Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: kathedraal

The Holy Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is located in the central square at the heart of the village. The church was built in the period 1730-1750 and then burned by the Ottomans in 1826, rebuilt, but was destroyed again by the Germans in 1943. The clock on its left belfry is stopped at the time - 14.34 hours - of the Nazi atrocity in December 1943, while on the right a new clock measures the time since the liberation from the Germans. A plaque reads “The hour of destruction left a scar on time. The silenced clock will always read disaster and death, blood, fire and pain at the exact hour the lament began. December 13, 1943” On the second clock tower a plaque reads “The Holy Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was set on fire by the Ottomans in 1826. Was set on fire again by the German on December 13th 1943”.

The Cathedral of Saint Martin ( Duomo di San Martino ) is the city’s most important religious building. The current building dates back to 1764 and stands along the main square of the town - Piazza XX Settembre - on the site of the ancient church of San Martino, which was demolished to make way for the new church designed by Domenico Schiavi from Tolmezzo. The facade was completed only in 1931. The interior of the cathedral is well-proportioned with side chapels and a high altar of white marble . The ceiling has three frescoes, dating back to 1764. The side altars are adorned with beautiful 18th century paintings. On the main picture you see the tomb of Saint Hilary (Sant’Ilario), patron Saint of Carnia (a mountain area in Friuli-Venezia Giulia). Every year in August (usually the first Sunday after 15th August the mortal remains of the Saint, will be moved to the little chapel of "Sant'Ilario and Madonna della Strada" outside the center of Tolmezzo. For the entire period in which it remains, usually three days, every evening the holy rosary is recited. After that period, the mortal remains will be move again at the Cathedral with a religious procession and remain exposed for a few days. So we were quite lucky to come across this tomb.

The ‘Dom Mariae Aufnahme in den Himmel und St. Kassian’ (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and San Cassiano) is the largest church in Brixen, once belonging to the powerful Principality of Brixen, nowadays the diocese of Bolzano-Brixen. Although Bolzano is currently the city of residence of the bishop, the most important church in South Tyrol is still the cathedral in Brixen. The cathedral is dating back to the late 10th century when the main building and its annexes were erected. A fire destroyed the church in 1174. The new Romanesque-gothic building was rebuilt in the baroque style during the period of 1745 to 1755. The cathedral’s two towers are the landmark of the city of Brixen. The interior of the cathedral is a masterpiece of historical and artistic value. Its wide domed nave is decorated with rich marble and stucco. The main altar has a very striking altarpiece, but the decorative highlight is the fresco on the ceiling.

The history of the Cattedrale di Santo Stefano e Santa Maria Assunta dates back to 1488, when its construction began on the site of two pre-existing Romanesque, "twin" cathedrals. From this date onwards many people contributed to the design of the cathedral, including Leonardo Da Vinci who visited Pavia during the early stages of the cathedral's construction. The church was not fully completed until the 1930s, more than 400 years after the first stone was laid. The plan of the Pavia Cathedral is a Greek cross, with three naves flanked by semi-circular chapels. The central nave is twice as wide as those on the side; it is about 30 metres high and divided by two galleries. The dome has an octagonal plan and is the fourth largest in Italy with a height of 97 metres and a span of 34 metres. The Cathedral of Pavia is the most important Renaissance building of the city, recognizable by its impressive octagonal masonry dome.

The late-gothic Sint-Christoffelkathedraal (St Christopher's Cathedral) is the cathedral of the diocese of Roermond. Construction started in 1410 - designed as a basilica on a cruciform ground plan - as a parish church to replace an older church outside the city walls. In the 15th century, the church was extensively rebuilt. The choir was extended and the nave was widened from three to five naves. The building was completed in the course of the 16th century. In 1661, Sint-Christoffel became the cathedral of the diocese of Roermond, which was founded 102 years earlier. In the church, all important events of the diocese take place, such as ordinations of priests and the installation of a new bishop. Sint-Christoffelkathedraal suffered severely from war damage during the World War II. The tower was blown up by the Germans one day before the liberation and rebuilt in a modified form after the war. It was not until 1957 that the rebuilding of the church was completed. On 13 April 1992, an earthquake near Roermond caused considerable damage. The church was renovated in 2005. The church with its lavish interior is known for its colourful stained-glass windows. On the 86-metre-high tower stands the gilded statue of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of the church and the city of Roermond. The cathedral can be visited daily.

