Pagan Holy Site and the Kilmalkedar Church, Ireland

Kilmalkedar Church, Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

  Despite how ancient the ruined church of Kilmalkedar may seem, it sits on a pagan burial ground that is 900 years older than the stone church.

The pagan holy spot is marked by an ogham stone, an ancient pillar covered in a Morse code-like ogham text. The language's writing consisted of groups of long and short dashes. It reads “The name of Mael Inbir son of Brocan.” As well as acting as a grave marker, the stone was also a place where the ancient Norsemen could make pacts, with both parties placing their thumbs in the hole drilled in the stone’s top. This stone is thought to have been used from the third to seventh centuries.

Early Medieval graves are also to be found surrounding the church. Over the centuries, the graves have risen up out of the wet Irish soil. In the midst of these graves is an early Christian cross. The cross is oddly proportioned because it has sunk down into the soil.

 The church itself is an example of Irish Romanesque architecture from the 12th century. It blends the traditional architectural style of the Continent with local, Irish flavor. One example of this blended architecture is the front door, which has the classic round arch of the Romanesque period, but the sides slope upward, as was common in pre-Romanesque Irish architecture.  Chevrons (zig-zags) typical of the Romanesque period decorate doorways inside the church. Irish antae, stone projections outside the church that supported the roof beams, once again highlight the combining of architectural styles that occurred in the building of the church.

•  Kilmalkedar. Dublin: Office of Public Works, n.d. Print. Descriptive plaques attached to the church itself.       
• "St Maolcethair/St Malkedar, Kilmalkedar." The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Briton and Ireland. King's College London, n.d. Web. <http%253A%252F%252Fwww.crsbi.ac.uk%252Fsite%252F717%252F>.          
• Steves, Rick, and Pat C. O'Connor. Rick Steves' Ireland. Emeryville, CA: Avalon Travel Pub., 2004. Print.                   
                         

Basilica of Saint Francis

The Saint Francis Basilica in Assisi, Italy, is a grand Gothic structure. It is comprised of two churches, the Upper Church and Lower Church. The Lower one was constructed from 1228 to 1230 and the Upper, between 1230 and 1254. The decorative arched doors, ribbed ceiling vaults, pointed arches, heavily frescoed interior, stained glass windows, and flying buttresses of the basilica all signify the Gothic style of architecture, though it is actually more of a fusion of Romanesque and French Gothic. This structure helped to establish many of the characteristics of Italian Gothic architecture. Frescoes on the walls were painted by some of the most renown artists of the 13th and 14th centuries including Cimabue, Giotto, the Lorenzetti brothers, and Simone Martini.

Lower Church

Upper Church

                                           

  Saint Francis was born in Assisi in 1182 and formed the Franciscan Order of monks during his lifetime. The son of a wealthy merchant, he rejected his life of privilege and committed himself to a life of peace and poverty to devote himself to God. He spent a lot of time in a small cave on Subasio Mountain where a small monastery was eventually built. He is known for being the patron saint of animals and the environment due to his love of nature. He is often depicted outdoors with birds or other animals around him. Saint Francis was canonized in 1228, two years after his death. His basilica was begun that same year to commemorate his pious life and work. The basilica also houses Saint Francis’ tomb where his body still remains.

                           

Saint Francis

The actual crypt of Saint Francis displays quite a contrast to the rest of the basilica. It is very simple and plain, with no extra decoration or ornamentation. A modest stone archway marks the entrance to a neutral stone room, in the center of which stands a large stone tomb with Saint Francis' ancient stone coffin inside. A simple shrine is situated in front of the tomb. The natural and modest theme of the crypt reflects the personality and lifestyle of Saint Francis, rendering it a fitting resting place for his remains. 

Tomb of Saint Francis

 Another room in the Lower Church contains relics of Saint Francis including his habit (tunic), a white tunic that he used for special occasions, his slippers, a chalice and patten that were given to him by a friend, an ivory horn that was given to him in Egypt, a piece of leather that was used as a bandage for him, eleven silver coins that were found buried with him, the stone his head was resting on, and, finally, a tiny vial containing some ashes from his body. 

Relics: stone, silver coins,and vial of ashes

 The grandeur of the basilica and the value placed on the relics of Saint Francis demonstrate that death was not the end for him. His name continues to be revered and the place of his burial receives many visitors. 

• Beckwith, Barbara. "Francis Of Assisi." Priest 68.10 (2012): 18-23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Nov. 2014
• "Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites."  UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/990&gt.
• "Assisi and the Basilica of Saint Francis." Italia. Web. 9 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://www.italia.it/en/travel-ideas/unesco-world-heritage-sites/assisi-and-the-basilica-of-st-francis.html&gt.
• "Basilica of San Francesco D'Assisi." Basilica of San Francesco D'Assisi. Web. 9 Nov. 2014. http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/b/Basilica_of_San_Francesco_d%27Assisi.htm&gt.

