the artist created a series of spectacular frescoes and canvases depicting biblical scenes Save Venice funded the long restoration of the church The restoration took place in different phases: from stabilizing the building’s structure to restoring the artworks to their original colors and securing the exterior facades to protect the interior frescoes The goal of the project is to preserve this unique piece of artistic heritage for future generations Your request appears similar to malicious requests sent by robots Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. If you continue to be blocked, please send an email to secruxurity@sizetedistrict.cVmwom with: Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Spring Campaign Launches TODAY!Join us to hit our $60,000 goal fast Mass Propers for Monday of the Third Week of Easter: Entrance Antiphon: The Good Shepherd has risen who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God Jn 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you Not as the world gives do I give it to you Jn 12:24: Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies putting off our old self with all its ways for through the healing paschal remedies you have confirmed us to his nature Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit » Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books! Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Angelus of Jerusalem, O.Carm (1185-1220), priest, martyr, hermit, mystic, reformer, thaumaturge, missionary, convert from Judaism and a professed Priest of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. He is also known as St. Angelus of Sicily and St. Angelo. Born in 1145 at Jerusalem and died by being stabbed to death in 1220 at Licata, Sicily. Bl. Caterina Cittadini is also commemorated today. She was an Italian Roman Catholic religious from Bergamo who established the Ursuline Sisters of Saint Jerome Emiliani. The order was dedicated to the education of girls in Bergamo and in the surrounding areas and has since expanded outside of the Italian nation. 2. "Christ suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow His steps" (Epistle). The Christian slave might complain that his membership in the Church had not alleviated the harsh conditions of his life. St. Peter points to the example of Christ who was in all things to be the model of the Christian. Symbols and Representation: Carmelite with a knife in his head; Carmelite with a sword in his breast, holding a book, palm, and three crowns; Carmelite with an angel bringing him three crowns; Carmelite with lilies and roses falling from his mouth, indicative of his eloquence; lily The sisters left the orphanage in 1823 to live with their cousins Giovanni and Antonio Cittadini, both parish priests at Calolzio, Italy. Caterina became a teacher at a girl‘s public school in Somasca in 1824. The sisters felt a call to the religious life; their spiritual director recommended that they should stay in Somasca, and become the basis of a new congregation. In 1826 the sisters rented a house in Somasca, bought and furnished a building, and in October opened a boarding school for girls. Caterina taught religion, managed the school, and instituted the oratory style of education for her girls. Word of her success spread, attracting more students. The sisters established another “Cittadini” private school in 1832, and another in 1836. Giuditta directed these new school until her sudden death in 1840. Caterini’s cousin, Father Antonio Cittadini, died in 1841, followed quickly by her spiritual director from the orphanage. The rapid succession of tragedy ruined Caterina’s health, and she fell gravely ill, but was cured through the intercession of Saint Jerome Emilani. Caterina quit her public teaching position in 1845 to manage the schools, care for the orphans, and guide the three companions who help her. To help organize the work and lives of her companions, she wrote the beginnings of a new rule similar to that of religious orders. In 1850 she obtained permission to build a private oratory to keep the Blessed Sacrament at her boarding school. In 1851 she applied for approval of her new religious family. Patronage: Ursuline Sisters of St. Jerome Emiliani; Orphans; Educators SpainChevron San SebastiánChevron Courtesy Lasala PlazaSave this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products and listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links In the matter of the best hotels in San Sebastián it hasn't cut the mustard in quite the same way—which is all the more surprising given they city's long history as a watering place for the Spanish bourgeoisie which enjoys a prime beachside spot on the Miraconcha promenade the city can finally match its starry cuisine with a clutch of great places to stay Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination and warm service—as well as serious sustainability credentials We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve Stupendously situated in a 19th-century apartment block on a sedate square beside the neo-Gothic Cathedral this easeful boutique property is predicated on an idea of contemporary Basque-style fusing dark-hued minimalism with respect for rural tradition Natural materials (notably wood) are highlighted and there’s an elegant austerity in the interior design Suites so large they feel like apartments have perfect views of the Cathedral from their grey-painted ornamental balconies Narru—where chef Iñigo Peña does his radically stripped-down Basque cocina de producto—lies at the center of a growing restaurant ecosystem in Centro Arbaso (‘ancestor’ in Basque) has considerably raised the neighborhood’s self-esteem instead partnering with local restaurants including Mirador de Ulía and Bodegón Senra to offer an on-site dinner service on request housed in a grand 1917 building made of golden sandstone typical of San Sebastián manages several clever tricks all at the same time One side of the hotel abuts a quiet old-town square on the fringes of the Parte Vieja while the other gives directly onto the old harbor with all its buzz and brouhaha The Lasala Plaza has no pretensions to five-star fuss yet its clean-lined modern rooms with a palette of greys and whites Immersed as it is in the Parte Vieja's vast universe of pincho bars the new hotel hardly needed its own-house restaurant Ander González's Jarana is making a name for itself with a disingenuously simple menu of retro dishes (steak tartar egg and chips with morcilla) impeccably done Crowning the building is a rooftop solarium—a rare beast in San Sebastián—with a swimming pool and bar When it comes to venues for a glass of cold txakoli while watching the sunset over Santa Clara island and the heights of Igeldo this classic 19th-century building has plenty of stories to tell having witnessed the San Sebastián of the Belle Époque and even hosting Mata Hari herself Its privileged views of La Concha Beach are hard to resist with an enviable location that's just a few steps from the promenade and the emblematic beach make a reservation at the Mari Galant Brasserie The hotel's La Perla Spa is one of the best in the city as well this former summer house on the outskirts of Gros—an architectural mashup of Surrey Tudor and bourgeois Basque—was a frowzy Following its purchase and re-opening by the Soldevila family of Catalan hoteliers the Villa (which dates back to 1898) has a new lease of life and the fin-de-siecle ambiance is all part of its charm under the careful hand of designer Núria Ferrer combines original elements—such as the carved wooden staircase with smart new furnishings and judiciously chosen modern Basque art (look for the original works by Eduardo Chillida) Bedecked in fine wallpapers and rich fabrics in stripes and tartans this old lady now has quite a spring in her step Antique furniture makes a strong showing—an antique Dutch grandfather clock stands beside the reception desk Sitges' regular collaborator Paul Christopher McKenna is behind the gorgeous hand-painted lifts and the trompe l'oeil murals of tropical vegetation Argentine chef Paulo Airaudo ups the ante with San Sebastián's restaurant of the moment 'Favorita' may not have been the Villa's original name but it's coming to seem deeply appropriate the Maria Cristina—which opened in 1912—is even more than the sum of its considerable parts San Sebastián’s most venerable and glamorous lodging has no sprawling gardens with views of Rafael Moneo’s Kursaal building and the Cantabrian Sea beyond is as nearly perfect as any hotel in Europe If the building’s sandstone façade has a certain severity the interior is voluptuously furnished in the eclectic style of modern luxury the Maria Cristina has history and heritage in spades; anecdotes cling to it like sequins (Here's just one: a portrait of Bette Davis who smoked her last cigarette here before being rushed to Paris and death presides over the cocktail bar.) Worth singling out for praise is the hotel’s charming and discreetly omnipresent service which creates something of the intimacy of a grand private household the out-of-town settlement somewhere between suburb and bucolic hilltop village is best known in San Sebastián for three very different things: its funicular railway and Pedro Subijana's Akelarre restaurant (one of a trio of storied establishments in the city boasting three Michelin stars) Subijana had dreamed of building a small hotel as an adjunct to his restaurant and was snapping up adjacent plots of land for the purpose (on one of which stood an abandoned discoteca) is a cut above the average restaurant with rooms Attached to the existing building is the modernist structure of the hotel (designed by Marta Urtasun and Pedro Rica of Madrid-based architects Mecanismo) whose low-slung cuboid forms are faced with rough grey slate Akelarre's 22 rooms have the studiedly neutral aesthetic of the boutique retreat de nos jours cool modern furniture (check the butterscotch-colored leather armchairs) and plate-glass windows giving wide-screen views of sea The effect is so restful it's easy to forget you're just a 10-minute drive from the bustle of downtown San Sebastián Each of the breezily designed contemporary rooms is named after an actor or director and photographs throughout the hotel are a roll-call of winners at the annual San Sebastián Film Festival Theming of this kind in hotels can be annoying if it's not done with the coherence and humor on show here: the Zinema7 has a library of film books a huge collection of DVDs for guests to enjoy and do not disturb signs that read: “Silence We're rolling!” Ceiling installations in the ground-floor Bistroteka restaurant are made of recycled film reels while the portly gentleman permanently seated in the lobby is a sculpture of Alfred Hitchcock who also lends his name to one of the suites and this is one of the few hotels in San Sebastián that the whole family can enjoy A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller. up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world the Catholic Church commemorates two great saints: St although different in their roles and historical contexts shared a deep faith and a courageous witness that led them to martyrdom Their lives are a reminder of the strength of love for Christ in the face of adversity thanks to a divine sign: a dove landed on him during the papal election which was interpreted as a sign of the Holy Spirit a period marked by the consolidation of the Christian faith and ecclesiastical organization Fabian dedicated himself to strengthening the Church dividing Rome into regions for better pastoral care and ordaining several deacons and priests He also promoted the veneration of martyrs and ordered the restoration of the catacombs His martyrdom occurred during the persecution of Emperor Decius who saw Christianity as a threat to the unity of the Empire leaving an example of spiritual leadership and fidelity to Christ known as “the soldier of Christ,” was an officer in the Roman army who His bravery was not only manifested on the battlefield but also in his efforts to encourage persecuted Christians and bring comfort to those imprisoned Emperor Diocletian condemned him to death by being shot by arrows an image that has become his most iconic representation confronted the emperor to rebuke his cruelty share the legacy of being witnesses of Christ to the end Both teach us that true strength lies not in earthly power their memory invites us to reflect on our commitment to faith and our willingness to bear witness to it let us ask for their intercession to help us be courageous in our Christian journey The story of these holy martyrs is a beacon of hope and a call to coherence in Christian life Sebastian are examples of how faith can transcend time fidelity and love for God in any circumstance What should the boyfriend or girlfriend I should find be like Tweets by Pontifex HomeDestinationsInterestsTop Places to Travel by MonthSearchMenuBest time to go to Rio de Janeiro Rio has its holiday not on the day of foundation the holiday is observed not only by Catholics but also by followers of the Candomblé and Umbanda religions where Saint Sebastian is revered as Oxóssi devotees come to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian in Rio de Janeiro for the holiday masses to pray for continued patronage and blessings The masses are followed by a vibrant procession which gathers thousands of people together from the Basílica Santuário de São Sebastião in Tijuca to the Metropolitan Cathedral The procession is normally scheduled for 4 pm from Basílica Santuário de São Sebastião The official story says that Saint Sebastian became the patron of Rio as a tribute to Don Sebastian who helped the locals found the city and expel the French Saint Sebastian is one of the militant Christian saints and a martyr who is celebra​ted with great pomposity It is believed that although Saint Sebastian was denounced and punished for his Christian beliefs by Emperor Diocletian he still continued to spread and practice his faith an epidemic of cholera hit the Castelli Romani Albano Laziale’s population was almost decimated there were no victims of the plague in Castel Gandolfo so much so that the population cried out that a miracle had taken place attributing it to the intercession of Saint Sebastian the martyr A procession carrying the image of the Saint through the town’s streets arose spontaneously Castel Gandolfo celebrates its Patron Saint Sebastian on 2-3 September instead of 20 January to perpetuate the memory of the protection of the saint at the request of the authorities and castellans a Bull by Pius VII moved the Feast Day to September instead of January 20 The Directorate of the Pontifical Villas also joins the annual celebrations in honour of Saint Sebastian Who was this saint who was so popular and invoked by the faithful against the plague and epidemics His father was probably from Narbonne in Gaul The first document that mentions his veneration dates back to 354 which states that Sebastian was buried in the catacombs and died on 20 January Saint Ambrose also speaks of the martyr who had grown up in Milan and moved to Rome attributed to Arnobius the Younger included an account of the Saint’s martyrdom Over time other hagiographies were written including the one reported in the Legenda Aurea (Golden Legend) of Blessed