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Omayyad Mosque


Image by spdl_n1
Southern wall of the Omayyad Mosque. There has been a place of worship on the site of the Omayyad Mosque for more than 3,000 years. It started out with a temple to the Aramaean rain god, but eventually the Romans built a massive temple to Jupiter on the original site. The basic superstructure of the mosque dates from then – roughly 2,000 years ago. However, what remains is only the inner sanctum of the original temple to Jupiter – the whole Roman complex was almost three times the size of what’s left. You can still see the original eastern and western entrances to the Roman temple, which gives you an idea of how massive it originally was. After Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity (sometime in the 300s), the whole place was transformed into a basillica. After the Muslims conquered Damascus in 636, it was partially converted into a mosque – the two religions happily shared use of the building for many years. A couple of hundred years later, the Christians agreed to leave the complex completely in return for being given a few mosques in the south of the city, and the building was fully Islamicised. However, it still remains sacred to both Christians and Muslims (as are most important places of worship in Syria), as the head of John the Baptist is reputedly interred there.

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St. Nahi’s is an 18th-century church in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland


Image by infomatique
St. Nahi is an 18th-century church in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland

The name Taney derives from Tigh Naithi meaning the house or place of Nahi, and who may also be associated with Tobarnea, a seashore well that near Blackrock. The current church is still in use by the local Church of Ireland community and is one of two churches in the Parish of Taney (historically encompassing the whole area around Dundrum). It is built on the site of an early Irish monastery founded by Saint NahÍ.

St. Nahi’s stands on the grounds of the original monastery, having been refurbished several times, most recently in 1910, after a period when it was in use as the local boy’s national school. Following storm damage to the roof, a major refurbishment was carried out by the then Rector of the Parish, Canon William Monk Gibbon (father of the poet of the same name), who is buried in the grounds of the church. A plaque erected after the refurbishment reads:
"The entrance gate to this Churchyard was erected by the parishioners of Taney Parish to the memory of William Monk Gibbons, Canon of Christ Church Cathedral by whose impression and effort the restoration of this church was accomplished. He repaired the alter of the Lord".

Cremated remains are interred to the left of the entrance gates. This area was originally a mass famine grave and later used for patients of the Dundrum Central Mental Hospital. Old records refer to this area as the Asylum Plot.

A back gate to the church was only recently uncovered under much overgrowth. Although it had been used by teachers as a shortcut between the Church (when it was being used as a boys national school) and the nearby girls national school, its original function is said to have been as an entrance for Roman Catholics when attending funerals at a time when they were barred from entering the main gates of a Protestant church.

Many Irish Republican graves lie within the graveyard, including the gravestones of Lorcain McSuibhne, a member of the Irish Republican Army killed in 1922 in Kildare (his funeral occurred at St. Nahi’s and there exists photographic evidence of Eamon DeValera in attendance) and of James Burke, who was killed in Croke Park on Bloody Sunday. There is also a 1798 plot where some fatalities of the 1798 uprising are buried.

The graveyard also contains many Royal Irish Constabulary Officers and Freemasons. Just one casualty of the Second World War is recorded there. Sgt. William Anthony Kavanagh, RAF Volunteer Reserve, age 24, died 23 sept 1944, son of William and Mary Kavanagh of Dundrum.

Currently over 10,000 burials have been recorded, with the earliest visible gravestone dating back to 1734. The Parish of Taney: a History of Dundrum, Near Dublin, and its Neighbourhood published in 1895, claims that there are “tens of thousands” of burials within the graveyard, a credible figure considering its age.

As the churchyard predates the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869, it is open for burial to all those who live within the boundaries of the Parish of Taney, whatever their denomination.

The church contains some interesting artefacts including the baptismal font of the Duke of Wellington who was baptised in 1769, donated to Taney Parish in 1914 by the closing of St. Kevin’s Church in Camden Row, and altar tapestries depicting scenes from the Bible. The tapestries illustrating the Last Supper were made by the two Yeats sisters Lily and Lolly Yeats, both of whom are interred in the graveyard.

Two Rathdown Slabs are displayed inside the church. These ornate burial slabs date back 1,000 years to the Viking-Christian era. Such slabs have only been found in the barony of Rathdown (the area roughly covering Churchtown to Bray). Only about 30 of these slabs have been discovered to date, these two were discovered in 2002 in the graveyard by archaeologist Chris Corlett, who had missed his bus from Dundrum and decided to explore the cemetery. Aided by Dúchas, the slabs were relocated inside the church.

