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OSOR, nearby little village


Image by Villa Regina
Osor is 15km away from Villa Regina. It is a beautifl little mediterranean village right next the sea. This little town is situated on the spot where the island of Cres and Lošinj are closest to each other. It had its period of glory in ancient times. The canal (Cavata, Kavuada, Cavanella) which had been cut through enabled passage of ships from sea to sea. The main transit traffic between Northern Adriatic and the Dalmatian Coast used to flow through Osor, which made it an international harbour.

The foundations of the town walls hide traces of ancient history, dating as far back as the 9th century B.C. The name of the town, Osor, formerly Apsoros, is said to be of mythical origin and derive from the name of an ancient Greek hero, the tragic heroine Medea′s brother Apsyrtus.

The antique town square with beautiful buildings from the 15h and 16th century, the Town Hall with a loggia (today the Town Museum), the Bishop′s Palace and the impressive Cathedral with a campanile make up the historical heart of the town. The whole of the town is an open-air museum showing its cultural and political history.
There are exhibits ranging from the contemporary sculptures by Meštrović to the remains of ancient town walls, forts, the earliest Early-Christian basilica, as well as remains of antique villas, Renaissance portals and monasteries, hidden in the greenery of Osor′s parks and gardens.

This ancient town is a museum of history in itself. In the summer it becomes a unique setting for the Musical Evenings of Osor and other cultural events. The choice of accommodation includes well-organized private accommodation in the town itself, as well as two beach side camping sites just outside it and few restaurants.

( from www.tz-malilosinj.hr/)

FORREST OF OSOR


Image by Villa Regina
An forrest like in the fairy tales in Osor .. 15km away from Villa Regina.

It is a beautifl little mediterranean village right next the sea. This little town is situated on the spot where the island of Cres and Lošinj are closest to each other. It had its period of glory in ancient times. The canal (Cavata, Kavuada, Cavanella) which had been cut through enabled passage of ships from sea to sea. The main transit traffic between Northern Adriatic and the Dalmatian Coast used to flow through Osor, which made it an international harbour.

The foundations of the town walls hide traces of ancient history, dating as far back as the 9th century B.C. The name of the town, Osor, formerly Apsoros, is said to be of mythical origin and derive from the name of an ancient Greek hero, the tragic heroine Medea′s brother Apsyrtus.

The antique town square with beautiful buildings from the 15h and 16th century, the Town Hall with a loggia (today the Town Museum), the Bishop′s Palace and the impressive Cathedral with a campanile make up the historical heart of the town. The whole of the town is an open-air museum showing its cultural and political history.
There are exhibits ranging from the contemporary sculptures by Meštrović to the remains of ancient town walls, forts, the earliest Early-Christian basilica, as well as remains of antique villas, Renaissance portals and monasteries, hidden in the greenery of Osor′s parks and gardens.

This ancient town is a museum of history in itself. In the summer it becomes a unique setting for the Musical Evenings of Osor and other cultural events. The choice of accommodation includes well-organized private accommodation in the town itself, as well as two beach side camping sites just outside it and few restaurants.

( from www.tz-malilosinj.hr/)

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Happy St George’s day


Image by Lawrence OP
"We know virtually nothing about the life of the real St George. Eusebius of Caesarea, writing in around AD322, tells of a soldier of noble birth who was put to death under Diocletian at Nicomedia on April 23 (St George’s Day) AD303. Eusebius had no name for this gallant, much less a place of birth, nor even the site of his burial. The Crusaders believed this to be near what is now Tel Aviv. In the fifth-century Acts of St George, our hero was said not only to have defended Christians against Roman persecution, but to have visited Caerleon and Glastonbury while on active service in the imperial army. Before the Norman invasion, churches had been dedicated to St George. Adopted as the patron saint of soldiers, he was said to have appeared to the Crusader army at the Battle of Antioch in 1098. Richard the Lionheart put his armies under the protection of St George when campaigning in Palestine in 1191-92.

The red-cross flag made its debut in 1284, and in the 14th century English soldiers donned their legendary red cross battle dresses. When Richard II invaded Scotland in 1385, every man was ordered to wear "a sign of the arms of St George", both before and behind, with death promised to enemy soldiers who dared to "bear the same cross or token of St George".

