Category: Church

I’ve got a hunch…back

When Victor Hugo began writing his classic tale The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, his goal was to make his contemporaries more aware of the value of Gothic architecture.

There has always been a debate as to whether or not Quasimodo was based on a real person. An article published in 2010 references the memoirs of a 19th-century sculptor working at Notre Dame. The memoir mentions a stone carver employed in the cathedral’s construction who had a severe hunchback and kept to himself.

In the Disney version of events, Quasimodo is friends with the gargoyles of the Church and they talk to each other.

“To a gargoyle on the ramparts of Notre Dame as Esmeralda rides off with Gringoire Quasimodo says. “Why was I not made of stone like thee?”

More information can be found here…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre-Dame

https://theconversation.com/how-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-inspired-the-cathedrals-19th-century-revival-115614

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/british-archivist-discovers-the-real-life-quasimodo/article1388693/

by janoseagle

Our Lady of Paris

With over 70 churches in the city of Paris, it can be overwhelming to take in them all. The one that absolutely cannot be missed is Notre Dame Cathedral.

Construction began on the towering edifice in 1136 and was mostly complete by 1260.

During the French Revolution, Notre-Dame suffered extensive damage and desecration. With many of its religious art damaged or destroyed, it wasn’t until Victor Hugo published his novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, that restoration efforts began.

In April of 2019, the roof of Notre-Dame caught fire and burned for 15 hours. The Cathedral will be restored to its former glory and is slated to re-open to the public in 2024.

For more information…

Notre Dame Cathedral Update

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre-Dame_de_Paris

by janoseagle

Farewell Louvre

There is never enough time to fully explore the Louvre. Over 2.8 million visitors venture through it’s cavernous halls in a year. With over 380,000 objects, something is bound to be missed on your first visit.

A mere 20′ away from the Mona Lisa is this painting of “Flora”.

Paris Bordone was an Italian painter. His paintings of religious themes were created for some of the great churches of the 1500s.

Biagio d’Antonio’s painting of “The Carrying of The Cross” depicts Jesus on his way to Cavalry. In the lower right corner is a woman holding a piece of fabric with Jesus’s face on it. This is known as Veronica’s Veil. Although not mentioned in the Bible, the legend of a woman that wiped the blood and sweat off of Jesus’ face has been retold across the world. This is but one of many representations of the meeting.

In the Egyptian collection, a bronze statue of a cat is on display. This is the Goddess Bastet in her form as a feline. The Goddess certainly has her plate full. She was the Goddess of cats, the sun, the East, fire, love, intoxication, music, dancing, joy, celebration, fertility, secrets, magic, and sex, to name a few of her duties.

For more information check out these links…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil_of_Veronica

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Bordone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biagio_d%27Antonio

https://www.louvre.fr/en

by janoseagle

Shrine of the Three Wisemen

Dreikönigsschrein, the Reliquary of the Three Kings is a tomb where they say that the remains of the Three Wise Men are enshrined. Set in a huge display case behind the main altar of the Cologne Cathedral, this is considered to be the largest shrine in the western world.

It took the world renowned goldsmith, Nicolau de Verdun spent half of a century building this masterpiece. The shrine was completed in 1225 and the remains of the Magi were laid to rest here.

This golden Reliquary of the Three Kings is made of wood, coated with gold, silver, enamel, and adorned with precious and semi-precious stones.

According to the legend, Queen Helena, mother of Constantine travelled to the Middle East to find the remains and bring them back to Cologne. The reliquary is comprised of three sarcophagi, two on the bottom and one on top.

More about the Three Wisemen can be found at this link…

http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/medievalart/exhibits/show/reliquary_cathedral_comparison/three_magi

by janoseagle

Basilica Church of St. Ursula

Built on the ancient ruins of a Roman cemetery, where 11,000 virgins associated with the legend of Saint Ursula were supposedly buried. Inside the church is a reliquary featuring the bones of these martyred girls. The story of Saint Ursula is now considered to be fiction. It’s thought that there were originally 11 girls accompanying St. Ursula but over the years the letter M was mistaken for the Roman numeral for 1000.

by janoseagle

Is Someone Watching Me?

In Gothic architecture, a gargoyle is a carved figure with spout to move water away from the building and prevent damage from rainwater eroding the mortar between the bricks.

A gargoyle is often times a fantastic creature, an animal or grotesque creation.

The French word gargouille which means throat or gullet leads to the name and gargoyle calls to mind the sound of the water rushing out it’s mouth as it gargles.

A carved figure that does not act as a rainspout is called a Chimera or grotesque.

by janoseagle