Architecture · Observations · Heritage · Paris
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, faced with the difficult choice of which of Notre-Dame's historical iterations to follow in restoring it, wrote that in such circumstances it is best of all to try to imagine oneself in the place of… Yet I suspect that he imagined not only
Architecture · Faith · Heritage · Paris
It seems one may breathe out: the cathedral has been saved from the "modern architectural look" that Macron's gang was cautiously pushing. It must be said that this is owed to strong pressure from the public and from lovers of the historical heritage. The spire is
Aristocracy · Architecture · Observations
One of the pearls of Lake Garda is the Villa Guarienti-Brenzone, dating from the early sixteenth century and designed by Michele Sanmicheli, an architect of the twilight of the High Renaissance. The villa's main façade faces the lake and offers one of the finest views along the
Architecture · Books · Heritage · Society
The Falling Tower from the "Divine Comedy" Is Under Threat of Collapse. The authorities of Bologna have closed access to the famous leaning tower of Garisenda and cordoned off the area around it, since the instruments monitoring the tower's condition have recorded anomalous oscillations. The Garisenda
Architecture · Art · Heritage · Paris
The Horses of Saint Mark, or the Triumphal Quadriga, are one of the emblematic monuments of Venice. The team of four steeds has adorned the façade of the Basilica of Saint Mark for almost eight centuries. At the very start of the plundering of Italy, in 1797, Napoleon carried the
Coming Up · Archive · Architecture · Museums · Saint Petersburg
An exhibition marking the centenary of the incorporation of the Winter Palace into the State Hermitage is devoted to the reconstruction of the Hermitage buildings and its chief architect Alexander Sivkov. Its unique photographs show the remodelling of the palace interiors, the hidden side of architectural structures, the laying of
Archaeology · Architecture · Faith · Heritage
On the website of the Ryazan Diocese I read how volunteers, together with local historians and villagers, found in the village of Semion a bas-relief of the Saviour from one of the oldest churches of Ryazan Governorate. The church of the Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa in the village of
Architecture · Geography · Heritage
The Lion's Mound, or Butte du Lion, is a 52-metre monument to the Battle of Waterloo, begun in 1820 and completed in 1826. To build the 40-metre mound, earth was brought in from various parts of the battlefield, and on its summit a 4-metre lion
Architecture · Art · London · Monarchies · Heritage
189 years ago in London the medieval Palace of Westminster, the ancient residence of the English kings, burned down. The painter William Turner, like most Londoners, watched the fire to the very end. The palace, where Parliament had sat since the sixteenth century, was almost completely destroyed. Turner got into
Architecture · Moscow · Education
The building of the Elizabeth Girls' Gymnasium at 9 Bolshoy Kazenny Lane was built in 1912. The gymnasium itself had been founded as early as 1880, but it stood at a different address, 11 Maroseyka. The building, designed by the architect Rerberg, author of the Central Telegraph Office and
Architecture · Geography · Observations
The street descends from Russian Hill, a city hill named Russian Hill because of an old Russian cemetery on its summit. The cemetery dated from the time of Russian colonisation of America; buried here were Russian merchants, sailors and soldiers from Fort Ross (known to the Americans as Fort Ross)
NB! · Architecture · Art · Paris
The Swedish Pavilion, built by Carl Bergsten, at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. It was the very title of this exhibition that gave the Art Deco style its name: from “arts décoratifs” in Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes