Rome - Traveling Thru History

Top Historic Sites in Europe, Part 3

Erin — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 14:00:32 +0000

Welcome to Part 3 of my Top Historic Sites in Europe series! I’m glad you came back to check out some more fantastic sites. So far we’ve done the top historic sites from 20 countries in Parts 1 and 2 and today you’ll get to see 10 more in Part 3! I have really loved learning more about these countries along with the significance of some of their historic sites and I’m so excited to share this with you. With a recorded history going back over 37,000 years, there are just way too many fascinating places to see them all. That’s why I’ve partnered with other travel bloggers to find out which sites are of the most historic and significant importance for each of these countries. I hope you’ll enjoy what we’ve put together today. Belgium – Bruges Market Square and Belfry Bruges (or Brugge) is deservedly one of the most popular cities to visit in Belgium. The city experienced its golden age during the late medieval period, between the 12th and 15th centuries, during which time Bruges was one of the busiest ports in the world. However, when the river channel leading into Bruges began to fill with silt, the city gradually lost its importance, along with much of its population. Soon, all that was left of the city that was once Belgium’s crown jewel were its beautiful medieval buildings. It was these historic buildings that first attracted tourists in the late 19th century, and brought new life back to the city. At the heart of Bruges lie multiple squares, home to the most important buildings of the city, with the largest square being the Markt, or Market Square. Regular markets have been held in this square since the 10th century and are still held to this day. Surrounding the square are impressive guild houses, including the Provincial Palace, the Cloth Hall and towering above all, the Belfry. The Belfry of Bruges is one of the most famous sites in Belgium. Belfries were a type of medieval bell tower used throughout the region of Flanders and the neighboring Duchy of Burgundy in France. Along with tolling the hours and half hours, they also served as a source of civic pride to the cities and towns, separate from the landmarks built by the church and feudal lords. Along with being an important bell tower, the Belfry of Bruges housed the city’s treasury and archives and was used as a watch tower to keep an eye out for fires and other dangers. The Belfry in Bruges dates back to the mid 13th century. It was first built in 1240, but was heavily damaged by a fire in 1280, after which it was rebuilt. Unfortunately, the archives house inside the belfry were destroyed during that same fire. The belfry has stayed mostly the same since it was rebuilt in 1280. An octagonal top was added in the late 1400s along with a wooden spire holding an image of St. Michael holding a banner while standing atop a dragon, this addition was struck by lightning in 1493, which resulted in the destruction of the octagonal top and the belfry’s bells. Another wooden spire was added shortly thereafter, but it, too, was destroyed by fire in 1741. It wasn’t until 1822 that the Gothic stone parapet was added to the top, which has stood, undamaged, ever since. When you visit Market Square, it’s possible to climb to the top of the Belfry of Bruges and take in a magnificent panoramic view of the city. Halfway up you’ll reach the Treasury, which is where the city’s charters, seal and public funds were kept during the Medieval period. And, at the very top, is the chamber for the bells – all 47 of them! Even if you don’t climb the tower, the market square is one of the best places in Bruges to dine out any time of the day, or just settle for a drink, with the square these days lined with restaurants. Or just stop by one of the many gelato shops and relax by the fountain, taking in the beautiful surroundings. Shandos Cleaver is the founder and blogger-in-chief of Travelnuity, a travel blog focused on dog-friendly travel around the world. She’s currently travelling around Europe with her Miniature Dachshund, Schnitzel, and shares about their adventures on Facebook. Belarus – Mir Castle Mir Castle is one of the most renowned fortifications in Belarus. Construction on what would eventually become Mir Castle took place during the early 1400s in an area which was then called the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This private estate remained in the Gedyegoldovish family for roughly 60 years before it fell into the hands of Duke Yury Ilinich. Due to political ambitions and regional hostilities, Duke Ilinich decided to build a fortress castle in what is now called the Belarusian Gothic style. The way Mir Castle was built is unique. The five 25-foot high towers of the castle were planned as independent centers of resistance that were capable of supporting adjacent towers. Each tower was designed so that the towers next to it could deliver flanking fire to increase defensive capabilities. One construction aspect of note is that the tower walls were designed with three layers: the two outside layers are made of brick and stone while the middle layer is made up of small stones and broken bricks. Unfortunately, neither Duke Ilinich nor any member of his family ever saw the completion of Mir Castle. Within 40 years, the entire Ilinich family was gone. Duke Ilinich’s grandson left the Mir Estate to his cousin, Prince Mikolaj Krzysztof Radziwill, in whose family the estate remained for the next three centuries. Prince Radziwill finished construction of Mir Castle by adding two three-story living quarters to the northern and eastern walls of the castle and rebuilt three of the towers. He also added a fortified gate to the entrance. Over the centuries, Mir Castle has gone through multiple periods of grandeur and decay, as well as surviving many conflicts. Several restorations have