Tinos Island | Greece

A few weeks ago my parents went to the beautiful island of Tinos in Greece and they sent me these postcards. They were mesmerized by the picturesque villages and the amazing beaches.

Tinos (Greek: Τήνος) is a Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea. It is located in the Cyclades archipelago. In antiquity, Tinos was also known as Ophiussa (from ophis, Greek for snake) and Hydroessa (from hydor, Greek for water). The closest islands are Andros, Delos, and Mykonos. It has a land area of approximately 194 square kilometres (75 sq mi) and a 2011 census population of 8,636 inhabitants.

Tinos is famous amongst Greeks for the Church of Panagia Evangelistria, its 80 or so windmills, about 1000 artistic dovecotes, 50 active villages and its Venetian fortifications at the mountain, Exomvourgo. On Tinos, both Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic populations co-exist, and the island is also well known for its famous sculptors and painters, such as Nikolaos Gysis, Yannoulis Chalepas and Nikiforos Lytras.

The island is located near the geographical center of the Cyclades island complex, and because of the Panagia Evangelistria church, with its reputedly miraculous icon of Virgin Mary that it holds, Tinos is also the center of a yearly pilgrimage that takes place on the date of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (15 August, "Dekapentavgoustos" in Greek). This is perhaps the most notable and still active yearly pilgrimage in the region of the eastern Mediterranean. Many pilgrims make their way the 800 metres from the ferry wharf to the church on their hands and knees as sign of devotion. [wikipedia]

 

Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Barcelona | Spain

The city of Barcelona must have received the light of Christian faith very early on. The martyrdoms of Saint Eulalia and Saint Cucuphas during the Diocletianic Persecution bear witness to the existence of Christians in Barcelona at least by the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. 

Unfortunately, we have no historically proven records of the ecclesiastical organization of our dioceses until 343, when Bishop Praetextatus of Barcelona and another five bishops of Hispania attended the Council of Sardica to ratify the provisions set forth in the Ecumenical Council of Nicea (325) as to the divinity of Jesus Christ. 

Certain solidly grounded conjectures lead us to believe that Barcelona already had an Episcopal temple or Cathedral at that time, which would be used soon thereafter for pastoral ministry by other key bishops of our diocese: Saint Pacian (390), Lampius (400), Nundinarius (461), Nebridius (540), Ugne (599), Severus (633), Quiricus (656), Idalici (688), Laülf (693), Frodoí (890), etc. In the year 599 our Cathedral appears in a document dedicating it to the Holy Cross (Second Council of Barcelona). 

Recent excavations of the substrata of the Carrer dels Comtes of Barcelona (which currently runs along the Eastern wall of the Cathedral) brought to light a building comprising three naves separated by two series of white marble columns. This undoubtedly identifies with the paleo-Christian basilica constructed in the 4th century and ennobled by subsequent bishops over seven centuries despite the difficulties caused by the Arian fight. 

That early basilica solemnly housed the relics of Saint Eulalia in one of its chapels, hidden to avoid profanation by the Arab invaders of our peninsula (711). In 877 they were miraculously discovered at the temple of Santa María de les Arenes (or Santa María del Mar). 

The primitive Cathedral, profoundly affected when the Arab chieftain Almanzor burned and destroyed the city, remained standing until 1046, when the Count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer the Old and his wife Almodis, together with Bishop Guislabert, commenced construction of another Cathedral, called the Romanesque Cathedral. That second Cathedral was consecrated on 18 November 1058 by the Archbishop Wilfred of Narbonne. 

The Gothic Cathedral we have today was built on the foundations of the primitive paleo-Christian basilica and the subsequent Romanesque Cathedral. Construction commenced on 1 May 1298 during the mandate of Bishop Bernardo Pelegrí and the reign of King James II of Aragon, the Just, and was virtually completed by the mid-15th century, under the mandate of Bishop Francisco Clemente Sapera and the rule of King Alfonso V of Aragon. 

Three distinct periods can be defined within the 150 years of construction: in the first, the building was planned and the apse and radial chapels were built, as were the presbytery - with its altar and crypt- and the pseudo transept; afterward, the three naves, with their respective lateral chapels, were extended back to the choir; finally, construction of the basilica continued to the façade, which was later closed with a simple wall (1417). The Cloister was finished in 1448. 

