en centre d'atracció de dames nobles desitjoses de major perfecció o d'un tranquil retir, lluny dels avatars del segle. Això van fer la citada Berenguera de Cervera, qui va passar temporades entre les religioses, i la comtessa de Pallars Guilleuma, qui, vídua, es va acollir a la calma del claustre professant com a religiosa. L'any 1198 i l'any 1200, el papa Innocenci III els atorgà diplomes d'immunitat i protecció, i el 1201 una butlla regulava la clausura i assegurava la seva independència envers l'episcopat.[1]
D'altra banda, diverses joves de la noblesa de l'entorn van trobar a Vallbona el lloc idoni per dur a terme la seva vocació monacal i es fundaren nous cenobis. Molt aviat plançons femenins dels Cervera, Anglesola, Urg, Caldes, Cervelló, Cabrera, Sentmenat, Queralt, Guimerà, Timor, Òdena, Rubió i un llarg i selecte, etcètera integraren en aquest primers moments la seva comunitat. Fou tan gran entre la societat catalana, especialment entre la noblesa, el prestigi que va adquirir el cenobi, que la reina Violant d'Hongria, la segona esposa de Jaume el Conqueridor, el va escollir en el seu testament del 12 d'octubre de 1251 com a lloc definitiu per guardar les seves restes mortals. Van seguir el seu exemple les seves filles, les infantes Sança i Violant casada amb Alfons X (el Savi), si bé aquesta última no va veure complerta la seva voluntat (del 29 d'octubre de 1257), ja que fou inhumada al monestir de Roncesvalls cap al 1300.
Màxim esplendor
Tomba de l'abadessa Eldiarda d'Anglesola
A finals del segle xiv el monestir era el centre de la vida política, jurídica i econòmica dels termes que la integraven. Aquests dominis que consistien en viles, castells, quadres, granges, etc., foren reconeguts jurídicament sota el comandament de l'abadessa Saurina d'Anglesola (1379-1392) quan comprà al rei Pere III per 22.000 sous barcelonesos els termes de Vallbona, Llorenç, Rocallaura, Vilamanyanor, Montesquiu, Eixeders, Preixana, la Quadra de Masdéu, Valerna, els Omells de na Gaia i Rocafort. Fou doncs, gràcies a l'adquisició feta al rei que el monestir assolí la jurisdicció alta i baixa del territori que esdevenia així baronia de Vallbona.[1]
També tingué lloc en aquesta etapa la construcció dels elements gòtics més importants del cenobi (campanar, cimbori, ala nord del claustre, sala capitular); i la fundació de diverses comunitats filials: Santa Maria del Pedregal, vora Tàrrega;[5] Santa Maria de la Bovera, a Guimerà, que més endavant es traslladà a la Vallsanta (Santa Maria de Vallsanta) del mateix Guimerà; Sant Hilari de Lleida; Monestir de Santa Maria de Bonrepòs al Priorat; i la Saïdia, a València. Si no les fundà directament intervingué també en la formació de Santa Maria de Vallverd a (Tragó de Noguera) i les de Santa Maria de les Franqueses, a la Noguera, i de Santa Maria de Valldonzella al Vallès.[6]
En aquesta època la comunitat era formada per unes 150 religioses, moltes de les quals pertanyien a llinatges nobles com els de Cardona, Cervelló, Cervera, Alemany, Boixadors, Queralt o els Anglesola.
Declivi
Al segle xv experimenta una certa davallada a causa de factors externs al cenobi, com per exemple la Guerra Civil catalana (1462-1472) i les disposicions del concili de Trento prohibint l'existència de monestirs femenins aïllats, la qual cosa obliga a crear la vila de Vallbona de les Monges amb el desplaçament de gairebé tota la població de Montesquiu (petit poble, actualment en ruïnes, dins el terme de Vallbona), a qui les monges cediren part de la clausura monàstica (1573).[1] La Casa Miró, és una de les poques que es conserven de l'època en què les monges abandonaren la vida en comú i feien vida particular en diverses cases, dins el clos monàstic, agrupades per famílies nobiliàries.[1]
Al segle xvii la crisi s'incrementa una altra vegada per una guerra, la dels Segadors (1640-1652), i sobretot pels litigis amb altres cases de l'orde, Santa Maria de Poblet i amb l'episcopat, que deixaren delmada la seva economia. Dues guerres més als dos extrems del segle xviii, la Guerra de Successió (1705-1717) i la Guerra Gran (1788-1795), accentuen una vegada més la decadència del monestir, incrementada aquesta vegada per plets de nombroses viles que s'alçaven contra el seu domini.
Amb la desamortització del 1835, la comunitat es va haver d'absentar durant sis mesos, però el monestir es va salvar i va continuar la seva vida monàstica al llarg del segle xix malgrat que les seves rendes continuaven en descens. Va fer molt més mal, si més no al patrimoni estètic i artístic, la decisió de construir, l'any 1832, dues plantes noves damunt del claustre.
Durant el període de la Guerra Civil espanyola les monges hagueren de tornar a abandonar el cenobi i s'hi produïren importants destruccions del seu ric mobiliari i objectes de valor. Tanmateix, en mig del desori, Agustí Duran i Sanpere salvà l'arxiu, i Eduard Toda i Joaquim Guitert una bona part de llibres i mobiliari litúrgic.
En les darreres dècades, la Generalitat de Catalunya ha emprès obres urgents de restauració. En dues fases, una l'any 1986 i l'altra el 1997, s'ha alliberat el claustre de la sobrecàrrega que suportava d'ençà el segle passat, car havia arribat a un punt en què en quedaven amenaçades seriosament les estructures medievals; s'han restaurat i recuperat els dormidors; i s'ha restaurat i consolidat el campanar.[7]
Abaciologi
Abadesses perpètues[4]
Beatriu (1174)
Òria Ramírez (1176-1180)
Sandina (1180-1181)
Òria Ramírez (1181-1184)
Ermessenda de Rubió (1191-1229)
Eldiarda d'Àger (1232-1242?)