Jacopo da Varagine  Sebastian was educated in the Christian faith in Milan He joined the army of Diocletian in about 283 becoming head of the first cohort of the imperial guard of Rome Their father asked for thirty days before the trial was to be held to give his children a chance to change their attitude and make sacrifices to the gods Mark and Marcellian were in the process of doing this when Sebastian visited them and asked them not to deny their faith the Saint’s face shone with light and the people were struck by the prodigy The woman threw herself at Sebastiano’s feet This miracle led to the conversion of Zoe and her husband Nicostratus the Roman Prefect Chromatius and his son Tiburtius Almost all of them died as martyrs over time The news that Sebastian was a Christian inevitably reached Diocletian who said to him: "I have always kept you among the majors of my palace and you have worked in the shadows against me" the soldiers left him to be hunted by wild beasts She brought him home and treated him and he was miraculously healed he went to Diocletian in the temple of the Invited Sun and rebuked him for persecuting Christians the emperor ordered that he be flogged to death in the hippodrome of the Palatine and thrown into the Cloaca Maxima A woman named Lucina recovered the body and buried it at the third mile of the Via Appia where the basilica outside the walls dedicated to him is currently located Sebastian is invoked as protector of the afflicted and is patron of the city guards confraternities and Archconfraternities of the Misericordia of Italy this coastal beauty is a perfect storm of fresh-from-the-ground local produce top chefs and intense local devotion to good eating A well-balanced diet in San Sebastián definitely includes creamy Idiazabal cheese risotto pintxos and charred T-bone steak scattered with a snowfall of flaky salt But shifting demographics have created a growing coterie of smallish restaurants and bistros opened by ambitious chefs hungry to make something new and serving up everything from genre-pushing locavore dishes to micro-artisan wines From hallowed haunts to the minuscule bar where you’ll find top chefs on their days off our list of the best restaurants in San Sebastián is a cross-section of the dining scene’s finest Muka means “ashes” in the northern dialect of the Basque language lending a smokey flavour to nearly all the dishes Mugaritz-trained chefs Juan Vargas and Elena Ortiz put immense energy into sourcing micro-seasonal ingredients and presenting them in pared-back dishes that allow flavour to shine The terrace of Muka gets some of the best afternoon sun in the city making it a perfect place for a late afternoon snack Address: Zurriola Hiribidea, 1, 20002 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: muka.eus The smell of grilled meat is the first hint you are approaching this squat farmhouse in the neighbourhood of Igara Portuetxe is a fantastic example of that Basque institution The steak comes perfectly charred on the outside and juicy on the inside The menu changes throughout the year – if you’re lucky enough to visit during mushroom season do not miss the grilled porcini served with a single sunny egg yolk Address: Igara Bidea, 71, 20018 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: portuetxe.com Tourists are wont to queue at Bar Nestor for the famous tortilla española the Spanish omelette at Bell’s Bar is even better and doesn’t require a reservation One of the few recently opened pintxo bars in the old town Bell’s Bar injects both Latin and English sensibilities into the traditional pintxo offerings This fusion takes the form of dishes like creamy croquetas with a sancocho stew stuffing and crumpets topped with San Sebastián-style spider crab The midday tortilla comes out around 1:30 and sells quickly Address: C/San Vicente, 9, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain 20003Website: instagram.com Chef Ander González is something of a local celebrity thanks to his cooking shows on Basque television but also thanks to the fact that his parents were pintxo royalty during the second half of the 20th century and from the kitchen he serves up traditional Basque dishes elevated by impeccable technique This is a great spot to get seasonal vegetables you can’t find elsewhere a mousse-like family recipe that is a legend around these parts Address: Euskal Herria Kalea, 3, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: restauranteastelena.com Zelai Txiki could skirt by on its superficial charm with an impossibly beautiful terrace and views is not one to settle for easy – he plants and maintains the garden that supplies the kitchen and bakes bread daily from a sourdough starter that’s nearing a decade of life Address: Rodil Kalea, 79, 20013 Donostia, GipuzkoaWebsite: restaurantezelaitxiki.com Tucked in between greengrocers at the San Martín Market What started as a pop-up is now a must-visit for produce-obsessed eaters Chef Mateus Mendes and Unai Paulis source the best of the best produce from the providers around them grilling up everything from flawless langoustines and meaty mushrooms with a light hand and serving them after hours in the aisles of the local food market could very well be the best in Basque Country Visit with a group so you can sample the entire menu Address: Urbieta Kalea, 9, 20006 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: maungrillbar.com Now diners dig into full-size servings of Paul’s technically perfect versions of classic Basque dishes Address: Zazpi, Plaza Zuloaga, 1, 20003 Donostia, GipuzkoaWebsite: zazpistm.com This gleaming pavilion on the harbourside is a laudable project serving sustainably caught and lesser-known fish species The “brotherhood” behind it also runs net-repairing workshops Address: Kofradia Itsas Etxea Donostia, Kaimingaintxo Plaza, 1, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: kofradia.eus Andoni Luis Aduriz’s great restaurant is not for the faint-hearted or those opposed to challenging avant-garde food The building is a pitched-roofed farmhouse in a bucolic setting The tasting menu is a 20-course extravaganza rich with theatre and jeux d’esprit: you might be presented with eggs that look like pebbles a ‘macaroon’ made with pig’s blood and almonds or sautéed sea slugs with ‘vegetable charcoal’ and salad sprouts Texture almost seems more important than taste At times the chef’s experiments may be a challenge too far One thing’s certain: a meal at Mugaritz isn’t easily forgotten Address: Mugaritz, Aldura Gunea Aldea, 20, 20100 Errenteria, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: mugaritz.com left in a secret marinade until it turns a beautiful silvery white Visitors flock from all over the globe to family-run Txepetxa for this exquisite pintxo crowned with one of a dozen different toppings like the pepper-onion vinaigrette (the jardinera) or spider-crab cream (the centollo) Address: Arrandegi Kalea, 5, 20003 Donostia, GipuzkoaWebsite: bartxepetxa.es This place has several aces up its sleeve. One is the setting, in a former farmhouse on the way up to Mount Igeldo with views of La Concha Bay overseen by world-class sommelier Alejando Hernandez and featuring one of the world’s great collections of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild a chef whose talents are discreetly taking Rekondo’s dyed-in-the-wool Basque cooking to a higher plane you might find scallops a la plancha with a coriander cream or carpaccio of carabinero prawns with pistachio vinaigrette alongside the classic txuleta – a slab of ox grilled over wood embers Address: Rekondo, Igeldo Pasealekua, 57, 20008 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: rekondo.com Chef Antonio Belotti’s position as the local culinary wunderkind with a degree from the prestigious Basque Culinary Centre and a track record in the city’s best kitchens doesn’t stop him from colouring outside San Sebastián’s culinary lines where hip hop plays softly in the background excellent local produce gets a light-hearted treatment – spider crab goes into crispy with broth so rich it coats the back of the spoon Address: Gran Vía, 9, 20002 Donostia-San Sebastian, GipuzkoaWebsite: grupo887.com With more than 100 pintxo bars in the Parte Vieja choosing which to head for can be challenging Here’s one worth remembering as a dead cert run with passion by Amaia Ortuzar and her family is where San Sebastian’s gastro-aristocracy goes on its day off for a crab tartlet or a sit-down lunch of roast hake or char-grilled txuleta It’s also a pilgrimage site for lovers of wild mushrooms: the plate of fresh boletus a la plancha with free-range egg yolk is a fast-track route to foodie ecstasy Consider ordering a craft beer – Ganbara serves the deliciously hoppy amber ale Arraun from Hernani-based brewers Basqueland Address: Ganbara, San Jeronimo Kalea, 19, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: ganbarajatetxea.com The Santamaria family are San Sebastián hospitality royalty helping to write the story of the pintxo revolution in the 1980s brown fish soup and innovations like txuleta steak nigiri sit comfortably together on the menu Address: San Martin Kalea, 45, 20007 Donostia, GipuzkoaWebsite: sukaldeanaitorsantamaria.com There’s more to pintxo-bar life here than the Parte Vieja: it turns out that San Sebastián’s downtown Centro area also has a lively scene though the client base here is more office workers and business folk than tourists A modest corner site with a few outside tables Antonio punches above its weight due to chef Jose Ramón Ezcurdia’s intensely flavourful versions of langoustine ravioli artichokes with baby broad beans and an arroz meloso (creamy rice) that’s worth crossing town for Insider tip: the speakeasy-like downstairs room can be booked for private feasts amid boxes of wine and tins of olive oil Address: Antonio Bar, Bergara Kalea, 3, 20005 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: antoniobar.com Bar Manojo isn’t somewhere you would stumble upon tucked into the corner of San Sebastián’s laid-back neighbourhood of Gros half-restaurant spot feels like a real local’s secret The dishes constantly change with the Cantabrian Sea and Basque forests’ micro-seasons full ración) to be shared and paired with carefully selected natural wines Address: José Arana Kalea, 13, 20001 Donostia, GipuzkoaWebsite: instagram.com For years ensconced in a basement behind La Concha beach Narru has long been a go-to for delicious food that dares to be simple Now chef Iñigo Peña and his team have decamped to the new Hotel Arbaso beside Buen Pastor Cathedral – but despite the move Narru maintains its less-is-more philosophy the essence of Peña’s cooking: imagine a pan-fried hunk of mero (grouper) caught off the Cantabrian coast just a few hours earlier served with nothing fancier than a slick of potato cream and a sofrito of onion in olive oil Address: Narru, San Martin Kalea, 22, 20005 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: hotelarbaso.com The unassuming façade blends in with the throng of pintxo bars on busy calle Fermin Calbetón this first-floor dining room is a cut above the rest Urola excels at traditional Basque market cooking – hake in green sauce rice with clams – using peerless raw materials treated without fuss or pretension The simplicity of Pablo Loureiro’s cooking is radical and brave is an assembly of spring vegetables tasting supremely of themselves Address: Casa Urola, Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 20, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: casaurolajatetxea.es What was once a neighbourhood hangout on the boulevard is now a bistro that breaks new ground for traditionally minded San Sebastián with a modern take on plant-based cooking and natural wines Address: Bar Arenales, Boulevard Zumardia, 11, 20003 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, SpainWebsite: instagram.com the cider house rules – and nowhere more so than in the Basque Country where the local apple crop makes a crisply refreshing draught and the sagardotegia (cider house) is an institution diners line up the 15,000-litre chestnut wood barrels in Zapiain to taste the home-produced cider in between courses of salt-cod tortilla and apple paste with sheep’s cheese and walnuts for pudding is a local favourite out of the crowd in the suburb of Astigarraga Address: Kale Nagusia, 96, 20115 Astigarraga, GipuzkoaWebsite: zapiain.eus Find out why the restoration of the Temple of St. Sebastian on Turin Street was truly amazing and why you need to visit this church soon. The Civic Temple of San Sebastiano in Milan, an architectural jewel on Turin Street, has finally reopened its doors after a meticulous two-year restoration. This extraordinary circular building has returned to its former glory thanks to an intervention commissioned by the City of Milan. Not familiar with it? In fact, it is one of the most underrated sacred buildings in the Lombard capital, despite its very central location. But today we reveal why you need to catch up and visit the beautiful Civic Temple of San Sebastiano as soon as possible. View this post on Instagram The restoration of the Temple of St. Sebastian has achieved amazing results: the work has revealed unexpected details and vivid colors that had been obscured by time. The frescoes of the four Evangelists and the four Doctors of the Latin Church decorating the eight segments of the dome, the work of Agostino Comerio and Lazzaro Pasini, were meticulously cleaned and restored. The drum of the dome, with its alternating representations of prophets and sibyls, has regained its original majesty. Among the most notable elements that emerged from the restoration were the Carrara marble Pietà by Domenico Trentacoste, which now shines with renewed beauty, and the altarpiece of St. Eligius by Andrea Lanzani, restored to its former glory. The church’s interior has regained a brightness and vibrant color that amazes those who visited the church before the work. View this post on Instagram Exemplary restoration work The restoration project, described as “one of the finest ever in recent years, “ required specialized skills and a meticulous approach. Experts worked carefully to clean and consolidate the frescoes, restore the sculptural works, bring back the original colors, and preserve the structural integrity of the building. View this post on Instagram This intervention not only restored beauty to the temple but also ensured its preservation for future generations. St. Charles Borromeo, a central figure in Milan at the time, wanted this building as an ex voto, a tangible thanksgiving for the end of the epidemic. Forty years later, in 1616, the temple was consecrated, becoming a beacon of hope after another wave of plague. The choice to dedicate it to St. Sebastian was not accidental: this saint was considered the protector against plagues, an intercessor to whom the Milanese always turned in their darkest moments. Its status as a “Civic Temple” makes it even more special: it belongs to the city, to all of us, as a shared treasure that chronicles the resilience and faith of the Milanese through the centuries. Its circular shape, unique in the city’s architectural landscape, seems to embrace worshippers and visitors alike, harmoniously combining Renaissance style with Baroque touches, a true jewel in the beating heart