Seen here are the amazing vaulted ceilings and dome of St Aubin’s Cathedral in Namur, Wallonia, Belgium. St Aubin’s is the only cathedral in Belgium in the Late Baroque style and was built between 1751 and 1767. Inside, all colour is avoided, replaced by architectural enrichments and the bas-reliefs in the pendentives of the dome. For more information visit the official site here.
In this fantastic night-time capture by iwillbehomesoon, we see the iconic Saint Basil’s Cathedral in the Red Square, Moscow, Russia. The former church, which is now a museum, was built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. [source]
The building is shaped as a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky, a design that has no analogues in Russian architecture. As part of the program of state atheism, the church was confiscated from the Russian Orthodox community as part of the Soviet Union’s anti-theist campaigns and has operated as a division of the State Historical Museum since 1928. It was completely and forcefully secularized in 1929 and remains a federal property of the Russian Federation. The church has been part of the Moscow Kremlin and Red Square UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. [source]
Seen here is the amazing “Flying Cathedral” by Jan Kaeser and Matin Zimmermann. The hot air balloon is a replica of the Abbey of Saint Gall, a Roman Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. The Abbey has existed since 719 and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. [Source]
The photo was taken at Ballontage Alpenrheintal, an annual hot air balloon festival in Switzerland.
Admont Abbey is a Benedictine monastery located on the Enns River in the town of Admont, Austria. It is the oldest remaining monastery in Styria and contains the largest monastic library in the world. The abbey is known for its Baroque architecture, art, and manuscripts. [Source]
While the abbey itself was completed in 1074 the library (late Baroque) was not completed until 1776. It was commissioned by Abbot Matthäus Offner (reigned 1751-1779) and built by the Graz Master Builder Josef Hueber (1715-1787).
The library is divided into three sections and has an overall length of 70 m (230 ft), a width of 14 m (46 ft) and 11 m (36 ft) in height (12.7 m in the central cupola). Adorning the ceilings are seven frescoes by Bartolomeo Altomonte who was 80-years-old at the time and completed the frescoes over the summer months of 1775 and 1776. The frescoes depict the steps in ‘man’s exploration of thinking and speaking from the sciences to Divine Revelation in the central cupola’. [Source]
The sculptures in the library were made by master Baroque sculptor Josef Stammel. Particularly famous is The Four Last Things, a group of four oversized presentations of Death, the Last Judgement, Heaven and Hell.
Lastly, the library collection comprises some 200,000 volumes. The most valuable treasures are the more than 1,400 manuscripts (the earliest from the 8th century) and the 530 incunabula (early printed books before 1500).
A visual treat for lovers of art, architecture, history and books, the Admont Abbey’s library & museum is open from March 24 – Dec. 31 daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Out of season visits are avilable on request. Please visit www.stiftadmont.at for more.
Seen here is an aerial black and white photo of the famous Cologne Cathedral during WWII. Kevin Trotman (The Rocketeer on Flickr) said he found the photo along with 19 others tucked inside a book that he bought for $1 at a library book sale.
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site. It is also Germany’s most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day. [Source]
Construction of Cologne Cathedral commenced in 1248 and was halted in 1473, leaving it unfinished. Work restarted in the 19th century and was completed, to the original plan, in 1880. It is 144.5 metres (474 ft) long, 86.5 m (284 ft) wide and its towers are approximately 157 m (515 ft) tall. The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires and largest façade of any church in the world.
The cathedral suffered seventy hits by aerial bombs during World War II. It did not collapse, but stood tall in an otherwise flattened city. The twin spires are said to have been used as an easily recognizable navigational landmark by Allied aircraft raiding deeper into Germany in the later years of the war, which may be a reason that the cathedral was not destroyed. [Source]
Painted on the nave of St. Paulinus’ Church in Trier, Germany, is this incredible fresco by Rococo artist Christoph Thomas Scheffler (1699-1756). The fresco portrays scenes from the life of St Paulinus and depictions of the martyrdom of the Theban Legion.
A Baroque church, St. Pailunus’ was constructed between 1734 and 1753. The image above is a vertical panorama stitched from 11 separate photographs. To truly appreciate the amazing detail of this painting, be sure to check out the 10.14 mb 3800 x 7809 pixel version on Wikimedia Commons.
Strahov Monastery is a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1143 by Bishop Jindřich Zdík, Bishop John of Prague, and Duke Vladislav II. It is located in Strahov, Prague, Czech Republic. In 1670 Jeroným Hirnheim, a philosopher and theologian became the abbot of Strahov. His greatest work, which has survived to the present days, was the building of the new library, so-called Theological Hall (seen above) completed in 1679.
Strahov is one of the oldest Premonstratensian monasteries still in existence in the world. Since its establishment in 1143 it has been a working concern more or less continuously. It has survived fires, wars, revolutions and the wrath of various regimes, but whenever the members of the order couldn’t live in their monastery buildings, they gathered in other places until they were allowed to return. Today around 70 monks live a quiet life here. [Source]
The Strahov Library houses over 200,000 volumes, of which 3,000 are original manuscripts. The library is made up of two halls (Theological Hall and Philosophical Hall) linked by a passageway. The Theological Hall with its impressive stuccowork contains mostly literature of a theological nature and thousands of editions of the Bible. [Source]
Clement Celma is a photographer, videographer and designer based in Barcelona, Spain. In his wonderful photo series on Gaudi Architecture (many taken with a fisheye lens), Celma captures the organic beauty of Gaudi’s intricate designs.
In the select images below, we check out the awe-inspiring ceiling of Sagrada Familia, a Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by legendary Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Construction began on 19 March 1882 from a project by the diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villar (1828-1901). At the end of 1883 Gaudi was commissioned to carry on the works, a task which he did not abandon until his death in 1926. Since then different architects have continued the work after his original idea.
It has always been an expiatory church, which means that since the outset, it has been built from donations. Still under construction, it is hoped that the church will be completed some time in the first third of the 21st century.
Be sure to check out more impressive photography, panoramas and video timelapses by Clement Celma at the links below.
[via My Modern Met]
The Abbaye de Villers (Villers Abbey), situated in the commune of Villers-la-Ville (Belgium) in grounds of more than 36 hectares, is a destination imbued with history. It was founded in the 12th Century, under the aegis of Saint Bernard. Today, its ruins give an idea of the life of monks of the Cistercian Order. The earliest buildings no longer exist and the Abbey was completely rebuilt during the 13th Century (Villers III).
According to the chronicle the Abbey numbered in those days no fewer than one hundred monks and three times as many lay brothers. The estate covered a good twenty-five thousand acres, dotted between Antwerp and Namur and managed by different grangiae. Villers also benefited from the protection of the powerful Dukes of Brabant.
For additional information on visitation and tours please visit the official website at: http://en.villers.be
The Sifter has already profiled the fantastic work of Richard Silver for his New York Sliced series. In his ongoing exploration of his hometown city of New York, Richard takes us on a tour of beautifully designed church ceilings around NYC.
Each photo is a vertical panorama composed of 6-10 photos stitched together. Shooting from the pew to the exit door and back again, the dizzying 180-degree view wonderfully captures the intricate detail and design of each church’s ceiling.
Be sure to check out Richard Silver on Behance where he has 9 fascinating projects posted. You can also find his work on his personal website where there are some amazing travel shots and information about his book, “Tilt-Shift” ing the World