Ermessenda de Fontanes (1242-1246)
Eldiarda d'Anglesola (1246-1258)
Arnalda d'Altarriba (1259-1267)
Gueraua de Cardona (1267-1270)
Elisenda de Timor (1270-1273)
Gueraua de Cardona (1273-1282)
Gueraua de Queralt (1282-1294)
Blanca d'Anglesola (1294-1328)
Alemanda d'Avinyó (1328-1340)
Elisenda de Copons (1340-1348)
Berenguera d'Anglesola i de Pinós (1348-1377)
Sibil·la d'Anglesola (1377-1379)
Saurena d'Anglesola (1379-1392)
Constança de Cabrera i de Foix (1392-1401)
Gueraldona d'Aleny (1401-1419)
Violant de Perellós (1419-1422)
Blanca de Caldes (1422-1466)
Beatriu Desfar (1466-1455)
Aldonça de Caldes (1455-1468)
Violant de Sestorres (1468-1479)
Francina de Guimerà (1479-1503)
Lluïsa de Meià (1503-1507)
Aldonça de Pallarès (1507-1510)
Beatriu de Copons (1510-1537)
Maria Aldonça de Vilagaià (1537)
Elionor de Vilafranca (1537-1547)
Joana de Vilafranca (1547-1553)
Jerònima de Boixadors (1554-1562)
Estefania de Piquer (1563-1576)
Arcàngela de Copons (1576-1601)
Jerònima de Ponç i d'Icard (1601-1603)
Dorotea de Ferrer i de Lliure (1604-1626)
Victòria de Vallbona i de Riglós (1626)
Seu vacant entre el 1626 i el 1631
Leocàdia de Ricard i de Cardona (1631-1657)
Anna Maria de Sullar i de Ponç (1657-1658)
Maria Àngela de Sullar i de Sapeira (1658-1662)
Magdalena d'Areny i de Toralla (1662-1683)
Maria de Borrell i d'Aguilaniu (1683-1701)
Maria de Llúria i de Magarola (1701)
Anna Maria de Castellví i de Ponç (1701-1711)
Seu vacant entre el 1711 i el 1716
Manuela de Cortiada i de Pujalt (1716-1747)
Caterina de Borràs i de Carbonell (1747-1748)
Agnès de Cortit i de Colomina (1748-1767)
Maria Teresa de Riquer i de Sabater (1767-1802)
Maria Ignàsia de Castellví i de Pontarró (1802-1806)
Maria Josepa de Moixó i de Francolí (1807-1811)
Seu vacant entre el 1811 i el 1815
Maria Lluïsa de Dalmau i de Falç (1815-1853)
Maria Isabel de Gallart i de Grau (1854-1872)
Arquitectura
Vallbona de les Monges, planta general del monestir.
La disposició urbana en recintes dels conjunts cistercencs que feia del monestir un autèntic poble amb tots els serveis, i que avui encara es pot veure al Monestir de Poblet i a Santes Creus, no s'ha conservat a Vallbona. Molts d'aquells serveis exteriors a la mongia o clausura (hosteria, hospital de pobres i pelegrins, celler i altres serveis agrícoles) van servir d'habitacle al novell poble de Vallbona (fruit de les disposicions del Concili de Trento —segle xvi—, que prohibien l'existència de monestirs femenins isolats al camp, es fundà el poble de Vallbona amb la gent de Montesquiu.[7]
Fins a començaments del segle xx restaven en peu trossos de la muralla que tancava el conjunt i un dels tres portals que tenia (el de Dalt). Actualment, en algunes cases del poble, encara es poden veure restes de l'hospital i la procura del segon recinte (Vallbona tenia dos recintes) i dos arcs diafragma del cubar o celler. Altres edificis importants com el palau abacial i la porteria, que tocaven a l'angle NW del claustre, van sofrir profundes modificacions en els segles moderns.[8]
També foren profundament modificats en època moderna, i sobretot el segle passat, alguns dels principals edificis medievals que circuïen el claustre, com el refetor, la cuina i el calefactor. Els dormidors, si bé sofriren importants obres que aconseguiren disfressar-los totalment, en la seva major part existeixen i podran ser recuperats.[8]
El monestir pròpiament dit és la part que ens ha arribat més íntegra, la resta, visible enmig d'edificacions posteriors, es troba ocupada pel poble per la disposició del concili tridentí del segle xvi.
El cenobi presenta unes característiques cistercenques semblants a les de Poblet o més aviat de Santes Creus.
Església
El cimbori octogonal, amb filigranats crestells, que cobreix la intersecció del creuer i la nau.
El timpà —amb la figura de la Mare de Déu, entronitzada amb el Nen assegut sobre el genoll esquerre— està flanquejat per dos àngels turiferaris.
El temple acusa el pas del romànic al gòtic, comença al segle xii però no acabà fins al segle xiv. Així, les voltes de la nau són de creueria (gòtic) i les dels absis de mig punt (romànic).
D'una sola nau amb planta de creu llatina. Aquesta fórmula d'una sola nau, en comptes de les tres de Poblet i Santes Creus, no és pas un tret excepcional (com s'ha dit i repetit) sinó la més pròpia dels cenobis cistercencs femenins.[9] La nau té una capçalera acabada en tres absis carrats. El central, més gran que els laterals, té tres obertures romàniques d'arc de mig punt i conté els sepulcres de Violant d'Hongria i de la seva filla Sança, els quals són coberts amb pintures heràldiques i inscripcions del segle xviii. El sepulcre de Violant d'Hongria va ser restaurat a començament del segle xxi per iniciativa dels governs hongarès i català. Al mur de la dreta hi ha la credença formada per dos arcs de mig punt que es recolzen en dues columnes coronades per capitells esculpits amb motius vegetals. A l'exterior és reforçada per contraforts i en el mur que fa de costat de la galeria nord del claustre també hi ha dues finestres romàniques.
En la intersecció del creuer amb la nau s'alça un bellíssim cimbori, obra del segle xiii, octogonal sostingut sobre trompes, cobert per una volta de creueria amb obertures ogivals, per tant de tradició romànica i ja amb solucions gòtiques. Semblant solució es repetí un segle més tard al segon tram de la nau per construir, en aquest cas, un esvelt campanar. Cal remarcar que aixecar un cloquer en aquest indret de la nau constitueix una particularitat originalíssima, que s'emprarà més tard a la seu de Barcelona.[10]
Totes les voltes són típicament cistercenques: els arcs no pugen de terra sinó que carreguen en les mènsules situades a mitjana altura. Aquestes són llises a la nau, però decorades amb motius geomètrics i vegetals propis de l'estètica cistercenca al creuer; són particularment interessants les que aguanten els arcs torals del cimbori, dues de les quals, trencant la norma, representen temes historiats. Aquesta versatilitat estructural i formal pròpia de l'arquitectura de transició del romànic al gòtic dels murs i cobertes també afecta la tipologia de les finestres: a la capçalera alternen finestres de punt rodó i doble esplandit amb finestrals d'arc apuntat i traceries pròpies del gòtic. És molt bella la combinació simètrica que forma, al fons del santuari, un característic «triplet cistercenc» de finestres de punt rodó sobremuntat d'un ample finestral ogival de fina traceria. La nau té finestrals als murs laterals i una rosassa al peu, tots de tipologia ogival.
Santa Maria de Vallbona de les Monges, 1997. Presbiteri de l'església conventual, on es pot apreciar el característic «triplet cistercenc» (tres finestres simètriques).
L'església té dues portes, una al segon tram de la nau, sota el campanar, que comunica amb el claustre, i l'altra al braç nord del transsepte, que donava a l'antic cementiri del monestir, avui convertit en plaça del poble. Aquesta portalada, que és un dels elements monumentals importants del monestir, s'obre en un cos avançat, com fan les portes de l'escola de Lleida, formant arc de punt rodó, emmarcat per tres arquivoltes amb les columnetes i els capitells que componen un fris floral. La part més notable del conjunt és un timpà esculturat que ocupa l'arc interior de la portalada, al centre del qual hi ha representada la Mare de Déu amb el Nen al braç, flanquejada per dos àngels turiferaris. La filiació estilística d'aquest relleu, força diferent de la resta d'escultura del monestir, ha estat sempre dificultosa per als estudiosos. Fa uns anys, Español[11] va proposar la possibilitat que fos executat per un escultor de segona fila, deixeble del mestre rossellonès Ramon de Bianya, actiu a la Seu de Lleida en els anys vint del segle xiii.