An insight into life expectancy for the area can be gleaned from the "Index to the Register of Burials" for the parish between January 1897 and April 1917 show 1,836 people buried during this period, of which 551 were children under 6 years of age.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nahi%27s_Church

St. Nahi’s is an 18th-century church in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland


Image by infomatique
St. Nahi is an 18th-century church in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland

The name Taney derives from Tigh Naithi meaning the house or place of Nahi, and who may also be associated with Tobarnea, a seashore well that near Blackrock. The current church is still in use by the local Church of Ireland community and is one of two churches in the Parish of Taney (historically encompassing the whole area around Dundrum). It is built on the site of an early Irish monastery founded by Saint NahÍ.

St. Nahi’s stands on the grounds of the original monastery, having been refurbished several times, most recently in 1910, after a period when it was in use as the local boy’s national school. Following storm damage to the roof, a major refurbishment was carried out by the then Rector of the Parish, Canon William Monk Gibbon (father of the poet of the same name), who is buried in the grounds of the church. A plaque erected after the refurbishment reads:
"The entrance gate to this Churchyard was erected by the parishioners of Taney Parish to the memory of William Monk Gibbons, Canon of Christ Church Cathedral by whose impression and effort the restoration of this church was accomplished. He repaired the alter of the Lord".

Cremated remains are interred to the left of the entrance gates. This area was originally a mass famine grave and later used for patients of the Dundrum Central Mental Hospital. Old records refer to this area as the Asylum Plot.

A back gate to the church was only recently uncovered under much overgrowth. Although it had been used by teachers as a shortcut between the Church (when it was being used as a boys national school) and the nearby girls national school, its original function is said to have been as an entrance for Roman Catholics when attending funerals at a time when they were barred from entering the main gates of a Protestant church.

Many Irish Republican graves lie within the graveyard, including the gravestones of Lorcain McSuibhne, a member of the Irish Republican Army killed in 1922 in Kildare (his funeral occurred at St. Nahi’s and there exists photographic evidence of Eamon DeValera in attendance) and of James Burke, who was killed in Croke Park on Bloody Sunday. There is also a 1798 plot where some fatalities of the 1798 uprising are buried.

The graveyard also contains many Royal Irish Constabulary Officers and Freemasons. Just one casualty of the Second World War is recorded there. Sgt. William Anthony Kavanagh, RAF Volunteer Reserve, age 24, died 23 sept 1944, son of William and Mary Kavanagh of Dundrum.

Currently over 10,000 burials have been recorded, with the earliest visible gravestone dating back to 1734. The Parish of Taney: a History of Dundrum, Near Dublin, and its Neighbourhood published in 1895, claims that there are “tens of thousands” of burials within the graveyard, a credible figure considering its age.

As the churchyard predates the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1869, it is open for burial to all those who live within the boundaries of the Parish of Taney, whatever their denomination.

The church contains some interesting artefacts including the baptismal font of the Duke of Wellington who was baptised in 1769, donated to Taney Parish in 1914 by the closing of St. Kevin’s Church in Camden Row, and altar tapestries depicting scenes from the Bible. The tapestries illustrating the Last Supper were made by the two Yeats sisters Lily and Lolly Yeats, both of whom are interred in the graveyard.

Two Rathdown Slabs are displayed inside the church. These ornate burial slabs date back 1,000 years to the Viking-Christian era. Such slabs have only been found in the barony of Rathdown (the area roughly covering Churchtown to Bray). Only about 30 of these slabs have been discovered to date, these two were discovered in 2002 in the graveyard by archaeologist Chris Corlett, who had missed his bus from Dundrum and decided to explore the cemetery. Aided by Dúchas, the slabs were relocated inside the church.

An insight into life expectancy for the area can be gleaned from the "Index to the Register of Burials" for the parish between January 1897 and April 1917 show 1,836 people buried during this period, of which 551 were children under 6 years of age.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Nahi%27s_Church

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Svetitskhoveli Cathedral


Image by vAkOOm
Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in the historical town of Mtskheta.The current cathedral was built in the 11th century by the Georgian architect Arsukisdze, though the site itself is even older dating back to the early 4th century and is surrounded by a number of legends associated primarily with the early Christian traditions.