The site of the Ljubljana Cathedral was originally occupied by a Romanic church, which was first mentioned in1263. It was built by boatmen and fishermen in honor of their patron, Saint Nicholas. This church burnt down in 1361 and was rebuilt in gothic style. Eight years after the establishing of the Ljubljana Diocese in 1461 the cathedral was burnt down, most probably by the Turks. Early 18th century a new cathedral in baroque style was built, which was consecrated in1707. The church's dome with a height of 24 meters was only built in 1841, originally a fake dome was painted on the arch above the centre of the cross; the dome fresco was painted in 1844. Not expecting such a beauty in Ljubljana, I was really impressed by the interior of the cathedral with its six side altars. It is a baroque masterpiece, which depicts classic gilt decorations, pink marble, detailed ceiling frescoes, carved choir stalls and a stunning main altar. In 1859 the interior was completely renovated: the frescoes were cleaned, the walls were covered with marble and the gilding was restored. Since 2008 the cathedral has been insured as a cultural monument of national importance in Slovenia. Two bronze doors were added in 1996 for the 1250th anniversary of Christianity in Slovenia and to commemorate a visit by former Pope John Paul II to the cathedral. The so called “Ljubljana door”- where visitors have to enter the church - has portraits of six bishops, depicting the history of the Ljubljana diocese (PiP3).

The Dom St. Stephan (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) in Passau is located on the highest point of the old city between the rivers Inn and Danube. Other churches have stood on this place: already around the year 450 a church in the ancient city of Batavis is testified. The bishop's church was first mentioned in a document in 730 and has been the cathedral of the diocese since 739. A previous gothic church building was largely destroyed by a devastating town fire in 1662. The present cathedral has baroque architecture and was built between 1668 and 1698 by the famous Italian architect Carlo Lurago. The elaborate stucco works and wonderful frescos in the interior were done by other Italian artists. The beautifully gilded pulpit dates from 1726 and was made in Vienna. Between 1947 and 1953 a new high altar for the cathedral was created; like the ceiling fresco it depicts the stoning and the vision of St. Stephen. The Cathedral - one of the largest north of the Alps - is 102 meters long and 33.5 meters wide; the dome reaches a height of 69 meters. The octagonal upper parts of the two towers - 68 meters high - date from as far back as 1896. The Dom St. Stephan has one of the largest organs in the world. From 1924 to 1928 a large organ was built, which was rebuilt and extended at the end of the 20th century. The organ currently has 17.974 pipes and 233 registers; the largest organ pipe is 11 meters high and the smallest 6 millimeters.

The Sé de Lisboa (officially Igreja de Santa Maria Maior is Lisbon’s cathedral and the oldest church in the city. The Sé was built in the year of 1147, after Dom Afonso Henriques - the first king of Portugal - reconquered Lisbon from the Moors. It was located on the main mosque of Lisbon. This first building was completed between 1147 and the first decades of the 13th century in Late Romanesque style. Earthquakes have always been a problem for Lisbon and its cathedral. During the 14th and 16th centuries there were several of them, but the worst of all was the 1755 earthquake, which destroyed the Gothic main chapel along with the royal pantheon. The cloisters and many chapels were also ruined and the fire that followed. The cathedral was partially rebuilt and - in the beginning of the 20th century - was given the appearance that it has today after a profound renovation. The neoclassical decoration from outside and inside of the cathedral was removed to give the cathedral a more "mediaeval" appearance. The name Sé derives from Sedes Episcopalis , which simply means “bishop’s seat”. Nowadays this impressive and iconic religious building with its massive solid walls and two imposing clock towers is one of the most significant touristy sights of Lisbon. During our visit there were renovations of the ancient cloisters, so we couldn’t visit. PiP4 was taken from our apartment, which was located just next to the Sé .

The cathedral, located at the central square ( Plaza 9 de Julio ), is one of the most important and remarkable buildings of the city. The current church is the result of a couple of other constructions. The first one was a very simple building with adobe walls and a few windows. Due to its construction the church started to break quickly. A second church - now with two towers and a dome - was built on the same place and survived even an earthquake in 1692. The current church started to be built in 1858 and it took twenty-five years before it was finished. The architectural style of the cathedral is neo-colonial. It has a rectangle floor - with beautiful tiles - and three naves, a presbytery and a semicircular apse in the high altar. The transept is very high, with a dome ceiling. The side aisles have stained glass windows. The (pink coloured) cathedral is dedicated to Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In the year of 1941 it was declared a national monument.