of Milan. View this post on Instagram Often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of Via Torino the frescoes on the dome tell ancient stories in wonderful colors Each restored brushstroke transports us to the past and the restoration has breathed life back into this masterpiece Sebastian and let its reborn beauty tell you a centuries-old story giving you an experience that will warm your heart Website: Civic Temple of St. Sebastian And it checks out. San Sebastian has some of the finest restaurants in the world (there are more Michelin stars per square metre than any city on the planet), a rich history, plus some excellent places to stay (see our edit of hotels in San Sebastian for inspiration) we've rounded up the best things to do in San Sebastian to inspire your next trip to this people-pleasing city San Sebastian has a prime position in the Basque Country which itself melts into gin-clear water overlooking Santa Clara island which rises from the ocean a few hundred metres from the shore for those who aren't in the mood for sandy trainers – follow the railings to the right and you'll reach the 1920s-built Nautical Club and the City Hall Or head onto the beach and into the sea – the water is usually shallow Monte UrgullAlamyHike up Monte UrgullAt one end of La Concha sits Monte Urgull a gorgeous green space which winds up gradually to the summit where the Sagrado Corazón statue and the ruins of Castillo de la Mota still sit There are four paths that will lead you to the top; each has exceptional viewpoints to gaze at the city and sea below as you climb The best route starts next to San Telmo Museum Take a three kilometre stroll around Parque de Cristina Enea the one-time home of its namesake the Duchess of Mandas set over 23 acres and dating back to the late 1800s and a handful of buildings dating from the period are scattered across the grounds San Telmo MuseoaAlamyGet a culture fix at the San Telmo MuseumThose hankering after some Basque history and culture shouldn't sleep on the San Telmo Museum which is set at the foot of Monte Urgull in the city's Old Town A space known as the San Telmo Museoa has existed here since 1902 but the collection moved to its present-day setting in a 16th-century convent in the 1930s with a brand new building added alongside a few years ago you can expect a collection focussing on photography religion and local art as well as temporary exhibitions spotlighting topics such as vintage tourism posters Artsy types should make tracks for Tabakalera the city's former tobacco factory turned international cultural centre art spaces and a restaurant – plus a fifth-floor terrace with great views Alderdi Eder GardensAlamyParque de Alderdi EderThis sweet plaza fronting the honey-hued former casino (now serving as the City Hall) is set just back from the beach and is a lovely spot for a pre-supper wander There's a vintage carousel (good for entertaining little ones as is a gander at the street performers who often set up here during the late afternoon) There are shady benches with exceptional views and loads of gorgeous flora and fauna to admire Zurriola beachAlamyChill out at Playa de la ZurriolaWe mentioned Playa de la Zurriola above for its surf scene – but even those who don't want to take to the waves will want to while away a few hours here You could watch the surfers chase waves from the comfort of the sand spectate locals playing volleyball or beach tennis stroll the 800 metres of sand along the waterfront or simply splay out on the sand and enjoy the mild Basque sunshine Getty ImagesStock the pantry at Mercado San MartinYou’d be forgiven for mistaking the city’s most beloved market for a giant Zara which occupies the front of this shopping centre But enter on the other side and you’ll find two floors of greengrocers and fishmongers alternating with stalls that sell fresh pasta always bustling with the city’s well-heeled gourmands The market maintains a busy event schedule so any given weekend you’re likely to encounter an artisan market or live music La PerlaRespite from the rain at La PerlaRain is a frequent feature in San Sebastián – hence the green hills at every turn When the sirimiri (Basque for the seemingly endless drizzle characteristic of the region) hits It is the perfect place to spend a rainy day some of which look directly out onto La Concha beach You can also book a massage or hit the gym View from Monte IgueldoGetty ImagesTake the funicular up Monte IgueldoGlide up the 100-year-old wooden cable car located on the edge of Playa Ondarreta watching one of Europe’s most gorgeous views reveal itself as you rise Take the family photo at the top before heading to the Monte Igueldo Amusement Park The vintage attractions include a rickety roller coaster that practically hangs off the side of the mountain Already a member? 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Sign up Explore our Food Tours → something as small as a gilda is of the utmost importance olives and guindilla peppers on a stick is not enough; together these ingredients must contrast and balance living up to the gilda’s reputation as one of the city’s most celebrated pintxos A good gilda comes with a punch of flavor and freshness; an ideal combination of textures and acidity that is eaten in a single bite This translates into an exciting challenge for any self-respecting bar as well as a big responsibility: to rise to the standards ideas and myths surrounding such an icon of the local cuisine Where to eat (and how) is the question in San Sebastian In Donosti (the Basque name of this capital of the Spanish province of Gipuzkoa walking a few streets reveals restaurants loaded with answers awaiting hungry customers San Sebastian feels something like a big candy house – not unlike the one Hansel and Gretel were lured into – an irresistible and complex place where you can lose your head over food All this takes place inside an intriguing and seemingly cloistered society in which the craft of cooking is alive and treasured Food is a way of understanding and living life that is reflected in restaurants as well as in homes Much affection is given to products and recipes means people get to understand the value of food hence the level of quality in the city’s offer is quite high,” explains Valencian chef Jorge Bretón who has been living in the Basque Country for the last 10 years A normal scene here is to find people discussing with the same fervor ignited by the last Real Sociedad fútbol march the beginning of the Bonito del Norte (local white albacore tuna) season (and consequently the appearance of marmitako (a tuna-and-potato stew on menus across the city); the price of the first sardines to arrive fresh at the fish markets or the necessary details to prepare cherished dishes like cod kokotxas al pil pil there’s the quantity or quality of the different elements involved in the fine equation of oil chili pepper and kokotxa (that lower part of the fish’s cheek used here but still discarded in many places around the world) that it takes to make the dish the key to making kokotxas al pil pil is in the movement of the wrist that holds the pan in which everything “dances” in harmony; it is in the delicacy of a hand gesture in the right rhythm with which the ingredients emulsify slowly singularly unctuous and heartwarming (goxua To get it right the first time would be asking for a miracle – to simply follow the steps of the recipe falls short sometimes I get the impression that everything revolves around food,” says Ferran Adrià the leading genius behind restaurant El Bulli in the prologue of the book La cocina Donostiarra together with the most avant-garde concepts in cooking and of a solid and well-understood modernity,” he adds This fact goes far beyond medals or recognition; it connects with a strong cultural expression in which the ways of eating and socializing around food maintain an umbilical link with the city’s identity or humble products like an anchovy or a leek fill Donostiarras – San Sebastian locals – with pride a kilo of hake kokotxas is around sixty euros; of cod Middle class people indulge themselves with this from time to time because they know it’s not so much an ingredient of high cost as it is of high value; and that doesn’t happen in many places,” he notes San Sebastian is the kind of spot where locals worry about their egg-and-potato tortilla being fresh firm on the outside but creamy on the inside (cooked with or without onions) To cut into a txuleta in a local steakhouse without finding it amazingly juicy on the inside; to bite into a Basque cheesecake that’s not perfectly caramelized on the outside and wobbly on the inside; or to go into a cider house and not leave with a virtual PhD in this traditional beverage made from apples poured directly from huge wooden barrels… all are capital sins in this city sharing and celebrating food around a table matter not so much what is eaten but “how.” And this is not by chance With its feet on the ground but its eyes fixed on the sea San Sebastian persists as a shared ground for the old and the new; for tradition and innovation The Basques simply insist on doing things their own way Preserving the craft of cooking against the current with singularity as a non-negotiable value and of betting few words are enough for the Basques to explain both the merluza en salsa verde (hake in green sauce) and their complex political history a certain mystery has always been in their DNA the researcher Lewy D’Abartiague declared with astonishment that the Basques might be the only people in the world And it is still an enigma one which science fails to solve The first to inhabit this region left no written testimonies The earliest clues were found two centuries after the arrival of the Romans in 218 BC so it was assumed that it was already an ancient settlement Their promised land is known as Euskal Herria (“the land of Basque speakers”) because what agglutinates the seven territories that comprise this reclaimed state (four in Spain: Navarre Biscay and Alava; and three on the French side) is Euskera This “impossible” language is spoken by more and more people in the region when it could have easily become extinct instead a language isolate built on about 200 thousand words although the vocabulary increases considerably with almost 200 regular suffixes (The Oxford English Dictionary was made on a base of seventy million words) as Mark Kurlansky rightly comments in his book The Basque History of the World (1999) They feel an inexplicable security as to the place they occupy among the nations.” He notes that they have also managed to compromise with their neighbors or invaders just enough as to not give up a certain autonomy and identity: “They are determined to preserve what belongs to them while keeping up with the times They have never been picturesque people and have avoided being marginalized or assimilated they were pioneers in the use of products from other parts of the world They are also pioneers in the ways of socializing their own culinary profession where women have historically been the ones to transfer knowledge These skills are also learned in professional cooking schools which is why young people from all over the world constantly come to this territory seeking to train themselves and delve deep into the understanding of gastronomy as science (the local Basque Culinary Center being among the most prominent international options for this area of study) without whom it would be difficult to sustain the fine dining industry (where a good part of the local brigades are made up of scholarship holders) Accessing direct knowledge through the palate allows people to connect with a very particular expertise skill and execution that helps train their criteria and sensibility This happens when diving into important local traditions such as pintxos offered in popular restaurants – especially in the Old Part of the city – where the hungry can experience a wide variety of options to eat and drink while bar hopping – as much as your body and budget can take where the menu focuses entirely on anchovies where the passage of time has not diminished the fame of its foie cooked on the griddle it is also necessary to pay attention to the seasons (do not fall for an avocado or salmon dish unless you came to the Basque Country to eat the same as everywhere else) places like Casa Urola are a mandatory stop where a humble artichoke served with grilled Navarre cardoon ham cream and salted almond praline feels like a warm hug where you can order hot dishes like a celebrated Idiazabal puntalette (made with the treasured local goat’s milk cheese) where something as simple as seasonal mushrooms sautéed with oil and garlic and served with egg yolk a militant of the independence movement ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna fired a shot in the back of a councilor’s head a sign of the years of high political tension eating a stuffed bell pepper at La Cepa is synonymous with pleasure (and it’s just meters away from La Viña where people wait patiently in line to try San Sebastian’s most emblematic Basque cheesecake) There is no shadow of violence in these streets full of tourists and gastronomic enthusiasts the city and its people exude the joy of eating like the one found in restaurants where a small bunch of dishes are hand written on a shy chalkboard spelling out your luck at getting to try the kokotxas al pil pil Flower Riviera Palms Riviera Genoa and surroundings Portofino and the Tigullio The Cinque Terre Gulf of Poets Here are the most important ones of the season Winter fairs in Liguria bring us back to folk wisdom and the cycle of nature Here are some important ones that are worth visiting Set up just a stone’s throw from the river and the courtyard of the grand Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montebruno the ‘Mandillo’ is an exhibition market of fruit seeds and home yeasts organised by the Quarantine Consortium The event will take place from 10 AM to 5 PM The second largest fair in northern Italy is in Chiavari and offers two days of celebration, with over 500 exhibitors of artistic and hobbyist crafts, various goods, local gastronomic specialties and more. There will be tastings, entertainment for both adults and children, and much more. And as you stroll through the historic center of Chiavari don’t resist the aroma and taste of ‘farinata’ the San Sebastiano Fair in Rapallo: on January 20th the streets of the Tigullio town will shine with a celebration of colours and scents searching for the best deals: the Sant’Agata Fair in Genoa is the winter festival of the populous San Fruttuoso neighbourhood a tradition with ancient roots but still alive today returns: the fair is named after the saint venerated in the homonymous church of San Fruttuoso and it is a highly cherished and attended event by the citizens People buy seedlings and plants for the garden already thinking about the imminent spring One of La Spezia’s most cherished traditions: the origin of the San Giuseppe Fair dates back to 1654 when merchants were invited to gather in La Spezia This gave rise to a three-day event that has lasted for three and a half centuries over 600 stalls will create a festive atmosphere and happy children exploring the colourful stands the Hazelnut Fair in Sarzana will take place from April 5th much loved in