been done over the years, but it wasn’t until 1922 that a full-scale extensive restoration was undertaken, which took 16 years. Sadly, Mir Castle was taken by the Germans during WWII and used as a ghetto for roughly 800 Jews who lived nearby. After Belarus was liberated by the Allies in July 1944, Mir Castle was used as a refuge for the hundreds of Mir residents whose homes had been destroyed during the war. The last of the families staying in the castle left in 1962 and it once again fell into disrepair. In 1983, another extensive restoration was done on Mir Castle and it was opened to the public on December 16, 2010. Nowadays, Mir Castle is a living museum of history as well as a venue for cultural festivals and events. Mir Castle was one of the highlights of my visit to Belarus. It has a nice lake and park on its territory, which are the most enjoyable during warm months. The entrance to the territory, parks, lake is free. To visit museums inside the castle, you need to get a ticket. One day per month (last Wednesday of the month, as a rule) there is a free entry for everyone. Budget traveler, Eastern European, living with local people in India to explore the country from a different angle! Beyond traveling, Natalia is an events & marketing specialist by day and a blogger at My Trip Hack. Twitter: https://twitter.com/mytriphack Albania – Ruins of Apollonia and the Church of St. Mary Apollonia was founded in 588 BC by Greek colonists and named after the god Apollo (not very original as there were 23 other Apollonias along the Mediterranean coast). This Apollonia was the biggest and most important of them all, with a population of 60,000, a record in ancient times. Over the next 800 years, it became a major port for slaves, agriculture, pottery and asphalt. Due to the slave trade, Apollonia rose to become an important city-state: the city minting its own coins and, in 229 BC, became a Roman Protectorate. Apollonia supported Julius Caesar during the Roman Civil War of the 1st century and was rewarded with the title of “Free City,” meaning it didn’t pay tax to Rome. Under Roman rule, Apollonia also became a major centre of learning. Julius Caesar even sent his nephew Octavius, the future Emperor Augustus, to study here. Unfortunately, an earthquake in the third century changed everything for Apollina. Due to the changed landscape from the earthquake, the course of the Vjosa river changed, causing the harbour to silt up and prevent vessels from entering. This resulted in a major downturn in trade and started the slow decline Apollonia’s importance. Over time, the silted river became a mosquito-ridden swampland, increasing the frequency of malaria outbreaks. Added to this, the social structure of the city was failing and the Goths were invading the region. Apollonia was no longer a pleasant place to live and, by 800 AD, the city was largely abandoned. During the 9th century, after most residents had left the city, the monastery of St Mary was built by the small group of Christians who remained. in the ruins of the city and was rebuilt in the 14th century. During communist times, religion was banned, so the monastery was used to house livestock and supplies. Since the fall of communism, the Church of St. Mary was returned to its original use and the former monastery buildings were modified to house a small museum and cafe. With its ancient architecture and dim candle lit rooms, St. Mary’s is once again a place of peace. These days Apollonia attracts not only tourists but also newlyweds who want to get their photos taken amongst the ruins. Around the site are the remains of public buildings, temples, theatres, fountains, villas and the old city walls. If you’re looking for things to do in Albania and are interested in Ancient Greece then a day trip to Apollonia is a must. Ron and Michele are Australians who have decided to live life with less things and have more experiences. Their blog, Legging It Travel, covers their travel experiences across more than 30 countries, which they share on their Facebook page. Croatia – Diocletian’s Palace Diocletian’s Palace is one of the few UNESCO Heritage Sites with residents who live, work, and play inside the palace walls. If you’ve ever wanted to experience living in history, staying in this modern community allows you to soak up the site’s history and marvel at how relevant it is for every aspect of contemporary life. Long neglected, but now undergoing a renaissance, the Palace is popular with visitors who arrive by cruise ship from other countries, ferry from the Dalmatian islands, and Croatians on holiday. Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruled from 284-305A.D., famously resigned his position due to declining health, wanting to spend the remainder of his days by the seaside close to where he was born. His plan was to grow tomatoes in the lovely Mediterranean setting in what is now the city of Split, Croatia, on the Dalmatian Coast. This just might be the world’s oldest surviving, upscale retirement home on the water. Constructed at the turn of the 4th century A.D., the palace complex’s residential areas, storehouses, public gathering spaces and temples were supported by a military garrison. Abandoned for several hundred years, and then neglected during Yugoslavia’s Communist regime, the buildings are now repurposed and individual property values within the Palace walls are rising. Foreign nationals looking for an inexpensive holiday home have invested in apartments here, many of which have required restoration within the confines of protected, heritage status. Visitors will experience a bustling, yet relaxed vibe which incorporates historical heritage and clever renovations. Innovative restaurants, upscale accommodations and specialty shops are interspersed among historical squares, a circular oculus open to the sky, colonnades and arches, and ornamental entry gates designated as Gold, Silver and Iron. A stay...