At the end of the 19th century, the Barcelona industrialist Manuel Girona Agrafel offered to undertake the work on the façade and on the two side towers, in keeping with the plans drawn up by the architect Josep O. Mestres and inspired by the initial 15th-century project. Mr Girona's children finalized their father's work in 1913 on completion of the cimborio. [Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Barcelona]

Петрозаво́дск | Russia

It's been a while since I last wrote here...But now I'm back for good :)

This postacrd arrived today. It was sent by Lesha via postcrossing [RU-764636]. It shows a church in Petrozavodsk, but unfortunately I could not figure out which church it is. If someone knows Russian and can identify it, please let me know!

Petrozavodsk (Russian: Петрозаво́дск; Karelian/Vepsian/Finnish: Petroskoi) is the capital city of the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It stretches along the western shore of the Lake Onega for some 27 kilometers (17 mi). Population: 263,540 (2010 Census preliminary results).

On September 11, 1703, Prince Menshikov founded the settlement of Petrovskaya Sloboda ("Petrine Sloboda"). He did so at the behest of Tsar Peter the Great, who needed a new iron foundry to manufacture cannons and anchors for the Baltic Fleet at the time of the Great Northern War (1700–1721). At first the foundry used the name Shuysky zavod (literally, "factory at the Shuya River"), but a decade later it became Petrovsky zavod ("Petrine factory"), after the name of the reigning monarch. From this form the present name of the city derives.

By 1717, Petrovskaya Sloboda had grown into the largest settlement in Karelia, with about 3,500 inhabitants, a timber fort, a covered market, and miniature palaces of the Tsar and Menshikov. The town's best-known landmark became the wooden church of Saints Peter and Paul, rebuilt in 1772 and renovated in 1789. The church retained its original iconostasis until this relic of Peter's reign was destroyed by fire on October 30, 1924.

After Peter's death, Petrovskaya Sloboda became depopulated and the factory declined. It closed down in 1734, although foreign industrialists maintained copper factories in the vicinity.

The industry revived in 1773 when Catherine the Great established a new iron foundry upstream the Lososinka River. Designed to provide cannons for the ongoing Russo-Turkish Wars, the foundry was named Alexandrovsky, after Alexander Nevsky, who was considered a patron saint of the region. The factory was modernized and expanded under supervision of Charles Gascoigne in 1787–96. Local pundits claim that the first railway in the world (чугунный колесопровод) was inaugurated for industrial uses of the Alexandrovsky foundry in 1788.

During Catherine's municipal reform of 1777, Petrovskaya Sloboda was incorporated as a town, whereupon its name was changed to Petrozavodsk. A new Neoclassical city center was then built, focused on the newly-planned Round Square. In 1784 Petrozavodsk was large enough to supplant Olonets as the administrative center of the region. Although Emperor Paul abolished Olonets Governorate, it was revived as a separate guberniya in 1801, with Petrozavodsk as its administrative center.

During the Finnish occupation of East Karelia in the Continuation War (1941–1944), the occupier chose to style the city Äänislinna (or Ääneslinna), rather than the traditional Petroskoi. The new name was a literal translation of Onegaborg, the name of a settlement marked on a 16th century map by Abraham Ortelius near the present-day city, Ääninen being the Finnish toponym for Lake Onega.

The city was occupied by Finnish troops for nearly three years before it was retaken by Soviet forces on June 28, 1944. The Finns set up concentration camps for the civilians which they operated until the Red Army reoccupied the area. The first camp was located at Petrozavodsk (October 24, 1940). Six such camps were set up in Petrozavodsk, with about 25,000 women, children and old people confined in them. One source estimated 4,000 people perished there, primarily because of malnourishment, most dying during the spring and summer of 1942. [wikipedia]

Mystras, the 'wonder of the Morea'

For my summer vacations me and my hubby went for a mini tour of Peloponesse (Southern Greece). One of the stops was at Mystras. I was amazed by the beauty of the place! No wonder it is a Unesco World Heritage Site!

Mystras, the 'wonder of the Morea', was built as an amphitheatre around the fortress erected in 1249 by the prince of Achaia, William of Villehardouin. Reconquered by the Byzantines, then occupied by the Turks and the Venetians, the city was abandoned in 1832, leaving only the breathtaking medieval ruins, standing in a beautiful landscape. The complex of the ruins of Mystras offers the image of a city with a brilliant destiny that was deserted by men and threatened by the return of encroaching vegetation, which is splitting the walls and covering the slopes, thus destroying here and there fragile traces of history.

