Ponte and Castel Sant'Angelo

This is a section of the beautiful Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome spanning the Tiber River.

Rome, 2007

Emperor Hadrian had this bridge built in 134 AD to give access from the city center to his grand mausoleum. The ten Bernini-designed angels lining the bridge were added much later, in the 17th century (unfortunately I did not cross over to get close ups of them, but images can easily be found online).

About Hadrian's tomb, from Wikipedia:

The tomb of the Roman emperor Hadrian, also called Hadrian's mole, was erected on the right bank of the Tiber, between 135 AD and 139 AD. Originally the mausoleum was a decorated cylinder, with a garden top and golden quadriga. Hadrian's ashes were placed here a year after his death in Baiae in 138 AD, together with those of his wife Sabina, and his first adopted son, Lucius Aelius, who also died in 138 AD. Following this, the remains of succeeding emperors were also placed here, the last recorded deposition being Caracalla in 217 AD. The urns containing these ashes were probably placed in what is now known as the Treasury room deep within the building.

More about Castel Sant'Angelo from Wikipedia:

Legend holds that the Archangel Michael appeared atop the mausoleum, sheathing his sword as a sign of the end of the plague of 590, thus lending the castle its present name.

Today the building is a museum.

My images today are offered to the blog-hop communities of Weekend Reflections, Sunday Bridges and Taphophile Tragics.

Face of an Angel

Bucharest, 2011

Top part of a caryatid on a dilapidated building in Bucharest.

Linking with Weekend in Black and White.

Z is for Zimbabwe

Okay, I am cheating a bit today. Maybe not just a bit.

The challenge at ABC Wednesday is the letter Z, a tough one. So what I offer you is a stone sculpture by a Master Zimbabwean sculptor in the park surrounding Burg Lichtenstein in Maria Enzersdorf not too far from Vienna.

The medieval castle sitting on a crag overlooking the Vienna Woods was originally built in the 12th century. It was destroyed twice by the Ottomans (Turks) in the 16th century and later rebuilt in 1884.

Austria, 2011

What do you think of the sculpture? [Click on it for a closer look.]

Check out the other links... I'm sure others could do better with Z!

[MyWorld] Schönbrunn Palace

Some people can escape the hot city life in summer to a small cabin by the lake (just saying). Other people go to a summer residence on a massive acreage. Like the 1400-room Schönbrunn Palace in Austria. But you'd have to be royalty.

 

 Vienna, 2011

 

Between the palace and Neptune Fountain are 32 statues of deities and virtues. And behind the fountain, still farther up on the hill, is a rather useless structure, in my opinion, called Gloriette, designed and built to glorify Habsburg power. Today it is a café serving the throngs of locals and tourists ambling the grounds.

Looking back down from the fountain you get a better picture of the size of this palace. Contrast it to the buildings in the city behind it.

The history of this imperial summer residence goes back to 1569. It holds various  styles of large gardens, an arboretum and a forest that was used as a hunting ground.  But the only animals I saw wouldn't be of much interest to hunters. Oh, and there is a children's zoo that I did not enter.

Call me crazy, but given a choice (and I've been told I do have a few drops of blue blood in my veins), I'd take the cabin. The trappings associated with this life are much too restrictive for my tastes.

And this was part of my world this week, so I am linked with MyWorld Tuesday where many others share a peek into their corner of the world.

Holding Up the Sky

Kyoto, 2009

We were temple-hopping on foot in Kyoto and along the way I saw and snapped this golden sculpture. I now wish I'd stopped a bit longer to consider a better angle to take the photo, but still I think it is quite an imposing piece of public art. I also didn't get any information about it, so if anyone can fill us in, that would be super.

PS. Thanks to fellow blogger VP from Livorno Daily Photo for this link to some information about this sculpture.

Perhaps the folks at Mellow Yellow Monday would enjoy this. You'll find many links to blogs offering creative takes on mellow yellow.

Light on the Hand of a Saint

When strolling around in Saint Peter's Basilica, it is hard for me not to get overwhelmed by all the art. There are of course the paintings, the sculptures, the carvings, but also the building itself, the walls, the floors, the ceilings; wherever I turn my eyes, there I see beauty created by the hands of men for the glory of their God. 

My own favorite is Michelangelo's Pieta; however I saw it personal and up close when it was in Florence in the mid-80s, and now this masterpiece is barricaded and secured behind glass. Just not the same.

On a more recent visit I was stunned by this sight of the Throne of Saint Peter by Bernini (1666) at the west end of the basilica. In this dark photo, the four church fathers are barely visible at the bottom, while the bright sunlight coming in from the window so vividly illuminates the pointing finger of Saint Elijah:

 Vatican, Italy, 2007

Elijah of Israel is many things to many people. He was a prophet of the 9th century BC, and he appears in the Hebrew Bible, Talmud, Mishnah, New Testament and the Qur'an, as well as in numerous other faiths. He even shows up in folkloric traditions as "Elijah the Thunderer" - responsible for summer storms, hail, rain and thunder. Catholics and Lutherans commemorate him as a saint with a feast day on July 20.

But lest you fear I will leave you with only the hand, here is a photo of the imposing statue of Saint Elijah by Agostino Cornacchini, 1727.

This entry is posted for the theme LIGHT for Brian & team's Theme Thursday. The link will take you to other links of creative interpretations of the theme.

Click on a photo to enlarge it.