The Catedral Metropolitana is the most important church in Buenos Aires, located on the Plaza de Mayo. It is the Catholic Church's main site in Argentina, where pope Francis, as archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, used to perform mass before assuming office in the Vatican in 2013. The first church on this site was built in 1580, when the city of Buenos Aires was founded. The first main church of Buenos Aires was a modest building made of wood and adobe, and was replaced by a new one in 1605, which also had to be rebuild. Due to the bad quality of its building materials, the tower and the roof of this church fell down in the early 1680s. In 1684, bishop Azcona Imberto ordered the rebuilding of the Catedral Metropolitana . After eleven years the main part - without towers and façade - of the church was completed. Due to economic problems and slow construction progress, it took until 1727 before the cathedral was completely finished. In 1752 the nave of the cathedral collapsed again, after which it had to be completely rebuilt. It was not until 1863 that the cathedral - including a façade - reached its current form. The exterior (PiP1) has not the typical cathedral profile as it has no towers and it looks more like a Greek temple with its twelve columns, representing Jesus’s apostles. Cathedral Metropolitana has an impressive interior décor - with its five naves and transept, surmounted by a 41-meters high vault - in neo-Romanesque and neo-Baroque styles. The main gilt wood altarpiece depicts the Holy Trinity and is one of a few remaining elements from colonial times (1785). The cathedral also hosts a marble mausoleum with the remains of general San Martin, who was the leader of the independence struggle of South America against the Spanish occupier (PiP3).

The ‘Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin and St Ethelbert the King’ is the mother church of the diocese of Hereford and the seat of the bishop. Its history is stretching back to the 7th century and is one of the nine cathedrals of the ‘Old Foundation’, whose constitution remained undisturbed by the Reformation. The cathedral is a building of great antiquity - the date of its foundation is traditionally given as 696 - and beautiful ecclesiastical architecture. The building has examples of architecture from many periods: the stately nave from the 12th century; the graceful Lady Chapel from the 13th century; the central tower from the 14th century and the Stanbury Chapel from the 15th century. The cathedral is constantly changing. It has been in great peril several times during its lifetime: in 1786 when the west end collapsed and during the 1840’s when the Lady Chapel was in danger of falling. More recently a great deal of time and money has been spent on the stonework of the building. Hereford Cathedral with its impressive interior (PiP1)contains some of the finest examples of architecture from Norman times to the present day, including the 13th century Shrine of St. Thomas of Hereford (PiP2). It also offers the medieval map ‘Mappa Mundi’ and the unique Chained Library (PiP3).

The history of the monastery of St. Gallen (St. Gall) is dating back to the year 612, when an Irish monk named Gallus was on a preaching pilgrimage through Europe. He stumbled on a stone and dropped to a knee at the edge of the Steinach River, where he spotted a hungry bear. He gave the bear some of his bread, perhaps a bribe as not to eat him, but purportedly an offering to help him build a shelter. After Gallus' death, the spot grew in importance as a place of worship and a Benedictine monastery was founded in 747 by St Otmar and named after Gallus. The Abbey of St Gallen and its monastery grew in stature and wealth, becoming a religious principality, ruled by Prince-Bishops. The Abbey Cathedral at St Gallen survived both the reformation and French Revolution, but under the influence of Napoleon in 1805, when the Canton of St Gallen was established, both the monastery and its political rule were dissolved. The current cathedral was built between 1755 and 1767 and is one of the last monumental baroque monastic constructions in Europe. A white interior is adorned with malachite green stucco-work, rose marble altars and a gilded altar fence (main picture). The opulently ceiling frescoes (PiP 2) depict biblical characters. The interior is decorated with numerous carvings; among them a wonderful pulpit (PiP 3), several confessionals and eighty four choir seats (PiP 4). Several of the buildings of the former monastery now house municipal offices. The Abbey Cathedral of St Gallen (PiP 1), the abbey library and the surrounding monastery buildings – (the St. Gallen Abbey District) - was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

The ‘Dom Mariae Aufnahme in den Himmel und St. Kassian’ (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and San Cassiano) is the largest church in Brixen, once belonging to the powerful Principality of Brixen, nowadays the diocese of Bolzano-Brixen. Although Bolzano is currently the city of residence of the bishop, the most important church in South Tyrol is still the cathedral in Brixen. The cathedral is dating back to the late 10th century when the main building and its annexes were erected. A fire destroyed the church in 1174. The new romanesque-gothic building was rebuilt in the baroque style during the period of 1745 to 1755. The cathedral’s two towers (PiP 1) are the landmark of the city of Brixen. The interior of the cathedral is a masterpiece of historical and artistic value. Its wide domed nave is decorated with rich marble and stucco (PiP 2). The main altar has a very striking altarpiece (PiP 3), but the decorative highlight is the fresco on the ceiling.

