St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City)

Posted on 25 May, 2016 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

St. Peter’s Basilica

The Papal Basilica of St. Peter (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri; Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply St. Peter’s Basilica, the most prominent building in the Vatican City, is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines and the most renowned work of Italian Renaissance architecture. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. Located west of the River Tiber, near the Janiculum Hill and Hadrian’s Mausoleum, its central dome Its dome is a dominant feature of the skyline of Rome. Best appreciated from a distance, the basilica is approached via St. Peter’s Square.

Jandy and the author at St. Peter’s Basilica

The basilica has the following specifications:

Area: 2.3 hectares (5.7 acres)
Cost of construction of the basilica: more than 46,800,052 ducats
Geographic orientation: chancel west, nave east
Total length: 730 ft. (220 m.)
Total width: 500 ft. (150 m.)
Interior length including vestibule: 693.8 ft. (211.5 m.), more than ⅛ mile.
Length of the transepts in interior: 451 ft. (137 m.)
Width of nave: 90.2 ft. (27.5 m.)
Width at the tribune: 78.7 ft. (24 m.)
Internal width at transepts: 451 ft. (137 m.)
Internal height of nave: 151.5 ft. (46.2 m.) high
Total area: 227,070 sq. ft. (21,095 m²), more than 5 acres (20,000 m²).
Internal area: 163,182.2 sq. ft. (3.75 acres; 15,160.12 m²)
Height from pavement to top of cross: 448.1 ft. (136.6 m.)
Façade: 167 ft. (51 m.) high by 375 ft. (114 m.) wide
Vestibule: 232.9 ft. (71 m.) wide, 44.2 ft. (13.5 m.) deep, and 91.8 ft. (28 m.) high
The internal columns and pilasters: 92 ft. (28 m.) tall
The circumference of the central piers: 240 ft. (73 m.)
Outer diameter of dome: 137.7 ft. (42.0 m.)
The drum of the dome: 630 ft. (190 m) in circumference and 65.6 ft. (20.0 m) high, rising to 240 ft. (73 m) from the ground
The lantern: 63 ft. (19 m.) high
The ball and cross: 8 and 16 ft. (2.4 and 4.9 m.), respectively
Peter’s Square: 1,115 ft. (340 m.) long, 787.3 ft. (240 m.) wide
Each arm of the colonnade: 306 ft. (93 m.) long, and 64 ft. (20 m.) high
The colonnades have 284 columns, 88 pilasters, and 140 statues
Obelisk: 83.6 ft. (25.5 m.). Total height with base and cross, 132 ft. (40 m.).
Weight of obelisk: 360.2 short tons (326,800 kgs.; 720,400 lbs.)

The author within the nave

Here are some interesting trivia regarding St. Peter’s Basilica:

It is probably the largest church in Christendom.
The dome, rising to a total height of 136.57 m. (448.1 ft.) from the floor of the basilica to the top of the external cross, is the tallest dome in the world.Its 41.47 m. (136.1 ft.) internal diameter, greater in diameter by approximately 30 ft. (9.1 m.) than Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia church (completed in 537), is slightly smaller than two of the three other huge domes that preceded it – the 3 m. (142 ft.) of the Pantheon of Ancient Rome and the 44 m. (144 ft.) of the Early Renaissance Florence Cathedral. Conceived, from the outset, as the greatest dome of Christendom, the architects of St. Peter’s looked for solutions as to how to go about building the dome from the domes of the Pantheon and Florence Duomo.
While it is neither the Pope‘s official seat, mother church (this honor is held by the Pope’s cathedral, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran) of the Catholic Church or the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, St. Peter’s is certainly the Pope’s principal church in terms of use because most Papal liturgies and ceremonies take place there due to its size, proximity to the Papal residence, and location within the Vatican City proper. The Pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year, drawing audiences of 15,000 to over 80,000 people, either within the Basilica or the adjoining Peter’s Square.
One of the holiest sites of Christianity, Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica is traditionally the burial site of its titular, Peter, head of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, the first Bishop of Antioch and later the first Bishop of Rome, rendering him the first Pope Supposedly, St. Peter’s tomb is directly below below the baldachin and high altar of the Basilica in the “Confession.”
Peter’s, one of the Papal Basilicas (previously styled “patriarchal basilicas”), is one of the four churches of Rome that hold the rank of Major Basilica (all of which are also Papal Basilicas), the others being the Basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul outside the Walls. However, unlike all the other Papal Major Basilicas, it is wholly within the territory, and thus the sovereign jurisdiction, of the Vatican City State, and not that of Italy.
Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop. The Cathedra of the Pope, as Bishop of Rome, is in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.
Within St. Peter’s Basilica are over 100 tombs (extant to various extents), many located in the Vatican grotto, of 91 popes (the most recent interment was Pope John Paul II, on April 8, 2005), since the Early Christian period, in the necropolis beneath the basilica. Many of the tombs of popes are considered outstanding artworks. Other notable people are also buried here. They include, St. Ignatius of Antioch; Holy Roman Emperor Otto II; the composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina; exiled Catholic British royalty James Francis Edward Stuart and his two sons, Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart; Cardinal Bishop of Frascati (having been granted asylum by Pope Clement XI); Maria Clementina Sobieska (wife of James Francis Edward Stuart); Queen Christina of Sweden (who abdicated her throne in order to convert to Catholicism); and Countess Matilda of Tuscany (supporter of the Papacy during the Investiture Controversy). Beneath, near the crypt, is the recently discovered vaulted 4th-century “Tomb of the Julii.”
The “Chair of Saint Peter” (cathedra), an ancient chair sometimes presumed to have been used by St. Peter himself and used by many popes, was actually a 12th century gift from Charles the Bald.

Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the façade of the basilica, designed by Maderno, is 114.69 m. (376.3 ft.) wide and 45.55 m. (149.4 ft.) high and is built of travertine stone, with a giant order of Corinthian pilasters, all set at slightly different angles to each other (in keeping with the ever-changing angles of the wall’s surface), and a central pediment rising in front of a tall attic surmounted by 13 statues: Christ flanked by 11 of the Apostles (except St. Peter, whose statue is left of the stairs) and John the Baptist.

The inscription below the cornice on the 1 m. (3.3 ft.) tall frieze reads: IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII In honour of the Prince of Apostles, Paul V Borghese, a Roman, Supreme Pontiff, in the year 1612, the seventh of his pontificate)

The huge cornice, above them, ripples in a continuous band, giving the appearance of keeping the whole building in a state of compression. The facade stretches across the end of the square and is approached by steps on which stand two 5.55 m. (18.2 ft.) statues of Saints Peter and Paul, the 1st-century apostles to Rome. Construction of the current basilica, replacing the Old St. Peter’s Basilica begun by the Emperor Constantine the Great (between 319 and 333 AD), was started on April 18, 1506 by Pope Julius II. In the next 120 years, after a succession of popes and architects, it was solemnly dedicated by Pope Urban VIII on November 18, 1626.

The nave

Cruciform in shape, the basilica has an elongated nave in the Latin cross form with a central space dominated, both externally and internally, by one of the largest domes in the world. In the towers to either side of the facade are two clocks, designed by Giuseppe Valadier from 1786-1790. The one on the right, called the Oltramontano Clock, has one hand showing European mean time. The one on the left, called the Italian Clock, shows Rome time. The oldest bell of the clock on the left, operated electrically since 1931, dates from 1288.

The clock on the left of the facade

Behind the façade of St. Peter’s, stretching across the building, is a narthex (long portico or entrance hall) such as was occasionally found in Italian Romanesque churches. Part of Maderno’s design, it has a long barrel vault decorated with ornate stucco and gilt and successfully illuminated by small windows between pendentives. Its ornate marble floor is beamed with light reflected in from the piazza

The Narthex

A mosaic, one of the most important treasures of the basilica, is set above the central external door. Called the “Navicella,” it is mostly a 17th-century copy of Giotto‘s early 14th century and it represents a ship symbolizing the Christian Church. At each end of the narthex is a theatrical space framed by Ionic columns. Within each is set a equestrian statue – an 18th century equestrian figure of Charlemagne by Cornacchini in the south end and Constantine the Great by Bernini (1670) in the north end.

Statue of St. Peter

Of the five portals (three framed by huge salvaged antique columns)from the narthex to the interior, three contain notable doors. The Renaissance bronze door (called Filarete), the central portal created by Antonio Averulino in 1455 for the old basilica, was somewhat enlarged to fit the new space. The “Door of the Dead,” the southern door, was designed by 20th-century sculptor Giacomo Manzù and includes a portrait of Pope John XXIII kneeling before the crucified figure of St. Peter. The “Holy Door,” the decorated northernmost bronze doors leading from the narthex is, by tradition, walled-up with bricks and opened only for holy years such as the Jubilee year by the Pope. The present door is bronze and was designed by Vico Consorti in 1950 and cast in Florence by the Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry. Above it are inscriptions commemorating the opening of the door.