St Catherine of Siena

Under the altar in Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome, Italy is St. Catherine of Siena’s body and tomb. The placement of tombs and relics in churches was a common practice in the Catholic religion. St. Catherine of Siena refused to marry so that she could devote herself to prayer. She played a vital role in church and state politics by influencing the popes to return from Avignon to Rome. 

There are many symbolic images on St Catherine's tomb. First, gold is the primary color that surrounds the entirety of her tomb, which signifies Heaven. Next, there is the presence of the Greek Cross, as shown in blue with a gold outline. This symbolizes the spreading of the Gospels. Seven candlesticks are strategically placed between the frontal columns. Seven is an important number in the church as it symbolizes completeness and perfection.

Roses are intricately placed into the gold engravings on her tomb, and live roses are still placed on the outside by visitors today. These roses are significant because of a legend surrounding St. Catherine's death and burial. When St. Catherine died in 1380 at the age of 43 of a stroke in Rome, the people of Siena wanted her body to be returned to her hometown. However, because they knew the Romans would not let them take her body, they secretly severed her head and thumb. They placed her head and thumb in a bag, but were stopped by Roman guards. The Roman guards wanted to see the contents of the bag, so her followers prayed to St. Catherine to help them. When the Roman guards opened the bag, it was full of rose petals. However, when they arrived in Siena the rose petals were gone and the head and thumb had returned. Of course, these are legends one can choose to believe or not. Regardless of the legend's truth, St. Catherine is often seen with a rose in hand. 

• "St. Catherine of Sienna." Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014. http://www.piercedhearts.org/theology_heart/life_saints/catherine_siena.htm

The Oratory of the Dead

During the counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church decided to combat the popularity of Lutheranism through the forming of good works groups. These male groups were called “confraternities.” In Rome alone, there were over one hundred such groups. The groups could only be distinguished by the color of their processional robes.

Monterosso, Italy, had two such groups, the Blacks and the Whites. The Oratory of the Dead was built in the 16^th century by the Catholic Church for the Black confraternity. The Blacks, as could be guessed by the painted church and macabre decorations, brought kindness to people who were dead or on the brink of death. They would accompany condemned criminals to the gallows, hear their last confessions, and ensure proper burials. They also buried the poor and cared for shipwrecked sailors, both dead and alive.

The church was called an oratory because, as a part of the Counter-Reformation, the confraternities wanted to focus their services on oration, or speaking, that everyone could understand. Their church services and ministries centered around their desire to reach as many of the common people as possible. For the Blacks, this name could also be interpreted to coincide with death:  since death comes for everyone, the oratory is for everyone.

The artistic decorations inside and outside the church reflect the order’s mission. The black and white stripes on the outside of the church continue through the sanctuary as they wrap around Corinthian columns.  These stripes distinguish the building as unique to the Black’s order, and remind viewers of the delicate balance between life and death that the monks guided unfortunates along. Inside the church, marble skeletons recline along the upper edges of the walls. One holds a crown of spinal joints, symbolizing the crown of thorns. Intermixed among the skeletons are cupids, highlighting again the delicate balance of life and death.  

The emblem of the confraternity can be seen on the ceiling: a skull, crossbones, and an hourglass. The skull represented the presence and reality of death. Historically, crossbones represent many things, including colorations with Golgotha, the cross, and ultimately the crucifixion of Christ. The hourglass represents time passing for every mortal, reminding visitors that their time was soon to run out.

• McGahan, Florence R. "Catholic Encyclopedia - Catholic Online." Catholic Encyclopedia - Catholic Online. N.p., 1913. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.
• Steves, Rick, and Rick Steves. Rick Steves' Italy. Emeryville, CA: Avalon Travel Pub., 2011. Print.

St. Sebastian Church and Cemetery

St. Sebastian Church

St. Sebastian Church is located in the "Old Town" of Salzburg, Austria. This church was built between 1505 and 1512 in the Gothic and Baroque style. However, in 1818 it was partially destroyed by a fire and had to be rebuilt. Today it is styled in the Baroque. 

While St. Sebastian is crucial to the Catholic faith and there are many depictions of him in paintings and sculptures, he isn't the primary focus of this post. Behind this church is the Cemetery of St. Sebastian. The people of Salzburg have a fascination with death, and this cemetery vividly depicts morbid images.

These are just a few of the examples of death in this cemetery. On the far left is a picture of a winged skull. In the center is a skull with a snake emerging through the eye socket. Lastly, on the far right is a picture of a body with an hourglass in the right hand. While the artists are unknown, these are symbols of death: morality of humans and reality of death.