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OSOR, nearby little village


Image by Villa Regina
Osor is 15km away from Villa Regina. It is a beautifl little mediterranean village right next the sea. This little town is situated on the spot where the island of Cres and Lošinj are closest to each other. It had its period of glory in ancient times. The canal (Cavata, Kavuada, Cavanella) which had been cut through enabled passage of ships from sea to sea. The main transit traffic between Northern Adriatic and the Dalmatian Coast used to flow through Osor, which made it an international harbour.

The foundations of the town walls hide traces of ancient history, dating as far back as the 9th century B.C. The name of the town, Osor, formerly Apsoros, is said to be of mythical origin and derive from the name of an ancient Greek hero, the tragic heroine Medea?s brother Apsyrtus.

The antique town square with beautiful buildings from the 15h and 16th century, the Town Hall with a loggia (today the Town Museum), the Bishop?s Palace and the impressive Cathedral with a campanile make up the historical heart of the town. The whole of the town is an open-air museum showing its cultural and political history.
There are exhibits ranging from the contemporary sculptures by Meštrovi? to the remains of ancient town walls, forts, the earliest Early-Christian basilica, as well as remains of antique villas, Renaissance portals and monasteries, hidden in the greenery of Osor?s parks and gardens.

This ancient town is a museum of history in itself. In the summer it becomes a unique setting for the Musical Evenings of Osor and other cultural events. The choice of accommodation includes well-organized private accommodation in the town itself, as well as two beach side camping sites just outside it and few restaurants.

( from www.tz-malilosinj.hr/)

FORREST OF OSOR


Image by Villa Regina
An forrest like in the fairy tales in Osor .. 15km away from Villa Regina.

It is a beautifl little mediterranean village right next the sea. This little town is situated on the spot where the island of Cres and Lošinj are closest to each other. It had its period of glory in ancient times. The canal (Cavata, Kavuada, Cavanella) which had been cut through enabled passage of ships from sea to sea. The main transit traffic between Northern Adriatic and the Dalmatian Coast used to flow through Osor, which made it an international harbour.

The foundations of the town walls hide traces of ancient history, dating as far back as the 9th century B.C. The name of the town, Osor, formerly Apsoros, is said to be of mythical origin and derive from the name of an ancient Greek hero, the tragic heroine Medea?s brother Apsyrtus.

The antique town square with beautiful buildings from the 15h and 16th century, the Town Hall with a loggia (today the Town Museum), the Bishop?s Palace and the impressive Cathedral with a campanile make up the historical heart of the town. The whole of the town is an open-air museum showing its cultural and political history.
There are exhibits ranging from the contemporary sculptures by Meštrovi? to the remains of ancient town walls, forts, the earliest Early-Christian basilica, as well as remains of antique villas, Renaissance portals and monasteries, hidden in the greenery of Osor?s parks and gardens.

This ancient town is a museum of history in itself. In the summer it becomes a unique setting for the Musical Evenings of Osor and other cultural events. The choice of accommodation includes well-organized private accommodation in the town itself, as well as two beach side camping sites just outside it and few restaurants.

( from www.tz-malilosinj.hr/)

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Stortorget in Gamla Stan


Image by Let Ideas Compete
Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden. Notice the reflection.

Here’s what Wikipedia says:
Gamla stan (The Old Town), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna (The Town between the Bridges), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan. The word "stan" is simply a contraction of the word "staden" ("sta’n"), meaning "the town."

While the archaeology of the 370 properties in Gamla stan remains poorly documented, recent inventories done by volunteers have shown many buildings previously dated to the 17thy and 18th centuries, can be up to 300 years older.[1] There is also a metro station in Gamla Stan with the same name.

Barcelona Sagrada Familia


Image by Wolfgang Staudt
Klick here for a large view!

La Sagrada Família is a massive Roman Catholic basilica under construction in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Construction began in 1882 and its formal title is Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. Antoni Gaudí worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to this endeavour. On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have joked, "My client is not in a hurry." After Gaudí’s death in 1926, work continued under the direction of Domènech Sugranyes until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1935.