Exteriorment la nau té contraforts on estreben els arcs torals de la creueria. És remarcable la plàstica exterior del campanar, amb contraforts acabats amb pinacles, i paraments coronats en pinyó i penetrats de grans finestrals. Tota l'església està recorreguda d'una cornisa recolzada en permòdols llisos a la nau però esculpits amb temàtica profana a la capçalera. Aquesta decoració, pròpia del romànic de transició, s'aparta ostensiblement de l'ortodòxia cistercenca.[12]
Al mur exterior de l'església que dona a la plaça del monestir hi ha cinc tombes en forma de sarcòfag, quatre d'elles romàniques, i en dues d'elles s'hi pot llegir el nom i llinatge: Sibil·la de Guimerà i Miquela Sasala.
Claustre
Ala est del claustre on s'aprecien els ulls de bou en forma de rodes (1998).
El claustre de Vallbona no està situat, com seria habitual, en l'aixella que formen la nau i el creuer de l'església, sinó uns metres més avall vers el peu del temple. Aquell lloc està ocupat per la sala capitular. La planta, condicionada per l'orografia del terreny, tampoc no es construí quadrada com hauria estat normal sinó trapezoidal.[13]
Les quatre ales es bastiren en diferents moments; la major part d'estudiosos solen situar-les en segles correlatius a partir del segle xii, per aquest motiu presenten estils i mesures diferents. Sembla que les obres començaren per l'ala sud, en el darrer quart del segle xii, al mateix temps que començaven a construir l'església i, probablement, algun dels edificis més necessaris (dormidors, refetor, calefactor, cuina...) que comunicaven amb el claustre. Aquesta ala està dividida en quatre trams coberts de volta de creueria, els arcs estructurals de la qual descansen en tres pilars del pati, que estan estrebats amb contraforts, i en sengles mènsules que hi ha adossades al mur interior. La galeria la formen tres arquets de mig punt per tram, que descansen en parelles de columnes. Ni els capitells ni les mènsules d'aquest sector presenten decoració escultòrica; hi ha qui opina que quedà per fer.[14]
El costat est és de tipologia semblant a l'ala sud però més reeixit; podria haver estat construït un segle més tard (tot i que hi ha estudiosos com Puig i Cadafalch que creuen que és el més antic)[15][1]. Té cinc trams coberts de creueria un xic més apuntada que la de l'ala sud. En aquesta ala són quatre els pilars amb contraforts que aguanten, al costat del pati, l'estructura gòtica. Els trams també estan tripartits per arquets, però aquí apareixen emmarcats per un arc apuntat de descàrrega que arrenca dels pilars. I un detall interessant: els timpans d'aquests arcs estan perforats per ulls de bou monolítics calats que imiten rodes de vuit radis. La perforació dels timpans dels claustres amb un o més òculs és una tradició cistercenca que es pot trobar més enllà dels Pirineus, des de l'abadia de Fontenay a la Borgonya, fins a l'abadia de Fontfreda a l'Aude. L'interès dels òculs de Vallbona (també n'hi ha al claustre de la catedral de Tarragona) rau en la bellesa i perfecció de la labor mudèjar que presenten. Els capitells i alguns àbacs d'aquesta ala estan decorats amb temàtica vegetal i motius geomètrics entrellaçats. Per aquest costat de claustre s'accedia a l'antic dormidor, on actualment hi ha la farmàcia i la infermeria, i a la sala capitular.[14]
L'ala nord és plenament gòtica; va ser construïda el segle xiv al mateix temps que es construïren les voltes de la nau, com indiquen els escuts de les abadesses Anglesola presents en alguns elements decoratius. Forma quatre trams de creueria molt més alta i esvelta que les anteriors i té dos grans finestrals d'arc apuntat i fina traceria que guaiten al pati.[14]
Finalment l'ala del costat de ponent és altra vegada de tipologia romànica de transició (com les dues primeres). Sembla, però, que fou refeta el segle xv amb elements antics, en temps de les abadesses de Caldes, les quals hi deixaren nombrosos escuts.[14]
Sala capitular
Vallbona de les Monges. Terracota de la Mare de Déu de Misericordia, atribuïda a Pere Joan que presideix l'Aula Capitular (1998).
La sala capitular té planta rectangular i va coberta per dos trams de creueria que descansen en mènsules dels murs. La porta que dona al claustre, esvelta i bipartida, repeteix l'esquema gòtic dels finestrals de l'ala nord del claustre; els escuts que decoren les mènsules que la flanquegen són de les abadesses Anglesola, la qual cosa recorda que fou construïda el segle xiv durant l'abadiat d'algun membre d'aquella família. El segle xv les abadesses de Caldes, a més de pavimentar i decorar la sala, hi col·locaren la Mare de Déu de la Misericòrdia que la presideix, una terracota policromada atribuïda a Pere Joan, l'escultor del meravellós retaule de Santa Tecla de la catedral de Tarragona. En aquesta dependència, com d'habitud, foren enterrades les primeres abadesses del monestir, les làpides de les quals estan sobre el paviment.[16]
Dormidors
Els dormidors de Vallbona ocupen un edifici llarg adossat al capítol i a l'ala est del claustre, on hi ha la porta d'accés. És una de les peces menys conegudes del monestir, car l'antiga construcció apareix avui molt alterada per desafortunades intervencions del segle passat que en dificulten la comprensió i l'estudi. Sortosament, l'aixecament de plànols, dut a terme, fa pocs anys, pels serveis tècnics de la Generalitat per començar obres de restauració, ha fet possible realitzar una primera aproximació als dormidors de Vallbona dins del context de les primeres estructures medievals d'arcs diafragmats.[16]
Aquest llarg edifici està format per dues naus seguides: una curta que és l'actual farmàcia i infermeria, i una altra més llarga, que és el dormidor pròpiament dit. Una i altra eren estructures d'arcs diafragma cobertes de cabirons; actualment hom pot anar només descobrint els arcs i part dels sostres embigats en mig d'envans i forjats moderns.[14]
La primera nau té quatre arcs apuntats que arrenquen directament del sòl, que està situat per sota del nivell del claustre. Per la tipologia dels arcs i pel fet que la volta de creueria de l'ala est del claustre carrega ostensiblement damunt les dovelles de la seva porta d'accés, es pot pensar que és un dels edificis antics del monestir, construït a finals del segle xii o a començaments del xiii.[14]
La segona nau fou bastida més tard a un nivell bastant més alt que la primera. Era més llarga i esvelta, amb arcs apuntats carregant sobre semicolumnes i capitells troncopiramidals llisos. La desafortunada intervenció del segle xix va dividir la nau en dos pisos, de manera que al pis de sota hom pot veure les semicolumnes amb capitells i al superior els arcs. L'esveltesa gòtica de l'estructura dels arcs diafragmats d'aquesta nau apunta a un cronologia avançada del segle xiii o xiv. J. J. Piquer[17] considera que aquest dormidor fou obrat el segle xv per l'abadessa Blanca de Caldes pel fet que a la dovella més alta dels arcs diafragma hi ha el seu escut. Tanmateix hom troba escuts de l'abadessa de Caldes per tot el monestir.[
Mesa rústica rectangular maciza de 230x71x54 realizada a partir de un bloque de piedra de Santanyí, envejecido por el tiempo, con estrias a modo de posa vasos
12 x 20 Cedar Rectangular Gazebo Shown with Rustic Cedar Asphalt Shingles and Optional No Floor and No Bottom Railings
www.gazebocreations.com/structurepath/23/red-cedar/single...