Chester Cathedral is an ancient abbey and a remarkable building of international importance that has played a significant role in shaping the history of Chester. There have been churches on the site of the Chester Cathedral for some 1.400 years. After the departure of the Romans, churches were built by the Saxons. In the year of 907 a church dedicated to the Anglo-Saxon princess St. Werburgh was constructed. The church housed her remains and pilgrims made their way to the cathedral. In 1092 a Benedictine abbey was founded by the Normans. The monastery remained on the site for nearly 500 years until King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries in England. Fortunately the king handed the monastic buildings back to serve as the cathedral church of the new diocese of Chester in 1541. Over the centuries much of the soft red sandstone has become eroded and much of what we see today is the result of enthusiastic restoration during the Victorian period. The interior offers some treasures of national significance, including the finest pinnacled medieval choir stalls (main picture), dating back to the late 14th century.

The Agios Minas Cathedral is a Greek Orthodox Cathedral, serving as the seat of the Archbishop of Crete. It was built over the time period of 1862-1895. The outbreak of the Cretan revolution in 1866 demanded the stopping of its construction, which continued in 1883. It is one of the most magnificent and impressive churches in Greece, with a capacity of 8.000 people. The church is of a cruciform type with a dome base, while internally there are also elements of a three aisle basilica. The inside of the church has gone through many changes with new additions. The religious painting of the church was assigned to St. Kartakis, who followed faithfully the principles and the models of the Byzantine icon painting. The The church is dedicated to Saint Minas, the patron saint of Heraklion during the Turkish period. Foundations of the imposing cathedral of Saint Minas were laid in 1862 as a token of gratitude by the citizens of Heraklion for the saint's protection of the city. Although Crete was still under Turkish rule the cathedral was inaugurated in 1895. To the left of the cathedral stands the original little church of Saint Minas (‘mikros Agios Minas’ as the locals say), which was built in 1735 and housed the Metropolis of Crete for the first time after the Turkish occupation. (see PiP 1).

Malaga’s cathedral ‘Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación’ (Our Lady of Incarnation) was built between 1528 and 1782 on the plot of land of the former Almohad mosque. As a matter of fact it is still unfinished as the planned south tower was never built. The missing tower gives the cathedral its nickname ‘La Manquita’ (One Armed Lady). The emblematic north tower has a height of 84 metres, making this building the second-highest cathedral in Andalusia. The rectangular built cathedral has a nave and two aisles, the former being wider, though having the same height - almost 42 metres - as the aisles. The façade of the cathedral with its ornate stonework, unlike the rest of the building, is in baroque style and is divided into two levels; on the lower level are three arches, inside of which are portals separated by marble columns. Above the doors are medallions carved in stone (PiP). For information and pictures of the interior: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41333332

Malaga’s cathedral ‘Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación’ (Our Lady of Incarnation) was built between 1528 and 1782 is one of the best examples of Spanish religious art. The interior of this impressive building shows influences of renaissance and baroque styles. The cathedral offers a series of artworks, among them are the main altar with an elaborate marble pulpit on both sides (main picture). There are several side altars with the neoclassic altarpieces of the Chapel of the Incarnation (PiP 1) and the Chapel of the Sacred Heart (PiP 2). The choir has 42 beautifully carved stalls of mahogany and cedar wood (PiP 3). Above the stalls are two magnificent organs with more than 4.000 pipes, examples of 18th century musical instruments. For information and pictures of the exterior: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/41359686

Cádiz Cathedral is the most famous landmarks of the city. The church is built on the site of an older cathedral - completed in 1260 - which burned down in 1596. The new cathedral was built between 1722 and 1838. Construction began in the baroque style and was completed in the neoclassical style. The cathedral is topped by a 52 m. high ‘golden’ dome, which adds a Moorish feel to the building. The western bell tower (Torre de Poniente) has become a tourist attraction. The tower, whose construction began in Cadiz’s golden age in the 18th century, can be reached via the ramp. The top of the tower affords outstanding views over the city and a closer look at the dome.