The Shrine of the Three Holy Kings in Cologne Cathedral contains relics believed to be the bones of the Biblical Magi. The shrine was built between 1190-1220 and decorated with gold, silver, gems, and enamels depicting biblical scenes. It was shortened in 1794 but later restored to its original form in the 1960s-70s. The intention was for the shrine to be placed in the cathedral's crossing, but it now sits above the high altar, making this a focal point.
A slideshow connected to a lecture of Islamic Art available at Art History Teaching Resources (http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/), written by Leila Anne Harris.
Slide 1: So today we will be discussing this iconic structure… World’s great wonder know as, Hagia Sophia in Greek…. Santa Sophia -in Latin and Aya Sophia in- Turkish……. Meaning HOLY WISDOM!!! On 24th July it re-opened as a mosque!
Slide 2: Situated on a hill overlooking the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, Hagia Sophia has gone through various transformations since it was built in what is now Istanbul in 537 and it remains one of the most important monuments of the world.
Slide 3: This map here shows us the location of Hagia Sophia, if u look closely,,, u will understand that majority of Turkey falls in the Asian part of the world and is included under the middle east zone….. While half of Istanbul is located in Europe….sharing its border with Greece and Bulgaria
Slide 5:
1. THE ORIGINAL DOME WAS REPLACED AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE IN 558 CE.
Soaring 160 feet high, with a diameter of 131 feet, the grand feature of the Hagia Sophia was its large central dome. The dome and the church were designed by architects Anthemios of Tralles and Isidoros of Miletos, but unlike the dome of the Pantheon, which has never faltered, an earthquake in 558 CE caused the Hagia Sophia's dome to collapse. It was rebuilt to a height of 182 feet, and the walls were reinforced in 562 CE. The dome's weight is supported by a series of smaller domes, arcades, and four large arches.
2. THE CHURCH WAS TWICE DESTROYED BY RIOTS.
First built in Constantinople in 360 CE and dedicated by the Roman Emperor Constantius II (son of Constantine, the founder of Constantinople), the initial, wood-constructed Hagia Sophia burned during a series of riots in 404 CE. In 415 CE, Emperor Theodosius II ordered the church rebuilt, but the Nika Revolt in 532 CE caused widespread death and destruction in the city, and the church was wiped out a second time.
3. ONE OF THE SEVEN ANCIENT WONDERS WAS USED IN THE CHURCH'S CONSTRUCTION.
To fortify (and beautify) the interior of the church, columns from the long-abandoned and destroyed Temple of Artemis in Ephesus were used for the Hagia Sophia. Additional building materials may also have come from ancient sites in Baalbeck and Pergamom.
6. BELIEVERS SAY THE 'WEEPING COLUMN' HAS HEALING POWERS.
Also called the "sweating column," the "wishing column," and the "perspiring column," the weeping column stands in the northwest portion of the church and is one of 107 columns in the building. The pillar is partly covered in bronze, with a hole in the middle, and it is damp to the touch. The alleged blessing of St. Gregory has led many to rub the column in search of divine healing.
7. THE FOUNDER OF MODERN TURKEY TURNED IT INTO A MUSEUM.
Former army officer Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded modern Turkey and served as its first president
This Powerpoint slideshow presentation shows the amzaning 1500 years old building that is still standing today. Together with the Panteon in Rome, they are the two most important historical buildings in the history of European architecture today that are still in use. The building was started as a Christian church in the city of Constantinople, as the Christian rival church in the New Rome of the East. In 1453, the city fell to the Turks. It became a mosque and inspired many to follow its architectural style. Today, it is a museum.
A slideshow connected to a lecture of Islamic Art available at Art History Teaching Resources (http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/), written by Leila Anne Harris.
Slide 1: So today we will be discussing this iconic structure… World’s great wonder know as, Hagia Sophia in Greek…. Santa Sophia -in Latin and Aya Sophia in- Turkish……. Meaning HOLY WISDOM!!! On 24th July it re-opened as a mosque!
Slide 2: Situated on a hill overlooking the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, Hagia Sophia has gone through various transformations since it was built in what is now Istanbul in 537 and it remains one of the most important monuments of the world.