U.S. Bellows custom designed two of these rectangular expansion joints for an air fan ducting application at a chemical facility in Texas. They are 37 3/8" wide, 65" long, and 16" face-to-face. The bellows and liner were fabricated from 304 stainless steel, with the rest of the components from carbon steel. The units are designed for an operating temperature of 250°F at 5 psig. The expansion joints were 100% dye-penetrant tested prior to shipment.
Artist: Peter Berry. Rectangular, soda fired stoneware, single compartment, porcelain slip stripes on exterior, Amber Celadon Glaze 4 x 2.75 x 3 inches. Ceramic works by Peter Berry from the online exhibition and sale, In Celebration of Peter Berry. Learn more about this exhibition here: ofa.fas.harvard.edu/celebration-peter-berry-online-exhibi...
The Missile handling facilities consist of two rectangular concrete areas with reinforced concrete retaining walls and a grassed bank around three sides, these are the Ready Use Stores (RUS) for side lifting Missile Transporters.
In 1950 Bawdsey was selected to become part of the ROTOR Programme, to update Great Britain's Radar cover after World War Two. It consisted of many sites with huge Underground Bunkers to withstand conventional bombing. In 1958 an AMES Type 80 Mk3 was installed with 2 AN/FPS-6 US made Radars. RAF Bawdsey was manned by 144 Signals Unit from 11 Group and together with 6 other Stations in the Eastern Sector it offered cover from 30 minutes before dawn to 30 minutes after sunset as there was no night cover.
The site of RAF Bawdsey Radar Station built in the early 1950's as part of the ROTOR Programme to modernise the United Kingdom's Radar Defences. This was a replacement Station for the Chain Home Station at RAF Bawdsey, located to the south of this Site. The ROTOR Station was fitted with a Type 7 Mk3 Radar Head for local search and control, two Type 14 (Mk8 and Mk9) Plan Positioning Radar Heads, four Type 13 Mk6 and two Type 13 Mk7 Height Finder Radar Heads, and three Type 54 Mk3 Radar Heads for Search and Control with no IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) The Radar Heads were mounted on plinths and 25ft gantries, apart from the Type 54 arrays that were mounted on 20ft Towers. The site was equipped with a Guardhouse designed to resemble a 'bungalow' which gave access to a two-storey, Underground R3 Operations Block. The R3 Bunker was completed in 1954. Newly developed Type 80 Radar and its associated Modulator Building was installed in 1958, with two AN/FPS 6 Height Finding Radars. By 1963 RAF Bawdsey had become a Master Radar Station, but in June 1964 it switched to operating as a Satellite Station to RAF Neatishead in Norfolk. It resumed Master Radar Station status in 1966 until 1974, after a fire damaged RAF Neatishead's Control Centre. Bawdsey closed in 1975 and in 1977 features of the ROTOR Station were demolished, including Plinths, Towers and the Type 80 Modulator Building.
As a site of national importance the Cold War Bloodhound Mark II Missile Site survives intact apart from the removal of the Missiles and their Associated Mobile Equipment. In 1979 RAF Bawdsey reopened as a Bloodhound Mk2 Surface to Air (SAM) Missile Site. The Guardhouse also remains in a derelict condition, and is still attached to the R3 Bunker via an Access Tunnel, the R3 Bunker is disused and has been sealed shut.
The Bloodhound Missile Site is located within the Perimeter of the early 1950's Radar Station of RAF Bawdsey, the Missile Section became active in July 1979 as C Flight of 85 Squadron and remained Operational until the 31st of May 1990. The Flight was divided into two sections, each of which was equipped with six Fixed Concrete Missile Pads, the remainder of its Equipment was Semi-Portable. The Bloodhound Missiles were controlled from Launch Control Posts (LCP's) set on hardstandings and surrounded by an protective earthwork bank, they were connected to the Target Illuminating Radar by cables. Initially the Flight was equipped with two Type 87 Radars mounted on angular Steel Plinths, colloquially known as `Daleks'. In 1988 these were replaced by two smaller Air-Portable Type 86 Radars. These were mounted on top of 4.26m Steel Gantries built over the `Daleks'. Some of the earlier Radar Station Buildings were reused by the Bloodhound Unit, including the Guard House (which retained its original function) an Operations Room was placed in the R3 Bunker and the 1950's Type 80 Radar Modulator Building was converted for use as a Workshop. Ready Use Stores (containing spare Missiles) were simple Concrete Hardstandings. Other structures on site include, buildings for an RAF Dog Section, a Store, a Garage, a Hut of undertermined function, an Explosive Fitment Bay, an Office and a Stand-By Set House.
Examples of Bristol Bloodhound Missiles at RAF Neatishead Radar Museum :-
,
Designed by Filipe Alarcão, Portugal's renowned product designer, the Gem table is made with DuPont's monteli. A new material very similar to Corian. The monteli however absorbs the bonding of specific glue differently, making it impossible to view the pieces connecting. The end result is a piece that looks like it's been carved from a single stone. This item was manufactured in a limited numbered edition and each unit includes a signed certificate engraved in the bottom of each GEM.
U.S. Bellows, Inc. recently manufactured three 12′ - 0" x 8′ - 0" rectangular expansion joints designed at 5 PSIG and 650 °F. The expansion joints are fabricated with full radius corners which allow for an increased cycle life. The bellows are formed from Inconel® 625 SB-443 GR. 1 and the rest of the assembly is fabricated from A516-70. The long seam welds were 100% x-rayed. A 100% dye-penetrant test was performed on the attachment welds.
En Globalcenter podrás encontrar macetas autorriego,macetas decorativas,jardineras rectangulares,maceteros terraza. Jardineras METAL GOLDEN rectangular.
Piscina rectangular con gresite azul y cubierta automática / Rectangular pool with blue gresite and an automatic cover
These rectangular boxes (?) were a feature on the forecourt of Queensland's Cultural Centre back in 2010. This cropped image was scanned from an original Kodacolor print and then processed in Lightroom 3 with a selection of presets (see Tags).
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Please don't invite me to over-regulated and restricted groups.
PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF GRAPHICS OR IMAGES IN COMMENTS
(I will delete them without notice).
POR FAVOR NO USE NINGÚN TIPO DE GRÁFICA O IMÁGENES EN COMENTARIOS
(Los suprimiré sin el aviso).