The design of St. Peter’s Basilica and, in particular, its dome, has greatly influenced church architecture in Western Christendom. They include:

Sant’Andrea della Valle (Rome) – designed by Giacomo della Porta before the completion of St Peter’s Basilica, and subsequently worked on by Carlo Maderno.
San Carlo ai Catinari
Sant’Agnese in Agone
St Paul’s Cathedral(London, England) – designed by Christopher Wren
Karlskirche(Vienna, Austria)
Nicholas Church(Prague, Czech Republic)
Pantheon(Paris, France)

Elements of St Peter’s Basilica’s were imitated, to a greater or lesser degree, by a great number of churches built during 19th and early-20th-century Post-Modernism architectural revivals. They include:

Compared with other churches, its entire, “stupendously large” interior, lavishly decorated with marble, reliefs, architectural sculpture and gilding, has vast dimensions so much so that it is hard to get a sense of scale within the building. The nave, framed by wide aisles (which have a number of chapels off them), lead to the central dome and is in three bays, with piers supporting a barrel vault, the highest of any church. In keeping with Michelangelo’s work, it has huge paired pilasters.

The central dome

The aisles each have two smaller chapels and a larger rectangular chapel, the Chapel of the Sacrament and the Choir Chapel. Though lavishly decorated with marble, gilt, sculpture, stucco and mosaic they, remarkably, have very few paintings, although some, such as Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna” have been reproduced in mosaic. A small icon of the Madonna, removed from the old basilica, is the most precious painting.

The sanctuary culminates in a sculptural ensemble, also by Bernini, and contains the so-called “Chair of Saint Peter” (Cathedra Petri ), a large bronze throne in the apse enshrined, with great celebration, in its new home on January 16, 1666. Symbolizing the continuing line of apostolic succession from St. Peter to the reigning Pope, the chair is raised high on 4 looping supports held effortlessly by massive and dynamic bronze statues, with sweeping robes and expressions of adoration and ecstasy, of the four Doctors of the Church – Saints Ambrose and Augustine, representing the Latin Church, and Athanasius and John Chrysostom, the Greek Church. A window of yellow alabaster, behind and above the Cathedra, illuminates, with a blaze of light, the Dove of the Holy Spirit at its center.

The Nave

Two holy water basins, fluttering against the first piers of the nave, are held by four cherubs, each commissioned by Pope Benedict XIII from designer Agostino Cornacchini and sculptor Francesco Moderati, (1720s). They appear of quite normal cherubic size but, once approached, it becomes apparent that each one is over 2 m. high and that real children cannot reach the basins unless they scramble up the marble draperies.
Markers, showing the comparative lengths of other churches, starting from the entrance, are found along the floor of the nave.
Medallions, with relief depicting the first 38 popes, are on the decorative pilasters of the piers of the nave.
Statues, depicting 39 founders of religious orders, are in niches between the pilasters of the nave.
A statue of St. Peter Enthroned, set against the north east pier of the dome, is sometimes attributed to late 13th-century sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio (some scholars dating it to the 5th century). One foot of the statue is largely worn away by pilgrims kissing it for centuries.
The sunken, crypt-like Confessio or “Chapel of the Confession” (in reference to the confession of faith by St. Peter, which led to his martyrdom), leading to the Vatican Grottoes, is located at the heart of the basilica, beneath the dome and high altar. Maderno’s last work, it contains a large kneeling statue, by Canova, of Pope Pius VI, who was captured and mistreated by the army of Napoleon Bonaparte. Two curving marble staircases, remnants of the old basilica, lead to this underground chapel at the level of the Constantinian church and immediately above the purported burial place of Saint Peter. Here, cardinals and other privileged persons could descend in order to be nearer to the burial place of the apostle. Around its balustrade are 95 bronze lamps.
The Niche of the Pallium (“Niche of Stoles”), in the Confessio, contains a bronze urn, donated by Pope Benedict XIV, to contain white stoles embroidered with black crosses and woven with the wool of lambs blessed on St. Agnes’ Day.

The badalchin

The High Altar, surmounted by a baldachin (baldacchino), its central feature, was the first work designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini at St. Peter’s. This 30 m. (98 ft.) high, pavilion-like structure, claimed to be the largest piece of bronze in the world, stands beneath the dome and above the Papal Its design, based on the ciborium (of which there are many in the churches of Rome), serves to create a sort of holy space above and around the table on which the Sacrament is laid for the Eucharist and emphasizing the significance of this ritual.
As part of the scheme for the central space of the church, Bernini had the piers, , hollowed out into niches, and had staircases made inside them, leading to four balconies. On the balconies Bernini created showcases, framed by the eight ancient twisted columns, to display the four most precious relics of the basilica. Set in each of the niches, within the four huge piers (begun by Bramante and completed by Michelangelo) supporting the dome, are the huge statues of the saint associated with the basilica’s primary holy relics – Saint Helena, Constantine’s mother, holding the True Cross and the Holy Nails (by Andrea Bolgi); Saint Longinus holding the spear that pierced the side of Jesus (by Bernini, 1639); Saint Andrew, the brother of St. Peter, with the Andrew’s Cross (by Francois Duquesnoy) and Saint Veronica holding her miraculous veil with the image of Jesus’ face (by Francesco Mochi).

Statue of St. Longinus (Bernini)

North Aisle

Michelangelo‘s Pietà is in the first chapel of the north aisle.
The monument of Queen Christina of Sweden, who abdicated in 1654 in order to convert to Catholicism, is on the first pier in the right aisle.

Monument to Pope Innocent XI

The second chapel, dedicated to Sebastian, contains the statues of popes Pius XI and Pius XII. The space below the altar, housing the remains of Pope John Paul II (placed here on May 2, 2011), used to be the resting place of Pope Innocent XI whose remains were moved to the Altar of the Transfiguration on April 8, 2011.

Altar of the Transfiguration

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the large chapel on the right aisle, contains the tabernacle by Bernini (1664). Resembling Bramante‘s Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio, it is supported by two kneeling angels and, behind it, is a painting of the Holy Trinity by Pietro da Cortona.
The monuments of popes Gregory XIII by Camillo Rusconi (1723) and Gregory XIV are near the Altar of Our Lady of Succor.
An altar containing the relics of Petronilla, with an altarpiece “The Burial of St Petronilla by Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri), 1623, is at the end of the aisle.

South Aisle

Baptistery

The baptistery, the first chapel in the south aisle, was commissioned by Pope Innocent XII and designed by Carlo Fontana, (great nephew of Domenico Fontana). The font, previously located in the opposite chapel, is the red porphyry sarcophagus of Probus, the 4th-century Prefect of Rome. The lid came from a sarcophagus which had once held the remains of the Emperor Hadrian. Previously stored in the Vatican Grotto, workmen broke it into ten pieces during removal and Fontana restored it expertly and surmounted it with a gilt-bronze figure of the “Lamb of God.”

Monument to the Royal Stuarts

The Monument to the Royal Stuarts, set against the first pier of the aisle, is a Neo-Classical tomb (designed by Canova and unveiled in 1819) for James and his sons, Charles Edward (known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie”) and Henry, Cardinal and Duke of York. Opposite it is the memorial to Maria Clementina Sobieska, James Francis Edward Stuart’s wife.

Monument to Maria Clementina Sobieski

The second chapel, that of the Presentation of the Virgin, contains the memorials of Pope Benedict XV and Pope John XXIII.

Monument to Pope Benedict XV (Pietro Canonica, (1928)

The tombs of Pope Pius X and Pope Innocent VIII are set against the piers.
The Choir Chapel, the large chapel off the south aisle, contains the Altar of the Immaculate Conception.
The tomb of Pope Pius VIII is at the entrance to the Sacristy.

Monument to Pius VIII (Pietro Tenerani, 1866)

The altars of Saint Thomas, Saint Joseph and the Crucifixion of Saint Peter are at the south transept.
Towards the end of the aisle is the tomb of Fabio Chigi, Pope Alexander VII. The work of Bernini and called by Lees-Milne “as one of the greatest tombs of the Baroque Age,” it is awkwardly set in a niche above a doorway, utilized by Bernini in a symbolic manner, into a small vestry. Pope Alexander, facing outward, kneels upon his tomb. The tomb, supported on a large draped shroud in patterned red marble, is supported by four female figures, of whom only the two at the front, representing Charity and Truth, are fully visible. The foot of Truth rests upon a globe of the world, her toe being pierced symbolically by the thorn of Protestant England. The skeletal winged figure of Death, coming forth, seemingly, from the doorway as if it were the entrance to a tomb, has its head hidden beneath the shroud, but its right hand carries an hour glass stretched upward towards the kneeling figure of the pope.

Monument to Pope Leo XI (Alessandro Algardi)

The white marble Monument to Leo XI, by Alessandro Algardi (1595-1654), has roses carved on the plinth and the inscription “Sic florui”, refer to the fact that he reigned only 27 days, in 1605. Beside him are two female allegories: Fortitude and Generosity.

Monument to Pope Pius VII

The Monument of Pius VII, occupying part of the left wall of the Clementine Chapel, is the work of the Danish sculptor, Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844).Two winged cupids, one symbolizing time (hourglass) and the other history (book), are located on the sides of the throne. The two statues of “Knowledge” and “Fortitude,” on high pedestals, are located on the sides of the Doric door. The first is depicted in a meditative pose, with the Bible open and, at its feet, an owl, the symbol of prudence. The second figure is dressed in lion skins, while one foot stands on a club.

Altar of the Lie

Passing from the transept to the left aisle, on the left is the Altar of the Lie or the Altar of Ananias and Sapphira. Its mosaic, after a painting by Cristoforo Roncalli (known as Pomarancio, 552-1626), shows the punishment of the couple who had lied to St. Peter about the price of a field sold by them, and were therefore immediately struck dead.