Sarzana and attended by residents from the Val di Magra and Lunigiana gets its name from the extensive hazelnut tree plantations that once covered the Sarzana area a group of local farmers decided to celebrate the hazelnut harvest with a large city fair they create and sell the typical hazelnut necklaces of Sarzana at the fair Stai già fantasticando su un viaggio in Liguria?Trasforma la tua fantasia in realtà e pianifica la tua prossima vacanza Are you already fantasising about a trip to Liguria?Turn your dream into reality and plan your next holiday Are you already fantasising about a trip to Liguria Turn your dream into reality and plan your next holiday Stai già fantasticando su un viaggio in Liguria Trasforma la tua fantasia in realtà e pianifica la tua prossima vacanza Dichiarazione di accessibilità Accessibility statement Amministrazione trasparente fino al 28.02.2025 Transparent administration until 28.02.2025 Amministrazione trasparente dal 01.03.2025 Transparent administration from 01.03.2025 PagoPA but the restaurant where this dessert was created has been serving it up since the 1980s This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).Caramelised on top tossed across the bar with nothing more than a fork — the five-ingredient cheesecake from La Viña in San Sebastián has managed to captivate chefs and diners across the world It’s found new life as far afield as Singapore where it’s been reincarnated as a soft-serve ice cream which declared it a ‘Flavor of the Year’ for 2021 — all while still being slung out by the slice at the family-run restaurant where it was created A cursory perusal of the internet offers an array of variations or what a Basque person would likely call aberrations You’ll find it flavoured with electric purple ube #BasqueBurntCheesecake has taken on a life of its own but if you ever want a taste of the original Eladio’s son Santi started working in the bar from a young age he was spurred on by advice from his chef friends and the occasional cooking course and I could work and do tests in the kitchen,” Santi says dishes for the restaurant… among these tests I tested the cheesecake and would make it every now and then until people started asking for it more and more.” Cheesecake wasn’t a traditional Basque dish but this was the late 1980s and Santi was filled with ideas from courses he’d attended further afield Cream cheese and other ‘modern’ food items were just reaching Spain for the first time as it opened up to the global economy but it was only when the trend for pintxo tours took off in the 2000s that foreigners en masse began to discover La Viña’s cheesecake with singed parchment paper poking out the top Instagram and Tripadvisor have boosted the profile further and Santi has even shared the recipe online — there are no trade secrets here “Basque chefs drafted the statutes of Basque Cuisine and one of them was that cuisine should be transmitted to the general public for all to enjoy,” he says There always a 15% that can’t be taught — not because you don’t want to but because it’s in the hands of the person making the dessert.” An adaptation of the traditional cheesecake with a flan-like twist a classic Basque burnt cheesecake contains nothing more than cream cheese What makes this dessert unique is actually its ‘missing’ ingredients and ‘incorrect’ technique While a normal baked cheesecake involves cooking the delicate eggy custard at a relatively low heat this cake gets somewhat rougher treatment — it’s cooked at what’s technically too high a temperature meaning the parts of the cake in contact with the pan brown into a natural crust while the top burns in places and the interior remains jiggly and loose Embellishments such as ice cream and berry coulis were out of the question due to space restrictions in the kitchen at La Viña a rough-and-ready dessert — but therein lies its deliciousness La Viña in San Sebastián, Spain has been serving the original Basque burnt cheesecake since ​the 1980s.Photo by Photo-Loci, AlamyWhere to eat itLa Viña  Trying the original cheesecake at the source is a must if only to have a reference for every other version in town Pair it with a PX sherry or — Santi’s favourite — a glass of txakoli (a dry as this little spot on San Sebastián’s busy 31 de Agosto Kalea is at the top of every visitor’s list and fills up quickly Ekaitz  Ekaitz is a traditional Basque erretegia (grill house) on the outskirts of San Sebastián Be sure to leave room after its exquisite grilled txuleta steaks and garlic-kissed fresh fish as Ekaitz’s cheesecake is one of the city’s most famous — a sort of hybrid of the Basque and New York styles berry compote topping and very creamy cheese filling LABe  The cheesecake on this modern spot’s menu comes in an individual springform tin, with its top burned and parchment paper sticking out, in a knowing wink to its predecessor at La Viña. Located in San Sebastián’s Tabakalera cultural centre and art hub, LABe gives the dessert its own twist in the form of a hearty dose of savoury Idiazabal cheese from local producers. afternoon tea evolved as a light meal composed of finger food and pastries served in tearooms.","ttl":"Tearooms afternoon tea serving","rchDsc":{"markup":"Popularised in Britain during the 1840s afternoon tea evolved as a light meal composed of finger food and pastries served in tearooms his fame as a chess master is firmly established Capalanca’s inclusion in the tournament met with great resistance from the other participants - an indication of the stodginess of the international chess circle in this era Bernstein in particular objected strenuously to his inclusion and it took a generous recommendation from Marshall - who had just lost his match to Capablanca and was just through a somewhat ugly dispute with him over their respective claims for the U.S he kibitzed at a speed game between Bernstein and Nimzowitsch Nimzowitsch told Capablanca he didn’t yet have the right to make comments "in a quick series of games for a side bet." Capablanca won those and then thoroughly beat all comers too “It was acknowledged that I was the best in this kind of chess,” wrote Capablanca in his peculiar style - similar to his chess which was at the same time straightforward Capablanca swiftly proved himself superior in the other kind of chess as well In the first round he gave Bernstein a fresh humiliation and won the tournament without too much difficulty The tournament was one of the first attempts to create a genuine super-tournament with only top masters and without the inclusion of local players (hence the fierce pre-tournament opposition to Capablanca) "The conditions of the tournament made it the best that could be had," writes Capablanca but it was a bit of a drawfest - the perennial problem of super-grandmaster tournaments Schlechter led the way with 11 draws out of 14 games while Rubinsten and Maróczy were right behind him with ten draws apiece Capablanca won while drawing seven of his games it had become clear that the top masters of the older generation were losing ground. Janowski Schlechter had become middle-of-the-packers Maróczy was attempting an unsatisfactory comeback and finished third-from-last The greatest surprise for me is the very weak result of Oldrich Duras Looking at Duras’ games in the late '00s he seemed superhuman - with an ability to outplay anyone from virtually any position But a pair of tournaments in the early 1910s revealed Duras’ limits - either he was (like other mosquito players like Mecking and Nakamura) just not able to pull off his usual tricks against the very best in the world or by the early 1910s he had lost some confidence and focus Nimzowitsch’s hypermodern tendencies were becoming more pronounced Although his cramped opening setups sometimes led to passive he also had some notable victories nullifying an opponent’s spatial advantage and gradually asphyxiating the opponent’s position The great annotation controversy starts from this tournament flattering comments about Nimzowitsch - he described him for instance as "one of the most talented players from the youngest master generation" - but he took issue with Nimzowitsch's style even hideous moves in the opening from which he has been lucky from this time," and these comments resulted ending the 'classical era,' and permanently diminishing Tarrasch's reputation There is almost nothing so funny in the history of chess as Nimzowitsch's Herzogian annotations and he is very much in form here embitter the lives of young talents for instance," he wrote "but one thing it cannot do is to put a permanent halt to the breakthrough of new and powerful ideas!"  Vidmar was the other sensation of the tournament He seemed to have taken up the torch from Maróczy as the greatest student of the game - always efficient equally attentive to all phases of the game was the only player to finish with an undefeated score the question with him would be about his ability to control his nerves in high-stress settings but San Sebastian is a good indication of what a tough competitor he could be patiently converting advantages against wily opponents the museum that houses the civic collections of the city of the Gonzaga A renovation that affects the institution right from its name: in fact no longer “Museum of the City of Palazzo San Sebastiano,” as it was called until now housed in one of the most beautiful Gonzaga residences (Palazzo San Sebastiano has been entirely rethought in its layout and visit routes Palazzo San Sebastiano was built by Francesco II Gonzaga between 1506 and 1512 as the prince’s only permanent residence outside the vast court complex of the Ducal Palace It thus stands out as a unique case in the Gonzaga tradition of power.Francesco II Gonzaga had it built and decorated between 1506 and 1512 on the side opposite the royal palace close to the southern city walls of Mantua and next to Porta Pusterla It was an exclusive personal residence - of government and representation - in which Francis II lived from 1508 to 1519 and received distinguished guests In addition to numerous rooms frescoed in fairy-tale and exotic forms with rich vaults filled with feats and symbols of the lineage the marquis had a 224-square-meter hall built on the piano nobile to house Andrea Mantegna’s famous and impressive series of Triumphs of Caesar Restored and used as a museum venue in 2004 the complex today has been entirely renovated in its layout becoming home to the MACA - Mantua Antique Collections museum the new museum was created as an exhibition itinerary dedicated to four Mantuan personalities who contributed through the centuries to forming the city’s cultural heritage: Francesco II and Vespasiano Gonzaga with classical antiquities Giuseppe Acerbi and Ugo Sissa with Egyptian and Mesopotamian collections The first itinerary(Francesco II and the Palace) takes place in the two Chambers located on the ground floor called the “Porcupine” and the “Crucible,” which can be accessed after walking through the scenic seven-arched loggia: both are dedicated to delving into the personality and culture of the master of the house The Room of the “Porcupine” displays the 17th-century fresco series of Mantegna’s Triumphs of Cesare In the center stands the solemn and proud portrait of Marquis Francis II datable to the late 15th century and attributed to the sculptor Gian Cristoforo Romano The “Crucible” Room displays five extraordinary terracotta busts and the eighteenth-century polish of Andrea Mantegna’s “Altarpiece of the Madonna of Victory”-the original of which is now in the Louvre in Paris-and an evocative torn fresco of the Mantegna school that illustrates the theme of the crossroads between virtue and vice and exhorts one to act with diligence and caution takes the visitor on a journey through Mantua Sabbioneta and a number of other Gonzaga residences which between the 15th and 16th centuries were enriched with numerous antique or imitation antique marbles The Mantuan collection was dispersed with the sale to Charles of England in the early 17th century but the antique marbles collected by Vespasiano Gonzaga remained in place until the late 18th century when they were brought to Mantua to form the nucleus of the new museum of theMantuan Academy of Letters and Arts The antiquarian collections had a clear symbolic value the antique bust of the Duke of Sabbioneta made after 1585 the bust of Cicero and the sarcophagus front with the story of Venus and Adonis Some pseudo-antique works such as the busts of emperors and “the Sleeping Cupid,” are of extraordinary importance the Egyptian section(Giuseppe Acerbi Collection) The first introduces the figure of Giuseppe Acerbi a multidisciplinary scholar as well as a collector; it houses Islamic and ethnological materials among which a Mamluk saddle and some Nubian weapons stand out for their interest The second thematic area sees the display of the most prestigious core of Egyptian antiquities which document Acerbi’s interest in dynasties and rulers from the deciphering of their names The entire “Chamber of Briefs” is dedicated to the funerary outfit enriched by a papyrus from the Civic Archaeological Museum of Milan and a mummy from the Civic Archaeological Museum of Bologna The fourth thematic area - Gods and Temples - houses the symbol of the entire collection who was Chief Government Architect in Baghdad from 1953 to 1958: his contact with the civilizations of the Ancient Near East sparked in him an overwhelming passion for archaeology which he experienced directly along with the purchase of objects on the antiques market The collection is distinguished by the typological variety of the finds The tools come from the oldest settlements in Mesopotamia and belong mainly to the prehistoric phase Fascination with the graphic technique of cuneiform writing leads Sissa to acquire 7 tablets of very high documentary value The statuettes are the artifacts that best testify to the religious and mythical aspect of Mesopotamian civilization: they depict animals and figures of devotees pointing to body parts in need of healing The exhibition on Rubens staged until a few days ago in the Royal Palace in Genoa presented among some previously unpublished works a painting depicting St but for some years exhibited on loan to the Rubenshuis in Antwerp only dubiously attributed to “Rubens and workshop.”The work which was presented as an autograph replica of the specimen belonging to the Corsini Gallery in Rome had already participated in the exhibition Becoming famous where it was only dubiously attributed to the painter by Büttner himself there is no mention of the previously expressed doubts about the painting’s alleged authorship presented directly on this occasion as an original work by Rubens without the need for any critical explanation whose attribution to the master is now universally accepted but which was already the subject of alternating doubts as to its placement in the course of its activity the new version on display in the exhibition was unhesitatingly referred to 1615 and identified with a Saint Sebastian cured by angels mentioned with compatible measurements in a 1722 inventory relating to the collection of Carlo Filippo Antonio Spinola Colonna which induced the author of the card to consider its original commissioner to be the ancestor Ambrogio Spinola or his son Filippo the issue is very complex to be