Parts of the unfinished building and Gaudí’s models and workshop were destroyed during the war by Catalan anarchists. The design, as now being constructed, is based both on reconstructed versions of the lost plans and on modern adaptations. Since 1940 the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Gari and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work. The current director and son of Lluís Bonet, Jordi Bonet i Armengol, has been introducing computers into the design and construction process since the 1980s. Mark Burry of New Zealand serves as Executive Architect and Researcher. Sculptures by J. Busquets, Etsuro Sotoo and the controversial Josep Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades.

According to the newspaper El Periódico de Catalunya, 2.26 million people visited the partially built basilica in 2004, making it one of the most popular attractions in Spain. The central nave vaulting was completed in 2000 and the main tasks since then have been the construction of the transept vaults and apse. Current work (2006) concentrates on the crossing and supporting structure for the main tower of Jesus Christ as well as the southern enclosure of the central nave which will become the Glory façade.

Recently, the Ministry of Public Works of Spain (Ministerio de Fomento in Spanish), has projected the construction of a tunnel for the high speed train just under where the principal façade of the temple has to be built. Although the ministry affirms that the project has no risk, the engineers and architects of the temple disagree as there are no guarantees that the tunnel will not affect the stability of the building.

Design

Every part of the design of La Sagrada Família is rich with Christian symbolism, as Gaudí intended the church to be the "last great sanctuary of Christendom". Its most striking aspect is its spindle-shaped towers. A total of 18 tall towers are called for, representing in ascending order of height the Twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and, tallest of all, Jesus Christ. (According to the 2005 "Works Report" of the temple’s official website, drawings signed by Gaudí found recently in the Municipal Archives indicate that the tower of the Virgin was in fact intended by Gaudí to be shorter than those of the evangelists, and this is the design — which the Works Report states is more compatible with the existing foundations — that will be followed. The same source explains the symbolism in terms of Christ being known through the Evangelists.) The Evangelists’ towers will be surmounted by sculptures of their traditional symbols: a bull (St Luke), a winged man (St Matthew), an eagle (St John), and a lion (St Mark). The central tower of Jesus Christ is to be surmounted by a giant cross; the tower’s total height (170 m) will be one metre less than that of Montjuïc, as Gaudí believed that his work should not surpass that of God. Lower towers are surmounted by communion hosts with sheaves of wheat and chalices with bunches of grapes, representing the Eucharist.

The Church will have three grand façades: the Nativity façade to the East, the Glory façade to the South (yet to be completed) and the Passion façade to the West. The Nativity facade was built before work was interrupted in 1935 and bears the most direct Gaudí influence. The Passion façade is especially striking for its spare, gaunt, tormented characters, including emaciated figures of Christ being flogged and on the crucifix. These controversial designs are the work of Subirachs.

The towers on the Nativity façade are crowned with geometrically shaped tops that are reminiscent of Cubism (they were finished around 1930), and the intricate decoration is contemporary to the style of Art Nouveau, but Gaudí’s unique style drew primarily from nature, not other artists or architects, and resists categorization.

Themes throughout the decoration include words from the liturgy. The towers are decorated with words such as "Hosanna", "Excelsis", and "Sanctus"; the great doors of the Passion façade reproduce words from the Bible in various languages including Catalan; and the Glory façade is to be decorated with the words from the Apostles’ Creed.

Areas of the sanctuary will be designated to represent various concepts, such as saints, virtues and sins, and secular concepts such as regions, presumably with decoration to match.

The building works are expected to be completed around 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death, although the likelihood of meeting this date is disputed. Computer modelling has been used for the detailed design of the intricate structure of supporting columns inside the basilica. See also catenary. CAD/CAM technology has been used to speed up the construction of the building; initially, the construction work was expected to last for several hundred years, based on building techniques available in the early 1900s. The construction work calls for many pieces of stone to be machined to unique shapes, each being subtly different from the next, and these pieces are now being machined accurately off-site, reducing the overall construction time.

Antoni Gaudí (born in Riudoms) used hyperboloid structures in later designs of the Sagrada Família (more obviously after 1914), however there are a few places on the nativity façade—a design not equated with Gaudi’s ruled-surface design, where the hyperboloid crops up. For example, all around the scene with the pelican there are numerous examples (including the basket held by one of the figures). There is a hyperboloid adding structural stability to the cypress tree (by connecting it to the bridge). And finally, the "bishop’s mitre" spires are capped with hyperboloid structures. In his later designs ruled surfaces are prominent in the nave’s vaults and windows and the surfaces of the Passion facade.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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