St. Peter’s Basilica: Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City. Open daily, April -September, 7 AM -7 PM; October – March, 7 AM – 6 PM.

How to Get There:

By Subway – Take Linea A (red line) toward Battistini and exit at Ottaviano-S. Pietro. Walk south on Via Ottaviano toward St. Peter’s Square.
By Walking – From the city center, the most direct route is to cross the Tiber and walk straight up Via Conciliazioni. A more interesting route is to go under the Passetto arch near Castel S. Angelo and walk up Pio Borgo, providing a more dramatic entrance from the right (north) side of the Piazza.

La Bocca della Verita (Rome, Italy)

Posted on 24 May, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin

From Piazza Navona, we rode a couple of buses to get to the beautiful but very modest Paleo- Christian Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, at the foot of the Aventine Hills. Inside the left wall of the portico of the church was a queue leading to the famous La Bocca della Verita (English: the Mouth of Truth), a sculpture of a man-like face with a relief carving of an open mouth, 2 oddly shaped horns, wide eyes and a flowing mane of hair carved from a massive round medallion of Pavonazzetto marble from Docimium in Frigia (today’s Turkey). It has a diameter of 175 cms. (about 5 ft., 9in.); a thickness of 19 cms. (about 7 in.) and weighs about 1,200 kgs. (26,400 lbs.).

The author tries his hand at La Bocca della Verita

The Bocca, thought to be part of a first-century ancient Roman fountain or perhaps a manhole cover from the nearby Temple of Hercules Invictus (it is also thought that cattle merchants used it to drain the blood of cattle sacrificed to the god Hercules), portrays one of several possible pagan river gods, probably Oceanus. Most Romans believe that it represents the ancient god of the Tiber River.

Grace and Kyle

Cheska and Kyle

However, the most famous characteristic of the La Bocca della Verita, starting from the Middle Ages, is its role as a lie detector, the reason for its unshakeable fame. It was believed that if one told a lie, with one’s hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. Roman soldiers used to bring their wives to the mouth when they returned from their campaigns and prove whether they had been faithful in their absence. It was placed inside the church in the 17th century.

Jandy

The mask has attracted the attention and curiosity of English-speaking audiences and tourists from all over the world mostly from its appearance in the charming 1953 Hollywood film Roman Holiday where Audrey Hepburn‘s and Gregory Peck‘s characters, both of whom were not initially truthful with each other, uses the Mouth of Truth as a sort of lie detector and a storytelling device. In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Peck, in front of a terrified Hepburn, daringly challenges the mask by putting his hand inside its mouth. This scene was also replicated in the 1994 film Only You starring Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei.

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck at the Mouth of Truth in Roman Holiday

Today, queues of tourists line up outside the church for the evidently too strong thrill of the risk as they honestly can’t resist, while hoping for the best, of audaciously sticking their hand inside this harmless, but unsettling ancient stone mask from the Classical period .

The church interior

The church, founded in the 6th century on the ruins of the statio annonae (the food-distribution center of classical Rome), was enlarged by Pope Adrian I in the 8th century. It is also home to the supposed relics of Saint Valentine (including his skull). Aside from the portico, other noteworthy features of the church include its elegant Romanesque campanile (the tallest Medieval belfry in Rome), the schola cantorum (choir), the rich Cosmatesque pavement and decorations and the Gothic baldacchin over the high altar.

Relic of St. Valentine

A fragment of an 8th-century mosaic, from the original St Peter’s Basilica, can be found in the sacristy. A block of tufa, from which the tiny crypt was hollowed out, is said to be the remains of an altar from the Forum Boarium (the ancient cattle market), erected in honor of Hercules, in view of his victory over the giant Cacus, who stole his cattle. Throughout its history this church was repeatedly restored and redecorated, especially in the 12th and 13th centuries. At the end of the last century, the architect Giovanni Battista Giovenale gave the church its excessively Medieval appearance.

Gothic baldacchino over the high altar

Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin: Cor. Via di Greca and Via Teatro di Marcello, Piazza della Bocca della Verità 18, Rome, Italy. Open daily, 9 AM – 1 PM an 2:30 – 7 PM (off season until 5 PM). There’s no entrance fee.

How to Get There: It is located down the street from Piazza Venezia, south of the Roman Forum, near the Tiber River, and close to Piazza Campidoglio. Take the Via de Marcello down (south) from the Capitoline Hill.

Metro: Circo Massimo
Bus: 44, 95 Piazza Venezia

Fountain of the Four Rivers (Rome, Italy)

Posted on 24 May, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Fountain of the Four Rivers

The Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi), triumphantly and theatrically unveiled to the Roman populace on June 12, 1651, is Rome’s greatest achievement in this genre and the epitome of Baroque theatricality.

Piazza Navona

The author (right) and son Jandy at Piazza Navona

This fountain, which can be strolled around, was built on Piazza Navona, the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD. It was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini for Pope Innocent X (reigned 1644-1655). The pope’s family palace, the Palazzo Pamphili, faced onto the piazza as did the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone of which Innocent was the sponsor.

Palazzo Pamphili

Bernini‘s design was influenced by the design of the Monument of the Four Moors (Monumento dei Quattro mori). It may have also been influenced by a fountain in Marino, Lazio which was constructed to commemorate the defeat of the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

The obelisk

The base of the fountain is a basin whose center has a slender, ancient Egyptian obelisk, brought in pieces from the Circus of Maxentius to Rome by the Emperor Caracalla. It was built for the Roman Serapeum in AD 81 but had been buried for a long time at Capo di Bove.

Pamphili family emblem

Beneath it are four semi-prostrate giant nudes of river gods, all in awe of the central tower surmounted with the Pamphili family emblem of a dove with an olive twig, symbol of Papal power and the Holy Spirit. The river gods depict the four major rivers of the four continents, (whose rivers feed the ocean, represented by the large pool) as then recognized by the Renaissance geographers, through which papal authority had spread.

The river gods

Supported on the base by a jagged and pierced mountainous disorder of travertine marble rocks, the marble giants are arranged at the center of a scene of carved grottoes and decorated with flowers, exotic plants and 7 animals (a horse, a sea monster, a serpent, a dolphin, a crocodile, a lion and a dragon) that further carry forth identification.

Lion

Sea monster

Each carries a certain number of allegories and metaphors with it. The Nile, representing Africa, has a head draped with a loose piece of cloth, meaning that no one, at that time, knew exactly where the Nile’s source was. Symbolically, this also refers to what the Catholic world saw as the dark ignorance of the “pagan” world: the sculpture has not seen the light of Christianity

Statue of the Nile River

The apathetic Ganges river god, representing Asia, carries a long oar, representing the river’s navigability, and looks away from the light of the Church, representing the spiritual ignorance of this hedonistic land.

Statue of the Ganges

The Danube, representing Europe, touches the Pope’s personal coat of arms, since it is the large river closest to Rome. The most “civilized” and cultured of the figures, the Danube looks toward and embraces the light of the lord.

Statue of the Danube

The Río de la Plata (the word plata means “silver” in Spanish), representing America, sits on a pile of coins, a symbol of the riches America could offer to Europe. The Río de la Plata also looks scared by a snake, showing rich men’s fear that their money could be stolen. Although he throws his hands back in surprise, this representative of the newly converted lands has begun to see the light.

Statue of the Rio de la Plata

There are a number of urban legends regarding the fountain, nasty rumors fed by the famous rivalry between the Bermini and Borromini, designer of the church of Sant’Agnese right in front of the fountain. Borromini lost the fountain commission to Bermini. Many tour-guides, would tell you that Bernini positioned the cowering sculpture of the Rio de la Plata River as if it feared the facade of the church could possibly crumble against him; that the statue of the Nile covered its head so as not to have to see the church; and that the statue of Sant’Agnese on the facade of the church, with her hand on her chest, seems to reassure the Rio de la Plata of the church’s stability. However, the truth is the fountain was completed several years before Borromini began work on the church.

Church of Sant’ Agnese

Today, this revolutionary and grandiose monument to the power and glory of the pope and his family and dynamic fusion of architecture and sculpture, with its highly dramatic, evocative, and individualized figures, dramatically spurting water and a wealth of surprising and charming sculptural details, continues to amaze and entertain visitors to Rome.

Fontana del Moro

Statue of the Moor

One of four Tritons

Piazza Navona has two other fountains – the Fontana del Moro, at the southern end, and the Fountain of Neptune at the northern end. The Fontana del Moro has a basin and four Tritons sculpted by Giacomo della Porta in 1575. In 1673, Bernini added a statue of a Moor, standing on a conch shell, wrestling with a dolphin.

Fountain of Neptune

The Fountain of Neptune was also created by Giacomo della Porta in1574. In1878, the statue of Neptune, by Antonio Della Bitta, was added in to create a balance with La Fontana del Moro.

Museo di Roma

Other buildings within the piazza include the Museo di Roma, housed in the large Neoclassical Palazzo Braschi, covering the history of the city in the period from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century; and the Church of Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, also known as the Church of San Giacomo degli Spagnoli), the national church of the Spanish community in Rome.

Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Fountain of the Four Rivers: Piazza Navona, Boccadellaverità, Rome, Italy.