Interior of Gabrielskapelle

In addition to the symbols of death through the use of skulls, crossbones, snakes, and hourglasses, there is a Mausoleum for Wolf Dietrich located on this property. Wolf Dietrich was born in 1559 in Austria. He is the individual who made Salzburg wealthy. During the 1590s, he issued a mining ordinance which encouraged the process of "wet mining," which is the process of salt in the rock being dissolved through water. Because of this breakthrough, the entire city of Salzburg flourished to become what it is today. He died in 1617 and was entombed here.

• http://www.salzburg.info/en/sights/churches_cemeteries/sebastianskirche_friedhof
• http://www.salzwelten.at/en/hallein/saltmine/history/

Capuchin Crypt

"What you are, we used to be.

 What we are, you will become."

Underneath Santa Maria della Concezione lies an unusual space. While the church was commissioned in 1626 by Pope Urban VII, it was his brother, Antoni Barberini, who constructed the Capuchin Crypt. In the Capuchin Crypt rests the bones of the Capuchin Friars. It contains the remains of nearly 3,700 bodies. Barberini had these remains exhumed to build the art pieces you see today. It took nearly 300 cart loads to remove the bones from their original resting place, Friary Via die Lucchesi. 

There are six chapels in the crypt: Crypt of the Resurrection, Crypt of Skulls, Crypt of the Pelvises, Crypt of the Leg and Thigh Bones, Crypt of the Three Skeletons, and The Mass Chapel.

Crypt of Skulls

Crypt of Leg and Thigh Bones

Crypt of the Resurrection

Crypt of the Pelvises

As you can see, the Capuchins arranged the remains of their fellow monks to display resurrection of the body and everlasting life. 

Crypt of the Three Skeletons

In the Crypt of the Three Skeletons, the skeleton on the ceiling in the center depicts life and death. This body portrays life by coming to birth and death by gripping a scythe with the right hand. With the left hand, the body is holding on to scales; the scales depict good and evil through God's judgment of man.

• http://www.cappucciniviaveneto.it
• http://www.romeing.it/museum-and-crypt-of-the-capuchin-friars-rome/

Isle of the Dead

   Venice is a beautiful and vibrant city that seems to exude the joy of life. However, across the channel from the main island the small Isola di San Michele, Venice’s cemetery island, looms like a shadow reminding people of life’s impermanence. Prior to the 1830’s Venetians had interred their deceased beneath the paving stones of the city’s streets. For obvious reasons, that was a bad idea so Isola di San Michele was chosen to be the new burial site. Originally, this island was actually two smaller islands that were close together. After being chosen as the cemetery site, the channel between the two islands was filled in to create one island. In 1469 the Chiesa di San Michele was built there, the first Renaissance church to be constructed in Venice. It was dedicated to Michael the Archangel who is also considered the protector of the island. Along with the church, the island houses a monastery that was also used as a prison for a time and a chapel called Capella Emiliana, built in 1530. Together, the chapel and the church frame the entrance to the cemetery today.

Arial view of Isola di Michele

 Bodies are taken to the island on special funeral gondolas. They actually only stay on the island temporarily. Because space is so limited, the bodies only remain there for about twelve years each before being exhumed and cremated or placed in an ossuary on the main island. San Michele is quite a beautiful place to be buried (for a while). Aside from the many tombstones competing for space, it looks like a large garden. Many different trees and shrubs populate the space and flowers adorn almost every tombstone. Unlike most cemeteries (American ones anyway) this one does not have a gloomy atmosphere. It feels more like a park where you could walk your dog or read a book. 

Crowded but pretty

The burial plots are all covered with stone slabs and are marked with many different types of tombstones and monuments, all of which are dutifully maintained. To conserve space, there are also sections of stacked marble tombs, each with a small flower holder. Most of the tombstones, besides being decorated with flowers, also display pictures of the people buried beneath them. A lot of Gothic architecture remains from the days of the monastery. Walls within the cemetery are inset with small family chapels and some family and individual burial plots are located beneath marble slabs in an elevated walkway along the wall. In the wealthier part of the cemetery, privileged families have their own freestanding chapels. There are actually different sections of the cemetery designated for different groups of people. There is one for foreigners, which, sadly, is rather neglected compared to the rest. Another is for wealthy people, yet another for children, etc.

Stacked tombs

To me, the overall atmosphere of the burial ground demonstrates a more positive attitude toward death. It is not a sad, depressing place haunted by the reality of death. Instead, it seems to show a more positive outlook toward human mortality. They have escaped the tragedies and hardships of the world. On Isola di Michele, peoples’ deaths are not mourned so much as their lives are celebrated.

• Toth, Susan. "Venice's Isle of the Dead." Archives. The New York Times, 15 May 1993. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/16/travel/venice-s-isle-of-the-dead.html?src=pm&pagewanted=2&gt.
• "Isola Di San Michele." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isola_di_San_Michele&gt.