dismissed with a few words and must also be addressed by considering the work in relation to other existing versions which has the manifestly later addition of two little angels has been resolved by Michael Jaffé with the reference around 1608-1610 (Jaffé while a similar version from a private collection containing the variant of the white drape covering part of the saint’s nudity turned behind his bust and raised above his shoulders by one of the two little angels on the right is rubricated as a seventeenth-century copy noting how a large drawing belonging to the Louvre now preserved by the Musée des Beaux Arts in Antwerp executed by Rubens for one of the three canvases he prepared in 1604 for the main chapel of the church of the SS depicted in the center of the composition a naked young man leaning against a tree who was later excluded from the large group of figures shown in the large painting for the church The exclusion of this single figure seems to find its reason in seeing it used instead in the Saint Sebastian being cared for by angels in the National Gallery of Palazzo Corsini in Rome from which Hans Vlieghe appropriately deduced the execution of the work at a time between the design drawing and its final transposition on canvas that the work seems to be characterized by stylistic traits and a less contrasting and dramatic relationship between light and shadow than in Rubens’ early Italian years such precisely that Jaffè has led him to advance its dating to after the painter’s return to Antwerp There are also other elements today that point the execution of a similar work back toward Rubens’ time in Mantua again drawing on the same composition conceived for the Mantuan church as shown by a concise sketch (location unknown as École flamande debut du XVIII siècle) whose stylistic affinity to the still somewhat acerbic modes we already know of this early Italian time of his or the Fall of Phaethon from a London collection (M The rest of the composition also turns out in the sketch to have been thought of otherwise with the exception of the figure of the kneeling angel on the right which is essential in confirming the relationship with the final version that is the subject of this dissertation at least to restore the most convincing aspect of the original version there is a further unpublished redaction of the work belonging to an English private collection (oil on canvas the dimensions of which are compatible with those reported in the Spinola document and in the identical ratio of height to width The work is characterized by a chromatic register and chiaroscuro intensity decidedly more appropriate to that characterizing Rubens’s operative moment in his early Italian time at the court of Vincenzo Gonzaga when all his efforts were directed toward the study of great Italian painting Decidedly alternative to the version presented in the exhibition which appears even more distant from the typical manners of Rubens’ early Italian years than the one belonging to the Corsini Gallery characterized by a palette of muted tones tending toward a pearly-gray dominant and by a’diligent execution that is more draughtsmanship than painting flattened in the muted relationship between light and shadow where no memory of the chromatic vigor and structural function of color of Venetian ancestry is discerned any longer furrowed by luminous streaks and pinkish clouds hardly found in the Flemish figurative tradition but absolutely typical instead of much Venetian painting and repertoire especially in numerous works by Titian Rubens’ most beloved painter in Italy In relation to the painter’s particular moment also exemplary is the essentiality with which he constructs by simplified and hasty highlights the folds of the cloths almost renouncing altogether the progressive modeling of the sfumato in these years intensely devoted to the study of Venetian painting and which we find again in other coeval paintings where the red fluttering band attached to one arm of the knight highlights a stroke of execution entirely analogous to that of identical color depicted by him in the upper left corner of St A stylistic analogy that also returns in the synthetic brushstrokes of the white drape descending on his right side these are then the same essential features that characterize the large coeval canvases with the Gonzaga in adoration of the Trinity in the Ducal Palace in Mantua An entire village in northern Italy (not pictured above) – including a castle and 75-acres of grounds – is now on the market for "takeover workations" of up to 200 people Billing itself as “Europe’s most beautiful venue for company retreats”, the San Sebastiano Workation Village enjoys views across the Po valley to the Matterhorn and is conveniently located just a 40-minute drive from Turin The restored hamlet provides intimate workshops outdoor activities and relaxing amenities across the estate from meetings in the stately castle and al fresco yoga sessions in the meadows to team building over foraging excursions in its own hazelnut groves Urban tech startups and big players such as Google and BMW have already booked corporate takeovers at the village which start from around €190 a head each night a former frozen yoghurt entrepreneur in Munich founded the San Sebastiano village in 2021 acquiring it on a long-term lease from a local family As reported by The Times his first clients were self-employed “digital nomads” who could work as easily from the village as from Paris or Berlin Since then it has drawn start-ups and big technology businesses “Our customers are mainly young tech companies open to novelty,” Von Hoyos said family-owned German business] doesn’t dare to come to us companies are now investing more in employee bonding experiences and wellbeing than ever before with wellness retreats blossoming across Europe In Germany, digital nomads and small remote teams can take a workation retreat at Coconat Located in the small Brandenburg village of Klein Glien it describes itself as a “space for anyone to be inspired And in Estonia, iLand – the country’s first rural co-working and co-living space based on the Baltic Sea island of Saaremaa – says it offers a haven for freelancers The San Sebastiano village's appeal lies not only in its stunning surroundings but also in its proactive approach to catering to the needs of a remote workforce Local businesses have swiftly adapted to provide high-speed internet connectivity and comfortable accommodation tailored to the needs of digital nomads Help keep Catholics around the world educated and informed Already donated? Log in to stop seeing these donation pop-ups Today the Roman Martyrology commemorates St convert from Judaism and a professed Priest of the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel Born in 1145 at Jerusalem and died by being stabbed to death in 1220 at Licata Caterina Cittadini is also commemorated today She was an Italian Roman Catholic religious from Bergamo who established the Ursuline Sisters of Saint Jerome Emiliani The order was dedicated to the education of girls in Bergamo and in the surrounding areas and has since expanded outside of the Italian nation leaving you an example that you should follow His steps" (Epistle) The Christian slave might complain that his membership in the Church had not alleviated the harsh conditions of his life Peter points to the example of Christ who was in all things to be the model of the Christian neither was guile found in His mouth," but nevertheless he was subjected to persecution and injustice But the Christian is expected to be a follower of Christ but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly." If then Christians feel that they have not achieved the liberty and the equality they long for they are to remember that Christ had come not to right all the wrongs and injustices in the world but to give an "example that you should follow His steps." Men often complain against God when they suffer what they consider undeserved misfortunes They think that God ought to interfere and punish injustice and wickedness here and now They are like the apostles James and John; they want to call down fire from heaven and destroy those who appear to them to act improperly Christ made it clear that all injustice will be rectified eventually but that for the present He wishes to allow the cockle to grow among the wheat When the proper time comes God will deal with injustice in His own way But it is not only the slave who is to be subject to authority and to recognize that mistreatment patiently borne is a service acceptable to God and meritorious for man Obedience to legitimate authority does not depend on the worthiness of the official exercising authority Christ Himself had commanded His disciples to obey the officials of the Jewish Church even though they might not be personally worthy of the office they held He was obedient first of all to His parents "He went down with them and came to Nazareth He observed the ritual and the laws of the Jewish Church He obeyed the laws of the Roman authorities and paid the tribute they demanded He set off on a Genoese ship on 1 April 1219 and stopped first in Messina before heading off to Civitavecchia before he ended up in Rome to meet with the pope The friar preached in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran while in Rome where he met both Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic He foretold that Francis would receive the stigmata while Francis foretold his premature death.st angelus of jerusalem snip From there he was a guest of the Basilians in Palermo where he was for about a month before preaching in Agrigento for over a month before settling in Licata He had healed seven lepers and the ailing Archbishop of Palermo Bernardo de Castanea while in Palermo He settled on the Sicilian island though his fame as a wonderworker caused crowds to flock to him He also had success in converting some Jews though most Jews in Palermo came to despise him for this since he himself was once Jewish He wanted to convert a Knight named Berenger Catholic tradition states that Berenger was living in incest and that Angelo convinced the knight’s companion to leave him Berenger became enraged and arranged to have him attacked and murdered in front of the Church of Saints Filippo and Giacomo in Licata He didn’t die from the attack until four days after the attack and during that time he prayed for his assassin and asked the civil authorities to pardon him setting an example for all those that he preached to He was buried at Saints Filippo and Giacomo Church His sepulchre at Licata quickly became a site of Pilgrimage Symbols and Representation: Carmelite with a knife in his head; Carmelite with a sword in his breast and three crowns; Carmelite with an angel bringing him three crowns; Carmelite with lilies and roses falling from his mouth The sisters left the orphanage in 1823 to live with their cousins Giovanni and Antonio Cittadini Caterina became a teacher at a girl‘s public school in Somasca in 1824 The sisters felt a call to the religious life; their spiritual director recommended that they should stay in Somasca and become the basis of a new congregation In 1826 the sisters rented a house in Somasca and in October opened a boarding school for girls and instituted the oratory style of education for her girls The sisters established another “Cittadini” private school in 1832 Giuditta directed these new school until her sudden death in 1840 followed quickly by her spiritual director from the orphanage The rapid succession of tragedy ruined Caterina’s health but was cured through the intercession of Saint Jerome Emilani Caterina quit her public teaching position in 1845 to manage the schools and guide the three companions who help her To help organize the work and lives of her companions she wrote the beginnings of a new rule similar to that of religious orders In 1850 she obtained permission to build a private oratory to keep the Blessed Sacrament at her boarding school In 1851 she applied for approval of her new religious family and told her to write the rules of the new order; her first attempt based on the Constitution of the Ursulines of Milano was rejected A second attempt was accepted on 17 September 1854 under the title Orsoline Gerolimiane (Ursuline Sisters of Somasca) the bishop of Bergamo gave his approval; the order achieved papal recognition on 8 July 1927 and to care for the abandoned; today they work in Italy Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed March 1944: A cloud of ash hangs over Vesuvius during its worst eruption in more than 70 years The nearby towns of Massa and San Sebastiano were destroyed by the flow of lava I recently got married and spent the last few weeks honeymooning in Italy The literal — but not the figurative — high point of our trip was summiting Mount Vesuvius which towers over the vibrant metropolis of Naples famously erupted and buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD when Italy was under Allied occupation during World War II Beyond its historical and geological significance the 4,203-foot volcano has some incredible views of the mountains and cities of Campania and the Bay of Naples We decided to eschew the bus tours that take you close to the top and instead hike the volcano ourselves We approached the summit through La Valle Dell'Inferno which translates to "The Valley of Hell." With colorful wildflowers and magnificent rock sculptures shaped by ancient lava flows the hike through the valley was the opposite of hell the real hell was when we exited the valley which you need to walk on in order to reach the Vesuvius crater (or There we encountered a clusterfest of gigantic tour buses Near the entry gate to the Vesuvius crater Having just spent a few hours in serene nature with few people in sight, the chaotic scene was pretty jarring. But it also provided a fascinating case study in the bureaucratic management of natural treasures and the economics of new-fangled reservation systems at national parks Like national parks here in the United States in recent years, Vesuvius has begun rationing access to fight overcrowding. In order to actually summit Mount Vesuvius and see the volcanic crater, you need to buy tickets A classic market solution to overcrowding would be to simply raise ticket prices, perhaps by having some sort of surge pricing system that increases prices when demand is the highest would give preferential access to richer people which runs counter to the mission of national parks fixed ticket prices — about 11 euros for most people — and does rationing with a first-come They allocate a limited number of entry tickets to the crater at rolling time slots allowing in roughly 50 people every ten minutes The Vesuvius crater is part of "a national protected area that is subject to regulations that aim to safeguard and protect biodiversity," says Giovanni Romano a representative from Vesuvius National Park The protection of the environment and geology there "require management of tourist flows that take into account the 'carrying capacity' that the site can support It is for these reasons that we have introduced the entry quota While this seems to be a fairer system to prevent overcrowding than simply jacking up prices, a recent study of reservation systems for camping sites at U.S National Parks suggests