Slide 3: This map here shows us the location of Hagia Sophia, if u look closely,,, u will understand that majority of Turkey falls in the Asian part of the world and is included under the middle east zone….. While half of Istanbul is located in Europe….sharing its border with Greece and Bulgaria
Slide 5:
1. THE ORIGINAL DOME WAS REPLACED AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE IN 558 CE.
Soaring 160 feet high, with a diameter of 131 feet, the grand feature of the Hagia Sophia was its large central dome. The dome and the church were designed by architects Anthemios of Tralles and Isidoros of Miletos, but unlike the dome of the Pantheon, which has never faltered, an earthquake in 558 CE caused the Hagia Sophia's dome to collapse. It was rebuilt to a height of 182 feet, and the walls were reinforced in 562 CE. The dome's weight is supported by a series of smaller domes, arcades, and four large arches.
2. THE CHURCH WAS TWICE DESTROYED BY RIOTS.
First built in Constantinople in 360 CE and dedicated by the Roman Emperor Constantius II (son of Constantine, the founder of Constantinople), the initial, wood-constructed Hagia Sophia burned during a series of riots in 404 CE. In 415 CE, Emperor Theodosius II ordered the church rebuilt, but the Nika Revolt in 532 CE caused widespread death and destruction in the city, and the church was wiped out a second time.
3. ONE OF THE SEVEN ANCIENT WONDERS WAS USED IN THE CHURCH'S CONSTRUCTION.
To fortify (and beautify) the interior of the church, columns from the long-abandoned and destroyed Temple of Artemis in Ephesus were used for the Hagia Sophia. Additional building materials may also have come from ancient sites in Baalbeck and Pergamom.
6. BELIEVERS SAY THE 'WEEPING COLUMN' HAS HEALING POWERS.
Also called the "sweating column," the "wishing column," and the "perspiring column," the weeping column stands in the northwest portion of the church and is one of 107 columns in the building. The pillar is partly covered in bronze, with a hole in the middle, and it is damp to the touch. The alleged blessing of St. Gregory has led many to rub the column in search of divine healing.
7. THE FOUNDER OF MODERN TURKEY TURNED IT INTO A MUSEUM.
Former army officer Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded modern Turkey and served as its first president
This Powerpoint slideshow presentation shows the amzaning 1500 years old building that is still standing today. Together with the Panteon in Rome, they are the two most important historical buildings in the history of European architecture today that are still in use. The building was started as a Christian church in the city of Constantinople, as the Christian rival church in the New Rome of the East. In 1453, the city fell to the Turks. It became a mosque and inspired many to follow its architectural style. Today, it is a museum.
2013- 2015 OUR COMMON EUROPEAN ROOTS MEETINGS AND TOPICS
4th project meeting - 28th September – 3rd October 2014 at Liceo Classico Dante Alighieri,
Ravenna, Italy
Topic : “Historical heritage: the remains of the past”.
Sounio, temple of poseidon, god of Sea. YoUtopia, September, 22, 2014Kapetanidou Theodossia
On our way to Athens, on Monday afternoon, the Greek Partners of Comenius Programme, YoUtopia Towards Participative Citizenship, offered a tour to their foreign partners through Cape Souninon and the Temple of Poseidon to Alimos Beach in Piraeus. At Sounion, the ancient temple of Poseidon, God of Sea, stands imposingly at the edge of the Cape, overlooking the Aegean Sea. The coastline streches out in the serenity of the Saronicos Gulf in the Aegean Sea, with a marvellous view when the sun starts sinking in the horizon.
Medieval art: the Expansion of Christian narrative in Carolingian and Ottonia...Ann Murray
A slide presentation on the development of Christian narrative in Carolingian and Ottonian Art. It is useful for educators who need a collection of slides that includes the key works of the period and which they can use in conjunction with their own notes. Notes are included in some of the slides.
Hagia Sofia was built between 532 and 537, as a Christian church. It has influenced architects ever since. The circular dome covering a square base was developed at the same time as the Basilica plan of the Early Christian churches, in Italy. The Byzantine dome was later adopted into Islamic architecture. However, the Roman dome was constructed differently. Romans placed their dome over a solid circle of walling, best seen in the example of the Pantheon in Rome, instead of using the pendentives (an architectural feature).
However, one shared feature of the time between the two styles was the use of opaque glass mosaics in the interior decoration, covering the walls.
The Hagia Sofia plan is basically an inscribed Greek cross. The hall has four piers at the corners of the square rising in circular arches to support a central dome by means of four pendentives. The upper galleries were used by the women, and were reached by steps inside the building. Much of Hagia Sofia's appeal comes from its size. The inside is dominated by the central dome over 30.5 metres in diameter.