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Michelangelo’s Pieta

Erin — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 13:30:46 +0000

Shortly after 23-year-old Michelangelo Buonarroti arrived in Rome in 1497, he was approached by French Cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas for a special task. Cardinal Bilhères wanted an extraordinary sculpture made for his mausoleum in the Chapel of Santa Petronilla, the chapel for the King of France in St. Peter’s Basilica, and he wanted the very young and very talented Michelangelo to create it for him. Michelangelo accepted the commission and promised to create “the most beautiful work of marble in Rome, one that no living artist could better” (Jansen, 459). After returning from a short trip to Carrara, Italy, in 1498 to secure the best marble he could find, Michelangelo began working on the masterpiece now known as Michelangelo’s Pieta. A Pieta is a style of artistic expression that depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus after He has been removed from the cross, the most common form being sculpture or carving. Michelangelo’s Pieta is made of Carrara marble and sculpted in such a manner as to make it appear smooth and fluid with arrested motion. His version of the Pieta remains one of the most impressive interpretations of the first moments after Christ has been removed from the cross because of how much it diverges from the typical style and because of how much emotion he was able to capture in a scene that appears so serene. Even though his rendition of the Pieta deviates from the typical depiction of the scene, he does hold true to the basic theme of Mary cradling Jesus in her lap. This sculpture shows an adult Christ laying lifeless across His young mother’s lap as she mourns His death. Mary’s face is “serene and peaceful” (Ross) as she holds her son, who has just been removed from the cross. The wounds in His hands, feet and side are visible, but only just so. As with the rest of the details of his Pieta, the restrained inclusion of the crucifixion wounds was innovative in the art of creating Pietas. When Pietas were first developed in Germany at the end of the 13th century they were typically made to show the pain and agony of Christ’s death as well as the sorrow of His mother, Mary (Ross). Michelangelo’s Pieta, while holding true to the basic layout of a Pieta, was a new and innovative way to show the aftermath of the death of Christ. Aside from this being the first Italian Pieta, Michelangelo chose to use a classical representation of Mary by making her youthful instead of the typical middle-aged woman that she really was and he chose to show peace on her face instead of the usual sorrow and grief. The difference of how Michelangelo chose to create his Pieta is glaringly noticeable when placed next to a Pieta that has been made in the typical fashion, such as the Rottgen Pieta. The Rottgen Pieta was created between 1300-1325 by an unknown German artist. It is 35 inches tall and is made of wood that has been painted. Aside from being made in a different century, in a different country and out of different materials, the concept behind the two pieces is the same: the Virgin Mary holding a deceased Christ moments after He has been taken down from the cross. Both pieces show Mary holding Christ in her lap, but that is where the similarities end. The Rottgen Pieta followed the traditional Gothic fashion of creating religious works that were full of anguish and somewhat gory. In Michelangelo’s rendition, he chose to replace the anguish with peace and the gore with “restrained emotional expression” (Ross) that was becoming popular during the Italian Renaissance. Another very noticeable difference is the age of Mary. Michelangelo followed the Classical tradition of making people youthful and attractive while the German artist made his Mary appear old, wrought with grief and obviously suffering. The German Mary is also thin and frail while Michelangelo’s Mary is healthy, busty and in the prime of youth. Aside from the differences in how Mary is portrayed, Christ is very different as well. Michelangelo’s Christ, while deceased, does not show the anguish and suffering that He was sure to have gone through prior to His death. The wounds he received in His hands, feet and sides are present, but they are not as obvious and gory as the Gothic statue portrays. The Gothic statue shows Christ’s wounds in a manner to gain the viewer’s attention and be fully aware of the pain and suffering these profusely bleeding wounds would have caused. Along with the wounds showing that Christ suffered before and during His death, the German Pieta depicts Christ as thin and weak. Surely this means He had