Church of St. Dominic of Guzman (Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur)

Posted on 25 March, 2016 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

Church of St. Dominic of Guzman

This church was built in 1762 by Dominican Father Jose Millan. Father Miguel Padilla (parish priest from 1825 to 1869) made many improvements on the church and, in 1939, Monsignor Crisanto Padernal plastered and painted the church. Both bell tower and presbytery were damaged and rectory completely ruined by the earthquakes of June 12 and 22, 1957. The present bell tower has a base foundation of 9 m.. Diego Silang, leader of the 1762 Ilocano Revolt, was a bell ringer here.

The Baroque-style facade

Its protruding Baroque façade, divided into two levels by a string course, has a segmental arched main entrance flanked by superpositioned coupled Doric columns on pedestals. Above the entrance is a statue of St. Dominic of Guzman and a blind, wing-like arch with decorative moldings following its outline.

Blind, wing-like arch

Lancet windows at the sides

Above this ensemble is a two-level bell tower with semicircular arch openings. The receding side walls of this central segment have square pilasters topped by urn-like finials. The sides of the church have lancet windows.

The modern church interior

Church of St. Dominic of Guzman: Manila North Road, Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur. Tel: (077) 726-3932. Feast of St. Dominic of Guzman: August 8.

How to Get There: Sto. Domingo is located 413.85 kms.(an 8-hour drive) from Manila and 12.7 kms. (a 25-min. drive) from Vigan City.

Church of St. John Nepomucene (San Juan, Batangas)

Posted on 27 February, 2016 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

First built with bamboo and thatch in 1843 in San Juan de Bocboc (now called Brgy. Pinagbayanan), it was rebuilt in stone in 1855 by Fr. Damaso Mojica but was destroyed by floods in 1883.

The Church of St. John Nepomucene

In 1894, the church and convent was transferred to its present site by Recollect Fr. Celestino Yoldi. Fr. Bernardo Pena made some notable repairs on the church and convent between 1922 and 1925. Between 1928 and 1935, a bell tower was added by Fr. Domingo Carceller.

Plaque installed by the National Historical Institute (NHI)

Fr. Carceller also built the baptistery in the first floor of the bell tower. Fr. Inocencio Pena repaired the convent from 1958 to 1959. In 1959, Fr. Daniel Ayucar renovated the sacristy and widened the presbytery in order to accommodate five new altars.

The church’s two-level pseudo-Baroque façade, divided into three horizontal levels, has a semicircular arched main entrance fronted by a porte cochere (a later addition). It is flanked by square pilasters on rectangular pedestals, dividing the façade into three vertical parts, and pedimented semicircular arched windows.

The church interior

The second level has a rose window flanked by two smaller circular windows. Above the circular windows is an arch cornice. The undulating pediment, which forms as the third level, is given emphasis by the curvilinear lines of the side walls. Its statued niche, also flanked by square piers, relieves the plain wall of the second level while its circular window relieves the plainness of the tympanum.

The church’s bell tower

The square bell tower, on the church’s right, designed in the High Renaissance style, has cantons at its corners and semicircular arched windows (pedimented at the lower level). Its uppermost level is octagonal in plan and is topped by a spire.

Spiral stairs leading to choir loft

Church of St. John Nepomucene: Tel: (043) 575–3118 and (043) 575-3994. Feast of St. John Nepomucene: May 16.

How to Get There: San Juan is located 119 kilometers (a 3-hr. drive) from Manila and 43 kilometers from Batangas City.

Church of St. James the Apostle (Ibaan, Batangas)

Posted on 25 February, 2016 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

Church of St. James the Apostle

The town’s church and convent was first built in May 1817 by Fr. Barcelona, with Don Eustacio Macatangay provided the finishing touches on the church. The first lines for the current church, with its cruciform plan, were drawn by Arch. Luciano Oliver and its founding stones were laid down, in 1853, by Fr. Manuel Diez Gonzales, O.S.A. In 1869, Fr. Bruno Laredo, O.S.A., completed the facade and roofing. The twin towers were started in 1865 by Fr. Laredo and completed in 1876 by Fr. Vicente Maril (who also rebuilt the façade). Damaged during the July 18, 1880 earthquake, it was repaired from 1891 to 1896 by Fr. Francisco Alvarez.

The church’s Neo-Classical facade

The church’s simple Neo-Classical facade has a recently-attached front portico, wooden doors with geometrical carvings and round Ionic columns mounted on rectangular pedestals. The triangular pediment, with its rose window, is flanked by two square “abortive” belfries. The choir loft is indicated by arched openings with a floreated wreath below it.

Church of St. James the Greater: Provincial Road, Poblacion. Tel: (043) 311–1251. Feast of St. James the Greater: December 30.

How to Get There: Ibaan is located 96.3 kilometers (a two-hour drive) from Manila an 13.4 kilometers (a 30-minute drive) from Batangas City.

Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria (Luna, La Union)

Posted on 29 October, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 4 Comments ↓

Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria

After a merienda of bibingka at Orang’s in the town proper, we walked to the nearby Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Built by Fr. Mateo Bustillos (parish priest from 1695 to 1697) at its original site in Darigayos (a barrio of Namacpacan), it was transferred to its present site in 1741. In 1829, it was reinforced with masonry and covered with a galvanized iron roof.

The Baroque facade

The church was severely damaged during the 1854 earthquake, repaired in 1863 and restored by Fr. Marcelino Ceballos. The convent, also damaged during the 1854 earthquake, was also enlarged by Fr. Ceballos in 1876. The church is now listed as a National Cultural Treasure.

Side entrance

Just like other Philippine churches built in earthquake-prone areas, this Earthquake Baroque church has thick muros (walls) of brick and stone and buttresses connected to a brick exterior stairway of different designs and shapes. At the church’s entrance is a capilla possa (ceremonial archway). Its 3-level Baroque-style façade, built in 1872, is painted in an eye-catching white, light blue and pale gray, the official colors of the Image of Our Lady of Namacpacan, the church and the town. Even tricycles are painted in light blue.

One of the church buttresses

A unique step buttress that leads up to the roof

The first level has 3 sets of two pairs of engaged columns and 2 sets of single columns while the second level has two sets of Tuscan columns, all with double capitals, plus 6 sets of paired columns at the center. The curved pediment, complemented by semicircular arched openings and blind niches, is reinforced by the heavy architrave.

Plaque

The twin 3-storey, hexagonal bell towers, flanking the facade, have blind and real fenestrations and is crowned by a pointed Baroque-style, balustered dome. Part of the brick convent ruins is now used as a school (Sta. Catalina Academy). Inside the church is a wooden altar, a Spanish-era stone pulpit and a wood relief of the Baptism of Christ, probably polychromed.

Convent ruins

Sta. Catalina Academy

The church interior also enshrines the supposedly miraculous 6-foot 4-inch high (the tallest known image of the Virgin in the country) wooden image of Our Lady of Namacpacan (the original name of the town, it is an Ilocano term meaning “one who feeds), enshrined in the church in 1871. The patroness of travelers and of the town, it is said by experts to be the image of Our Lady of the Cord.

Church interior

Main altar

Also called Apo Baket, the image has been credited with many miracles and devotees flock here every year to honor her. On November 24, 1959, by a special decree of Pope John XXIII, Our Lady of Namacpacan was canonically crowned by the high-ranking officials led by Papal Nuncio Salvatore Siino.

Statue of Our Lady of Namacpacan

In 1871, an Augustinian priest ordered an image of the Virgin Mary from Spain to be brought to the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Vigan, Ilocos Sur in a galleon. However, a typhoon forced the ship and its crew to seek refuge at Darigayos (a barrio then named Namacpacan). When the storm subsided, they tried to resume their voyage, but the high winds forced them to return to the port.

The captain of the ship then decided to bring the statue to the port and then have it carried overland to its original destination. While making preparations, the statue was brought to the convent. The church at that time was undergoing repairs on the damaged portions brought about by a strong earthquake. The following morning, they commenced their trip to Vigan but the natives had some difficulties in carrying the box containing the figure of the Blessed Virgin. So, after several failed attempts, they presumed that the Blessed Virgin has chosen the town of Namacpacan as her haven.

Rev. Fr. Marcelino Ceballos, the parish priest of Namacpacan, negotiated with the Augustinian friar Camilo Naves to let the image stay in Namacpacan. It was agreed upon that the Catholics from Namacpacan would reimburse all expenses incurred. The parishioners contributed joyously and generously to the extent of selling portions of their fields to raise the amount. An altar at the northern portico side of the church was constructed to house the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, now Our Lady of Namacpacan.

Later on, many miracles happened. The lame, 13 year old Rosa Roldan, claimed that, one day, an old woman knocked on the door of their home and asked for drink and food. She let her in and gave her some leftover food.

The old woman drank some water and some of it fell on Rosa’s feet. Before she left, she told Rosa to meet her at the shrine and from there, Rosa began to walk. When she came to the shrine, she was surprised to see the figure of the Our Lady of Namacpacan and recognized her as her visitor. Since then, Rosa has become a devotee of the Our Blessed Lady and started healing the sick and offering charity service to those in need.