that it's still more affluent people — as well as those who are better planners — who tend to benefit from systems that require planning and ticket purchases in advance for recreational activities it appears that those visitors who fork over extra money to private tour bus companies have the least trouble seeing the crater watching bus after bus depositing tourists at the top of the mountain it began to seem like the entire Vesuvius ticketing system is mostly designed for the tour bus industry Romano says that these tour operators "have their own dedicated channel for purchasing tickets which is governed by a regulation." Vesuvius had a ticket office near the entrance to the crater When Italy reopened Vesuvius National Park after closing it during the pandemic it decided to keep the ticketing office closed was a step adopted to "avoid queues and expectations." Even if the tickets don't sell out — and they often do during peak season — tourists who fail to get or digitally save their tickets in advance face a problem: cell phone reception near the crater is weak and the park provides no Wi-Fi we read online reviews of the Vesuvius trails before making our journey regularly have their dreams of summiting the historic volcano dashed because they failed to buy or print their tickets in advance "We were a little bit late for the entrance and they didn't let us in even though we had paid for tickets," writes PutPutujem76 on Tripadvisor "They told us that we have to buy new tickets online but in the national park they don't have Wi-Fi." Thanks to these online comments like these we bought tickets for Vesuvius about a week before our planned hike and we made sure to print them out and put them in my hiking pack beforehand only a few tickets were available for the day we wanted to summit the volcano — and they were at different time slots We hoped that the ticket agents would be chill and let us hike it together we were unsure how many hours it would take to get to the entry gate guarding access to the crater we ended up getting to the gate far in advance of our allotted time slots We hoped they would just let us in because we had tickets But we learned they took the time of the tickets very seriously — and they were even turning away people who had tickets but arrived only a tiny bit late we encountered one family from Germany with a father who was visibly irate because they had arrived 30 minutes after their allotted time slot and the ticketing agents wouldn't let his family in Despite the fact that Vesuvius National Park sells tickets at a fixed tourists are clearly eager to pay much more than that when they realize their error in arriving late or failing to buy or print their tickets beforehand Last year, a 54-year-old Italian man got caught engaging in this very scheme. He would buy as many tickets to the Vesuvius crater as he could online, and then he would stand in front of the entrance and sell them at an inflated price. The police ended up busting him But rumor is that it's still an ongoing practice Since we had a couple hours to wait before we would be allowed to pass through the crater entry gate we decided to sit in the shade at the one and only cafe outside the entrance It's a dilapidated red building with a small shaded patio that has a few tables and a dozen or so plastic chairs The cafe also has a small bathroom — the only one outside the entrance to the crater — that haunts me to this day we encountered scores of tourists with sad stories about being denied entry to the crater My wife dubbed it "the Cafe of Broken Dreams." The only place for refreshments outside the entry gate to the Vesuvius crater they didn't flex their monopoly power and mark up their prices a whole lot they do seem to benefit from the lack of competition Mount Vesuvius looms over the city of Naples which is popularly known as the birthplace of pizza The pizza in the city is absolutely delicious I had the best pizza of my life there — and that's saying a lot You might think that some of the magic behind those Neapolitan pizzas might make the short journey up the mountain to this cafe is some of the worst I've seen anywhere — let alone in the pizza capital of the world we conversed with numerous tourists who vented about the quality of the pizza and being denied entry to the crater one from the United States and the other from Australia hiked more than four hours from a train station — only to find out that they couldn't buy tickets to Vesuvius at Vesuvius They seemed to be in good spirits despite their inability to complete the journey The same can't be said for many other tourists who have tried to see the Vesuvius crater There's a whole genre of tourist opprobrium about the horrors of ticketing at Vesuvius online "Ticketing at Vesuvio is a nightmare," says Mike B "Everything related to visiting Vesuvius is terrible — except for the view and the excitement of having stood on the edge of the famous crater," writes Gabriela on TripAdvisor after hearing the horror stories at the cafe It was a short hike up to the crater from the entry gate The volcano had some incredible views of Naples and the sparkling Mediterranean Sea It opens up the imagination to the stunning power of the geological processes that have shaped the entire region including providing it with fertile soil for the tomatoes and other agricultural products that help make this one of the best regions for food in the world you got a sense of what it must have been like more than 2,000 years ago when the volcano's most famous eruption rocked the Roman Empire There's an ever-present tension in administering national parks like this one It's a balance between access and overcrowdedness as many people as possible would get a meaningful experience when they visit; a deep unadulterated connection with nature or history and keep them safe and clean and not so crowded that they ruin the experience for everyone One benefit of these increasingly popular rationing systems at national parks: if you're lucky enough to snag tickets you're more likely to get a meaningful experience I saw those benefits when I hiked up to the summit of Vesuvius these systems risk being too rigid and shutting people out hiking up and around the crater — by myself because my wife entered at a different time — it seemed like they could have let more people in Just make sure you buy and print your tickets out in advance and show up on time Become an NPR sponsor Travel along the north Spanish coast between these two fantastic cities No respite is being granted to Salvator Mundi, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s last masterpiece, the extraordinary marble Christ that the great Baroque artist sculpted in his 80s in 1679 and left to Queen Christina of Sweden. After being displayed, for a full five months, at Fiumicino airport for a questionable exhibition that saw Bernini’s masterpiece at the center of Terminal 1 of the Roman airport namely the basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le Mura in Rome but the set-up that was designed to welcome it inside the church is perhaps even worse than the exhibition at the airport.The Fiumicino exhibition was it is presumable that the new fixture of the niche that usually houses the work is made to stay no communication has come either from Aeroporti di Roma (only a few pictures of the disassembly of the fixture at Fiumicino have been published) or from the Ministry of the Interior (the basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le Mura is in fact the property of the FEC - Fondo Edifici di Culto: only photographs are circulating where the Salvator Mundi appears in its new location behind an ugly metal frame with exposed hinges on a box with some basic information about the work “Giovan Lorenzo Bernini’s last work,” reads the description “the sculpture was made for his private devotion and intended Already seventeenth-century art literature considered it the spiritual and artistic testament of the great Baroque master Disappeared and rediscovered in 2001 at the convent attached to the basilica of St studied extensively to ascertain its authorship the sculpture was restored in 2006 and transferred to this room surmounted by the Borghesian coat of arms It is larger than natural size and was designed for viewing from below according to a pyramidal shape that accentuates its monumentality It is characterized by a different marble surface finish with chiaroscuro and luministic outcomes of great effect and elegance Abstract and free - freed from naturalistic requirements - is the rendering of the folds of the marble beard and mustache.” This is followed by English translation and logos of the Ministry of the Interior and the FEC The new arrangement has been stymied by art historian and specialist in seventeenth-century sculpture who through his popular Mo(n)stre page put it this way “The compartment that houses the work has been painted red But the most dramatic thing is the basement What happened to the marble base (not ancient All well and good to provide information about the works there has been a shift from the musealization of the piece (usable anyway even as a sacred image) to the setting up of a permanent exhibition on the work which is no longer integrated into the sacred space because it is the star.” For Federici it is proof that extemporaneous initiatives such as the airport display always have spin-offs and those spin-offs are not necessarily positive The arrangement thus made abstracts the Salvator Mundi from its context and elevates Bernini to the role of protagonist-an attitude that is completely contrary to any good art-historical practice And users of the Mo(n)stre page on Facebook go wild: “but what is it “you can’t see it,” it looks like the “Big Brother confessional” (or “Barbara D’Urso’s studio”) “I was thinking of a sex shop,” “all that’s missing is the price.” Others point out that the lighting is totally wrong in that it flattens the volumes and thus impairs the readability of the work with the more sober and elegant previous set-up Find your way with 185 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters It was built in the V century around a stone which beneath it had the relics of four Christian martyrs who were brutally tortured and then killed.. Alda Merini was one of the most interesting people in the city and was always wandering around Navigli so anybody could go and meet her in that district Villa Invernizzi is an impressive Milan mansion with its own covey of pink flamingos They spend their quiet lives in the garden Though Pinocchio's statue is easy to overlook it serves as a reminder of Milan’s deep connection to Italian culture On Saint'Eustorgio square stands the statue of Saint Peter of Verona overseeing trials for witchcraft and sorcery AOC's charm is not just in the goods but in the story behind them shared passionately by the founder’s son and his wife are reminders of Milan’s longstanding connection with mineral water—an overlooked aspect of the city’s past Casa 770 striking facade was built to bring a piece of Brooklyn’s spirit to Milan with the wind carrying whispers of a gruesome legacy Pause and imagine Milan’s hidden history in this quiet corner Backdoor43 in Milan is life experienced through a whiskey glass "Chinese Box" is a great place in Milan for people watching and aperitivo Spend a couple of hours with a drink in hand at the 'terrace' and you'll know.. ✓ 0 Insider Tips from our local Spotters Europe Americas Asia Africa San Francisco About Spotted by Locals Become a Spotter Collaborations Terms of Service Privacy Policy Cookies statement Become a Spotter 💚 Privacy Policy Cookies statement seven months after the Allied invasion of Italy Italy — a Neapolitan village on the western slopes of Mount Vesuvius — had already endured much misery: dictatorial rule this one a natural disaster that would destroy their town On March 17, Mount Vesuvius began an eruption that, over the ensuing week and a half, rained down rocks the size of basketballs, covered some areas with up to a meter of ash, and released a slow-moving wall of volcanic rock, lava and debris that crushed and burned everything in its path. U.S. newsreels recorded the eruption and the evacuation of San Sebastiano’s residents piled household goods and belongings onto wagons as lava advanced toward the village It was the worst eruption of the volcano since 1872 the most famous eruption in the volcano’s long history occurred in A.D Vesuvius unleashed voluminous clouds of hot gas and ash along with rock and pyroclastic flows that entombed Herculaneum and Pompeii except for several flank collapses inside the caldera that have raised false alarms of an impending eruption But living with a quiescent volcano is still hazardous ash deposits from previous eruptions turned into debris flows near the town of Sarno that can be traversed by a pyroclastic flow in about two and a half minutes A hardened lava stream from the 1944 eruption But even Vesuvius does not always have Vesuvian eruptions. Between A.D. 79 and 1944, Vesuvius experienced 27 significant eruptions combining flowing lava with violent expulsions of rock and ash including one in 1855 that sent a lava flow into San Sebastiano The last explosive eruption of Vesuvius occurred on Aug ejecting lava fountains up to a kilometer above the crater The 1944 eruption ejected 0.01 cubic kilometers of material, ranking it a 3 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index which ranges from zero to 8 and is based largely on the volume of ejecta A VEI-4 eruption of Vesuvius in 1631 ejected 0.2 to 1.1 cubic kilometers of material some of which fell 1,200 kilometers away in Constantinople (now Istanbul founded in 1841 by King Ferdinand II of Bourbon is the oldest volcanological observatory in the world Vesuvius sputtered to life again in early 1944 belching smoke and cinders and emitting lava within the caldera; it first sent lava flowing down the western slopes toward Naples on March 17 tephra and volcanic bombs were ejected from the crater The sound was exactly like artillery fire," a New York Times writer who was perhaps more accustomed to covering the war noted on March 20 he described the lava’s assault from the town of Cercola: “Smashing through San Sebastiano and Massa di Somma on a broadening the Vesuvian lava flow tonight had resulted in the evacuation of this town of 7,000 two miles to the northwest.” After the Allied invasion of Italy in the fall of 1943 and British forces had advanced north from the beachheads at Salerno and taken Naples and the surrounding countryside but fighting continued in the north military that took command of public safety and the evacuations An analysis in the January 2007 Journal of Historical Geography concluded that “despite all the problems of wartime management of the emergency by Allied Control Commission was both impressive at the time and holds important lessons about the manner in which eruptions may be handled in the future.” cleanup and much of the rebuilding of the villages struck by Vesuvius The paper also notes that despite the chaos and confusion director of the Royal Vesuvius Observatory Imbò’s work is also mentioned in the March 20 New York Times article which describes the “green-trousered and excitable little professor” who maintained an office in the observatory “halfway to the crater” as having “crawled in the darkness to the edge of the lava stream” the night before the Times reported that the Italian king Victor Emmanuel III visited San Sebastiano and “chatted in English 45 minutes” with the Allied Military Government public safety officer who had been superintendent of the New York State Police before the war “The King’s arrival was a surprise to Col Warner and the handful of Italians left in the southern fringe of the town which the lava flow entered Monday night [March 19] and destroyed yesterday.” The eruption destroyed dozens of B-25 bombers of the U.S Army Air Force's 340th Bombardment Group stationed at Pompeii Airfield On the other side of the volcano from San Sebastiano, at Pompeii Airfield in Poggiomarino, a few kilometers east of the base of Vesuvius near the town of Terzigno, the U.S. Army Air Force’s 340th Bombardment Group at first thought they would not need to evacuate. The unit’s experiences with Vesuvius are described in a series of diary entries written by Sgt he wrote: “As I sit in my tent … I can hear at four- to 10-second intervals the loud rumbling of the volcano on the third day of its present eruption The noise is like that of bowling balls slapping into the pins on a giant bowling alley one would think that the world was on fire The thickly clouded sky glows like that above a huge forest fire Glowing brighter as new spouts of flame and lava are spewn from the crater As the clouds pass from across the top of the mountain the flame and lava can be seen shooting high into the sky to spill over the sides and run in red streams down the slopes … Today it is estimated that a path of molten lava 1 mile long and 8 feet deep is rolling down the mountain Towns on the slopes are preparing to evacuate Lava has not started to flow down this side of the mountain as yet but is flowing on the other side toward Naples.” But their luck would soon change — something for which the unit was known The unit’s unlucky reputation — famously noted in the 1961 novel “Catch-22” by author Joseph Heller (who joined the 340th as a B-25 bombardier in May 1944 on Corsica where the unit was relocated after the eruption) — was based largely on the high fatality rates for bomber crews But it was also exacerbated by its encounter with Vesuvius being just 12 kilometers from downtown Naples small streams of lava began running down our side of the mountain fiery streams were flowing in all directions The rumbling continues — more prolonged now This evening it would seem that the whole top of the mountain is burning Fiery patches here and there resemble a log which is just burning out Heavy explosions occur followed by prolonged rumbling while sparks and molten lava are thrown high into the air to fall like rain on all sides of the cone.” McRae didn’t write again until March 29 the crews had been evacuated to a nearby airfield where they spent a frigid night in a tobacco shed part of the team sent to inspect the damage later reported “almost complete devastation” with “tents torn to ribbons” and “88 B-25 Mitchells — $25 million worth of aircraft … a total loss.” some of which were ultimately repaired and returned to service an American who broadcast German propaganda from Berlin said that Vesuvius had decimated the 340th Bomb Group “Actually a sprained wrist and a few minor cuts were the only casualties,” he wrote While Vesuvius claimed no military fatalities during the 1944 eruption 26 Italian civilians were killed and nearly 12,000 were displaced Falling volcanic rock killed three in Terzigno which is why the volcanologists of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology have made Mount Vesuvius one of the most watched volcanoes in the world the Royal Vesuvius Observatory building perched high on the volcano’s flank that was once occupied by Giuseppe Imbò is a museum But volcanologists no longer need to crawl to the edge of a lava stream in order to monitor the volcano; they have at their disposal a wide variety of remote sensors that measure seismic activity and the composition of gases emitted from fumaroles A journey to the five “votive plague” churches in the “City of Canals.”This is the second of two articles on Venice and the five votive plague churches The city of Venice is renowned throughout the world for its extraordinary ambiance of dreamy canals The city is also known for its 200 churches that attract tourists and pilgrims alike for their architecture and artwork including innumerable masterpieces from the Renaissance Yet Venice also has a message for us today Among its churches are five “votive churches” built for the express purpose of protection against dreaded the Black Plague or in thanksgiving for deliverance from it A third plague church was built not in hopes of vanquishing the Plague but to give thanks to God after an outbreak ended: St Sebastian is clearly less impressive than Our Lady of Health and the Redeemer it has an important history in Venice’s long-standing struggle against the Plague Sebastian was an early Roman Christian who was martyred by being shot through with arrows His intercession was invoked against epidemics throughout the Middle Ages not because he had contracted and been healed from the disease but rather because his arrow wounds were similar to those seen on plague victims After Venice was afflicted by another Plague toward the end of the 15th century the inhabitants of the district turned to St the church was re-consecrated to him in 1505 Sebastian is often depicted next to another medieval saint and co-patron saint of those suffering from the Plague he devoted himself to caring for victims of the Plague miracles were reported at his tomb due to his intercession Roch’s relics were brought to Venice where they were placed in a church renamed after him Today they are conserved in his tomb above the main altar He was declared one of the patron saints of the city in 1576 the Doge (the ruler of the Venice city-state) would make a pilgrimage to the church especially to ask for protection against the pestilence and the Plague The church took on great importance for Venetians due to its origins as a votive church for protection against the awful pestilence and it was embellished with artwork that is of inestimable value today Job is considered Venice’s fifth votive plague Church It traces its origins neither to intercessions to ward off the Plague nor to a vow after being delivered from the Plague Due to the growing number of the needy and indigent – as a result of the Plague epidemics in the second half of the 14th century as well as wars against Genoa and Padua — a priest of noble origins founded an ospeal (hospital) in 1378 to serve them It was later completed with the help of the Observant Franciscan Friars and adjoined by an oratory Though Job is a prophet from the Old Testament he was invoked as a patron against the Plague due to the skin disease he was afflicted with (see Job 2:7-13) the church became famous due to the preaching of St It was partly rebuilt in the Renaissance style with financing from the Doge as our world struggles to contain the spread of the COVID virus Venice’s battle against their pandemics can offer us a renewed perspective their understanding of medicine and science was primitive when compared to what we know today the five Votive Plague Churches in Venice are a testament to the faith and trust in God during great trials and tribulations … that eventually pass Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you Please make a tax-deductible donation today Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news By 2020-09-21T09:28:00+01:00 Luca Guadagnino delivers a long-form Italian odyssey for HBO If the question is what would an art-minded film director do with 433 minutes of air time and seemingly unlimited funding Luca Guadagnino’s drifty 8x60 study for HBO A timely reminder that TV is not an auteur medium this loose serial set on an American army base in Italy has everything you might expect from a Guadagnino film but none of the sense of purpose or momentum that drives long-form TV drama but this prestige project seems unlikely to deliver either the kind of viewing numbers or rapturous critical reception to justify the network making many more such approaches Premiering in full at the San Sebastian Film Festval after selected episode previews or a TV show with a dynamic which urges momentum to the next episode That’s not to say that Guadagnino’s elaborate creation of a US military base isn’t enticing in which a new commander Sarah (Chloe Sevigny) arrives to take control of the site with her Brazilian wife Maggie (Alice Braga) and challenging teenage son Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer) The next eight hours will essentially track Fraser and his next-door neighbour Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamon) as they navigate their sexual awakening in such closed-quarters while the onset of Caitlin/Harper’s period leads her to reject her femininity With footage of Donald Trump’s election playing out on the base TV this leads to hardening feelings between Caitlin’s MAGA father and the high-ranking lesbian officers next door Sevigny assumes the role of base commander with appropriate gravitas although the part – as with much of the writing here – is broadly-sketched and leaves the actor with a lot to fill in It seems odd that a hard-nosed female warrior would literally lie down and accept the torrent of abuse coming from her indulged clothes-horse teenage son (he admires Balenciaga which much stretch the finances of a military family) Disrobing in a command centre while gruffly exhorting “we’re all soldiers here” looks highly unlikely too But every supporting character in We Are Who We Are has a one-line note even as hours are spent watching Caitlin and Fraser roam around the base; it’s fatally lop-sided and with a score by Devonte Hynes that comes straight from the Guadagnino strings-and-piano playbook There are times when it seems as if Guadagnino is just riffing here within his own well-established style The issues of sexual identity and fidelity don’t just plague the kids either – Caitlin’s mother Jenny (character description: Nigerian and those characters are mainly active in the fourth episode which seems to blend Call Me By Your Name with a tamed Gaspar Noe (It’s entirely devoted to a wedding and a drunken celebration in which kids from the army base let loose and stage a home invasion on an absent Russian oligarch’s home in Jesolo.) In other moments We Are Who We Are moves towards Ice Storm-like drama as people who live on top of each other become inevitably tangled up in family dramas it’s defiant and obstinate and occasionally sympathetic and brilliant is a clear look at how it is to live in a military base an internal infrastructure including a high school and essential transience even as it tries to provide a solid underpinning for the troops coming in and out of it - next stop is Afghanistan Its links with the locals are also shown to be positive and negative forces even as the characters suffer in translation Guadagnino finds a visual rhythm here which is interesting to tap into even as Trump gains power and the chair on which a lesbian commander sits becomes an increasingly fragile base in itself As the kids escape to Bologna for a lengthy epilogue but also a sense of loss of place for the viewer Production companies: The Apartment Pictures Executive producers/ screenplay: Paolo Giordano Monday’s statement to reporters follows Truth Social Company’s latest foray into genre will open theatrically on October 10 Bookmark this page to keep track of all the latest festival dates Florence Pugh takes centre stage for this mighty tussle in a post-Avengers world Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong reunite to tell their own story Pleasingly complex murder mystery opened the Hong Kong International Film Festival Screen International is the essential resource for the international film industry access to the Screen International archive and supplements including Stars of Tomorrow and World of Locations Site powered by Webvision Cloud You only have to glance at an Italian calendar to know that patron saints are venerated across the Belpaese throughout the entire year certain communities go above and beyond to honour their patron saint in a spectacular display of .. from 46th in 2024 to 49th place in 2025 in the Press Freedom Index drawn up every year by Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders - RSF) Researcher and lecturer Flavia Marcello explores the fascist influence on the architecture of Rome the race for the fourth Champions League qualifying spot from Italy’s Serie A has become even tighter Napoli didn’t allow flares and delays to affect their performance as Antonio Conte’s side ground out a 1-0 win at Lecce to take firm control of Serie A in Italy Fiorentina have lost the first leg of their UEFA Conference League semifinal tie 2-1 away to Real Betis Inter Milan’s Serie A title defence is on the line with the busy champions chasing a fresher Napoli side who have the finishing line in sight Carlo Ancelotti has turned down the Brazil job and is mulling a mega offer to coach Saudi Arabia Spanish sports daily ‘Marca’ said Wednesday British director Ken Loach has blasted plans to tear down much of Milan’s iconic San Siro stadium to make room for a new home for Inter and AC Milan Barcelona and Inter Milan have delivered a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final One of the pillars of Italian culture is the union between music and wine Nicholas ‘Nick’ Renfree-Marks is somewhat of an expert on both On the occasion of the end of the year that celebrated the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death in collaboration with theCarrara Academy makes available in gigapixel the San Sebastiano an early masterpiece by the Urbino artist preserved at the museum’s Bergamo location.Thanks to a very high-resolution photographic technique the image has been captured so that every single detail can be magnified through the multimedia viewer: details invisible to the naked eye will thus be visible to all which testifies to the link between art and technology it makes it possible to monitor the state of conservation of the works through acquisition campaigns at specific time intervals it allows the community to access the masterpieces in a novel way with ultra-high-definition images and innovative tools for distance education and virtual visit activities Saint Sebastian is one of the Carrara Academy’s most significant masterpieces Raphael depicted the saint with anunusual iconography: he is here portrayed half-length wrapped in elegant decorated robes with a face that expresses immense sweetness There were no traces of the painting until the early 19th century when the Saint Sebastian began to circulate in several private collections in Lombardy; it arrived at the Carrara Academy in 1866 The work belongs to Raphael’s youthful period: indeed the influences of Perugino are clearly evident as is the reference to Pinturicchio in the depiction of the precious ornaments of the robes the first work commissioned from Raphael when he was only seventeen years old the masterpiece that definitively marks the Urbino artist’s maturity available in the Haltadefinizione virtual gallery The work is characterized by extraordinary