St George had become the acknowledged patron saint of England, and in 1415, the year of Agincourt, Archbishop Chichele declared St George’s Day a feast to be observed like Christmas Day. One of St George’s arms was delivered to Canterbury cathedral where it became a huge pilgrim attraction. In 1940, during the blitz, King George VI instituted the George Cross for acts of heroism; on one side of the medal St George is depicted slaying the dragon – at the time, of course, Adolf Hitler.

Despite this English devotion to St George, he was feted elsewhere. And here, perhaps, lies his strength and even his relevance today. For George is venerated not just by the Church of England, but by the Orthodox and Coptic churches. He is the patron saint of Aragon, Bavaria, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany and Greece; and of Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice (second to St Mark). He is the patron saint of soldiers, cavalry and chivalry; of farmers and field workers, boy scouts and butchers; of horses, riders and saddlers; and of sufferers from leprosy, plague and syphilis. He is – remember Agincourt – the patron saint of archers."

- extract from an article in ‘The Guardian’, dated 20 June 2002, by Jonathan Glancey.

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Westminster Abbey


Image by RC_Fotos
UK Expedition Sept, 2008:

The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and later British monarchs. It briefly held the status of a cathedral from 1546–1556, and is currently a Royal Peculiar.

The term Cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop [or higher, such as Archbishop>. It is a religious building for worship, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox and some Lutheran churches, which serves as a bishop's seat, and thus as the central church of a diocese.

Size has little relevance on the placement of the bishop's seat [smaller ones have existed] and therefore, Westminster is NOT a cathedral. [see Canterbury.]

A Royal Peculiar (not a "Goofy Princess") is a place of worship that falls directly under the jurisdiction of the British monarch, rather than a diocese. The concept dates to Anglo-Saxon times, when a church could ally itself with the monarch and therefore not be subject to the bishopric of the area. Later it reflected the relationship between the Norman and Plantagenet kings and the English church.

St Saviour’s Limerick (7)


Image by Fergal of Claddagh
St Saviour’s church is also the parish church of St Saviour’s parish. This parish was created by Bishop Henry Murphy in 1973 and was formerly part of the parish of St Michael’s.

The present day church in Glentworth Street was built in 1815/6 when the Dominicans moved from Fish Lane under the leadership of Fr Joseph Harrigan. Edward Henry, the Earl of Limerick donated the land to the Dominicans. The original church here was a plain church and it gave the impression of Gothic architecture. The church was designed by the Pain (sometimes spelt as Payne) brothers to replace the penal chapel in Fish Lane.

The foundation stone of the church was laid on 27 March 1815 in the presence of Dr Tuohy, Bishop of Limerick and the Father Provincial of the Dominicans, Patrick Gibbons. The architect John Wallace renovated the present church in 1861/4. A clerestory was added raising the height of the church by 20 feet. The church is dedicated to the Most Holy Saviour Transfigured. The priory next door to the church in Glentworth St was rebuilt in 1943.

Inside the church on the left aisle, there is a chapel to the Sacred Heart (also called the Carbery chapel), beside which is a statue of St Anne. There is also a statue of the Child of Prague in the left aisle. The chapel to the Sacred Heart was erected in 1898 to the memory of Fr Carbery. At the top of the left aisle of the church there is a side altar to St Joseph.

There is a small cross on the side of the eighth seat from the front in the left aisle. This cross marks the site of the tomb of Fr Simon Joseph Harrigan OP, who was the main instigator of the building of this church in 1816. Fr Harrigan died on January 23rd 1838.

Opposite the Sacred Heart chapel, there is a chapel to St Martin de Porres. The Stations of the Cross are frescoes. An oak frame surrounds each fresco.

The stained glass windows are all of a similar nature in the left aisle. However the stained glass windows in the right aisle show different religious figures. They are (from the back) two Dominicans saints, St Thomas Aquinas on the left and St Albert on the right. This window is dedicated to the memory of Michael and Margaret Ryan. The next stained glass window depicts St Mary Magdalene in the left panel and St Luke the evangelist in the right panel. The next stained glass window is again divided into two panels, which depict St Catherine of Sienna on the left and St Dominic on the right. The next window shows St William and St Margaret. The stained glass window at the top of the right aisle depicts the Virgin Mary and St Joseph.