Today after about 1500 years of continue used, Hagia Sofia still dominates the skyline of the Bosphorus. It is truly a milestone, among the world’s greatest architectural achievements, a testament of the sophistication of the 6C Byzantine Empire.
2013- 2015 OUR COMMON EUROPEAN ROOTS MEETINGS AND TOPICS
4th project meeting - 28th September – 3rd October 2014 at Liceo Classico Dante Alighieri,
Ravenna, Italy
Topic : “Historical heritage: the remains of the past”.
Sounio, temple of poseidon, god of Sea. YoUtopia, September, 22, 2014Kapetanidou Theodossia
On our way to Athens, on Monday afternoon, the Greek Partners of Comenius Programme, YoUtopia Towards Participative Citizenship, offered a tour to their foreign partners through Cape Souninon and the Temple of Poseidon to Alimos Beach in Piraeus. At Sounion, the ancient temple of Poseidon, God of Sea, stands imposingly at the edge of the Cape, overlooking the Aegean Sea. The coastline streches out in the serenity of the Saronicos Gulf in the Aegean Sea, with a marvellous view when the sun starts sinking in the horizon.
Medieval art: the Expansion of Christian narrative in Carolingian and Ottonia...Ann Murray
A slide presentation on the development of Christian narrative in Carolingian and Ottonian Art. It is useful for educators who need a collection of slides that includes the key works of the period and which they can use in conjunction with their own notes. Notes are included in some of the slides.
Hagia Sofia was built between 532 and 537, as a Christian church. It has influenced architects ever since. The circular dome covering a square base was developed at the same time as the Basilica plan of the Early Christian churches, in Italy. The Byzantine dome was later adopted into Islamic architecture. However, the Roman dome was constructed differently. Romans placed their dome over a solid circle of walling, best seen in the example of the Pantheon in Rome, instead of using the pendentives (an architectural feature).
However, one shared feature of the time between the two styles was the use of opaque glass mosaics in the interior decoration, covering the walls.
The Hagia Sofia plan is basically an inscribed Greek cross. The hall has four piers at the corners of the square rising in circular arches to support a central dome by means of four pendentives. The upper galleries were used by the women, and were reached by steps inside the building. Much of Hagia Sofia's appeal comes from its size. The inside is dominated by the central dome over 30.5 metres in diameter.
Today after about 1500 years of continue used, Hagia Sofia still dominates the skyline of the Bosphorus. It is truly a milestone, among the world’s greatest architectural achievements, a testament of the sophistication of the 6C Byzantine Empire.
Art and Culture - 03 - Homer and End of Bronze AgeRandy Connolly
Third module for GNED 1201 (Aesthetic Experience and Ideas). This one covers how the historical and cultural context of Homer. It begins by examining art and society of the Minoans and then the Mycenaeans. It then examines Homer, the Iliad, and the Odyssey.
This course is a required general education course for all first-year students at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada. My version of the course is structured as a kind of Art History and Culture course. Some of the content overlaps with my other Gen Ed course.
2. We know that the magi were wise men from
"the East," most likely Persia, or modern-
day Iran. This means the wise men
traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ
child. Most likely, the magi knew of the
writings of the prophet Daniel, who in time
past had been the chief of the court seers in
Persia.
3. Shrine of the Magi is the largest, most artistically significant, and, in terms of its content, most
ambitious reliquary of the Middle Ages. The relics were brought to Cologne from Milan in 1164.
4. From about 1190 to 1220 a number of artisans worked
on the shrine in the workshop of the goldsmith
Nicholas of Verdun and in workshops in Cologne and
along the river Meuse that continued his work
5. The gilded sarcophagus kept in the cathedral in Cologne,
Germany where the bones of the holy three kings are
believed to be residing today. Emperor Friedrich
Barbarossa brought them there from Italy back in 1161.
6.
7. Ornamentation on the shrine
includes gold- and silver-embossed,
fire-gilded figures, filigree panels set
with precious and semi-precious
stones, intaglios, and cameos, and
columns, arches and profiles
trimmed with enamels. The images
depicted on the shrine include
scenes from the history of salvation
from the dawning of time to the Last
Judgment.
