NB! · Faith · Society
Section
· 1669 stories
Faith
Architecture · Faith · Art · Observations · Heritage · Society · Paris · Rome
For those who skipped a great many lessons, let me remind you that we began October with an introductory course in alchemy, and then spoke
📌 about works of art stolen by the Nazis 📌 about the fate of Pompeii after the eruption of Vesuvius 📌 about why one should not refuse Donald Trump 📌 about the turbulence in the Anglican Church following the appointment of Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury 📌 about the place of beauty and ugliness
Archaeology · Faith · Geography · Books · Science
The Pythia, seated upon a tripod over a cleft from which fragrant vapours rose, inhaled them, and thereby her spirit was kindled with divine inspiration
Plutarch, On the Pythian Oracles Yet neither Plutarch nor Herodotus speaks of these "divine vapours" at Delphi unambiguously. The haze from the rock is rather taken as a metaphor for otherworldly revelations. At least, such is the pragmatic reading of the legend. All the more so since the
Faith · Observations · Heritage · Humour
An Eighteenth-Century Bell Stolen in France
An eighteenth-century bell has been stolen in France. Not from a church, not from a museum, but from a storage depot belonging to the municipal services. That is, a depot of sorts, and not quite a depot either. The kind of place where they take whatever is no longer
NB! · Faith · Art
An Angel in Flight
An Angel in Flight. Etching by the Dutch engraver Jan de Bisschop after a design by the Roman-school artist Cavaliere d'Arpino, or Giuseppe Cesari, 1671
Faith · Observations · People
The chief enemy on the path of your spiritual progress is you
Elder Arsenie Papacioc
Architecture · Faith · Madrid · Monarchies · Observations · Humour
The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial: one of the great creations of the Spanish Renaissance, built under Philip II as a royal residence, monastery and mausoleum of monarchs
The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is one of the great creations of the Spanish Renaissance, built under Philip II as a royal residence, monastery and mausoleum of monarchs. In its basilica, beneath the vaults of the choir, an eagle crowns a crystal chandelier, spreading its wings over
Faith · Books · Mores
Frederick II's troops were returning home after the Battle of Prague in 1757. Young Lenore awaited her Wilhelm, but he was not among those who came back
Frederick II's troops were returning home after the Battle of Prague in 1757. Young Lenore awaited her Wilhelm, but he was not among those who came back. Lenore's heart contracted with pain, and complaints against the will of God burst from her through her tears. When
Faith · Art · Books · Society
All Russia Is a Bonfire
All Russia is a bonfire. An unquenchable flame From border to border, from age to age Hums, roars... And the stone cracks. And every torch is a man. Have we not ourselves, like our forefathers, Set the grass fire? And the hurricane Has fanned it, and in acrid smoke are
NB! · Faith · Art · People
A Reminder from Leonardo da Vinci: God Is with Us
Faith · Art
Angels by Guariento di Arpo (1310-1370) from the cycle of angelic hierarchies for the chapel in the da Carrara residence
Angels by Guariento di Arpo (1310-1370) from the cycle of angelic hierarchies for the chapel in the da Carrara residence. In the angels' hands are spheres known as the orb, the globe, the mirror or the sovereign's apple. As a rule, these are large spheres bearing
Faith · Art · Books · Museums · Saint Petersburg
In the hour of mournful midnight the beating of the heart grows more distinct, and nearer comes the bright-winged companion, my grieved and gentle friend
He draws near, but soon I lose myself, and in my sleep I see a storm, I see the sea And maidens laughing on its floor. He knows the abysses of earthly, dark unbelief, and he grieves, And lets fall his shining feathers, And timidly gazes into my soul. And,