Left side altar

Right side altar

The stone pulpit

Today the church is flocked by devotees who are expected to fetch water from a well that is believed to cure diseases. The well was created because of a dream of a “balikbayan” woman, who said that Apo Baket appeared in her dream and told her to dig a well near the church. The woman then asked volunteers to dig a well and some people, after attending the mass, drank water from the well and many professed that they felt stronger. A physically ill man also claimed that the water from the well cured him. Afterwards, the Department of Health (DOH) sent a delegate to investigate the water’s chemical substance and discovered that it is alkaline which is safe for drinking.

Well

Church of St. Catherine of Alexandria: Namacpacan Rd., Luna 2518, La Union.

How to Get There: Luna is located 267.48 kms. from Manila and 34.8 kms. north of the City of San Fernando. Air conditioned buses from Dominion Bus Lines, Philippine Rabbit, Partas, Fariñas, Maria de Leon, and Viron depart from terminals in Manila that is bound for Ilocos. Destinations can either be La Union, Narvacan, Vigan, Laoag or Abra. Just tell the bus attendant that you are going to Luna.

Melk Abbey – Stiftskirche (Melk, Austria)

Posted on 30 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 1 Comment ↓

Facade of Stiftskirche (Abbey Church)

The highlight and end of our Melk Abbey tour, though, is certainly the full-on Baroque Stiftskirche (Abbey Church) with its 200-ft. tall dome, symmetrical towers and astonishing number of windows.

Check out “Melk Abbey“

The 200 ft. tall dome with frescoes of the heavens opening

This grand finale, resplendent in a golden hue, is richly embellished with marble and altar paintings and frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr, with help from Paul Troger.

Pulpit of Giusseppe Galli-Bibiena

Jakob Prandtauer and, after his death, by his nephew Joseph Munggenast were the leading architects. For the interior design and sketches for the frescoes, Antonio Beduzzi definitely was involved in the planning.

Ceiling frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr

Together with other prominent artists and masters in their fields such as Giuseppe Galli-Bibiena (designs for the pulpit and high altar), Lorenzo Mattielli (design for the sculptures), Peter Widerin (sculptures) and many others, they created a synthesis of the arts to the glory of God, an unparalleled, indisputably classic example of Baroque.

High Altar

The inscription (from 2 Timothy 2,5), on the high altar, reads “non coronabitur nisi legitime certaverit” (“Without a legitimate battle there is no victory”). The left side altar (Coloman Altar), in the transept, contains, in a sarcophagus, the skeleton of St. Coloman of Stockerau.

St. Coloman’s Altar

St. Benedict’s Altar flanked by statues of St. Scholastica and St. Berthold of Garsten

The altar to the right is dedicated to St. Benedict. It cenotaph (empty sarcophagus) bears the inscription “erit sepulchrum eius gloriosum” (“his grave will be glorious”). To the right of the altar is the statue of St. Scholastica (Benedict’s sister) while on the left is St. Berthold of Garsten.

St. Michael’s Altar

Glass sarcophagus of St. Clemens

The St. Michael Altar has a glass sarcophagus with the skeleton of a so-called catacomb saint, given to the monastery in 1722 by Viennese nuncio Cardinal Alessandro Crivelli, and given the name Clemens.

St. John the Baptist Altar

Glass sarcophagus of Friedrich

Opposite is the St. John the Baptist Altar, also with a glass sarcophagus of a catacomb saint given as a gift to the monastery by Maria Theresa and displayed here in 1762. The unknown saint received the name Friedrich.

St. Sebastian’s Altar

The Epiphany Altar

The altar painting at St. Leopold’s Altar, painted on a lead plate in 1650 by Georg Bachmann, is from the old abbey church. It shows a depiction of the history of the foundation on the Melk monastery. Other side altars are dedicated to the Epiphany, St. Nicolas and St. Sebastian.

St. Nicolas Altar

St. Leopold’s Altar

St. Benedict’s battle for virtue, the theme most strongly expressed by the nave’s fresco, depicts victory in this battle as portrayed, on the one hand, by the large victory crown on the high altar and the dome frescoes, in which the heavens open and, on the other hand, by the victor’s laurels over the monk, who has achieved spiritual fulfillment.

Melk Abbey: Abt-Berthold-Dietmayr-Straße 1, 3390 Melk, Austria. Tel: +43 2752 5550. Open 9 AM – 6 PM. Website: www.stiftmelk.at. Admission (abbey park and the bastion): Adults: (€4,00), Students (€ 3,00), Children (6-16 years) (€ 1,00).

Melk Abbey (Melk, Austria)

Posted on 30 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — 3 Comments ↓

Melk Abbey

After our tour of Mathausen Memorial, we again boarded our van for the 86.8-km. (1-hour) trip, via the A1, to huge Melk Abbey (German: Stift Melk), one of Europe’s great sights located on a rock-strewn outcrop overlooking the banks of the Danube River. Adjoining the Wachau Valley between Salzburg and Vienna, it is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk in Lower Austria.

Inner (Prelates) Courtyard

The 497-room (with 1,365 windows) abbey, founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey (who turned it into a fortified abbey), contains the tomb of St. Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several members of the House of Babenberg, Austria’s first ruling dynasty who ruled Austria from 976 until the House of Hapsburg took over.

Abbey gate

A monastic school, the Stiftsgymnasium Melk, was founded in the 12th century and the abbey’s influence and reputation as a center of learning and culture spread throughout Austria. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco‘s popular novel, was researched by Eco in the abbey’s monastic library which is renowned for its extensive manuscript collection (the monastery’s scriptorium was a major site for the production of manuscripts).

Main Entrance with statues of Apostles Peter & Paul designed by Lorenzo Mattielli

As a tribute to the abbey and its famous library, he named the apprentice, one of the protagonists, as “Adson von Melk.” Members of the Melk monastic community have achieved significant success in the fields of natural science and the arts and among its alumni was the 19th-century Austrian dramatist and short-story writer, Friedrich Halm.

L-R: the author, Grace, Kyle, Cheska and Jandy

Since 1625 the abbey has been a member of the Austrian Congregation, now within the Benedictine Confederation. During the Reformation and the 1683 Turkish invasion, Melk Abbey suffered damage but it was spared direct attack when the Ottoman armies were halted just outside Vienna. In 1701, a Baroquization of the abbey church was planned but, after 1701, at Abbot Berthold Dietmayr’s instigation, a complete reconstruction of the church took place, following plans by architect Jakob Prandtauer, and completed in 1736.

Kaisergang (Emperors’ Gallery)

Between 1780 and 1790, under Emperor Joseph II, many Austrian abbeys were seized and dissolved but, due to its fame and academic stature, Melk managed to escape dissolution. The abbey also managed to survive the Napoleonic Wars and the period following the Anschluss in 1938, when the school and a large part of the abbey were confiscated by the state. After the Second World War, the school was returned to the abbey and now caters for nearly 900 pupils, of both sexes, in secondary and preparatory school. Today, the institution survives, funded by agriculture and tourist visits.

Rule of St. Benedict at Room 1 – Listen with Your Heart

In 1947, the abbey church was damaged by fire but, after a 10-year long restoration, financed with help from the state and federal government, was finished in 1987. To celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the first reference to a country named Österreich (Austria), another grand restoration project, financed in part by the sale of the abbey’s Gutenberg Bible to Harvard University (which was later donated to Yale University), was completed by 1996.

Room 2 – A House for God and Man

Room 3 – The Ups and Downs of History

Upon arrival, we entered Benedict Hall, above which is a leitmotif with the Latin words “absit gloriari nisi incruce” (“Glory is found only in the cross”) and a huge copy of the Melk Cross, one of the abbey’s greatest treasures (the original is hidden in the treasury, viewable only with special permission).

Room 4 – The Word of Life

We first visited the imperial rooms with its restored inlaid wood floors, currently home to the most modern abbey museum in Austria, passing through the art-lined Kaisergang (Emperors’ Gallery) which stretches for 197 m. (644 ft.) and is decorated with portraits of Austrian royalty.

Room 5 -Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror … (1 Cor. 13,12)

The museum’s current exhibition, entitled “The Path from Yesterday to Today – Melk Abbey in its Past and Present,” was designed by architect Hans Hoffer, also the designer of the “Klangtheater Ganzohr” in Vienna and the director of the “Linzer Klangwolke” several times. The exhibits chronicle the ages of the abbey, and each room is lit up with a symbolic color.

Reusable coffin at Room 7 – In the Name of Reason

Room 9 – The Path to the Future

They are divided into the blue-colored “Listen with Your Heart,” the green-colored “A House for God and Man,” “The Ups and Downs of History,” “The Word of Life,” “Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror … (1 Cor. 13,12),” “Heaven on Earth,” “In the Name of Reason,” “The Whole Person,” “The Path to the Future,” “To Glorify God in Everything and The City on the Mountain” and “Motion Is a Sign of Life.”

Room 10 – a very complicated lock box that operated with a single key

Model of the 497-room Melk Abbey at Room 11 – Motion Is a Sign of Life

The Prelate’s Hall, with its Baroque painting gallery, is one of the most beautiful rooms in the monastery. Though not open to the public, it is used by the abbot for representative purposes.

The Marble Hall

From the museum, we proceeded to the Marmorsaal (Marble Hall), the gorgeous room that served as a dining hall for the imperial family and other distinguished guests, as well as a festival hall. Containing pilasters coated in red marble and walls of stucco marble, it has impressive allegorical painted ceiling frescos, by Tirolean Paul Troger (1731), and an optical illusion framing it. The architectural painting, done by Gaetano Fanti, gives the impression that the ceiling rises up and curves higher than it does but is, in fact, flat.

