Art And Architecture Of The Crusades History Essay

Art And Architecture Of The Crusades History Essay A man of eighty, wrote Lord Byron, has outlived probably three new schools of painting, two of architecture and poetry and a hundred in dress. Byrons sentiment would certainly ring true for most periods of those facets of human history, but the medieval time of the crusades was an exception to that rule to a large extent. Western Europe was nearly a century into the High Middle Age period when Pope Urban II called the first crusade at the Council of Clermont in 1095. This was the time of the medieval renaissance with an explosion of invention and advancement in invention, technology, culture and commercial pursuits. Painting, dress, and literature developed and were influenced on a local and regional basis. The primary influence the crusaders took with them to the Levant was architectural. Two architectural styles emerged in Western Europe during the time of the crusades – Romanesque from approximately the 11th to late 12th century, and Gothic from the 12th century to well pa st the end of the last crusade. These two styles were used in church design and construction. William the Conqueror, ultimately seizing England in 1066, helped to usher in another form (not style) of architecture that would change the landscape of medieval Europe – castles. With Romanesque architecture being in place by 1095 and Gothic soon to follow, the influence of Western European structural design and castles was set to follow them to the Holy Land, and they would bring back certain architectural influences as well as manuscript elements that would contribute to an already-growing renaissance. Church building in the Holy Land must be addressed both before and after the arrival of the Crusaders. Though Muslims had been tolerant of non-Muslims for some time, namely Christians and Jews as â€Å"People of the Book,† that tolerance and the amicable relations between them were beginning to show signs of stress. Persecution of non-Muslims began to increase after the year 1000. Muslims began destroying Christian and Jewish architecture, culminating in the ordered destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on October 18, 1009, by Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah. Denys Pringle, a specialist on church art and architecture in the Holy Land during the crusades, writes, â€Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦by 1014, only a handful of church buildings, including the Nativity in Bethlehem and the monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai, were left standing within the caliph’s lands.†Ã‚   [ 1 ]   The architectural history of the Holy Land is one that is fraught with the destruction of churches and monuments and their reconstruction when conditions improved. An example of this is the Anastasis, which was a rotunda in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. PRESENTATION IMAGE Photo – Christian religious icons, Istanbul, Turkey: Anastasis – Resurrection Fresco in Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem This is a fresco, or wall painting, depic ting the resurrection. The church was constructed by Constantine about 325 CE. It was later damaged during the Persian invasion of Jerusalem in 630 under Khosrau II, and finally ordered destroyed by Hakim. Pringle references this cycle of damage and destruction as creating a â€Å"tabula rasa,† or blank slate, upon which architecture Crusaders could later build. This was significant to the Crusade architecture that developed. The original buildings under Constantine were of course heavily influenced by Byzantine canons coupled with indigenous styles as was common to the familiarity of local people to provide easier acceptance for the sake of conversion. Had those structures remained intact, there would have been little if any room and certainly limited ability under even the most talented builder’s hand for Western influence to be added.

Growing up Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Growing up - Thesis Example In this context passing could represent the journey from city to city, it could also represent to passing form one lover to another or one musical genre to another starting which gospel choir to punk to blues to jazz to rock. Passing could also indicate passage of time and in that effect growing up. The story begins with the Youth as a young person who is in a state of spiritual confusion not knowing what to do. As expected he wants to become a better person someone he is proud of. Despite being brought up by a conservative single mother he turns to Zen Buddhism. However this goes only for a short while before he succumbs to her mothers’ persuasion to find God. During this time instead of having a spiritual awakening his musical affinity is awakened by the gospel choir. He later joins the choir mainly because of his attraction to a girl in the choir. During his life in the choir he meets with Franklin Jones who was the choir master who introduces the youth to drugs. He develops a liking for the guitar and soon afterward deserts the choir to form a punk rock band with fellow ex-choir members. With the passage of time he abandons his band mates and starts saving money to travel to Europe where he anticipated becoming a musician which his mother and the community disapprove . In the film the youth says, â€Å"Slaves have options, cowards only have consequences.† This depicts his state of discomfort with his reality and how he had resolve to go to Europe.. After a long argument with his mother the youth goes to promiscuous Amsterdam where for the first time in his life he discovers freedom. He suddenly has easy access to all the social evils such as sex and drugs he lamented â€Å"All vices in full view â€Å"when he say hashis on the menu of a coffee shop with topless women serving coffee. The Youth also first experiences acceptance in the form of a girl named Marianna who willingly gives her the keys to her

Is the god existing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Is the god existing - Essay Example However, for many people there is another big question, is the God Existing? of which they are trying to seek an answer. In this paper I will be focusing onto explore this posed question and try to find its answer by means of exploring the contemporary views and assertions in the literature. In the present time, I have seen that many religious scholars from several religions are facing one common question which is that Does God Exist? as if the mankind is drowned in the ocean of uncertainty (Fishel 16). According to Schroeder, contradictions are there among scholars and general public thoughts about reasons why there are frequent floods, earthquakes are increasing, people’s economic lives are disturbed, and opportunities for earth resources are getting dissolved. Even people with high belief systems are stuck in this question that why God is not doing something. If He exists then why not stop mankind’s suffering. This is the question, which certainly has brought people to numerous contradictions (Schroeder 3-5). It seems to me that their thoughts are crumbled and their notions are perplexed that the God is really Existing or not. â€Å"You are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold. That is how important you are† (Tolle 142). The narration asserts the divine purpose of human existence, which is to connect to God, the Being in Existence. Exploring the literature I find that the human race deviated from its divine purpose and for that reason it got lost on its way and the journey of life ended in trouble, loathsome, uncertainty and suffering. It seems to be like this is the gist of life, which ultimately is associated to the existence of God. A thought of mine enhances that from purpose are the forms as for the forms is there a purpose. When purpose is lost, the existence of a form (the human existence) inevitably gets lost too. The existence of this divine purpose which is to submit to God shows that God does Exist, but it is the lack