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NB! · Architecture · Monarchies · Observations · Heritage · Paris
The restored furnishings of Louis XVIII's throne room in the Louvre raise one question: why do the proportions and appearance of the canopy differ so greatly from the dome above the throne under Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III?
NB! · Architecture · Faith · Moscow · Heritage
Novodevichy Convent after restoration
Architecture · Faith · Art · Heritage · Paris
Stained Glass of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and the Relics of the Royal Palace on the Île de la Cité
The Sainte-Chapelle, a small Gothic chapel on the Île de la Cité in Paris, within the grounds of the former Royal Palace, is famous precisely for its outstanding stained glass. The magnificent decoration of the chapel had to match the grandeur of the sacred relics kept in its treasury,
NB! · Archaeology · Archive · Heritage
The Theatre and the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece, 1903
NB! · Architecture · Moscow · Observations · Heritage · Humour
The TsUM building regains its historic eggshell colour
The façade of TsUM is being restored to its historic eggshell colour. Our Gothic castle no longer looks like Minas Morgul and is coming to resemble the stronghold of Minas Tirith. Farewell, soot of the Boulevard Ring
Architecture · Faith · Art · Heritage
Head of Christ, a fragment of the crucifix from the Basilica of San Bernardino in L'Aquila, Abruzzo: the only surviving wooden sculpture, or rather fragment, by the architect and sculptor Lando di Pietro
In 1944, as the Allied forces were advancing towards the north of Italy, a bomb destroyed the basilica, including the crucifix that stood on the high altar. Of the sculpture only the head, parts of the knee and the left hand survive. In one of the knees and in the
Architecture · Art · Heritage · Paris
Restored Grenelle Fountain of 1745 in Paris with allegories of the city and the seasons
Let us stroll to the recently restored Fontaine de Grenelle of 1745, from which the water has already been switched off. For all the monumentality of its architecture, the fountain's decoration is rather modest, but what interests us are the allegories of the seasons concealed in the bas-
Observations · Heritage · Paris · Pop Culture
Balenciaga show in a specially built pavilion near Les Invalides restricts access to the gardens
A Balenciaga show at Les Invalides. No comment. Fortunately, the show is being held in a specially built pavilion beside Les Invalides rather than in the monument itself. I hope not a single tomb of Napoleon has suffered. For days now the erection of the structure has barred my access
NB! · Architecture · Observations · Heritage · Paris
Notre-Dame, beloved, still in its scaffolding frock
Architecture · The East · Art · Heritage
The Parthenon in Jacques Carrey's 1674 painting and its destruction in the 1687 siege of Athens
As of 1674, when this painting was made, the Parthenon in Athens was intact. More or less in its original form, if one sets aside the Ottoman decorative transformation. Jacques Carrey, the French artist famed for his Athenian sketches, who belonged to the retinue of the French ambassador to the
Architecture · Faith · Monarchies · Observations · Heritage
History of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery near Moscow from its founding in 1398 to today
Not far from Moscow stands one of the foremost Orthodox monasteries, Savvino-Storozhevsky, founded in 1398 by the Venerable Sabbas, the Wonderworker of Zvenigorod. Sabbas was one of the first disciples of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. Prince Yury Dmitrievich revered the Venerable Sabbas and extended his patronage to the