the awakening sun yawns and stretches
sending tendrils of light
that weave their way through the stained glass windows
erasing the darkness
and illuminating dust particles
The air is softly pugent ...
the perfume of frankinsence
lingers
clinging to silent prayers
I lie down
and put my cheek on the cool stone floor
polished smooth
by the feet of a thousand pilgramages
.... and I remember who I am
sending tendrils of light
that weave their way through the stained glass windows
erasing the darkness
and illuminating dust particles
The air is softly pugent ...
the perfume of frankinsence
lingers
clinging to silent prayers
I lie down
and put my cheek on the cool stone floor
polished smooth
by the feet of a thousand pilgramages
.... and I remember who I am
Cathedrals have a long history.The firsts cathedrals were built by Roman and they wasn't a place where the poeple profess their cult but ,as we can understand, in them roman officials administer the Roman Empire.So initially the cathedral has a political and economical functions.After some centuries the cathedral become a "Christian building".These are the symbols of Middle Ages(and also the symbols of the power of the christian Church).
ReplyDeleteThe cathedral is imposing building and ,as we can understand from the poem,it looks like a ghostly and cold place.In it the air is too heavy and there is a great game of light.
People think of the Middle Ages as a very religious period, when the Catholic Church was the most important institution and everybody prayed all the time. Certainly this is the time when the great cathedrals of Europe were built. This is the time when the Pope might excommunicate a king. Some of the most powerful men and women in the Middle Ages were involved with the Catholic Church.
ReplyDeleteBut what is new about all this is really the idea that religion could have an identity separate from the rest of reality, from the rest of the world. In the ancient world, the gods and their sacrifices were so much a part of everyday life that there is no way to separate religious activities from any other kind of activities. In the Middle Ages, this changes only in that it is now possible to separate the religious from the secular world: both remain very powerful.
Other times the Christians fought each other, because they disagreed about the exact details of what a Christian should believe. If you thought someone was a bad Christian, you called her a heretic, and what she believed was a heresy. This is a very little summary about the part of the Christian church in the society of that age.
The greatest symbols of the power and the culture of the church are the cathedrals. When you are in a cathedral you are engrossed in a mystic place, there is the mystery of the contrast of the light, the colors of the stained-glass and the dark… the silence of the prayers and the smell of the candles are around you… That cathedral is God’s house and there you remember that you must live your life for him. Another medieval heritage is the manuscript book: the books in the Middle Ages were hand-written, usually on parchment. Parchment refers to any animal skin prepared for writing on. Manuscript books were mainly produced in Europe in the scriptoria of religious houses. Books made of parchment could be on religious topics, such as the Bible or legends of saints; they could be on secular topics, history and romances. The Bibles, stories of saints, histories and romances were often beautifully illuminated with colours and gold.
Perhaps now the Christianity is like a “tradition” many are Christian people but they don’t pray God. The Christian must help the church to be better than before, sometimes the Church did some errors but we don’t lost the faith and we have to go on helping the others and respecting the holy law.
The cathedrals are of the constructions very spectacular. The cathedral is a place of cult in which all the people find again him to profess his own faith. To the inside they are felt many perfumes of incense and other substances that emanate some beautiful perfumes. Perhaps really the atmosphere and the place seem the base of seriousness. In fact all the people that enter are in perfect silence. I would like to be in a cathedral especially in summer because there is a beautiful cold. I have been in different cathedrals and that that I like more it is that of Monreale because she is constituted by two very beautiful styles.
ReplyDeleteCathedral represents the Middle Ages when the religion was concidered brilliant. Today cathedral is holy place were people rediscover themselves and they find peace and serenity. I visited Canterbury three months ago. Canterbury and the surrounding area has a whole host of history and heritage and they are more important for english people. Canterbury is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has two castles, six museums and an attraction that lets you step back in time to the MIddle Ages. The cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martins church from the trio of World Heritge Sites in Canterbury. The Abbey was founded in 597AD, and St Martin’s Church is the oldest parish church in England still in constant use. The museums are full of the artefacts. The West Gate Towers Museum has one of the best views of the City. The cathedral is more fabulous. In palermo we have a middle cathedral and I often visit it with my family.
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ReplyDeletePeople think the Middle Ages is a period of crisis, when the Church, taking advantage of the ignorance of the people, destroys the principles of religion and the Catholic faith. But in this period starts a campaign of building gothic cathedrals. I believe that these are wonderful places, because I'm attracted by the mystery and history that surrounds them.
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