Category: Photography
Doors
I’ve been taking pictures of interesting doors lately, but haven’t shared them. That’s probably because I doubt many (any) will find it them interesting as I do, but I get excited to see someone take a mundane form and exercise their creativity.
Girona
Girona is a beautiful, ancient city just a short train ride (about 60 miles northeast) from Barcelona. One of the major Catalan cities, its quiet demeanor and graceful structures make it feel like a small, quaint town. I’ve visited a couple of times, and after going to the Cloisters Museum in New York, the parallels of art and architecture reminded of Girona. A snippet of history and wiki link follows the gallery.
Here is a sizable gallery of photos I dug up from my trips in 2008 and 2009 —
- A brief history
- The first historical inhabitants in the region were Iberians; Girona is the ancient Gerunda, a city of the Ausetani. Later, the Romans built a citadel there, which was given the name of Gerunda. The Visigoths ruled in Girona until it was conquered by the Moors. Finally, Charlemagne reconquered it in 785 and made it one of the fourteen original countships of Catalonia. Thus it was wrested temporarily from the Moors, who were driven out finally in 1015. Wilfred the Hairy incorporated Girona into the countship of Barcelona in 878. Alfonso I of Aragón declared Girona to be a city in the 11th century.
The Cloisters Museum
I went with Mary to the Cloisters on Saturday afternoon, the first Spring-like day in New York. It’s a modern construction of medieval architecture that brought me back to visiting the actually medieval town of Girona, in Spain. More on that another day.
I’ve never been too interested in recent history such as U.S. History for example, but I am fascinated by ancient and medieval history. The further removed from contemporary life the more mystery there is; and of what physical evidence remains, I am in awe.
I relish the sensation of community across time. You can see the same concepts represented a thousand (or ten thousand) years ago, which you might have on your own accord, in present day. Love and heartbreak is found in the songs of Troubadours, greed and wealth in the Catholic Church (read: Holy Roman Empire) and royal castles… and fear and grotesque horror in various mediums. I wish they had science fiction back then, but I guess you need science to make science fiction!
Not only does a stained glass window offer very high contrast images on a nice day, but these in particular captured some of the interesting horror and narrative scenes from about 1,200 AD.
The Cloisters museum and gardens, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe, was assembled from architectural elements, both domestic and religious, that largely date from the twelfth through the fifteenth century. Visit The Cloisters
A few more snaps from my visit with Mary:
