Dionysius the Areopagite (Greek: Διονύσιος ὁ Ἀρεοπαγίτης) was a judge of the Areopagus who, as related in the Acts of the Apostles, (Acts 17:34), was converted to Christianity by the preaching of the Apostle Paul during the Areopagus sermon. According to Dionysius of Corinth, quoted by Eusebius, this Dionysius then became the first Bishop of Athens.
Dionysius is believed to be misidentified with the martyr of Gaul, Dionysius, the first Bishop of Paris, Saint Denis. Since we can't be sure which stories align with whom, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Dionysius the Areopagite and Saint Denis of Paris are celebrated as one commemoration on 3 October.
The church of St Dionysios the Areopagite, patron saint of Athens, is on Skoufa Street, close to Likavitou Street. This used to be our parish church when we were living in Athens. Its architectural style is eclectic, combining elements from many past periods. It is an example of the search of new Greek identity after the Asia Minor disaster of 1922.
The church, designed by Anastasios Orlandos, began to be built in 1923 and was completed in 1931. It is built on the location of a smaller church which existed there since 1886, but which was demolished in 1900 to make way for new, larger church. The decoration of the church was planned by architect Georgios Nomikos and was made between 1935 to 1939. The interior frescoes are by artist Spyros Vassiliou and his studio between 1936 and 1939. The mosaics of Christ and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel in the church porch were added in 1972-1973 and were made by Sotirios Varvoglis.
The church is in a cross-in-square form with an impressive interior, highly decorated with frescoes, mosaics, wood carvings and many icons donated by prominent Athenian families, as the church is in the aristocratic neighbourhood of Kolonaki.
This post is part of the Spiritual Sundays meme,
The Melbourne Theatre Company (popularly known as MTC) is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest professional theatre company in Australia, and has its own theatre, Southbank Theatre – which houses the 500-seat Sumner and the 150-seat Lawler – located in Melbourne's Arts Precinct in Southbank. Despite being recognised as Victoria's State theatre company, it comes under the auspices of the University of Melbourne. Currently, it offers a Mainstage Season of ten to twelve plays each year, a season of new and emerging works, and an Education Season along with affiliate writers programs. It has a current subscriber base of 21,000 people and plays to a quarter of a million people annually
Southbank Theatre is the principal home of Melbourne Theatre Company, hosting the annual mainstage season, as well as the NEON Festival of Independent Theatre, the Cybec Electric play readings series and Education performances and other productions for families and young people. Designed by the multi-award winning Melbourne based ARM Architecture, the Theatre opened in 2009 and contains two performance spaces. The Theatre also houses Script Bar & Bistro, Function Rooms and Foyers, two Foyer Bars and extensive backstage facilities.
This post is part of the Geometric Friday meme,
and also part of the Skywatch Friday meme.
Begonia is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae. The genus contains about 1,400 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown indoors as ornamental houseplants in cooler climates. In cooler climates some species are cultivated outside in summertime for their bright colourful flowers, which have sepals but no petals.
With more than 1,600 species, Begonia is the sixth-largest angiosperm genus. The species are terrestrial (sometimes epiphytic) herbs or undershrubs, and occur in subtropical and tropical moist climates, in South and Central America, Africa, and southern Asia. Terrestrial species in the wild are commonly upright-stemmed, rhizomatous, or tuberous.
Elatior begonias (Begonia x hiemalis) adorn homes across much of America, Europe, South Africa and Australia, as these flowering plants are available year-round from florists and greenhouses. Typically grown as a summer annual, this plant can be grown outside in a sheltered location where temperatures range from 10 to 22 degrees Celsius.
This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Tropaeolum majus (garden nasturtium, Indian cress or monks cress) is a flowering plant in the family Tropaeolaceae, originating in the Andes from Bolivia north to Colombia. The species has become naturalised in parts of the United States (California, New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut). It is of cultivated, probably hybrid origin, with possible parent species including T. minus, T. moritzianum, T. peltophorum, and T. peregrinum. It is not closely related to the genus Nasturtium (which includes watercress).
This carmine nasturtium is a more unusual shade than the orange or yellow varieties and it is a striking addition to any garden. I also find the developing seedheads as photogenic as the flowers!
This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme,
and also part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.
The Piazza dei Miracoli (Italian: Square of Miracles), formally known as Piazza del Duomo (Italian: Cathedral Square), is a wide walled area located in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, recognised as an important centre of of European medieval art and one of the finest architectural complexes in the world.
Considered a sacred area by its owner, the Catholic Church, the square is dominated by four great religious edifices: The Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistry, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Camposanto Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery). Partly paved and partly grassed, the Piazza dei Miracoli is also the site of the Ospedale Nuovo di Santo Spirito (New Hospital of the Holy Spirit), which houses the Sinopias Museum (Italian: Museo delle Sinopie), and the Cathedral Museum (Italian: Museo dell'Opera del Duomo).
The name Piazza dei Miracoli was created by the Italian writer and poet Gabriele d'Annunzio who, in his novel "Forse che sì forse che no" (1910), described the square as the "prato dei Miracoli" or the "meadow of miracles". The square is sometimes called the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles). In 1987 the whole square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) or simply the Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side. It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square, after the Cathedral and the Baptistry. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight.
The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilised (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The height of the tower is 55.86 metres from the ground on the low side and 56.67 metres on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons. The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.
Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres from where it would be if the structure were perfectly vertical.
This post is part of the Spiritual Sundays meme,
and also part of the inSPIREd Sunday meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme.
