Malta – Rabat – St Paul’s Grotto
April 18, 2010
Malta – Rabat – St Paul’s Grotto
Originally uploaded by let².
Pope Benedict XVI prays in front a of statue of St.Paul in the grotto of the Saint Paul church in Rabat, Malta, Saturday, April 17, 2010.
The parish church of Rabat, founded in 1575 but remodelled in 1692, was built over one of Malta’s earliest Christian chapels, on the same spot where St Paul once preached. The Grotto of St Paul, below the adjoining Chapel of St Publius, is the main point of interest. According to local Christian belief is was here that St Paul spent several weeks preaching Christianity; another story has it that the apostle was imprisoned here. It is also said that stone scraped from the grotto walls has special healing powers and that, however much stone is scraped away, the cave never alters in size. The prominent feature, below a series of dimly lit catacombs, is a marble statue of St Paul.
The custodian will inform you that the grotto was once a Roman prison and will show you the holes in the roof from where the prisoner’s chains once hung. Two tiny chapels are dedicated to St Paul and St Luke, each one with a statute of its apostle.
In 1990 Pope John Paul II visited Rabat and came to pray in the grotto. His starting prayer, ‘God Bless Malta and the Maltese’, is inscribed on a plaque on the exterior wall of the church.
Rhodes 2009 – Lindos Acropolis
November 3, 2009
Rhodes 2009 – Lindos Acropolis
Originally uploaded by let².
Lindos is a town and an archaeological site on the east coast of the Greek island of Rhodes, in the Dodecanese in southeastern Aegean Sea. It is about 55 km south of the town of Rhodes and its fine beaches make it a popular tourist and holiday destination. Lindos is situated in a large bay and faces the fishing village and small resort of Haraki.
Above the modern town rises the acropolis of Lindos, a natural citadel which was fortified successively by the Greeks, by the Romans, the Byzantines, the Knights of St John and the Ottomans. This makes the site difficult to excavate and interpret archaeologically. The acropolis offers spectacular views of the surrounding harbours and coastline
Rhodes 2009 – Kameiros
October 27, 2009
Originally uploaded by let².
Kameiros (Κάμειρος) was a city on the island of Rhodes, Greece, lying on a peninsula on the northwest coast of the island. It was the heart of an agricultural region, and constituted one of three city states on Rhodes.
The main settlement was on the middle terrace, consisting of a grid of parallel streets and residential blocks. On the lower terrace are found a Doric Temple, probably to Apollo; the Fountain House, with the Agora in front of it; and Peribolos of the Altars, which contained dedications to various deities.
During the prehistoric period the area was inhabited by the Achaeans. The city itself was founded by the Dorians. The temple foundations were begun at least as early as the eighth century BC. The earthquake of 226 BC destroyed the city and the temple. The earthquake of 142 BC destroyed the city for the second time.
Speyer 2009 – Paul Josef Nardini
September 6, 2009
Speyer 2009 – Paul Josef Nardini
Originally uploaded by let².
Speyer 2009, Germany – Relique ( Bone) Paul Josef Nardini.
Nardini was considered a saint by the members of his community, and by all the sisters of the order which he had founded, who at the time of his death numbered 220 in 35 locations. His mortal remains were entombed in the Chapel of the Congregation of the order he founded in Pirmasens. The cause for his beatification was begun in June, 1997, in the Diocese of Speyer. On December 19, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI officially recognized the heroic virtues of Nardini, thus formally making him eligible for beatification.[1] Six months later, on June 26, 2006, the Pope officially recognized the miracle required for Nardini’s beatification, the miraculous healing of one of the nuns of the order he founded, Stephana Beyer, from late-stage cancer, which happened after the sisters of her order prayed at Nardini’s tomb for her.[2] Pope Benedict XVI authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate his cause.
Speyer Cathedral, site of the beatification
He was formally beatified in the Speyer Cathedral by Friedrich Cardinal Wetter, who read an Apostolic Letter from the pope officially recognizing Nardini as beatified. There were some 2,000 people present for the ceremony, including some 600 nuns of the order he founded, with thousands of others watching the ceremony on closed circuit television in the square of the cathedral. It was the first beatification in Germany in 10 years, and the first one in which the pope himself was not present. The current bishop of Speyer, Anton Schlembach, called Nardini a “highly gifted minister” who “opened people’s eyes to the necessity and beauty of the priesthood” (c) Wikipedia
St. Moritz 2007 – Grand Hotel des Bains / Kempinski
August 3, 2009
St. Moritz 2007 – Grand Hotel des Bains / Kempinski
Originally uploaded by let².