It shows, in the middle, Pallas Athena on a chariot drawn by lions as a symbol of wisdom and moderation. To her left is Hercules who symbolizes the force necessary to conquer Cerberus (the three-headed hound of hell), night and sin. Both Pallas Athena and Hercules allude to Emperor Karl VI, who liked to be celebrated as a successor to the Roman emperors in the Hercules legend. In effect, it shows the essence of the House of Habsburg – the ruler brings the people from darkness to light, from evil to good.

The ceiling frescoes of Paul Troger depicting Pallas Athena and Hercules

The doors, with frames made of genuine marble from Adnet and Untersberg (in the province of Salzburg), are inscribed with quotes from the Rule of St. Benedict, indicating the purpose of the room – “Hospites tamquam Christus suscipiantur” (“Guests should be received as Christ would be”) and “Et omnibus congruus honor exhibeatur” (“And to each the honor given which is his due”).

The abbey terrace connecting the Marble Hall with the library

From the Marble Hall, we went out into the abbey’s terrace, a balcony connecting the Marble Hall and the library. Napoleon probably used it as a lookout when he used Melk as his headquarters for his campaign against Austria. From here, we had a wonderful view of the Danube River, the western facade of the abbey church, the scenery of the Wachau Valley and the town of Melk.

View of the town of Melk from the terrace

View of the town of Melk and Danube River from the terrace

From the terrace, we entered the 12-room library which rises two floors. Second only to the church in the order of importance of the rooms in the Benedictine monastery, the library houses around 80,000 volumes of priceless medieval manuscripts including a famed collection of musical manuscripts, 750 incunabula (printed works before 1500), 1,700 works from the 16^th century, 4,500 from the 17^th century and 18,000 from the 18^th century. Together with the newer books, it totals approximately 100,000 volumes with about 16,000 of these found in this library room. They are organized by topics: beginning with editions of the Bible in Row I, theology (Rows II to VII), jurisprudence (Row VIII), geography and astronomy (Row VIIII), history (Rows X to XV) and ending with the Baroque lexica in Row XVI.

The Library (photo: www.stiftmelk.at)

The monks had a high regard for their library as seen from the valuable artistic decoration. The ceiling fresco, also by Paul Troger (1731 to 1732), shows, in contrast to the secular scenery of the Marble Hall, a symbolic depiction of Faith. In the center is a recognizable female figure, the allegory of Faith. She is surrounded by four groups of angels, who stand for the four Cardinal Virtues: Wisdom, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. The four wooden sculptures are depictions of the four faculties – Theology, Philosophy, Medicine and Jurisprudence.

Spiral Staircase

The Small Library room contains mainly historical works from the 19^th century onwards. The spiral staircase, with Rococo grate, leads to the two upper floor reading rooms of the library, which are not open to the public. Its ceiling fresco, by Paul Troger, shows an allegorical portrayal of Scientia (Science), while the architectural painting on the ceiling fresco was done by Gaetano Fanti. From the library, we proceeded to explore the Stiftskirche (Abbey Church)

Check out “Stiftskirche“

Abbey Garden

Just outside is the abbey’s park, designed as a baroque park in 1750 and, in 1822, replanted as an English landscape garden. It has a picturesque Baroque garden pavilion, built like a small belvedere by Franz Mungenast in 1748. It houses some fine frescoes exotic animals and plants, jungles and native people created by Johann Wenzel Bergl in 1764.

Baroque Garden Pavilion

It was renovated from 1998-1999 and, since 2000, has been opened to the public. The pavilion was once situated above the Danube River which was once much wider, reaching as far as the rock below the gardens. Within the pavilion is a self-service café. Murals, in the courtyard, are modern additions that blend in well with the look of the place. Each is a representation of the four virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance.

Self-service cafe at Baroque Garden Pavilion

Before leaving, we dropped by the Stiftsrestaurant Melk, the abbey restaurant located near the entrance. It serves hot meals and monastery wine in beautiful Baroque and outdoor surroundings. Here, we had some ice cream sundae.

Stiftsrestaurant Melk

St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Vienna,Austria)

Posted on 29 August, 2015 by Benjie Layug — Leave a reply

St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom)

Our first and only mass in Austria was held in St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) in the Stephansplatz of Vienna. With its multi-colored tile roof, it is most important religious building in Vienna and one of the city’s most recognizable symbols. St. Stephen’s Cathedral has also borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history.

The author at St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Here are some interesting trivia regarding this cathedral:

It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna (Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP)
The cathedral, dedicated to St. Stephen (also the patron of the bishop’s cathedral in Passau), is oriented toward the sunrise on his feast day of December 26, as the position stood in the year that construction began.
It is affectionately referred to, by the city’s inhabitants, as “Steffl” (a diminutive form of “Stephen”)
The main entrance to the church is named the Giant’s Door (or Riesentor), referring to the thighbone of a mastodon that hung over it for decades after being unearthed in 1443 while digging the foundations for the north tower.
Composer Ludwig van Beethoven discovered the totality of his deafness when he saw birds flying out of the bell tower as a result of the bells’ tolling but could not hear the bells.
At 20,130 kgs. (44,380 lb), its St. Mary Bell is the largest in Austria and the second largest swinging bell in Europe after the 23,500 kgs. (51,800 lb) Peter in Cologne Cathedral).
Stephen’s Cathedral is featured in media including films, video games, and television shows including The Third Man and Burnout 3.
The cathedral is also depicted on the Austrian 10 cent euro coins.
The South Tower is considered the most beautiful German Gothic tower in Europe thanks to features such as the statues below the richly ornamented canopies on the second floor.
In 1741, the funeral of the Italian composer, Antonio Vivaldi occurred in this cathedral.
On the packaging of the Manner-Schnitten wafer treat, the Archdiocese of Vienna allowed the Manner company to use the Cathedral as its logo in return for funding the wages of one stonemason doing repair work on the Cathedral.
This was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s parish church when he lived at the “Figaro House” and he was married here, two of his children were baptized here, and his funeral was held in the Chapel of the Cross. Shortly before his death, he was appointed an adjunct music director here. A memorial tablet gives a detailed account of his relationship with the cathedral.
In 2008,Sarah Brightman performed a concert promoting her latest album, Symphony, which was recorded for a TV broadcast and a further DVD release in late September.
Since 2008, the two sabers of theBalint Balassi Memorial Sword Award, founded by Pal Molnar, have been blessed during a Balassi Mass held a few days before the award ceremony. On January 25, 2013, in the presence of some 300 Hungarians, Bishop Laszlo Kiss-Rigo blessed the two swords during a Mass celebrated in the cathedral.
Over the centuries, soot and other forms of air pollution accumulating on the church have given it a black color, but recent restoration projects have again returned some portions of the building to its original white.
Its roof is so steep that it is sufficiently cleaned by the rain alone and is seldom covered by snow.

Bas relief

Built of limestone, the current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147. It is 107 m. (351 ft.) long, 40 m. (130 ft.) wide and 136 m. (446 ft.) tall at the massive south tower, its highest point and a dominant feature of the Vienna skyline.

Bas relief

The soaring South Tower, built from 1368 to 1433, served as the main observation and command post for the defense of the walled city during the Siege of Vienna in 1529 and again during the Battle of Vienna in 1683. Until 1955, it contained an apartment for the watchmen who, manned the tower at night and rang the bells if a fire was spotted in the city. It’s a tough climb up the 343 steps to the Watch Room which has a spectacular view over the city. At the tip stands the double-eagle imperial emblem with the Habsburg-Lorraine coat of arms on its chest, surmounted by a double-armed apostolic cross (which refers to Apostolic Majesty, the imperial style of kings of Hungary). A peal of 11 electrically operated bells, cast in 1960, hangs in the south tower.

The South Tower

The North Tower, standing at 68 m. (223 ft.) tall (roughly half the height of the south tower), was originally intended to mirror the south tower but, considering the era of Gothic cathedrals was nearing its end, its design proved too ambitious and its construction was halted in 1511. However, in 1578, its tower-stump was augmented with a Renaissance cap (nicknamed the “water tower top” by the Viennese).