8. Although the shrine was shortened by one axis after
being hidden from French revolutionary troops in
1794, it was largely restored to its original shape
during the most recent period of restoration, which
lasted from 1961 to 1973.
Cameo with Medusa Head, 1st Cent. after Christ
38. The intention in the Middle Ages was that the shrine would be
placed in the crossing. Today, however, it rises above the
medieval high altar at the back of the inner choir, making
this area the main focus of the Gothic cathedral, which was
built as a stone reliquary for this precious shrine.
40. The coffin with the remains of the Three Holy
Kings is brought to Constantinople. Saint
Helena in front of the shrine; the shrine is
transferred to Milan
Detail from the Three Kings
Screen, c 1332-1349
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49. Sound: '12 o Clock', by Vangelis
Pictures: Internet
Copyright: All the images belong to their authors
Arangement: Sanda Foi oreanuş
www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda
Editor's Notes
Today is Epiphany. A Christian holiday celebrating three holy kings, also known as three wise men or the Magi visiting baby Jesus. Everyone knows the standard story; They saw a star in the East, recognized that it means the birth of a king, so they brought presents : gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Some people also know that myrrh is a dried oleo resin of Commiphora species of trees. It smells nice and it was used in ointments, soaps etc.
Few people know that frankincense and myrrh were priced at their weight in gold back in those days. One ounce of gold, myrrh or frankincense was of the same value and thus equally worthy gifts.
There are however some facts about the three wise men that very few people these days know. Read on and join the club:
Fact 1 : January 6th was the original Christmas
Eastern Orthodox churches still celebrate the birth of Jesus on January the 6th. In A.D. 361, Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus quotes St. Epiphanius who says that January 6 is "hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion" (Christ's "Birthday; that is, His Epiphany").
The earliest known reference to the December 25 being the birthday of Jesus is found in the Chronography of 354, an illuminated manuscript compiled in Rome. It says that in the East, early Christians celebrated the birth of Christ as part of Epiphany on January 6.
Sometimes between 340 AD and 350 AD (sources disagree on exact date) Cyril of Jerusalem writes to Pope Julius I and asks him to assign the true date of the nativity "from census documents brought by [Roman Emperor] Titus to Rome". Julius assigned 25 December. This date corresponds to pagan celebrations of Mithras (and some other pre-Christian deities). However, this is the date the western Christians still celebrate as the birthday of Christ, while Eastern Christian churches still celebrate it on the January 6th.
The word for Christmas comes from late Old English "Cristes Maesse", the Mass of Christ, first found in 1038.
Fact 2 : At first the story was about the 12 wise men
The first extant painting of the kings bringing gifts to the Christ child is in the Priscilla Catacomb of Rome dating from the 2nd century AD. It shows 12 kings bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. Some eastern christians still hold the tradition of the 12 magi.
Fact 3: The three Magi were represented as three races, three known continents and three age groups
The earliest known reference to the names of the three kings comes from 387 AD manuscript "Excerpta Latina Barbari" page 51B:
"At that time in the reign of Augustus, on 1st January the Magi brought him gifts and worshipped him. The names of the Magi were Bithisarea, Melichior and Gathaspa.". Today we know them as Casper, Melchior and Balthasar.
The art before 1500s usually shows all 3 wise men as being white:
But after 1500 the three kings start representing three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa) and 3 age groups. Melchior is the old white man, Balthasar an oriental middle aged man, and young black man is Casper
In the renaissance this was the standard portrayal of the three kings. If you look at any old postcard or old figurines from past centuries you will see the above pattern - three kings are an old white man, asian middle aged man and a young black man.
These days they don't make art schools as they used to, so artists (at least those that do go to art schools) rarely learn this stuff. Hence you will not see this very often these days.
Fifty years from now you will watch your grandkids playing with their Iphone 35 and you will wonder whether or not to bother them with this story.
You might interest them enough to look at a nice picture though. Below is a gilded sarcophagus kept in the cathedral in Cologne, Germany where the bones of the holy three kings are believed to be residing today. Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa brought them there from Italy back in 1161.
Andrea Mantegna Adoration of the Magi.(ca. 1495-1505)
J. Paul Getty MuseumLos Angeles
Jan van Eyck - The Ghent Altarpiece - God Almighty (detail)
Sandro Botticelli - Madonna of the Pomegranate (Madonna della melagrana), ca. 1487 (Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy) detail