Today, because of the steep climbs on busy roads, we left our bikes on the back of the car and drove to three sites in the Harz mountain range: an early 20th century wooden church in Hahnenklee inspired by Norwegian stave churches, the surprising 16th century blue wooden church in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, the largest wooden church …
Category Archives: Churches
Day #18 Postcard from Denmark – Churches in the Lake District
We cycled from Bjerringbro to Viborg in the Danish Lake District today and saw several brick and whitewashed churches along the way, all with cemeteries around them. Nous avons fait du vélo entre Bjerringbro et Viborg dans la région danoise des lacs et nous avons vu plusieurs églises toutes entourées de cimetières.
Day #13 Postcard from Denmark – Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral, a Unesco world heritage site, consecrated in the 12th century, is a wonderful combination of Romanesque and Gothic. A total of 37 sovereigns have been crowned here. I particularly liked the 1580 triptych from Antwerp. La cathédrale de Roskilde, inscrite au patrimoine de l’humanité par l’UNESCO et consacré au XIIe siècle, allie avec …
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Day #5 Postcard from Germany – Freckenhost & Vornholz
As we sat down before our well-deserved ice-creams (we had ridden 57 km and had another 19 km to go!) despite the fact that it was only 18°C, we looked up and saw this incredible fortified church that wasn’t even in our guide books. All we know is that it is an excellent example of German pre-Romanesque …
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Day #4 Postcard from Germany – Münster & Burg Hülshoff
Münster means cathedral and this one in the city of Münster certainly deserves its name with its impressive double-nave facade. Inside is an astronomical clock made in 1540. We then cycled to Burg Hülshoff a traditional “water castle” built on two islands and surrounded by a beautiful park. Le mot Münster veut dire cathédrale et …
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Day #3 – Postcard from Germany: Aachen or Aix la Chapelle
On our way to Münster by car today, we stopped off for lunch at Aachen, better known as Aix la Chapelle. For those who have read Browning’s poem, “How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix”, it is a well-known name. Charlemagne decided to set up a permanent court there in 800 and started building the …
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L’abbaye de Saint Benoit
The 11th century Romanesque Benedictine basilica of Saint Benoit is famous for its sculpted capitals. The first photo was taken from a school yard. How wonderful to play alongside such a beautiful monument. L’abbaye romane bénédictine de Saint Benoît construite au 11e siècle est connue pour ses chapiteaux sculptés. La première photo est prise dans …
Postcard from Sicily – Monreale
Each of the capitals on top of the 228 columns of the Monreale Cloisters, built on a hill overlooking Palermo, is intricately sculpted with motifs influenced by Provençal, Burgundian, Arab and Salerno medieval art. Chacun des chapiteaux des 228 colonnes du cloître de Monreale construit sur une hauteur surplombant Palerme est superbement sculpté avec des …
Postcard from Sicily – Palermo Cathedral
There is no mistaking the Norman, Moorish, Gothic and Baroque influences of this Unesco heritage cathedral in Palermo. Les influences normandes, mauresques, gothiques et baroques sont toutes évidentes dans cette cathédrale classée au patrimoine mondiale de l’Unesco.
Postcard from Sicily – Taormina
A few rays of sunshine at last and a change of architecture in Taormina. Piazza del duomo with is cathedral built in 1400. Very subdued compared with all the baroque we’ve been seeing. Quelques rayons de soleil enfin et un changement d’architecture à Taormina. Piazza del duomo avec sa cathédrale construite en 1400. Très soft …