The ornately patterned and richly colored roof

The glory of St. Stephen’s Cathedral is its 111 m. (364 ft.) long, ornately patterned and richly colored roof which is covered by 230,000 glazed tiles. On the south side of the building, above the choir, the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty. On the north side are depicted the coats of arms of the City of Vienna and of the Republic of Austria.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral has 23 bells in total. Some are replacements for other ancient bells lost in the 1945 fire. The north Roman Tower contains six bells, five of which were cast in 1772, that ring for evening prayers and toll for funerals. They are working bells of the cathedral and their names usually recall their original uses. The 1945 fire destroyed the bells that hung in the south Roman Tower. Four bells are used for an ordinary Mass. The quantity increases to as many as ten for a major holiday Mass; and the eleventh and largest is added when the Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna himself is present. They include:

Mary – 20,130 kgs. (44,380 lbs.). Usually called Pummerin (“Boomer”), it hangs in the North Tower and was originally cast in 1711 from cannons captured from the Muslim invaders. In 1951, it was recast (partly from its original metal) after crashing onto the floor when its wooden cradle burned during the 1945 fire. The new bell has a diameter of 3.14 m. (10.3 ft.) and was a gift from the province of Upper Austria. It sounds on only a few special occasions each year, including the arrival of the New Year. A fast lift takes visitors to a viewing platform.
Stephen – 5,700 kgs. (12,600 lbs.)
Leopold – 2,300 kgs. (5,100 lbs.)
Christopher – 1,350 kgs. (2,980 lbs.)
Leonhard – 950 kgs. (2,090 lbs.)
Josef – 700 kgs. (1,500 lbs.)
Peter Canisius – 400 kgs. (880 lbs.)
Pius X – 280 kgs.
All Saints – 200 kgs. (440 lbs.)
Clement Maria Hofbauer – 120 kgs. (260 lbs.)
Speisglocke (“dinner bell”) – North Tower, 240 kgs. (530 lbs.), cast in 1746, no longer in use
Zügenglocke (“processions bell”) – North Tower, 65 kgs. (143 lbs.), cast in 1830, no longer in use.
Kleine Glocke (“small bell”) – North Tower, 62 kgs. (137 lbs.), cast around 1280, no longer in use
Michael – 60 kgs. (130 lbs.)
Tarsicius – 35 kgs. (77 lbs.)
Primglocke– South Tower, recast in 1772, marks the passing of the hours
Uhrschälle– South Tower, cast in 1449, marks the passing of the hours
Feuerin (“fire alarm”) – North Roman Tower, cast in 1859, now used as a call to evening prayers
Kantnerin – North Roman Tower, used to call the cantors (musicians) to Mass
Feringerin – North Roman Tower, used for High Mass on Sundays
Bieringerin (“beer ringer”) – North Roman Tower, for last call at taverns
Poor Souls – North Roman Tower, the funeral bell
Churpötsch – North Roman Tower, donated by the local curia in honor of the Maria Pötsch icon in the cathedral

The Late Romanesque Giant’s Door is notable for its uncommonly rich ornamentation of dragons, birds, lions, monks, and demons. The tympanum above the door depicts Christ Pantocrator, flanked by two winged angels, while on the left and right are the two approximately 65 m. (213 ft.) tall Heathen Towers or Heidentürme (the German word Heiden means “heathens” or “pagans”). The name is derived from the fact that they were constructed from the rubble of old structures built by the Romans during their occupation of the area. Square at the base and octagonal above the roofline, the Heidentürme originally housed bells. Those in the South Tower were lost during World War II, but the North Tower remains an operational bell tower. The Giant’s Door, together with the Heathen Towers, are the oldest parts of the church.

The Bishop’s Gate, originally reserved for female visitors, boasts fine figurative sculptures from 1370, along with a number of coats-of-arms, while the Singer Gate, the entry for male visitors, is notable for its figures of the Apostles and the legend of St. Paul dating from 1378.

Here’s the historical timeline of the cathedral:

Following the Treaty of Mautern, it was founded in 1137
In 1147, the partially constructed Romanesque church was solemnly dedicated to Saint Stephen in the presence of Conrad III of Germany, Bishop Otto of Freising, and other German nobles who were about to embark on the Second Crusade.
In 1160, the first structure was completed
From 1230 to 1245, the initial Romanesque structure was extended westward. The present-day west wall and Romanesque towers date from this period.
In 1258, a great fire destroyed much of the original building.
On April 23, 1263, a larger replacement structure, also Romanesque in style and reusing the two towers, was constructed over the ruins of the old church and consecrated. Each year, the anniversary of this second consecration is commemorated by a rare ringing of the Pummerin bell for three minutes in the evening.
In 1304,a Gothic three-nave choir east of the church, wide enough to meet the tips of the old transepts, ordered to be constructed by King Albert I.
In 1340, the 77th anniversary of the previous consecration, the Albertine choir, whose construction was continued by Duke Albert II, was consecrated.
On April 7, 1359, Duke Rudolf IV (1339–1365), Albert II’s son, laid the cornerstone for a westward Gothic extension of the Albertine choir in the vicinity of the present south tower. This expansion would eventually encapsulate the entirety of the old church.
In 1365, just six years after beginning the Gothic extension of the Albertine choir, Rudolf IV disregarded St. Stephen’s status as a mere parish church and presumptuously established a chapter of canons befitting a large cathedral. This move was only the first step in fulfilling Vienna’s long-held desire to obtain its own diocese.
In 1430, as work progressed on the new cathedral, the edifice of the old church was removed from within.
In 1433, the south tower was completed
From 1446 to 1474, the vaulting of the nave took place.
In 1450, the foundation for a north tower was laid and construction began under master Lorenz Spenning
In 1511, its construction was abandoned when major work on the cathedral ceased.
In 1469,Emperor Frederick III prevailed upon Pope Paul II to grant Vienna its own bishop, to be appointed by the emperor.
On January 18, 1469, despite long-standing resistance by the Bishops of Passau (who did not wish to lose control of the area), the Diocese of Vienna was canonically established with St. Stephen’s Cathedral as its mother church.
In 1722, during the reign of Karl VI, Pope Innocent XIII elevated the see to an archbishopric.
During World War II, the cathedral was saved from intentional destruction, at the hands of retreating German forces, when Capt. Gerhard Klinkicht disregarded orders from the city commandant, Josef Dietrich
On April 12, 1945, as Soviet Army troops entered the city, the wooden framework of the roof cathedral’s roof was severely damaged by fires lit by civilian looters in nearby shops and carried by the winds, causing it to collapse. Fortunately, protective brick shells built around the pulpit, Frederick III’s tomb, and other treasures, minimized damage to the most valuable artworks. However, the Rollinger choir stalls, carved in 1487, could not be saved. Replicating the original wooden bracing for so large a roof (it rises 38 m. above the floor) would have been cost prohibitive, so over 600 metric tons of steel bracing were used instead.
On December 12, 1948, after rebuilding, the cathedral was partially reopened.
On April 23, 1950, the cathedral was fully reopened.
In 1960, Michael Kauffmann finished a large electric organ with 125 voices and 4 manuals, financed with public donations.
In 1991, the Austrian firm of Rieger rebuilt the mechanical choir organ with 56 voices and 4 manuals.
As of December 2008, the majority of the restoration on the south tower has been finished, and most scaffolding removed.
On March 29, 2014, a 37-year-oldGhanaian asylum seeker vandalized the interior of the cathedral by pushing the statue of Jude Thaddeus from its marble base.

The three-aisled interior

The spacious three-aisled interior is divided by clustered pillars on which are life-size statues, including one of St. Christopher dating from 1470. The middle nave is largely dedicated to St. Stephen and All Saints while the north and south nave are dedicated to St. Mary and the Apostles respectively. To the left of the main entrance, embedded in the cathedral wall, is the official Viennese ell length, standards for verifying the measure of different types of cloth sold. At the southwest corner are various memorials from the time the area outside the cathedral was a cemetery and a recently restored 15th-century sundial, on a flying buttress. There’s also a figure of Christ affectionately known to the Viennese as “Christ with a toothache” (from the agonized expression of his face).

The High Altar

The main part of the church contains 18 altars, with more in the various chapels. The distant High Altar, the first focal point of any visitor, is the most famous. Built in the Baroque style from 1641 to 1647 by Tobias Pock at the direction of Vienna’s Bishop Philipp Friedrich Graf Breuner with black marble from Poland, Styria and Tyrol, it represents the stoning of the church’s patron St. Stephen. The altar is framed by figures of Saints Leopold, Florian, Sebastian and Rochus, all patron saints from the surrounding areas, and surmounted with a statue of St. Mary which draws the beholder’s eye to a glimpse of heaven where Christ waits for Stephen (the first martyr) to ascend from below.

The Wiener Neustädter Altar

The Wiener Neustädter Altar (German: Wiener Neustädter Altar), at the head of the north nave, was ordered in 1447 by Emperor Frederick III (his tomb is located in the opposite direction). On the predella is his famous A.E.I.O.U. device first ordered by Frederick for the Cistercian Viktring Abbey (near Klagenfurt), where it remained until the abbey was closed in 1786 as part of Emperor Joseph II’s anti-clerical reforms. It was then sent to the Cistercian monastery of St. Bernard of Clairvaux (founded by Emperor Frederick III) in the city of Wiener Neustadt and, when the Wiener Neustadt monastery was closed after merging with Heiligenkreuz Abbey, finally sold to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in 1885.

The altar is composed of two triptychs, the upper being four times taller than the lower one. The Gothic grate of the former reliquary depot, above the altar, is revealed when the lower panels are opened. A drab painted scene, involving 72 saints, is displayed when the four panels are closed on weekdays while gilded wooden figures, depicting events in the life of the Virgin Mary, are shown when the panels are opened on Sundays. In 1985, on its 100th anniversary, restoration began. Primarily because its large surface area of 100 sq. m. (1,100 sq. ft.), it took 20 years, 10 art restorers, 40,000 man-hours, and €1.3 million to complete.

The stone pulpit

The 16^th century stone pulpit, the most important work of art in the nave and a masterwork of late Gothic sculpture, stands against a pillar out in the nave, instead of in the chancel at the front of the church so that the local language sermon could be better heard by the worshipers in the days before microphones and loud speakers. Long attributed to Anton Pilgram, today, Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden is thought more likely to be the carver.

