As the title implies, there have been many changes. Mainly I quit my job with Publicis after 11 years. I had had enough. I only left a little over a week ago and now I’m making my way in this brave new world. It’s scary but it’s also awesome. I gotta hustle now and make lunch appointments and update my LinkedIn profile, it’s all very exciting. Now, concerning blog entries. I was going to wrap up my San Francisco trip but since there was the tragedy of Notre Dame yesterday I figured I would talk about other churches and cathedrals I have visited that are nowhere near as famous but are similarly old and maybe even more beautiful. It gives one hope that there’s still beauty out there in this time of sorrow for all us art history and architecture enthusiasts.
It also helps that this was a kind of inevitability. not a fluke. From The New York Times:
Vincent Dunn, a fire consultant and former New York City fire chief, said that fire hose streams could not reach the top of such a cathedral, and that reaching the top on foot was often an arduous climb over winding steps.
“These cathedrals and houses of worship are built to burn,” he said. “If they weren’t houses of worship, they’d be condemned.”
Okay. On to other Christian churches / cathedrals that will make you feel better, maybe.
- St. Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague: https://design-newyork.com/blog/2010/04/02/budapest-and-prague-part-4/
- In case you’re missing the catacombs, outside Prague is The Ossuary of Sedlec. And St. Barbara’s Church (should be a cathedral, lost out to St. Vitus): https://design-newyork.com/blog/2010/04/03/budapest-and-prague-part-5/
- Cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium that still has the polychrome intact on the walls (which had chipped off in Notre Dame): https://design-newyork.com/blog/2012/12/03/belgium-for-thanksgiving-2012-part-3/
- St. Vitus’ Cathedral again (because awesome): https://design-newyork.com/blog/2015/02/03/germany-part-6-technically-prague/
- AND The Ossuary of Sedlec / St. Barbara’s Church again (because awesome): https://design-newyork.com/blog/2015/02/15/germany-part-done-technically-prague/
- The Church of the Jesuits in Quito, Ecuador (which is not Europe but holy crap this church was amazing): https://design-newyork.com/blog/2015/10/26/south-america-2015-part-8/
- Peterskirche in Vienna (super Baroque with festive dead bodies on display!): https://design-newyork.com/blog/2018/03/20/vienna-and-krakow-part-2/
- St. Mary’s Church in Krakow: https://design-newyork.com/blog/2018/04/15/vienna-and-krakow-part-8/
- Wawel Cathedral in Krakow (dragon dragon dragon whale bones dragon dragon): https://design-newyork.com/blog/2018/04/03/vienna-and-krakow-part-7/
And because I went here before I started blogging, the Cathedral of Monreale in Sicily. I straight-up lost my mind when I walked in. The mosaics are unreal. Here’s some info:
The Cathedral of Monreale (Italian: Duomo di Monreale) is a church in Monreale, City of Palermo, Sicily. One of the greatest existent examples of Norman architecture, it was begun in 1174 by William II of Sicily. Since 2015 it is part of the Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale UNESCO Heritage site.
The main internal feature is the large extent (6,500 m2) glass mosaics, executed in Byzantine style between the late 12th and the mid-13th centuries by both local and Venetians masters. With the exception of a high dado, made of marble slabs with bands of mosaic between them, the whole interior surface of the walls, including soffits and jambs of all the arches, is covered with minute mosaic-pictures in bright colors on a gold ground. The mosaic pictures, depicting stories from both the Old and New Testament, are arranged in tiers, divided by horizontal and vertical bands. In parts of the choir there are five of these tiers of subjects or single figures one above another.
I hope this helps ease the pain of losing Notre Dame. Remember, these are only churches and cathedrals I have visited. There are tons more.