One of my favorite things I did on my trip to Europe was go to six of the most famous churches in the world. We don't have anything similar to them out west in America so this was a new thing for me. It was fascinating to enter each church, feel the special spirit there, learn about the culture, history and people that brought about these beautiful structures. I was so much in awe of the dedication worshipers had to build these buildings without modern technology, sometimes they took several hundred years to get to the size and state they are today. It made me think that the people starting the construction probably wouldn't see anything close to a finished project but did it because of their faith and because they wanted to worship God and build tributes to other great church figures. I was in awe of the history and events that happened in these places. I learned a lot about the different religious sects and how they compared to my own religion. The architecture was also something to behold. You may not expect to get all of that from going to a church, art, history, culture, religion (obviously), technology, architecture, etc, but these places were and are integral in the shaping of these countries and the world.
Westminister Abbey-London, England
This was my first church and for some reason my more favorite of the two in London. Jillian will say her's is St. Paul's. This place is actually an abbey, not a cathedral, I learned that there is only one "official" cathedral in each area/city, and in London that would be St. Paul's Cathedral. I really enjoyed this place. It's where all the British coronations happen and tons of monarchs are buried there. Including plaques or memorials for famous poets, artists, scientists, etc. I learned a lot about the British Monarchy and straightened things out in my head a bit. It is jam packed with tombs/sarcoghogi? of tons of people. It also has the coronation chair that every British monarch (except 2 I think) has sat upon during their coronation. Will and Kate got married there. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is there. Lots of important government/monarchy/Britishy things go down there. I also saw the replicas of the crown jewels-they use them in the run-throughs of the ceremonies. Queen Elizabeth certainly has some nice jewelry. I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside so I only have outside pics. To learn more read the
wikipedia link.
St. Paul's Cathedral-London, England
Cathedral for the Church of England. We reenacted the "feed the birds" from Mary Poppins on the front steps. This place was really sweet as well. It has a very large dome with sweet acoustics. The altarpiece was large and ornate. We climbed up to the dome and had a great view of the city skyline. This is where Chuck and Diana got married. Important British Stuff happens here too. Towards the end of while we were there a church service was starting and they basically shut down except for worshipers. I remember it had a very large baptism font. I couldn't take pictures here either, but got some good ones of the outside. To learn more read this
wikipedia link.
Basilique du Sacre Cour-Paris, France
Roman Catholic-Means "sacred heart." Basilica to the "sacred heart" of Jesus. Didn't learn too much about the history of this place, but caught a bit of Mass which was my first experience with that. The structure is interesting because it looks a bit like a middle eastern palace because of the minarets. A lot of people go here because it's on a hilltop called Montmartre and you get a great view of the city. We got harassed a bit by souvenir hawkers and there wasn't an official tour so we didn't stay long.
Wiki
Notre Dame-Paris, France
Roman Catholic Cathedral. I loved, loved, loved this place. The Gothic architecture was so cool. I saw the two original stained glass windows. It's older than the London churches. I loved seeing the statue they had of Sainte Jeanne de'Arc, (Joan of Arc) and of the Virgin Mary. Jillian and I listened to "God Help the Outcasts" from the Hunchback of Notre Dame movie and I pretty much cried. They had one of the old chandeliers, not currently in use. I noticed they had a lot of statues surrounding the altarpiece, and the main piece was of the Virgin Mary, obvs. We also climbed the bell tower and got lots of views of the city again. I got to see the famous gargoyles up close and I learned that the gargoyles were just for water drainage, the other animals, called chimera, were for warding off evil spirits. I saw Emmanuel the big bell and other structural elements of the top of the church. Jillian was pretty stoked to see the flying buttresses. There were pretty gardens behind the church and it's actually on an island in the middle of the Seine.
Wiki
The Duomo-Florence, Italy
Roman Catholic Cathedral. Full title is the Basilica del Santa Maria del Fiore-Saint Mary of the Flower. It's the official cathedral of Florence. The dome is very large and what inspired Michelangelo to put a dome on St. Peter's. The outside is covered in white, pink (red) and green marble and it's very unique and beautiful. I thought it was interesting that they built the bell tower and baptistry as separate buildings from the church. It didn't have much in the way of treasures or cool stuff on the inside, but it's a very beautiful church that is situated in a very important Renaissance city.