Mystras came into existence in 1248-49 when the Frankish lord, William II of Villehardouin, Prince of Achaia, resolved to build a great castle on the top of the 620 m hill overlooking Sparta. The castle would be able to withstand attacks by the Byzantines, and also contain the Esclavons, the Slavic tribes of the Melinges and the Lezerites who inhabited the Taygete. Although a few inhabitants continued to live in the ruins, the city was not abandoned until after 1832, when King Otto I founded the new city of Sparta. For almost six centuries, Mystras lived a troubled existence. However, several times and under different regimes it assumed a leading political and cultural role. The vicissitudes of history did not spare the construction built by William II of Villehardouin. The castle had barely been completed when the Prince of Achaia, defeated by Michael VIII Palaeologus at the battle of Pelagonia and made prisoner, was forced to cede as ransom to the basileus the three strongholds of Monemvasia, Mania and Mystras (1261-62). When the favour of victory momentarily shined upon him once again, in 1265, Villehardouin found that the inhabitants of Sparta had deserted that vulnerable city and taken refuge around the castle of Mystras. From 1262 to 1348, because of many wars in which it was often the prize, Mystras was the seat of the Byzantine military governor, first named for a year then, after 1308, for life. The bishopric of Sparta was transferred to the new city, and the Metropolis, dedicated to St Demetrios, was built in 1264, and reconstructed after 1310. Convents, such as those of the Theodore Saints (prior to 196) and those of Brontochion (c. 1310) were built and richly decorated.

Painful Mountain | Turkey

This postcard arrived today!! It was sent by Selin from Turkey via postcarossing [TR-55471]. On top it shows Mount Agri [aka Mount Ararat], in the middle Sanliufra, in the bottom Lake Nemrut and on the wright Osvank Church at Erzurum.

Mount Ararat  is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat (the tallest peak in Turkey, and the entire Armenian plateau with an elevation of 5,137 m/16,854 ft) and Lesser Ararat (with an elevation of 3,896 m/12,782 ft). The Ararat massif is about 40 km (25 mi) in diameter. The Iran-Turkey boundary skirts east of Lesser Ararat, the lower peak of the Ararat massif. It was in this area that by the Tehran Convention of 1932 a border change was made in Turkey's favor, permitting her to occupy the eastern flank of the massif.

Mount Ararat in Judeo-Christian tradition is associated with the "Mountains of Ararat" where according to the book of Genesis, Noah's ark came to rest. It also plays a significant role in Armenian nationalism and irredentism.

Red Church

This postcard was sent by Nadya from Belarus via postcarossing [BY-139693]. It shows the Catholic Church of Saints Simon and Helena at Minsk.

Church of Saints Simon and Helen, Minsk (Belarusian: Касцёл святых Сымона і Алены) also known as the Red Church (Belarusian: Чырвоны касцёл) is a Roman Catholic church on the Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus.

The church was built in 1905-1910. The construction was financed by Edward Woyniłłowicz, a prominent Polish and Belarusian civic activist. The church was named and consecrated in the memory of Woyniłłowicz's departed children Szymon (Simon) and Helena (Helen).

In 1923 the church was robbed by the Red Army and in 1932 it was closed down by the Soviet authorities and transferred to the State Polish Theatre of the BSSR. Before the Second World War the church was reconstructed into a film studio.

In 1941 the German occupation administration allowed the church to be used, but after the war it was closed down yet again.

In 1990 the building was given back to the Catholic Church. Since then it was renewed and became an important centre of religious, cultural and social life. It also became a centre for the revived Belarusian Greek Catholic Church. [wikipedia]

Helsinki

This postcard was sent to me by Juha from Finland via postcrossing [FI-995738]. He writes that he lives with his wife, their dog and about 2300 people in a small village near Helsinki. I have visited Helsinki four or five years ago and I remember that Finns are very calm people. I was there only for four days, but I hope I will go again sometime :)

Connecticut State Capitol

This postcard was sent to my by Nancy from Connecticut via postcrossing [US-998203]. It shows the State Capitol at Hartford, which was built in 1877 of Connecticut Marble and is of modified French Gothic design.

The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in the Connecticut capital of Hartford. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor. The current building is the third capitol building for the State of Connecticut since the American Revolution.

Catholic Church of St. Mary in Minsk

This postcard was sent to me by Ihar, a mathematics teacher, from Minsk, Belarus, via postcrossing [BY-129582]. It shows the Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary.

Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary (Belarusian: Архікатэдральны касцёл Імя Найсвяцейшай Панны Марыі) is a Roman Catholic baroque cathedral in Minsk. The cathedral was built in 1710 as a church of the Jesuit monastery. In 1793, after Russia's taking over Belarus, the Jesuit order was banned and the church got a local status. Soon, after creation of the Minsk diocese, the church became the local cathedral.

