Consistory of Pius XII on 18 February 1946: a colour photograph of the ceremony appointing 32 new cardinals

An extremely rare colour photograph of the papal consistory of 18 February 1946. A cardinal kisses the slipper of Pope Pius XII as a token of obedience and devotion to the Pontiff. The rite precedes the bestowal of the cardinal's red galero hat. On that day 32 new cardinals were created, so that the papal slippers were quite literally smothered in kisses from the lips of the prelates of the Church

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least

Consistory of Pius XII on 18 February 1946: a colour photograph of the ceremony appointing 32 new cardinals

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

Attempts to resolve the problems of many years of uncontrolled mass migration

Characters from Gogol's "Petersburg Tales" on the pedestal of the monument to Nikolai Gogol on Nikitsky Boulevard, photograph of the 1960s