Your real comments and constructive criticism are appreciated and welcome.
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U.S. Bellows, Inc., the expansion joint division of Piping Technology & Products, Inc., designed and fabricated a 71 x 143 rectangular expansion joint for an oil refinery in India. The expansion joint was fabricated from SS 316 L, designed at 18 psig at 417°F. It is equipped with a liner and rounded corner bellows design. EJMA Standards and B31.3 code were used in the design and fabrication of this joint. Please refer to our Products Page for more information about the variety of expansion joints manufactured by PT&P.
Installation by Impact SIgns and Print, Weymouth. For further information please visit our website www.impactsignsandprint.co.uk or call 01305 767633
Download full size texture at www.tilingtextures.com/warm-rectangular-stone-wall/
More brick and other textures at www.tilingtextures.com
A rectangular metal expansion joint was refurbished on an emergency basis for a local chemical plant. Upon arrival, it was acid washed and dye-penetrant examined for any cracks. View the full article
Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon (RRFB) in the Rose District of downtown Broken Arrow, Okla. that utilizes passive pedestrian-activation to signal drivers with flashing amber lights, that a pedestrian has entered the mid-block crosswalk.
The Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) initiative includes RRFBs in the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon countermeasure.
Honolulu Capitol District, O‘ahu.
Sky Gate, by Isamu Noguchi, painted steel sculpture, 1977.
More info about Isamu Noguchi on his Museum's website.
Le Bambole Mk. II Pinhole Camera. Kodak 160 Portra NC. Exposure: f/256 and 2 seconds.
The Grade I Listed Carew Castle, a Norman Rectangular castle with Elizabethan Ranges alongside the Carew River in Pembrokeshire, South Wales.
The Carew family take their name from the place, and still own the castle, although it is leased to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which administers the site.
The use of the site for military purposes extends back at least 2000 years. The castle stands on a limestone bluff overlooking the Carew inlet — a part of the tidal estuary that makes up Milford Haven. The site must have been recognised as strategically useful from the earliest times, and recent excavations in the outer ward have discovered multiple defensive walls of an Iron Age fort.
The Norman castle has its origins in a stone keep built by Gerald de Windsor around the year 1100. Gerald was made castellan of Pembroke Castle by Arnulf of Montgomery in the first Norman invasion of Pembrokeshire.
Gerald's son William took the name "de Carew", and in the middle of the 12th century created an enclosure with stone walls incorporating the original keep, and a "Great Hall" inside it.
The de Carews fell on hard times in the post-Black Death period and mortgaged the castle. It fell into the hands of Rhys ap Thomas, who made his fortune by strategically changing sides and backing Henry Tudor just before the battle of Bosworth.
Rhys's grandson Rhys ap Gruffudd fell out of favour and was executed by Henry VIII for treason in 1531. The castle thus reverted to the crown and was leased to various tenants. In 1558 it was acquired by Sir John Perrot, a Lord Deputy of Ireland, who completed the final substantial modifications the castle.
Perrot subsequently fell out of favour and died imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1592. The castle reverted to the crown and was finally re-purchased by the de Carew family in 1607. In the Civil War, the castle was refortified by Royalists although south Pembrokeshire was strongly Parliamentarian. At the Restoration the castle was returned to the de Carews, who continued to occupy the eastern wing until 1686. The castle was then abandoned and allowed to decay.
Information Source:
The Missile handling facilities consist of two rectangular concrete areas with reinforced concrete retaining walls and a grassed bank around three sides, these are the Ready Use Stores (RUS) for side lifting Missile Transporters.
In 1950 Bawdsey was selected to become part of the ROTOR Programme, to update Great Britain's Radar cover after World War Two. It consisted of many sites with huge Underground Bunkers to withstand conventional bombing. In 1958 an AMES Type 80 Mk3 was installed with 2 AN/FPS-6 US made Radars. RAF Bawdsey was manned by 144 Signals Unit from 11 Group and together with 6 other Stations in the Eastern Sector it offered cover from 30 minutes before dawn to 30 minutes after sunset as there was no night cover.
The site of RAF Bawdsey Radar Station built in the early 1950's as part of the ROTOR Programme to modernise the United Kingdom's Radar Defences. This was a replacement Station for the Chain Home Station at RAF Bawdsey, located to the south of this Site. The ROTOR Station was fitted with a Type 7 Mk3 Radar Head for local search and control, two Type 14 (Mk8 and Mk9) Plan Positioning Radar Heads, four Type 13 Mk6 and two Type 13 Mk7 Height Finder Radar Heads, and three Type 54 Mk3 Radar Heads for Search and Control with no IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) The Radar Heads were mounted on plinths and 25ft gantries, apart from the Type 54 arrays that were mounted on 20ft Towers. The site was equipped with a Guardhouse designed to resemble a 'bungalow' which gave access to a two-storey, Underground R3 Operations Block. The R3 Bunker was completed in 1954. Newly developed Type 80 Radar and its associated Modulator Building was installed in 1958, with two AN/FPS 6 Height Finding Radars. By 1963 RAF Bawdsey had become a Master Radar Station, but in June 1964 it switched to operating as a Satellite Station to RAF Neatishead in Norfolk. It resumed Master Radar Station status in 1966 until 1974, after a fire damaged RAF Neatishead's Control Centre. Bawdsey closed in 1975 and in 1977 features of the ROTOR Station were demolished, including Plinths, Towers and the Type 80 Modulator Building.
As a site of national importance the Cold War Bloodhound Mark II Missile Site survives intact apart from the removal of the Missiles and their Associated Mobile Equipment. In 1979 RAF Bawdsey reopened as a Bloodhound Mk2 Surface to Air (SAM) Missile Site. The Guardhouse also remains in a derelict condition, and is still attached to the R3 Bunker via an Access Tunnel, the R3 Bunker is disused and has been sealed shut.
The Bloodhound Missile Site is located within the Perimeter of the early 1950's Radar Station of RAF Bawdsey, the Missile Section became active in July 1979 as C Flight of 85 Squadron and remained Operational until the 31st of May 1990. The Flight was divided into two sections, each of which was equipped with six Fixed Concrete Missile Pads, the remainder of its Equipment was Semi-Portable. The Bloodhound Missiles were controlled from Launch Control Posts (LCP's) set on hardstandings and surrounded by an protective earthwork bank, they were connected to the Target Illuminating Radar by cables. Initially the Flight was equipped with two Type 87 Radars mounted on angular Steel Plinths, colloquially known as `Daleks'. In 1988 these were replaced by two smaller Air-Portable Type 86 Radars. These were mounted on top of 4.26m Steel Gantries built over the `Daleks'. Some of the earlier Radar Station Buildings were reused by the Bloodhound Unit, including the Guard House (which retained its original function) an Operations Room was placed in the R3 Bunker and the 1950's Type 80 Radar Modulator Building was converted for use as a Workshop. Ready Use Stores (containing spare Missiles) were simple Concrete Hardstandings. Other structures on site include, buildings for an RAF Dog Section, a Store, a Garage, a Hut of undertermined function, an Explosive Fitment Bay, an Office and a Stand-By Set House.