Meteora, suspended in the air

ok...I think this postcard shows the true view of Meteora.. The previous card of Meteora is not that beautiful.  This one is absolutely breathtaking!! In the center you can see the Great Meteoron.

Spectacularly perched atop rocky pinnacles in Thessaly, the Meteora monasteries are among the most striking sights in Greece. The name Meteora (Μετεωρα) is Greek for "suspended in the air", which perfectly describes these six remarkable Greek Orthodox monasteries. The sandstone peaks were first inhabited by Byzantine hermits in the 11th century, who clambered up the rocks to be alone with God.

Süleymaniye Mosque | Turkey

This multiview postcard of Süleymaniye Mosque was sent to me by Cuneyt from Turkey as a private swap!

The Süleymaniye Mosque (Turkish: Süleymaniye Camii) is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the second largest mosque in the city, and one of the best-known sights of Istanbul. The Süleymaniye Mosque was built on the order of Sultan Süleyman (Süleyman the Magnificent) "was fortunate to be able to draw on the talents of the architectural genius of Sinan Pasha" (481 Traditions and Encounters: Brief Global History). The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in 1558.

Piazza S. Marco, Venezia

A few days ago, I was having lunch with my mother and she gave me this card. It is in bad condition, but it is of great value to me because it was sent on 17 April 1971 from my mother and her sister to their father [my grandfather]. During that time there was military junta in Greece, that lasted from 1967 to 1974. My aunt and my grandfather have passed away, so this card brings me a lot of memories..

The card shows Piazza di San Marco during high tide (Acqua Alta). St Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco in Italian) is the most famous of the many churches of Venice and one of the best examples of Byzantine architecture in the world. Located just off the Grand Canal, the gleaming basilica dominates Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) and adjoins the Doge's Palace. San Marco is a cathedral: it has been the seat of the Archbishop of Venice since 1807.

Iloilo

 This is the third card from Magin, showing Miag-ao Church in Philippines. On the back of the card it is printed: "Miag-ao Church officially known as Santo Tomas de Villanueva is a prime example of Philippine rococo style. Church resembling fortress dates back to 1787 and is included in the Unesco's world heritage list."
Magin also writes: "Miag-ao church is one of the most beautiful churches in Philippines. Majority of the Philippinos are Roman Catholics, so churches abound in every town. In my hometown, Cebu, the most popular church is the Basilica del Santo Nino."

She also tells me that the stamps were issued by Philpost as a tribute to Galeon Andalucia, which visited Philippines last month.

Churches of the Eastern Salvadorean Towns

Multiview card sent by Claudia from El Savador. It shows picturesque churches at Eastern Salvadorean towns.Clockwise you can see Conchagua, San Alejo, Jocoro and Moncagua.

El Salvador (Spanish: República de El Salvador, literally meaning "Republic of The Savior") is the smallest, and also the most densely populated country in Central America. It borders the Pacific Ocean between Guatemala and Honduras. It lies on the Gulf of Fonseca, as do Honduras and Nicaragua further south.

It has a population of approximately 5,744,113 people, as of 2009. The capital city of San Salvador is the largest city of the Republic. The colón was the currency of El Salvador between 1892 and 2001, when El Salvador adopted the U.S. Dollar. The Colón continues to be legal tender. [wikipedia]

Meteora

Meteora is a place you have to visit before you die! Meteora are actually huge rock pillars. On the top of them there are built six orthodox monasteries. Each of them is unique. I don;t have to tell you that the view from up there is amazing. When you are there, there is nothing that reminds you of modern civilization... it is almost like a journey to time!

Access to the monasteries was originally (and deliberately) difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced, so the story goes, only "when the Lord let them break". In the words of UNESCO, "The net in which intrepid pilgrims were hoisted up vertically alongside the 373 metres (1,224 ft) cliff where the Varlaam monastery dominates the valley symbolizes the fragility of a traditional way of life that is threatened with extinction."In the 1920s there was an improvement in the arrangements. Steps were cut into the rock, making the complex accessible via a bridge from the nearby plateau. During World War II the site was bombed and many art treasures were stolen. Until the 17th century, the primary means of conveying goods and people from these eyries was by means of baskets and ropes.
Only six of the monasteries remain today. Of these six, five are inhabited by men, one by women. Each monastery has fewer than 10 inhabitants. [wikipedia]

Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo

Another card from Shallale, this time from Dominican Republic, where she lived years back. Usually I don't like multi-view cards, but after some reading I had, I understood that these four sites are the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo and  they are listed as a whole at Unesco World Heritage Sites. For more details about each one, read below.

