Marriages and peace treaties

[Rense]

Originally Posted by Mr P

Walk a little way
#12



Mr P

it would be perfect if the people in the front of the altar were absent.

[Mr P]

(Photo #10)

Originally Posted by Rense

hmm the foreground is distracting. Why not crop it out?

I agree but think you'll agree that #12 serves the purpose. #10 is only there to show where we are.

Originally Posted by Rense

it would be perfect if the people in the front of the altar were absent.

I know. If they were on PhotoCamel I would ban them but.....they come to Batalha by the busload, even more than to Tomar, and the church is so huge that you can't avoid them. But I did wait until there were only a few (who also wanted to take photos.) Some, like the lady in white, also treat it as a church and simply ignore the tourists. I must say, too, that the tourists are, in general, very respectful and well-behaved.

Mr P

[lakejessup]

wow MR.P these are great. If i was sitting in that church during a service instead of being able to concentrate on the sermon i would be gazing toward the ceilings in amazement. Cant wait to see more and a school on carving in stone, great! over a 100' high wow. i knew an old stone mason who the company he worked for kept him on the payroll at 70+ years old just to give the master masons pointers. this is amazing thanks

[Mr P]

We enter the Founder's chapel (number 3 on the plan) and there, right in the centre, is the tomb of King João and Queen Philippa. You need to be 8 feet tall or bring a step-ladder to see them properly.
#14


Mr P

[Mr P]

If you come at the right time, they are illuminated by the sun streaming in through the stained glass windows
#16


#15


Mr P

[Mr P]

They gaze forever up at the ceiling rose (this one taken by Mrs P)
#17


Mr P

[Mr P]

Mrs P helped a lot with preparing this thread - we were shooting simultaneously here, there and everywhere!
These three from her show where the light came from onto João and Philippa.

#19


#18


#17
Mr P

[Mr P]

We'll just stand outside for a moment to see where those windows are. We are on the East side of the Founder's Chapel.
#20


Mr P

[Mr P]

#21


Here is that big window from inside the Chapel. Much of the glass at Batalha is not that old and there was quite some damage to the tombs and roofs from the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 Lisbon Earthquake (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

Mr P

[Mr P]

I'm beginning to realise that I have fallen into an enthusiast's trap. That is of posting too many photos of the same kind of thing. You know what happens - you have five photos of the same subject taken from slightly different angles and you want to share all of them.

Bcause I do not want this thread to become boring, I shall now be very selective in what I post and only if someone says "let's see more of that" will I post some more of it.

So we'll leave the Founder's Chapel for now. In doing so, we skip the tomb of an old friend, Prince Henry the Navigator. He was the third son of João and Philippa, and was Grand Master of the Order of Christ at Tomar. His tomb is in this chapel with those of his parents and siblings.

Mr P

[Mr P]

#22


The Royal Cloister (#4 on the plan) - a typical, cool and quiet monastery cloister.

Mr P

[Mr P]

#23


The old stone masons believed in symmetry but not in making everything identical (although they were quite capable of doing so.)

I have boosted this image more than I normally find necessary for such a documentary thread.

Mr P

[Rain Lily]

Those last two you posted are gorgeous.

[Mr P]

Originally Posted by Rain Lily

Those last two you posted are gorgeous.

Thanks, once again.

At your service.

Mr P

[Mr P]

Every hour, on the hour, footsteps echo in the Royal Cloister as the relieving guard approaches the Chapter House and the Portuguese Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The one in the middle (in this photo a woman) gives the commands.
#24


The figure on the crucifix is known as "the Christ of the Trenches", found during WWI. During the Battle of the Lys in 1918 Portugese soldiers are said to have taken the "Christ of the Trenches" into their positions with them (see also World War One Battlefields : Other Battlefields : Neuve Chapelle)

Mr P

[Mr P]

The school where students learn the art of stone-carving is located in the King Afonso V Cloister. There is a large classrom and also this open workshop. When there are no formal classes, visitors can go in to inspect the students' work, which is amazing in its precision.
#25


The school is under the supervision of Alfredo Ribeiro. It is perhaps not surprising that his bust stands outside the door.
#26

("Ofiçina" = workshop.)

Mr P

[Rain Lily]

Awesome.

I read your link, very interesting. Do you have a closeup of Christ of the Trenches, Mr. P? If you do, I'd love to see it.

[Mr P]

The Christ of the Trenches. What a story!
#27


The light in there is rather dim, but one wants to take photos without imposing

Mr P

[Rain Lily]

GREAT photo. The color of the figure of Jesus looks so much darker than in the photo of it in the link, wonder why?

[Mr P]

Originally Posted by Rain Lily

GREAT photo. The color of the figure of Jesus looks so much darker than in the photo of it in the link, wonder why?

Dunno, but that photo in the link will have been taken 90 years ago and not in the most ideal conditions. That same photo is placed in the museum of offerings to the Unknown Soldier, in the opposite corner of the Cloister.

Mr P