Examples of Bristol Bloodhound Missiles at RAF Neatishead Radar Museum :-
,
Varanasi, also known as Benares, or Kashi is an Indian city on the banks of the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres south-east of the state capital, Lucknow. It is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism, and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism. Some Hindus believe that death at Varanasi brings salvation. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Varanasi is also known as the favourite city of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva as it has been mentioned in the Rigveda that this city in older times was known as Kashi or "Shiv ki Nagri".
The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi, and an essential part of all religious celebrations. The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the Ganges. The city has been a cultural centre of North India for several thousand years, and has a history that is older than most of the major world religions. The Benares Gharana form of Hindustani classical music was developed in Varanasi, and many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians live or have lived in Varanasi. Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, located near Varanasi.
Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India. It is often referred to as "the holy city of India", "the religious capital of India", "the city of Shiva", and "the city of learning". Scholarly books have been written in the city, including the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas. Today, there is a temple of his namesake in the city, the Tulsi Manas Mandir. The current temples and religious institutions in the city are dated to the 18th century. One of the largest residential universities of Asia, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), is located here.
ETYMOLOGY
The name Varanasi possibly originates from the names of the two rivers: Varuna, still flowing in Varanasi, and Asi, a small stream near Assi Ghat. The old city does lie on the north shores of Ganges River bounded by its two tributaries Varuna and Asi. Another speculation is that the city derives its name from the river Varuna, which was called Varanasi in olden times.[11] This is generally disregarded by historians. Through the ages, Varanasi has been known by many names including Kāśī or Kashi (used by pilgrims dating from Buddha's days), Kāśikā (the shining one), Avimukta ("never forsaken" by Shiva), Ānandavana (the forest of bliss), and Rudravāsa (the place where Rudra/Śiva resides).
In the Rigveda, the city is referred to as Kāśī or Kashi, the luminous city as an eminent seat of learning. The name Kāśī is also mentioned in the Skanda Purana. In one verse, Shiva says, "The three worlds form one city of mine, and Kāśī is my royal palace therein." The name Kashi may be translated as "City of Light".
HISTORY
According to legend, Varanasi was founded by the God Shiva. The Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata are also stated to have visited the city in search of Shiva to atone for their sins of fratricide and Brāhmanahatya that they had committed during the climactic Kurukshetra war. It is regarded as one of seven holy cities which can provide Moksha:
The earliest known archaeological evidence suggests that settlement around Varanasi in the Ganga valley (the seat of Vedic religion and philosophy) began in the 11th or 12th century BC, placing it among the world's oldest continually inhabited cities. These archaeological remains suggest that the Varanasi area was populated by Vedic people. However, the Atharvaveda (the oldest known text referencing the city), which dates to approximately the same period, suggests that the area was populated by indigenous tribes. It is possible that archaeological evidence of these previous inhabitants has yet to be discovered. Recent excavations at Aktha and Ramnagar, two sites very near to Varanasi, show them to be from 1800 BC, suggesting Varanasi started to be inhabited by that time too. Varanasi was also home to Parshva, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara and the earliest Tirthankara accepted as a historical figure in the 8th century BC.
Varanasi grew as an important industrial centre, famous for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture. During the time of Gautama Buddha (born circa 567 BC), Varanasi was the capital of the Kingdom of Kashi. Buddha is believed to have founded Buddhism here around 528 BC when he gave his first sermon, "Turning the Wheel of Law", at nearby Sarnath. The celebrated Chinese traveller Xuanzang, who visited the city around 635 AD, attested that the city was a centre of religious and artistic activities, and that it extended for about 5 kilometres along the western bank of the Ganges. When Xuanzang, also known as Hiuen Tsiang, visited Varanasi in the 7th century, he named it "Polonisse" and wrote that the city had some 30 temples with about 30 monks. The city's religious importance continued to grow in the 8th century, when Adi Shankara established the worship of Shiva as an official sect of Varanasi.
In ancient times, Varanasi was connected by a road starting from Taxila and ending at Pataliputra during the Mauryan Empire. In 1194, the city succumbed to Turkish Muslim rule under Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who ordered the destruction of some one thousand temples in the city. The city went into decline over some three centuries of Muslim occupation, although new temples were erected in the 13th century after the Afghan invasion. Feroz Shah ordered further destruction of Hindu temples in the Varanasi area in 1376. The Afghan ruler Sikander Lodi continued the suppression of Hinduism in the city and destroyed most of the remaining older temples in 1496. Despite the Muslim rule, Varanasi remained the centre of activity for intellectuals and theologians during the Middle Ages, which further contributed to its reputation as a cultural centre of religion and education. Several major figures of the Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir who was born here in 1389 and hailed as "the most outstanding of the saint-poets of Bhakti cult (devotion) and mysticism of 15th-Century India"; and Ravidas, a 15th-century socio-religious reformer, mystic, poet, traveller, and spiritual figure, who was born and lived in the city and employed in the tannery industry. Similarly, numerous eminent scholars and preachers visited the city from across India and south Asia. Guru Nanak Dev visited Varanasi for Shivratri in 1507, a trip that played a large role in the founding of Sikhism.
In the 16th century, Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar who invested in the city, and built two large temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. The Raja of Poona established the Annapurnamandir and the 200 metres Akbari Bridge was also completed during this period. The earliest tourists began arriving in the city during the 16th century. In 1665, the French traveller Jean Baptiste Tavernier described the architectural beauty of the Vindu Madhava temple on the side of the Ganges. The road infrastructure was also improved during this period and extended from Kolkata to Peshawar by Emperor Sher Shah Suri; later during the British Raj it came to be known as the famous Grand Trunk Road. In 1656, emperor Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of many temples and the building of mosques, causing the city to experience a temporary setback. However, after Aurangazeb's death, most of India was ruled by a confederacy of pro-Hindu kings. Much of modern Varanasi was built during this time by the Rajput and Maratha kings, especially during the 18th century, and most of the important buildings in the city today date to this period. The kings continued to be important through much of the British rule (1775–1947 AD), including the Maharaja of Benares, or Kashi Naresh. The kingdom of Benares was given official status by the Mughals in 1737, and continued as a dynasty-governed area until Indian independence in 1947, during the reign of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh. In the 18th century, Muhammad Shah ordered the construction of an observatory on the Ganges, attached to Man Mandir Ghat, designed to discover imperfections in the calendar in order to revise existing astronomical tables. Tourism in the city began to flourish in the 18th century. In 1791, under the rule of the British Governor-General Warren Hastings, Jonathan Duncan founded a Sanskrit College in Varanasi. In 1867, the establishment of the Varanasi Municipal Board led to significant improvements in the city.
In 1897, Mark Twain, the renowned Indophile, said of Varanasi, "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together." In 1910, the British made Varanasi a new Indian state, with Ramanagar as its headquarters but with no jurisdiction over the city of Varanasi itself. Kashi Naresh still resides in the Ramnagar Fort which is situated to the east of Varanasi, across the Ganges. Ramnagar Fort and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of Varanasi. Since the 18th century, the fort has been the home of Kashi Naresh, deeply revered by the local people. He is the religious head and some devout inhabitants consider him to be the incarnation of Shiva. He is also the chief cultural patron and an essential part of all religious celebrations.