Paintings on both sides of the centre aisle show various Dominicans saints. They are (from the back left) St Vincent, St Catherine of Ricci, St Pius V, St Albert the Great and St Catherine of Siena and (from the back right) St Rose of Lima, St Peter the Martyr, St Margaret of Hungary, St Thomas Aquinas and St Dominic. They were all painted by Fr Aengus Buckley, a member of the Dominican order

Fr Buckley also painted the fresco "The Triumph of the Cross" over the chancel arch in 1951. This fresco shows Heavenly Father receiving the sacrifice of his Son into the glory of the Trinity. Some members of the church are looking on in contemplation. A detailed description of the fresco is given at the main door of the church. The stained glass window in the apse shows the Transfiguration. Over the marble altar, there is a life-size statue of St Martin in bronze. There are also statues of SS. Peter and Paul. There is a stained glass window by Messrs Murphy and Devitt.

To the right of the high altar, there is an altar to Our Lady of Limerick. The statue of Our Lady is from the 17th century and is called Our Lady of Limerick. Patrick Sarsfield brought the statue from Flanders in 1640. (This is not the Patrick Sarsfield who was a general in the Jacobite army during the Siege of Limerick in 1691.) Sarsfield donated the statue due to the outrages done by his father to Sir John Bourke. The statue is made from oak. For a number of years, the statue was buried in a box in the graveyard in the grounds of St Mary’s Cathedral to avoid capture from the English authorities. The base of the altar shows the Arms of Limerick are incorporated into the crest of the Dominicans.

The Bishop of Emly, Terence Albert O’Brien, a Dominican, was hanged in the abbey ruins in 1651 for leading the resistance to General Ireton’s siege. In 1982, an oratory to Bishop O’Brien containing a portrait of the bishop painted by Thomas Ryan was added to the church. This oratory is to the far right of the High Altar.

There is also a stained glass window in the oratory that depicts a number of different scenes. These scenes begin with the execution of Bishop O’Brien and continue to depict a number of the major events that happened in the Limerick region since O’Brien’s execution in 1651. The stained glass window includes the following images, the coat of arms of Limerick in the Dominicans’ crest, the persecution of Roman Catholics by the ruling English, the boat of emigration, agriculture, Ardnacrusha power station, Ireland’s entry into the EEC and the Papal Visit of 1979.

As you enter the oratory, there is a statue on the right of St John Macias OP, who is the patron saint for exiles. The Baptismal font is also in the oratory and it is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Limerick & the Help of Christians.

The Dominicans own a number of very old and interesting chalices. The oldest chalice in their possession is the O’Callaghan chalice, which dates from 1639. It was originally kept in the Dominican priory in Kilmallock, Co Limerick. The second chalice, the Sarsfield chalice was buried with the statue of Our Lady of Limerick in the graveyard of St Mary’s Cathedral. It dates from 1640.

The next chalice of historic note is the O’Meara chalice, which dates from approximately 1744. The final chalice dates from 1810 and is called the Harrigan chalice. This chalice was donated by Honoria M. Raymond to James Harrigan for her son John Bernard and her spiritual comfort.

They are also in possession of a two sided cross known as Bishop O’Brien’s cross.

Buried within the church are:
Fr S. J. Harrigan
Died January 23 1838

Fr V. O’Carroll
Died January 8 1860

There is a burial vault to the right of the church. Buried within the vault are:

Fr W. McDonnell
Died April 19 1868

Fr L. D. Conway
Died December 28 1878

Bishop J. J. Carbery
Bishop of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Died December 19 1887

Br H. Carroll
Died May 6 1906

Fr M. A. Duhig
Died December 24 1920

Fr J. J. McGovern
Died January 26 1923

Fr S. A. O’Kelly
Died August 15 1930

Fr A. O’Coigley
Died September 7 1943

Fr D. D. O’Connell
Died March 6 1947

Fr B. W. Costello
Died June 2 1949

Fr J. M. Noonan
Died September 13 1949

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Castle of Platamon


Image by Ava Babili
The castle of Platamon is a fortress-town of the middle Byzantine period (10th century A.D.). It lies at the south-east foot of mount Olympos, at a strategic position which controls the route leading from Macedonia to Thessaly and South Greece.

Excavations conducted in 1995 brought to light the traces of a Hellenistic fortification, dated to the 4th century B.C. This confirms the suggestion that the site of the castle was occupied by the ancient city of Herakleion, "the first city of Macedonia…" after the Tempe valley, according to an ancient literary source dated to 360 B.C. Habitation on the site continued until the 4th century A.D. The Byzantine wall was restored by the Franks after 1204 and again by the Byzantines in the 14th century. At the end of the 14th century the fortress was captured by the Turks and was again rebuilt but its inhabitants continued to be Christians. In the Second World War (1941) it was bombed by the German army.

More info here