St Mary has been referred to as "a miniature Exeter Cathedral". Like the cathedral it is cruciform in plan, with transepts formed by towers.
It is 50 m long, and the towers are 22 m high. It was consecrated in 1260, at which time the church and manor belonged to Rouen Cathedral.
In 1335 the Bishop of Exeter bought the manor and advowson from Rouen and in 1338 established a collegiate foundation. He rebuilt much of the church, and the present nave, chancel, aisles and Lady chapel date from this time.
The college was dissolved in 1545 and this church began serving the parish. The other buildings of the college were demolished.
If the elephant is as old as the surrounding capitals, the carver must have studied the wooden "Exeter Elephant" from the middle of the 13th century. The elephant here is fairly accurate, but has small, almost ‘human’ ears.
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Medieval Elephants
www.ipernity.com/doc/323415/album/400513
Tags: Ottery Ottery St Mary Gothic collegiate elephant Dorset England United Kingdom Great Britain
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The Lac de Sainte-Croix is a man made reservoir. The Verdon river flows through the Verdon Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in Europe, before flowing directly into the lake at its western end.
The damming was done 1971 -- 1974. The reservoir covers an area of around 21.8 km² and is the second largest reservoir in France.
The reservoir, which is mainly used for energy generation and water supply, is a popular tourist destination. Bathing, surfing, sailing and paddling are allowed.
Tags: Lac de Sainte-Croix Verdon Verdon Gorge Gorges du Verdon PACA Provence Var 83 France
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Zamora straddles the Douro River. The Romans named the settlement "Occelum Durii" ("Eye of the Duero"). For the Visigoths, the place was "Semure".
In the 710s the town was conquered and a Berber garrison was left in there, but some decades later it was seized by Alfonso I of Asturias. A diocese was established in the town in the early 10th century. Ibn al-Qitt unsuccessfully tried to invade the city in 901, Almanzor eventually seized the city in 966. The place returned to Christian control during the reign of Alfonso V of León.
Since the early 11th century the place saw planned repopulating efforts. City walls were also erected in the 11th century. The most notable historical episode in Zamora was the assassination outside the city walls of the King Sancho II of Castile in 1072. Ferdinand I of León had divided his kingdoms between his three sons. To his daughter Urraca, he had bequeathed Zamora. All three sons warred among themselves, till the ultimate winner, Sancho, was left victorious. Zamora, under his sister who was allied with Leonese nobles, resisted. Sancho II of Castile, assisted by El Cid, laid siege to Zamora. King Sancho II was murdered by Bellido Dolfos, a duplicitous noble of Zamora, Bellido Dolfos. After the death of Sancho, Castile reverted to his deposed brother Alfonso VI of León. Zamora is known for its medieval heritage. There are more than a dozen Romanesque churches and chapels.
The Zamora Cathedral was built under Bishop Esteban of the Diocese of Zamora, under the patronage of Alfonso VII and his sister, Sancha Raimúndez. The date of construction (1151–1174) is traditionally attested by an inscription on the northern side of the transept, although recent discoveries have proven that the church had already begun in 1139. The cathedral was consecrated in 1174 and works continued. The cloister and the bell tower date to the first half of the 13th century.
The Cathedral in the late afternoon.
Tags: Zamora Douro Alfonso I of Asturias Ibn al-Qitt Almanzor Al Mansur Alfonso V of León Sancho II of Castile Ferdinand I of León Urraca El Cid Catedral de Zamora Sancha Raimúndez sunset Castilla y León Castile and León Spain España
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This church was built in 1904 in the so-called "Byzantine style". Most of the church was built in 1913-16, but the north aisle and transept were not completed until 1927. At that time, this was the Anglican church of St Osmund.
In 2000, the church authorities declared that the building had become too dangerous. Services were discontinued and in 2002 St Osmund's Church was declared redundant. The building was put up for sale and sold into the jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church, first to the Romanian and then to the Antiochian authorities, in whose hands it remains to this day.
Today it is known under three names:
St Osmond's Church,
St Stephen the Great Church,
St Dunstan Orthodox Church
www.saint-dunstan.org/
Tags: Poole Parkstone Byzantine Style orthodox Dorset England United Kingdom Great Britain
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Under the Romans, the town was known as '"Beatia". Following its conquest by the Visigoths, Beatia was the seat of a bishopric. From the beginning of the seventh century, it was conquered by several Arab and Berber states. The diocese was reestablished in 1127 following the conquest by Alfonso VII of Castile, but Baeza was then again reconquered by the Almohads. After the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, Ferdinand III of Castile in 1227 retook the city.
The 16th century was the golden era of Baeza (and nearby Úbeda). Noble families, which were well connected with the Spanish Imperial state hired major architects to design the present cathedral, churches and private palaces in the then-fashionable Renaissance style.
The Universidad de Baeza was founded in 1538. After the Augustinians' intention to found a rival university was rejected in 1585, Pope Urban VIII granted them papal university status in 1630.
During the time, the city, like the university, experimented with a long descent. The province was increasingly transformed into a rural backwater, the local nobles moved to the city of Madrid and other large Spanish cities, investing their wealth there rather than in Baeza. 1807 decree abolished the university. There was a brief, revival in 1815, followed by the definitive abolition of the university in 1824.
In 1979, the university was revived with the creation of a “Verano University”, originally written to the Universidad de Granada, and from 1994 to the Universidad Internacional de Andalucía. The program now took place as at the Universidad de Verano Antonio Machado, in honor of the Spanish poet who lived in the city for a time.
Tags: Baeza Alfonso VII of Castile Almohads Ferdinand III of Castile Universidad de Baeza “Verano University Universidad de Granada Antonio Machado UNESCO Andalusia Andalucía Spain
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