A massacre by British troops, of the Indian troops stationed here and of the population of the city, took place during the early stages of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Annie Besant worked in Varanasi to promote theosophy and founded the Central Hindu College which later became a foundation for the creation of Banaras Hindu University as a secular university in 1916. Her purpose in founding the Central Hindu College in Varanasi was that she "wanted to bring men of all religions together under the ideal of brotherhood in order to promote Indian cultural values and to remove ill-will among different sections of the Indian population."
Varanasi was ceded to the Union of India on 15 October 1948. After the death of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh in 2000, his son Anant Narayan Singh became the figurehead king, responsible for upholding the traditional duties of a Kashi Naresh.
MAIN SIGHTS
Varanasi's "Old City", the quarter near the banks of the Ganga river, has crowded narrow winding lanes flanked by road-side shops and scores of Hindu temples. As atmospheric as it is confusing, Varanasi's labyrinthine Old City has a rich culture, attracting many travellers and tourists. The main residential areas of Varanasi (especially for the middle and upper classes) are situated in regions far from the ghats; they are more spacious and less polluted.
Museums in and around Varanasi include Jantar Mantar, Sarnath Museum, Bharat Kala Bhawan and Ramnagar Fort.
JANTAR MANTAR
The Jantar Mantar observatory (1737) is located above the ghats on the Ganges, much above the high water level in the Ganges next to the Manmandir Ghat, near to Dasaswamedh Ghat and adjoining the palace of Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur. Compared to the observatories at Jaipur and Delhi, it is less well equipped but has a unique equatorial sundial which is functional and allows measurements to be monitored and recorded by one person.
RAMNAGAR FORT
The Ramnagar Fort located near the Ganges River on its eastern bank, opposite to the Tulsi Ghat, was built in the 18th century by Kashi Naresh Raja Balwant Singh with creamy chunar sandstone. It is in a typically Mughal style of architecture with carved balconies, open courtyards, and scenic pavilions. At present the fort is not in good repair. The fort and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of Benares. It has been the home of the Kashi Naresh since the 18th century. The current king and the resident of the fort is Anant Narayan Singh who is also known as the Maharaja of Varanasi even though this royal title has been abolished since 1971. Labeled "an eccentric museum", it has a rare collection of American vintage cars, sedan chairs (bejeweled), an impressive weaponry hall and a rare astrological clock. In addition, manuscripts, especially religious writings, are housed in the Saraswati Bhawan. Also included is a precious handwritten manuscript by Goswami Tulsidas. Many books illustrated in the Mughal miniature style, with beautifully designed covers are also part of the collections. Because of its scenic location on the banks of the Ganges, it is frequently used as an outdoor shooting location for films. The film titled Banaras is one of the popular movies shot here. However, only a part of the fort is open for public viewing as the rest of the area is the residence of the Kashi Naresh and his family. It is 14 kilometres from Varanasi.
GHATS
Ghats are embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. Ghats in Varanasi are an integral complement to the concept of divinity represented in physical, metaphysical and supernatural elements. All the ghats are locations on "the divine cosmic road", indicative of "its manifest transcendental dimension" Varanasi has at least 84 ghats. Steps in the ghats lead to the banks of River Ganges, including the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat (where Hindus cremate their dead). Many ghats are associated with legends and several are now privately owned.
Many of the ghats were built when the city was under Maratha control. Marathas, Shindes (Scindias), Holkars, Bhonsles, and Peshwas stand out as patrons of present-day Varanasi. Most of the ghats are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation sites. A morning boat ride on the Ganges across the ghats is a popular visitor attraction. The extensive stretches of ghats enhance the river front with a multitude of shrines, temples and palaces built "tier on tier above the water’s edge".
The Dashashwamedh Ghat is the main and probably the oldest ghat of Varansi located on the Ganges, close to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is believed that Brahma created it to welcome Shiva and sacrificed ten horses during the Dasa -Ashwamedha yajna performed here. Above the ghat and close to it, there are also temples dedicated to Sulatankesvara, Brahmesvara, Varahesvara, Abhaya Vinayaka, Ganga (the Ganges), and Bandi Devi which are part of important pilgrimage journeys. A group of priests perform "Agni Pooja" (Worship to Fire) daily in the evening at this ghat as a dedication to Shiva, Ganga, Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe. Special aartis are held on Tuesdays and on religious festivals.
The Manikarnika Ghat is the Mahasmasana (meaning: "great cremation ground") and is the primary site for Hindu cremation in the city. Adjoining the ghat, there are raised platforms that are used for death anniversary rituals. It is said that an ear-ring (Manikarnika) of Shiva or his wife Sati fell here. According to a myth related to the Tarakesvara Temple, a Shiva temple at the ghat, Shiva whispers the Taraka mantra ("Prayer of the crossing") in the ear of the dead. Fourth-century Gupta period inscriptions mention this ghat. However, the current ghat as a permanent riverside embankment was built in 1302 and has been renovated at least three times.
TEMPLES
Among the estimated 23000 temples in Varanasi, the most worshiped are: the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva; the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple; and the Durga Temple known for the band of monkeys that reside in the large trees nearby.
Located on the outskirts of the Ganges, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple – dedicated to Varanasi's presiding deity Shiva (Vishwanath – "Lord of the world") – is an important Hindu temple and one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shiva temples. It is believed that a single view of Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is worth more than that of other jyotirlingas. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. The Gyanvapi Mosque, which is adjacent to the temple, is the original site of the temple. The temple, as it exists now, also called Golden Temple, was built in 1780 by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. The two pinnacles of the temple are covered in gold, donated in 1839 by Ranjit Singh, the ruler of the Punjab and the remaining dome is also planned to be gold plated by the Ministry of Culture & Religious Affairs of Uttar Pradesh. On 28 January 1983, the temple was taken over by the government of Uttar Pradesh and its management was transferred to a trust with then Kashi Naresh, Vibhuti Narayan Singh, as president and an executive committee with a Divisional Commissioner as chairman. Numerous rituals, prayers and aratis are held daily, starting from 2:30 am till 11:00 pm.
The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is one of the sacred temples of the Hindu god Hanuman situated by the Assi River, on the way to the Durga and New Vishwanath temples within the Banaras Hindu University campus. The present temple structure was built in early 1900s by the educationist and freedom fighter, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, the founder of Banaras Hindu University. It is believed the temple was built on the very spot where the medieval Hindu saint Tulsidas had a vision of Hanuman. Thousands flock to the temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays, weekdays associated with Hanuman. On 7 March 2006, in a terrorist attack one of the three explosions hit the temple while the Aarti was in progress when numerous devotees and people attending a wedding were present and many were injured. However, normal worship was resumed the next day with devotees visiting the temple and reciting hymns of Hanuman Chalisa (authored by Tulidas) and Sundarkand (a booklet of these hymns is provided free of charge in the temple). After the terrorist incident, a permanent police post was set up inside the temple.
