Tag Archives: stone

Stony & Textural Black & White in Barcelona, Spain

Even in sunny Spain, there are cold, wet, and gloomy days when the colour of the sky is flat and bright shades of clothing or advertising are muted and subdued. What better time to switch to black and white photography which actually enhances the image since you are looking at the bones, the structure, or the texture instead of being wowed by snappy-bright colour.

These are from Barcelona on a wet but wonderful Sunday. The building is the Museu d’Història de la Ciutat, the city museum of Barcelona. This 15th Century palace was moved, stone by stone, from its original location in 1931 due to the upcoming construction of a roadway. When the new site on Placa del Rei was being excavated and prepared for the rebuilding of the palace, there was a stunning archaeological find — a large section of the old Roman city was still lying beneath the city streets of Barcelona!

I will have a slide show from the interior of this museum in the coming days.

Enjoy!

 

Upper exterior of the dramatically gloomy 15th Century building housing the Barcelona History Museum. This historic palace is built atop part of an excavated Roman city.


 

Gargoyles ring the upper part of the history museum in Barcelona


 

Entry to the imposing 15th Century stone palace housing the Barcelona History Museum. An excavated section of the former Roman city is on view in the lower levels.


 

One last picture — a glimpse through a narrow passageway which is down the street from the museum.
 

View down a narrow passage in Barcelona, Spain


 

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Photo Of The Day: Overgrown Beauty in France

It would have been rather easy to stroll by this vine and weed-filled corner of a chateau, but lingering in the tangle of greenery were these lovely ruins. The Chateau-de-Fougeres is a massive fortified chateau, but within its walls are various less noticed places that have not been reconstructed.
 

Covered with vines and weeds, this section of ruins resides within the walls of the otherwise very tidy medieval fortress Chateau de Fougeres in Brittany, France.


 

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Medieval St. Mary the Virgin in Diss, Norfolk, England

As promised several days ago, here is a small photo essay of the lovely St. Mary the Virgin church in the historic town of DISS in the county of Norfolk, England.
 

Arched passage and exterior of medieval St. Mary The Virgin church in Diss, Norfolk in England


 

Medieval stone St. Mary The Virgin church exterior in Diss, Norfolk in England


 

Sculptured stone face on exterior of medieval St. Mary The Virgin church in Diss, Norfolk in England


 

Stained glass inside medieval stone St. Mary The Virgin church, Diss, Norfolk, England


 

Down the aisle to the altar at medieval St. Mary The Virgin church in Diss, Norfolk, England


 

Front tower of the medieval St. Mary The Virgin church in Diss, Norfolk, England


 

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Stone Cold Ferocious

The stunning Notre Dame de Bayeux or Bayeux Cathedral in the Normandy region of France is a medieval masterpiece with a heavily ornamented exterior.

Amongst the elaborate gargoyles and grotesques that are liberally sprinkled on the surface are these ferocious stone dog-like creatures — forever glaring outward in a sinister manner. Although some of the similarly shaped carvings along the roofline appear to be true gargoyles that transport water into the downspouts, these examples seen below are instead known as grotesques, not gargoyles, and I discovered them on the side of the cathedral closest to the grassy square.

The common interpretation for the usage of this type of imagery is that the ordinary citizen of the medieval world was unlikely to be educated, therefore simple lessons were often told quite effectively ‘in stone’ via images and sculpture. Previous spiritual beliefs in the pre-Christian world embraced the concept of monsters and demons or spirits that could be capriciously good or evil. In the case of these types of ferocious stone carvings, it was believed that they would stand guard over the church and its ‘good people’ and protect them from the intrusion of dark forces.
 

Ferocious stone creature on the side of the Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy, France


 

Ferocious stone creature on the side of the Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy, France


 

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©Deborah Harmes and ©A Wanderful Life
Please respect the words and images on this page.
All rights reserved.