suffered much before His death. But Michelangelo chose not to convey that message. He chose to create his Christ as strong and healthy, someone who was heroic and someone who was at peace with His death. Another unique feature of this piece is Mary’s sash. In a move art historians are still trying to understand, Michelangelo brazenly signed his work on the sash that runs between Mary’s breasts. Was it a moment of egotistic zeal? The result of too much wine? A badly calculated coherent decision? Or was there some other reason Michelangelo inscribed his name in so awkward a place? We my never know the answer, but it still stands that Michelangelo brazenly inscribed the words “Michaelangelus Bonarotus Florent Faciebat” across the Mother of God’s chest. Until the end of time, or the statue gets destroyed, all humanity will know: Michelangelo Buonarroti Made This. Because of the way in which he chose to design his Pieta and the message he chose to convey with it, Michelangelo’s Pieta is one of the most important pieces of art in the world. The features that make Michelangelo’s Pieta so beautiful and captivating are the same things that make it so unique and important. Michelangelo’s Pieta is serene and beautiful instead of anguished and gory as Pietas has been up until this point. His Pieta adheres to the principles of naturalism so well that when combined with his careful attention to detail, it achieves a level of realism that hadn’t been seen for centuries, regardless of his accuracy of scale. Perhaps in part because it was the first Italian Pieta ever made and partly because of the peace that it conveys, Michelangelo’s Pieta has been moved from its original resting place in a side chapel to a central place in St. Peter’s Basilica, a major pilgrimage destination where people of all walks of life can see it and be inspired by it. The message conveyed in Michelangelo’s Pieta is one of peace and hope. By choosing to show Christ’s death as one of peace and quietude, Michelangelo is sending the message that death is not the end, that death does not need to be a heart-rending experience for us or the people we love. Michelangelo touched the hearts of the people of his time with his message and continues to touch people today. His Pieta has become one of the most well-known pieces of art in the world and will forever be one of the most beloved pieces in the Christian world. BIBLIOGRAPHY “The Divine Michelangelo – Overview of Michelangelo’s Major Artworks.” BBC News. BBC, 05 Feb. 2004. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/02_february/05/divine_michelangelo_overview.shtml>. Harris, Dr. Beth, and Dr. Steven Zucker. “Michelangelo, Pietà.” Khan Academy. Khan Academy, 20 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/high-ren-florence-rome/high-renaissance1/v/michelangelo-piet-1498-1500>. Janson, H. W., and Anthony F. Janson. “Chapter 13 The High Renaissance in Italy.” History of Art: The Western Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2004. N. pag. Print. “Jean Bilhères De Lagraulas.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Bilh%C3%A8res_de_Lagraulas>. “Michelangelo Biography.” The Michelangelo Experience. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.michelangeloexperience.com/michelangelo-buonarroti/#michelangelo-pieta-stpeter>. “Michelangelo, Pietà.” Khan Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/renaissance-reformation/high-ren-florence-rome/high-renaissance1/v/michelangelo-piet-1498-1500>. “Michelangelo.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo>. “Michelangelo’s Pieta.” Italian Renaissance. N.p., 23 July 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.italianrenaissance.org/michelangelos-pieta/>. “Michelangelo’s Pieta.” Rome.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.rome.info/michelangelo/pieta/>. “Pietà (Michelangelo).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet%C3%A0_(Michelangelo)>. “Pietà.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet%C3%A0>. Pullella, Philip. “Vatican Marks Anniversary of 1972 Attack on Michelangelo’s Pieta.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 21 May 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-vatican-pieta-idUSBRE94K0KU20130521>. Ross, Nancy. “Michelangelo Pieta.” 13 Feb. 2015. Lecture. “Web Gallery of Art, Image Collection, Virtual Museum, Searchable Database of European Fine Arts (1000-1900).” Web Gallery of Art, Image Collection, Virtual Museum, Searchable Database of European Fine Arts (1000-1900). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. <http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?%2Fhtml%2Fm%2Fmichelan%2F1sculptu%2Fpieta%2F1pieta1.html>.

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