The sides of the pulpit, erupting like stylized petals from the stem supporting it, has a stairway handrail ((has fantastic decorations of toads and lizards biting each other, symbolizing the fight of good against evil) that curves its way around the pillar from ground level to the pulpit. A stone puppy, at the top of the stairs, protects the preacher from intruders. The Gothic petals has relief portraits of the four original Doctors of the Church (St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great and St. Jerome), each of them in one of four different temperaments and in one of four different stages of life.

A stone self-portrait of the unknown sculptor gawking (German: gucken) out of a window (German: fenster), famously known as the Fenstergucker, is located beneath the stairs. One of the most beloved symbols of the cathedral, the chisel in the subject’s hand, and the stonemason‘s signature mark on the shield above the window led to the speculation that it could be a self-portrait of the sculptor.

The Maria Pötsch Icon, a 50 x 70 cm. Byzantine style icon, takes its name from the Hungarian Byzantine Catholic shrine of Máriapócs (pronounced Poach), from where it was transferred to Vienna. The picture shows the Virgin Mary pointing to the child Jesus (signifying “He is the way”) and the child holding a three-stemmed rose (symbolizing the Holy Trinity) and wearing a prescient cross from his neck. The icon was commissioned from painter István Papp by László Csigri in 1676 upon his release as a prisoner of war from the Turks who were invading Hungary at the time. As Csigri was unable to pay the 6-forint fee, the icon was bought by Lőrinc Hurta who, in turn, donated it to the church of Pócs.

In 1696, after two miraculous incidents with the Virgin Mary in the picture shedding real tears, Emperor Leopold I ordered it brought to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, where it would be safe from the Muslim armies that still controlled much of Hungary. In 1697, after a triumphal five-month journey, the icon arrived in the cathedral and Empress Eleonora Magdalena commissioned the splendid Rosa Mystica oklad and framework (now one of several) for it. The Emperor personally ordered the icon placed near the High Altar in the front of the church, where it stood prominently from 1697 until 1945. Since then, the icon has been in a different framework, above an altar, under a Medieval stone baldachin near the southwest corner of the nave. Many burning candles here indicate the extent of its veneration, especially by Hungarians.

Since its arrival, the icon has not been seen weeping again but other miracles and answered prayers have been attributed to it, including Prince Eugene of Savoy‘s victory over the Turks at Zenta, a few weeks after the icon’s installation in the Stephansdom.

Lady’s Altar

There are several formal chapels in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. They include:

Barbara’s Chapel, in the base of the north tower, is used for meditation and prayer.
Katherine’s Chapel, the baptismal chapel in the base of the south tower, has a 14-sided baptismal font completed in 1481 whose cover was formerly the sound board above the famed pulpit in the main church. Its marble base (plinth) shows the Four Evangelists, while the niches of the basin feature reliefs of the Twelve Apostles, Christ and St. Stephan.
Eligius’s Chapel (or Duke’s Chapel), in the southeast corner, with its important 14th-century statues, is open for prayer. The altar is dedicated to St. Valentine whose body (one of three, held by various churches) is in another chapel, upstairs.
The recently restored Bartholomew’s Chapel is above St. Eligius’ Chapel.
The Chapel of the Cross (or Tirna Chapel), in the northwest corner of the cathedral, is not open to the public. Built in1359, it holds the burial place of Prince Eugene of Savoy, commander of the Imperial forces during the War of the Spanish Succession, in a vault containing 3 coffins and a heart urn, under a massive stone slab with iron rings. The funeral of Mozart occurred here December 6, 1791. Above the altar is a 15th-century crucifix and the beard on the crucified Christ which is made of human hair and, according to legend, is still growing.
Valentine’s Chapel, above the Chapel of the Cross, is the current depository of the hundreds of relics belonging to the Stephansdom (including a piece of the tablecloth from the Last Supper). A large chest holds the bones of St. Valentine that were moved here about a century ago, from what is now the Chapter House to the south of the High Altar.

Since its earliest days, it has always been an honor to be buried inside the cathedral, close to the physical presence of the saints whose relics are preserved there, and it has sheltered the bodies of notables and commoners. Those less honored were buried near, but outside the church.

Peter and Paul Altar

Aside from the aforementioned Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Chapel of The Cross, also inside the cathedral is the tomb of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, under whose reign the Diocese of Vienna was canonically erected on January 18, 1469, in the Apostles’ Choir (south choir, southeast corner of the cathedral).

The construction of Emperor Frederick’s tomb, spanning over 45 years, started 25 years before his death. The impressive raised sarcophagus, carved by Dutch artist Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden, is made of the unusually dense red marble-like stone found at the Adnet quarry. The tomb lid shows Emperor Frederick in his coronation regalia, surrounded by the coats of arms of all of his dominions. The body of the tomb, a glory of Medieval sculptural art, has 240 statues.

St. Januarius Altar

The basement of the cathedral also hosts the Bishop’s Crypt (completed in 1952) under the south choir, Provost’s Crypt and Ducal Crypt under the chancel. The most recent interment in the Bishop’s crypt was that of 98-year-old Cardinal Franz König in 2004. Provosts of the cathedral are buried in another chamber while other members of the cathedral chapter are now buried in a special section at the Zentralfriedhof.

The Ducal Crypt, ordered built by Duke Rudolf IV (for his remains in the new cathedral he commissioned) before his death in 1365, holds 78 bronze containers with the bodies, hearts, or viscera of 72 members of the Habsburg dynasty.

The small rectangular chamber, overcrowded with 12 sarcophagi and 39 urns by 1754, was expanded with an oval chamber added to the east end of the rectangular one and, in 1956, the two chambers were renovated and their contents rearranged. The sarcophagi of Duke Rudolf IV and his wife were placed upon a pedestal and the 62 urns containing organs were moved from the two rows of shelves around the new chamber to cabinets in the original one.

In 1735, the charnel house and eight cemeteries abutting the cathedral’s side and back walls were closed due to an outbreak of bubonic plague and the bones within them were moved to the catacombs below the church. In 1783, burials directly in the catacombs were discontinued when a new law forbade most burials within the city. Today, the catacombs, with remains of over 11,000 persons stacked up in tiers, may be toured.

Altar dedicated to St. Padre Pio

Adjacent to the catacomb entrance is the Capistran Chancel. Its pulpit, now outdoors, was the original cathedral’s main pulpit inside until it was replaced by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden’s pulpit in 1515. Here, St. John Capistrano and Hungarian general John Hunyadi preached a crusade in 1456 to repel Muslim invasions of Christian Europe. The 18th century Baroque statue shows St. Francis under an extravagant sunburst, trampling on a beaten Turk.

The fascinating Cathedral Treasure, located in the West Gallery, houses many of the cathedral’s most important and valuable objects.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral : Stephansplatz 3, 1010 Wien, Austria. Tel: +43 1 515523054. Website: www.stephanskirche.at.

How to Get There: St. Stephen’s Cathedral is within walking distance of Vienna’s city center and its major tourist attractions. By bus, it is well served by Vienna’s bus service (Routes 1A, 2A, or 3A). The nearest U-Bahn subway station is Stephansplatz. No on-site public parking is available.

This travel blog, a diary of the author’s local and international travels, aims to provide the reader with news and information on people, places and events that would interest the avid traveler and tourist. But, it also aims to be much more, providing insights on the wonders of this beautiful country, as well as the world, beyond the strict confines of the city. Have a BLAST seeing old churches, exotic temples, educational museums as well as palm-fringed islands; white sand beaches; thundering waterfalls; placid lakes; fiery sunsets; turquoise seas; cathedral-like caves; swirling rivers; majestic mountains; stupendous, amphitheater-like rice terraces; awesome volcanoes and the like. Get to know the movers and shakers in the tourism industry; find out where to titillate the palate; rejuvenate your body; feed your adrenalin, unwind and relax; satisfy your craving for history and culture; and find out what's being celebrated and where.

BENJAMIN “BENJIE” LAYUG, an architect by profession (he finished his B. S. Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1982), is also a copy editor for two publishing houses; travel writer; blogger; architectural historian; author; concert. movie and musical reviewer (for www.pep.ph); and a motivational speaker.

As a free-lance travel writer, he has, in the past, contributed articles to Travel Update, Philippine Daily Inquirer, COLORS, TODAY, 7107 Islands Magazine, Business Day and Bluprint. He currently writes for Artplus Magazine and the Business Mirror.

He is also the author of the following travel books:

A Philippine Odyssey (New Day Publishers, 2005)
Pathfinder’s Travel Guide: Boracay (Great Books Trading, 2006)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Churches (New Day Publishers, 2007)
A Tourist to Notable Philippine Historical Landmarks, Monuments and Shrines (New Day Publishers, 2010)
A Tourist Guide to Notable Philippine Museums (New Day Publishers, 2012)

Some of his books now appear in the local library shelves of the National Library of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, U.P. Diliman, Centro Escolar University, San Sebastian College, Miriam College, Silliman University, to name a few, as well as internationally at the National Library of Australia and the University of California Berkeley Library.

Now a senior citizen, he is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active travel blogger in the country today. He also has a lifestyle blog called F.Y.I.:Firing Your Imagination (www.firingyourimagination.blogspot.com). Benjie has traveled to two-thirds (53) of the country’s 81 provinces and over 20 countries in 4 continents.