Wiki
Saint Peter's Basilica-Vatican City
Roman Catholic, obs. Not a cathedral because some other church in the city of Rome has that title. If you didn't know, Vatican City is it's own country within Rome. They don't have an army so the Swiss Guards protect the place. I was overwhelmed to be at such an important spot to so many people of the world, being the center of the Catholic church. In the square I tried to imagine how they pack thousands and thousands of people in the square during Mass or even the funeral of the Pope. It's really not all that big. I really had respect for the churches in Italy because they made people cover up and look more modest out of respect for the church. Basically you had to have your shoulders covered and no super short shorts or skirts. I respected them for enforcing that. Before the basilica, we went to the Vatican Museum which was pretty sweet. Then we had to go back outside the walls and walk all the way around to the main entrance to St. Peter's Square. Side story-I had seen beggars other places during my trip but these ones broke my heart because they had physical deformities that you could see. I remember one that had a club foot that looked so painful and grotesque. It made me cry. It also reminded me of the story in the NT where the lame are sitting outside the temple in Jerusalem and the Pharisees (? IDK, some grouchy people) wanted them to leave because they were in the way. But Peter and his peeps taught them a lesson by healing the lame and the sick because they were to be blessed and not turned away. That was what these people were seeking and obviously hoping that people visiting such a religious place would take pity on them. Like I said, I saw other beggars before during this trip but they were panhandlers who were trying to take advantage of people. These people were different and it made me ponder and think. The first thng we did was climb to the top of the dome. It was a good climb in a narrow windy stairway but the view of the city was worth it. We first saw the inside of the dome, designed by Michelangelo, so beautiful with windows to let the gorgeous light in. All the words that Christ said to Peter in the NT are written around the church in huge gold letters in Latin. Some of these words were in the dome. It also allowed us a great view of the inside of the church, to see the huge brass canopy and other adornments of the church. Outside-Buildings are kept pretty short so nothing disrupts the skyline. It was also cool to peek into the Vatican gardens, which has all the other Vatican City buildings and where the Pope lives. The gardens were a lot more tropical than I thought they might be, But I guess it is the Mediterranean. I also enjoyed finding the wall that surrounds the perimeter designating the border. After climbing back down to the main roof we went into the little gift shop that was full of rosarys, pins, postcards etc. of famous popes and saints. They love Pope John Paul II and they love Mother Teresa. I bought a prayer card of St. Christopher from a little nun working in the shop. I don't know if it was just me or what, but all the nuns we saw were so little and short. I'm talking my height or shorter. They were so cute but it made me feel like I should become a nun. After that we went back down to the ground floor, and I do have to say that they had the widest stairwell of anything we climbed in Europe. Once we got back down we went inside the church. The first thing my eyes were drawn to was the huge brass canopy that is all the way down at the far end of the nave. It is so large, but then again, the entire basilica is huge. We took a moment just to take it all in. Being the late afternoon the light was coming in through the windows in the dome at an angle and made the place look even more holy. Jillian and I had Rick Steve's audio tour on our iPods and were able to listen to him narrate our tour as we learned things. The brass canopy was constructed to fill up space essentially and make the church seem less huge. I also learned that the sculptures that line the nave were built with funky proportions so as to look correct when viewed from below-the statues were above our heads. The brass canopy is over the altar which is over the crypt which is where they believe they have the remains of Peter the apostle. I think most of the other popes are buried there as well. They have a beautiful apse with lots of gold. We didn't get too much time to look around because after a little bit they were kicking people out of that part of the church because they were getting ready for mass. So we weren't able to go down into the crypt. We looked at the other things they had there, I saw the Holy Door, which is cemented up and not used except for in holy years which I guess is every 25, so the next time they use it will be in 2025. I saw the resting place of Pope John Paul II. He was initially buried in the crypt but when Benedict XVI made John Paul II beatified, they brought him back upstairs and placed him in a side chapel so people could visit it. I remembered watching the funeral on tv very late at night and all the retrospectives they did on him when he died, so I thought it was cool to see that. Probably the best part is seeing the Pieta, which is a statue by Michelangelo of Mary holding Christ after he died on the cross. I had seen pictures before, but to see the actual thing is very spiritually moving and artistically marveling. It is behind glass now because a while ago a madman came in and started hacking at the statue and actually damaged some of it. They were able to repair it. Michelangelo signed his work (I think because people didn't think it was his) but later felt so ashamed at his pride and ego for needing to sign his work and to defile a sacred thing that he didn't sign anything else he painted or sculpted. Michelangelo may be known for his Sistine Chapel painting, but he was primarily a sculptor. I enjoyed seeing this piece which becomes even more impressive when you think about how one goes about sculpting something. I was very impressed with St. Peter's.
Wiki.
I don't know if I could pick a favorite if asked. They are all unique, built in different times for different reasons. I learned so much by visiting these places and they were definately one of the highlights of my trip.
Pictures to come when I get a photoshop project done, then you can see what I'm talking about.
The first section was showing green and pastoral Great Britian, used real animals and grass, showed farms and hills, people playing rugby, cricket, picnicing, and other British things. (I found out they cut out a bunch when you watch it on TV). Then they showed the industrial era of GB and had smokestacks rise and forged an Olympic ring to join four others to make a set. Then they sort of rained fire. During this they had a moment of silence for all the people who fought and died in the World Wars. (Side note-one thing I noticed when I was in England in May was how much they still remember and honor and hold sacred the people who fought in WWI and WWII. I think they do a much better job on remembering those two wars specifically than we do, and it makes sense. Their country was being bombed, they fought in them longer than the US did, but I really appreciate that even though these wars are getting to be a long ways in the past they are still remembered). Then came the literature and arts section showing GB's contribution to the world and then music. Then came a lot of dancing and other stuff they didn't show and then the parade of nations. Then the official opening of the games from HRH and the lighting of the cauldron-which was unique because it was made out of lots of copper petals and stood on the floor of the stadium, not high up so that people outside the stadium could see the flame. And then Sir Paul McCartney got to sing. (I'm excited for the closing ceremonies because Take That and the Spice Girls are going to perform. And then I started remembering all these other British singers they should get like Elton John and Adele). Anyway, it was a decent show.
A word on team USA's outfits. I know there was a whole controversy when it was discovered that their clothes were manufactured in China. But guess what, everything in the USA is made in China. So I thought that was kind of fitting. Also Ralph Lauren got to choose how to make it, so, like any other business, they are going to do what's cheap. I don't think it's something to get so upset over and demand they all be burned. Senator Reid, let's burn all your clothes that aren't made in the US and see what you have left. On top of that people were mad that they had berets as part of the outfit and that they looked too European. Does anyone not remember the 2002 Olympics? The berets they wore were all the rage, and were made in Canada, gasp! I watched the other countries tonight and ours were among the classier outfits. GB, no offense, but your outfits were weird. White capri pants and white jackets with gold lettering? It looked a little childish and casual. I think the USA athletes looked really classy and sharp in their blazers. If they didn't want classy, the people in charge of that decision should not have picked Ralph Lauren to design them. Their style is classy. Everyone's a critic I guess. Including me.