St. Moritz 2007, Switzerland – Grand Hotel des Bains / Kempinski
The Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains is located next to the old “Mauritius” spring, the origin of St. Moritz.
Since two to three thousand years ago mankind has been drinking from the sour water springs of St Moritz. The iron spring was discovered during the Bronze Age and encapsulated in a well that was used until 1907. In 1553, Paracelsus von Hohenheim, visited the mineral spring of St Moritz and immediately recognized the medical benefits of such a spring which he then described in his medical writings. His writings are said to be the first known and well preserved medical writings describing the “Sanct Mauritz” sour water spring. In Parcacelsus’s subsequent writings, he detailed his preference of the St Moritz iron spring in comparison to other similar springs throughout Europe.
It was through the discovery of the mineral source more than 3.460 years ago that St. Moritz and the Engadin became popular for summer tourism. Even at the time of the Belle Époque this monumental and imposing luxury hotel, equipped with gas in 1874 and with electricity in 1888 (!), attracted people of high and highest rank, royalties, politicians and artists from all over the world, seeking and finding health and rest here.
Berlin 2009 – Michael Jackson
July 17, 2009
Originally uploaded by let².
Berlin 2009, Germany – Michael Jackson (+)
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009), dubbed the “King of Pop”, was an American vocalist, dancer and businessman. One of the most commercially successful artists of all time, his contributions to music and dance, along with a highly publicized personal life, made him a part of popular culture around the world for four decades.
Jackson died at the age of 50 on June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles, California after suffering from cardiac arrest.
Berlin 2009 – Holocaust Denkmal
July 17, 2009
Berlin 2009 – Holocaust Denkmal
Originally uploaded by let².
Berlin 2009, Germany – Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe //
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (German: Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas), also known as the Holocaust Memorial (German: Holocaust-Mahnmal), is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. It consists of a 19,000 square meter (4.7 acre) site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or “stelae”, arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. The stelae are 2.38m (7.8′) long, 0.95m (3′ 1.5″) wide and vary in height from 0.2 m to 4.8m (8″ to 15’9″). According to Eisenman’s project text, the stelae are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason. A 2005 copy of the Foundation for the Memorial’s official English tourist pamphlet, however, states that the design represents a radical approach to the traditional concept of a memorial, partly because Eisenman did not use any symbolism. An attached underground “Place of Information” (German: Ort der Information) holds the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims, obtained from the Israeli museum Yad Vashem. (Wikipedia)
Malta 2009 – Rotunda Santa Marija Assunta
May 19, 2009
Malta 2009 – Rotunda Santa Marija Assunta
Originally uploaded by let².
The Rotunda of St Marija Assunta ( Mosta Dome ) is a church in Mosta, Malta. Built in the 19th century on the site of a previous church, it was designed by the Maltese architect Giorgio Grognet. Its dome is among the largest in the world, with a diameter of 37 meters (122ft). The rotunda dome is the third-largest church dome in Europe and the ninth largest in the world.
Leipzig 2009 – Völkerschlachtdenkmal
March 28, 2009
Originally uploaded by let².
Leipzig 2009, Germany – Völkerschlachtdenkmal / Tränenteich
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, fought on 16–19 October 1813, was one of the most decisive defeats suffered by Napoleon Bonaparte. The battle was fought on German soil and involved German troops on both sides, as a large proportion of Napoleon’s troops actually came from the German Confederation of the Rhine. The battle involved over 500,000 troops, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I.
London 2009 – The Guards Museum
February 14, 2009
Originally uploaded by let².
London 2009, Great Britain – The Guards Museum / The museum contains a wealth of information and artefacts relating to the five regiments of Foot Guards namely Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards. Along with the two regiments of Household Cavalry they make up Her Majesty’s Household Division and enjoy the treasured privilege of guarding The Sovereign and the Royal Palaces.