At the top left, I think it is the Fortaleza Ozama, a sixteenth-century castle which lies at the entrance to Santo Domingo and overlooking the Ozama River. Named after this river, the castle, also referred to as "La Fortaleza", is the oldest formal military construction still standing in America. An impressive architectural structure of medieval style and design, the Tower of Homage (in Spanish: Torre del Homenaje) stands in the center of the grounds. The castle was designed to guard the entrance to the port of Santo Domingo, and defend the city from seaborne enemies. Construction began in 1502. It was well-built enough to serve as a prison until the 1960s, when the prison was closed, the "Fortaleza" was restored and it opened to the public. It is located at the end of Las Damas Street. [wikipedia]

At the top right, you can see the Alcázar de Colón, or Columbus Alcazar, located in Santo Domingo, which is the oldest Viceregal residence in America, and forms part of the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo World Heritage Site. The building houses the Museo Alcázar de Diego Colón, whose collection exhibits the Caribbean's most important ensemble of European late medieval and Renaissance works of art, which were acquired in the 1950s. The palace is an impressive construction of coralline blocks that once housed some fifty rooms and a number of gardens and courtyards, although what remains today is about half the size it once was. It was built under Diego Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus; when he became Viceroy of La Española and the Indies in 1509, he ordered the construction of a family home and governor’s mansion between 1510 and 1512. [wikipedia]

On the bottom left you can see the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor in Santo Domingo, which is the oldest cathedral in the Americas, begun in 1514 and completed in 1540. Fronted with a golden-tinted coral limestone façade, the church combines elements of both Gothic and Baroque with some lavish plateresque styles as exemplified by the high altar chiseled out of silver. The treasury has an excellent art collection of ancient woodcarvings, furnishings, funerary monuments, silver, and jewelry. Some historians believe that the remains which used to rest in the cathedral, before being removed to the Colombus Lighthouse, are those of famed navigator Christopher Columbus. [wikipedia]

At the bottom right, I think it is La Puerta del Conde (The Count's Gate), where Francisco del Rosario Sanchez, one of the Dominican Founding Fathers, proclaimed Dominican independence and raised the first Dominican Flag, on February 27, 1844. The gate is part of a structure called El Baluarte del Conde (The Count's Bulwark), a fort in Ciudad Colonial, the colonial area of Santo Domingo. The fort was part of a larger system of fortifications that ran along a defensive wall which surrounded Ciudad Colonial. The Altar of the Fatherland and Independence Park are located there. [wikipedia]

Czar Alexander II statue at Senate Square | Finland

Today was a good day for my mailbox!! As I returned tired from work, I found six cards waiting for me :D

The first one was this:

It was sent by Pirjo via postcrossing [FI-925057]. As Pirjo writes, this is the Senate square, a very popular meeting place. Many people enjoy sitting at the stairs in the background and watching other people going by. 

On the right you can see a statue of emperor Alexander II. The statue, erected in 1894, was built to commemorate his re-establishment the Diet of Finland in 1863, as well as his initiation of several reforms that increased Finland's autonomy from Russia. The statue comprises Alexander on a pedestal surrounded by figures representing the law, culture and the peasants.

During the Russification of Finland from 1899 onwards, the statue became a symbol of quiet resistance, with people of Helsinki protesting to the decrees of Nicholas II leaving flowers at the foot of the statue of his grandfather, then known in Finland as "the good czar".

After Finland's independence in 1917, demands were made regarding the removal of the statue, and later, a suggestion was made that it should be replaced with the equestrian statue of Mannerheim (currently located along Mannerheimintie, near Eduskuntatalo). Nothing came of either of these suggestions, and today the statue is one of the major tourist landmarks on the city, standing as a monument to Finland's relationship with Imperial Russia. [wikipedia]

Wiesbaden | Germany

 

This one pictures the Greek Church in Wiesbaden, Germany. In the back it only says: "Wiesbaden 4/11/09" and the address of the recipient. It would be nice to find a card of the same view in our days.

Santorini, Ia #1

Greece has a vast number of islands (approximately 1400, of which 227 are inhabited). One of the most beautiful is Santorini. It has picturesque villages and amazing beaches. It is said that in Santorini you can see the most beautiful sunset in the world!

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche | Germany

In the back it sais: "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in den 50er Jahren".

The Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche or Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. The damaged tower is a symbol of Berlin's resolve to rebuild the city after the war and a constant reminder of the destruction of war.The church is located at the Breitscheidplatz, the center of former West-Berlin. It is still the commercial center of Berlin.