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"A Present of Things Past . . . A Present of Things to Come"
In this post, a few thoughts on why medieval churches cover themselves in stories. There are three times: a present of things past, a...
Carolyn Whitson
Apr 30, 20216 min read
43 views
0 comments
What Lies Beneath, Part 2
For such a small patch of excavated floor, the mosaic pavement in the abbey at Bobbio (under the current basilica) has a number of...
Carolyn Whitson
Apr 22, 20215 min read
127 views
0 comments
What Lies Beneath, Part 1
The lovely town of Bobbio has always been small and out of the way, but in the early 600s, this was exactly what the Irish abbot St....
Carolyn Whitson
Apr 16, 20216 min read
147 views
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Fabulous Fakes
Many's the time I've gotten excited by the prospect of visiting a medieval church, only to find that "medieval" mostly referred to the...
Carolyn Whitson
Apr 9, 20217 min read
164 views
1 comment
Medusssssssssa!
Modern representations of the snake-haired woman depict her as a dangerous beauty, but the Ancient Greek and Roman images show her as...
Carolyn Whitson
Mar 26, 20217 min read
167 views
1 comment
Why photographing sculpture rocks
You could reasonably ask, "If you like photographing sculptures of people so much, why not be a portraiture photographer? Aren't living...
Carolyn Whitson
Mar 19, 20217 min read
143 views
2 comments
Medieval Synagogues of Toledo & Cordoba
Jews were expelled by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492; all synagogues were shut down and repurposed. Two medieval synagogue buildings...
Carolyn Whitson
Mar 9, 20218 min read
296 views
0 comments
Apocalypse Wow--The Sainte-Chapelle Rose Window
The stained glass in Sainte Chapelle (building completed in 1248) represents the highest achievement of the form. When you enter the...
Carolyn Whitson
Mar 5, 20219 min read
1,973 views
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The Patio of the Lions
The lion fountain in the Alhambra may be one of my all-time favorite works of medieval art. I'll tell you why in this post. (For Part 1...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 21, 20214 min read
566 views
3 comments
The Otherworldly Alhambra
The mostly 13th century palace is a studied combination of science, statecraft, and mysticism. The Alhambra began its life on the ruins...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 21, 20215 min read
125 views
2 comments
Pre-Romanesque Churches in Asturias
Few 9th century churches survive anywhere in Europe, but in Northern Spain are a few precious remaining examples. Santa Cristina de Lena...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 18, 20215 min read
76 views
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Early Christian Churches in Rome, Part 1
What follows here are some features of churches from roughly 350-1100 in Rome. Most of my photo studies are of Romanesque and Gothic,...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 14, 20215 min read
122 views
0 comments
Creation and Expulsion of Adam & Eve in the Stained Glass of Chartres Cathedral
To tell the story of Mary through a medieval church's lens, one must have at least one space to tell the story of Eve. At Chartres...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 9, 20215 min read
2,056 views
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Notre Dame de Paris' Tympanum
This image features the fate of the damned--stretching from their judgment by Saint Michael (upper-left), across to punishments for...
Carolyn Whitson
Jan 22, 20212 min read
545 views
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San Juan de La Pena, Service and Miracles
Up in the remote hills in northern Spain, the monastery of San Juan de la Pena contains the ruins of a tiny cloister, with magnificent...
Carolyn Whitson
Jan 22, 20214 min read
106 views
0 comments
Remembering the Notre Dame de Paris Interior, Part 1
Notre Dame de Paris was engulfed in a terrible fire in 2019. Here, I include some of my photos of the interior, taken in 2018. I don't...
Carolyn Whitson
Jan 22, 20213 min read
1,553 views
1 comment
Remembering the Notre Dame de Paris Interior, Part 2
This entry continues an analysis of the thirteenth century choir screen of Notre Dame de Paris, with photos taken in 2018, before the...
Carolyn Whitson
Jan 22, 20215 min read
254 views
0 comments
Remembering the Notre Dame de Paris Interior, Part 3
One thing that revolutionized looking at medieval stained glass for me was using a serious zoom lens, and then spending time in...
Carolyn Whitson
Jan 22, 20214 min read
116 views
0 comments
Chartres Cathedral--another temple to Mary the Queen
Chartres isn't very far from Paris, by modern standards, and its veneration of Mary is an occasion for comparisons to Notre Dame de Paris....
Carolyn Whitson
Jan 22, 20213 min read
1,007 views
3 comments
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