There are two temples named "Durga" in Varanasi, Durga Mandir (built about 500 years ago), and Durga Kund (built in the 18th century). Thousands of Hindu devotees visit Durga Kund during Navratri to worship the goddess Durga. The temple, built in Nagara architectural style, has multi-tiered spires[96] and is stained red with ochre, representing the red colour of Durga. The building has a rectangular tank of water called the Durga Kund ("Kund" meaning a pond or pool). Every year on the occasion of Nag Panchami, the act of depicting the god Vishnu reclining on the serpent Shesha is recreated in the Kund.
While the Annapurna Temple, located close to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, is dedicated to Annapurna, the goddess of food, the Sankatha Temple close to the Sindhia Ghat is dedicated to Sankatha, the goddess of remedy. The Sankatha temple has a large sculpture of a lion and a nine temple cluster dedicated to the nine planets.
Kalabhairav Temple, an ancient temple located near the Head Post Office at Visheshar Ganj, is dedicated to Kala-Bhairava, the guardian (Kotwal) of Varanasi. The Mrithyunjay Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is situated on the way to Daranagar to Kalbhairav temple. A well near the temple has some religious significance as its water source is believed to be fed from several underground streams, having curative powers.
The New Vishwanath Temple located in the campus of Banaras Hindu University is a modern temple which was planned by Pandit Malviya and built by the Birlas. The Tulsi Manas Temple, nearby the Durga Temple, is a modern temple dedicated to the god Rama. It is built at the place where Tulsidas authored the Ramcharitmanas, which narrates the life of Rama. Many verses from this epic are inscribed on the temple walls.
The Bharat Mata Temple, dedicated to the national personification of India, was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. It has relief maps of India carved in marble. Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and Durga Prasad Khatri, leading numismatists, antiquarians and nationalist leaders, donated funds for its construction.
RELIGION
HINDUISM
Varanasi is one of the holiest cities and centres of pilgrimage for Hindus of all denominations. It is one of the seven Hindu holiest cities (Sapta Puri), considered the giver of salvation (moksha). Over 50,000 Brahmins live in Varanasi, providing religious services to the masses. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. Thus, many Hindus arrive here for dying.
As the home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Jyotirlinga, it is very sacred for Shaivism. Varanasi is also a Shakti Peetha, where the temple to goddess Vishalakshi stands, believed to be the spot where the goddess Sati's earrings fell. Hindus of the Shakti sect make a pilgrimage to the city because they regard the River Ganges itself to be the Goddess Shakti. Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries on Hinduism here, leading to the great Hindu revival.
In 2001, Hindus made up approximately 84% of the population of Varanasi District.
ISLAM
Varanasi is one of the holiest cities and centres of pilgrimage for Hindus of all denominations. It is one of the seven Hindu holiest cities (Sapta Puri), considered the giver of salvation (moksha). Over 50,000 Brahmins live in Varanasi, providing religious services to the masses. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. Thus, many Hindus arrive here for dying.
As the home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Jyotirlinga, it is very sacred for Shaivism. Varanasi is also a Shakti Peetha, where the temple to goddess Vishalakshi stands, believed to be the spot where the goddess Sati's earrings fell. Hindus of the Shakti sect make a pilgrimage to the city because they regard the River Ganges itself to be the Goddess Shakti. Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries on Hinduism here, leading to the great Hindu revival.
In 2001, Hindus made up approximately 84% of the population of Varanasi District.
OTHERS
At the 2001 census, persons of other religions or no religion made up 0.4% of the population of Varanasi District.
Varanasi is a pilgrimage site for Jains along with Hindus and Buddhists. It is believed to be the birthplace of Suparshvanath, Shreyansanath, and Parshva, who are respectively the seventh, eleventh, and twenty-third Jain Tirthankars and as such Varanasi is a holy city for Jains. Shree Parshvanath Digambar Jain Tirth Kshetra (Digambar Jain Temple) is situated in Bhelupur, Varanasi. This temple is of great religious importance to the Jain Religion.
Sarnath, a suburb of Varanasi, is a place of Buddhist pilgrimage. It is the site of the deer park where Siddhartha Gautama of Nepal is said to have given his first sermon about the basic principles of Buddhism. The Dhamek Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas still in existence, though only its foundation remains. Also remaining is the Chaukhandi Stupa commemorating the spot where Buddha met his first disciples in the 5th century. An octagonal tower was built later there.
Guru Nanak Dev visited Varanasi for Shivratri in 1507 and had an encounter which with other events forms the basis for the story of the founding of Sikhism. Varanasi also hosts the Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi, and has an insignificant Jewish expatriate community. Varanasi is home to numerous tribal faiths which are not easily classified.
Dalits are 13% of population Of Varanasi city. Most dalits are followers of Guru Ravidass. So Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan is important place of pilgrimage for Ravidasis from all around India.
RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
On Mahashivaratri (February) – which is dedicated to Shiva – a procession of Shiva proceeds from the Mahamrityunjaya Temple to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Dhrupad Mela is a five-day musical festival devoted to dhrupad style held at Tulsi Ghat in February–March.
The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple celebrates Hanuman Jayanti (March–April), the birthday of Hanuman with great fervour. A special puja, aarti, and a public procession is organized. Starting in 1923, the temple organizes a five-day classical music and dance concert festival titled Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh in this period, when iconic artists from all parts of India are invited to perform.
The Ramlila of Ramnagar is a dramatic enactment of Rama's legend, as told in Ramacharitamanasa. The plays, sponsored by Kashi Naresh, are performed in Ramnagar every evening for 31 days. On the last day, the festivities reach a crescendo as Rama vanquishes the demon king Ravana. Kashi Naresh Udit Narayan Singh started this tradition around 1830.
Bharat Milap celebrates the meeting of Rama and his younger brother Bharata after the return of the former after 14 years of exile. It is celebrated during October–November, a day after the festival of Vijayadashami. Kashi Naresh attends this festival in his regal attire resplendent in regal finery. The festival attracts a large number of devotees.
Nag Nathaiya, celebrated on the fourth lunar day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Kartik (October–November), that commemorates the victory of the god Krishna over the serpent Kaliya. On this occasion, a large Kadamba tree (Neolamarckia cadamba) branch is planted on the banks of the Ganges so that a boy acting the role of Krishna can jump into the river on to the effigy representing Kaliya. He stands over the effigy in a dancing pose playing the flute; the effigy and the boy standing on it is given a swirl in front of the audience. People watch the display standing on the banks of the river or from boats.
Ganga Mahotsav is a five-day music festival organized by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, held in November–December culminating a day before Kartik Poornima (Dev Deepawali). On Kartik Poornima also called the Ganges festival, the Ganges is venerated by arti offered by thousands of pilgrims who release lighted lamps to float in the river from the ghats.
Annually Jashne-Eid Miladunnabi is celebrated on the day of Barawafat in huge numbers by Muslims in a huge rally coming from all the parts of the city and meeting up at Beniya Bagh.