finesse in execution and great skill in the gradation of light It was made for the private devotion of a refined patron: this is why the saint is depicted in an aristocratic interpretation of iconography “We are excited to make one of the most important works in the collection of the Carrara Academy usable on the Haltadefinizione portal at this time of extended closure due to Covid Ultra-high definition is currently the only mode of digital viewing that allows us to appreciate the work in all its details and makes up for the impossibility of visitors to enjoy the original live,” says Luca Ponzio digital archives in ultra-high definition are an extraordinary resource for our museums thanks to which they open up endless possibilities for the enhancement and enjoyment of artistic heritage.” “A museum has to be curious and look for different opportunities to make its heritage available to a wide audience,” adds Gianpietro Bonaldi chief operating officer Accademia Carrara Bergamo a vehicle with which to venture on ever new journeys the journey will make it possible to enter the most hidden details of a masterpiece of art like the Saint Sebastian getting closer to the magic and genius of Raphael.” Important revelation from the restoration of Guido Reni ’s Saint Sebastian (Bologna, 1575 - 1642), which is part of the collections of the Prado Museum in Madrid. The work has in fact been stripped of the large repainting that censored the saint’s pubis: the work will now go on display in the major exhibition that the Prado will devote to Guido Reni from March 28 to July 9 director of the Department of Italian and French Painting until 1800.The restoration work restored the Saint Sebastian to its original state to the image that the Bolognese artist had produced to great acclaim and varying the image of the Saint Sebastian painted some time earlier and now at the Palazzo Rosso museum in Genoa the prototype of the work preserved in Spain The removal of the repainting during the restoration work which was possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Fundación Iberdrola España revealed not only that part of the saint’s body that had been censored The cleaning of the painting has revealed even more vividly the definition of the anatomy bathed in moonlight that shapes each of the muscles of the body to create a figure of extreme beauty and perfection The singularity that this work presented and that motivated its restoration under the tutelage of the support offered each year by the Fundación Iberdrola España sponsor of the Restoration Program of the Museo Nacional del Prado was precisely the modest repainting that had greatly expanded the loincloth that covered part of the saint’s body: his nudity was in fact considered excessive and unseemly perhaps at the request of Elisabetta Farnese first appears in Spain in the inventory of the queen consort’s collection in the Palace of the Granja de San Ildefonso The painting shows the beginning of Saint Sebastian’s martyrdom the moment when the saint commends himself to God The choice of this moment also allows Reni to study the human body in the tension of a forced position that nevertheless manages to convey the Bolognese painter’s characteristic classicism The extraordinary recovery of that part of the saint’s body that had remained hidden is not the only result of the restoration: the removal of other repainting in different areas of the canvas have provided pleasant surprises and led to the discovery of some original elements such as the saint’s hand that appears on the left in the half-light and the rope with which Saint Sebastian’s two hands are tied to the tree The appointment for those who want to see the work restored to its original appearance is therefore from March 28 at the Prado Pictured: on the left the work before restoration A weekend in San Sebastian is all about gluttony This wave-pounded and wonderful Basque city on the Bay of Biscay lives and breathes food Michelin-starred wizardry (its number of stars per capita is one of the highest in Europe) pintxos (the supercharged Basque version of tapas that was invented here) or traditional cider houses where feasts of salted cod and steak are washed down with the latest brew straight from the barrel You’ll need to do something to work off the calories and three glorious beaches deliver in style — promenade along the glorious sandy curve of La Concha take a dip from Ondarreta or surf off Zurriola Then hike up Mount Urgull for knockout views of the You've probably heard a lot about San Sebastian and how any self-respecting food lover just has to make the trip there. But with so many restaurants and bars to try, how do you choose?  Here are our tips for the best of the best in San Sebastian, with a special shout-out here to Sabor's Nieves Barragan and food Instagrammer @ks_ate_here both of who gave us amazing lists which helped to power the first of our three weekends here Gandarias What: Solmomillo (at the bar); Old aged T-Bone steak (in the restaurant) One of the most popular pintxo places in town (Anthony Bourdain covered it in his show so it's always packed with Americans) the bar and restaurant here are both worth trying At the bar what you're after is the solomillo - the best bit of steak on bread you're ever likely to try Continue that meat theme through at the restaurant where the aged T-bone is amazing But we also loved the scrambled eggs with garlic and shrimps dish too Bar Antonio What: Tortilla (but also the crayfish ravioli) You could do the whole queueing thing at Bar Nestor for tortilla Borda Berri What: "Kebab” de Costilla de Credo and the Idiazabal risotto but it's actually going to be the best ribs you ever had And if you're suffering from one too many beers the night before Ganbara One of the most Instagrammed dishes in San Sebastian Ganbara's simple plate of cepes and other seasonal mushroom served with an egg yolk is worth braving the crush at the bar here for La Vina you'll see these straight-from-the-oven cheesecakes piled up on the bar A single portion is easily enough for one and it's pleasingly gooey on the inside too.  Another spot where you can spot the special because it's what everyone is ordering Because of course prawns are improved with that amazing topping salmon and anchovy) is also recommended.  Narrika might be better known for its huge Autonomo Sandwich - which you can see in all its glory here - but we did love this calamari pintxo but that calamari was perfectly cooked.  Bergara Bar Gerald's Bar While most of the tapas places are in the old town it really is worth making the trip across the river to check out some of the places away from the main drag The main menu at Gerald's Bar looked great if you wanted to sit down and we adored these salt cod bites (and they do excellent devilled eggs too).  Bar Sport We gradually worked our way through the crowd to the front of the bar to grab one of these - a crepe stuffed with mushrooms The foie comes recommended here as well.  This was one of the constantly recommended spots There are two things to look out for on the menu - the amazing canelloni and the suckling pig - available in large and pintxos size depending on how greedy you're feeling It's usually very busy in the evening but head along for lunch if you fancy something a little more sedate.  Meson Martin You'll see that foie gras is a very big thing in the bars of San Sebastian and we know it's not for everyone But this is one of the most recommended places for foie in the city - and also try the excellent trainera here (prawns on bread) and highly recommended are the tuna pintxos as are the gilda (anchovies) and there are some very handy steps across the street to perch and people watch A Fuego Negro This was actually our first stop in San Sebastian where we were still getting our bearings on the ordering But useful hints about the menu can be taken from the illustrations on the wall Lots were heading for the wagyu sliders here but the bacon "coffee" with sweetbreads for dipping in it was a true winner for us - one of the best dishes of the trip What: Carpaccio of Iberian presa with rocket and parmesan this tiny bar was recommended by our hotel chef The menu is tiny and there's plenty of interesting wines to try here too We perched up at one three stools at the bar but there's a decent amount of tables and chairs outside La Cepa this translates as "fried milk" but doesn't fried custard sound WAY better Arnoldo the homemade ice-creams at this heladaria are super and they even deliver to the beach in summer this was closed so be aware that they do head off on their hold from time to time the main thing to get here is the tortilla. They only make two a day and you have to get there early to get your name down on the list it's still worth visiting for the very best tomato salad in the entire world The steak they serve is amazing too (the main menu is just tomatoes but absolutely do not miss out on those tomatoes.   Where to stay: Which hotels to book if you're heading to San Sebastian Getting there: Best way to fly to San Sebastian and where to stay Test Driving Azurmendi: Trying World's 50 Best restaurant Azurmendi in Bilbao Subscribe to hear the latest from Hot Dinners Please enable the javascript to submit this form By signing up you agree to our privacy policy About us  |  Contact Us  |  RSS Feed  |  Site directory  |  Privacy policy  |  Log in/out Nicholas Cranfield looks at this plague saint in art Benozzo Gozzoli’s fresco of St Sebastian for Sant’Agostino ALONGSIDE St Roch, the nobleman from Montpellier and dedicated health worker (c.1348-76/9) who knowingly put his life at risk ministering to the victims of the Black Death in Italy (Arts, 14 August 2020) St Sebastian is perhaps the best-known “plague saint” Renaissance and later artists often paired them off Roch hitching up his short tunic to reveal the plague sore on his upper thigh and Sebastian posing like an athletic model for Abercrombie & Fitch and there are only two medieval churches dedicated in his honour One is at Great Gonerby on the outskirts of Grantham St Sebastian (c.256-88) is an early Christian martyr already celebrated in his birthplace He had achieved senior military preferment having come to the personal attention of the Emperor; but Diocletian later ordered his death such as the fifth-century fresco in the Roman catacomb of St Calixtus the mid-sixth-century mosaic cycle in Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and the later sixth-century fresco in the church of St Peter ad Vincula depict him as an older bearded senatorial figure; indeed the eighth-century chronicler Paul the Deacon recorded how the city of Rome was spared from a plague in 680 by Sebastian’s intercession His cult as a plague saint burgeoned from the outset of the second millennium During one of the worst outbreaks of the Black Death had ordered that every church would offer masses Benozzo Gozzoli (1421-97) received two commissions in 18 months to paint Sebastian The earlier commission was painted in just 16 days for the Augustinian conventual house in San Gimignano kilted in blue with a gold mantle over his shoulders two angels carry the protecting veil that captures the falling arrows to spare the kneeling children and their supplant families the Virgin and Jesus kneel in front of the throne of heaven This miraculous deliverance of the city led the city fathers to complete an earlier commission and the fresco at the Collegiata was finally completed on 18 January 1466 shortly before the saint’s winter feast day instead of a venerable and almost immobile figure he adopted the increasingly popular image of a virtually naked young warrior who stands porcupine-like while angels hold out a crown of martyrdom above him istockBenozzo Gozzoli’s fresco The Martyrdom of St Sebastian (detail) for the Collegiata that supplanted the image of an older hirsute warrior deriving from a Christianisation of the myth of Apollo Tastes change over time, and later Baroque patrons preferred stronger-built men to the ephebes of the Renaissance. In 1612, Cardinal Maffei Barberini had commissioned the Bolognese artist Ludovico Carracci (1555-1619) for an altarpiece of the dead Sebastian being thrown into the public sewer, the Cloaca Maxima the cardinal had to admit that while the Carracci was a “good representation” of “force” in which four soldiers tip the lifeless body from the shroud and he suggested that he keep it in his own palace instead Five years later, he commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) for a statue of a seated St Sebastian for the family chapel in the basilica of Sant’Andrea delle Valle (famous as the setting for a hiding place in the first act of Tosca) which is built over the site of where the saint’s body had been recovered and Cardinal Maffei honoured the association Bernini’s sculpture evokes the presence of a young man whose life hangs between almost certain death and unexpected recovery; his lips quiver and his eyelids droop It is an idealised sculpture of intense beauty and pathos the exceptional work of a teenager coming to terms with the works of Michelangelo and the classical sculptures that he saw in Rome coming immediately after he carved Autumn with his father a stand-out sculpture to be sold from the Hester Diamond Collection at Sotheby’s MANY more churches and cathedrals have closed their buildings to communal worship in the light of the dangerously increasing Covid-19 infection rate third) in Bellini’s Polyptych of St Vincent Ferrer Bernini had been born in Naples and that city suffered in 1656 when for six months the city of some 400,000 was gripped with an uncontrollable plague the daily death toll was between 10,000 and 15,000 Three distinctive artists painted St Sebastian in Naples in one decade: Jusepe de Ribera in 1651 commissioned for the Carthusian priory of San Martino which stands on a bluff above the Bay of Naples; Mattia Preti painting a year after the worst of the plague; and the younger Luca Giordano (1634-1705) All three paintings formed the core of last spring’s exhibition of Luca Giordano which I saw before Covid-19 had been heard of outside medical and government circles The exhibition was due to transfer to Naples from the Petit Palais as “his face is more that of a valet than of captain of the guard that St Sebastian was.” More fool them not to seek his intercession Save money on books reviewed or featured in the Church Times > Click on the “Church Times Bookshop” link at the end of the review The reader discount is valid for two months after the review publication date run jointly by Sarum College and The Church Times tickets available This online seminar, run jointly by Modern Church and The Church Times discusses the theology underpinning the drive for growth tickets available We are a partnership of six diverse and welcoming congregations in the northern districts of Milton Keynes offering a rich tapestry of worshipping traditions – Anglican God might be calling you to become the next Priest in Charge (Oversight Minister) of Penzance in consultation with the Dean and Chapter of Bradford Cathedral seeks to appoint a Canon for Congregational Life & Worship Read reports from issues stretching back to 1863 search for your parish or see if any of the clergy you know get a mention Explore the archive Non-subscribers can read four articles for free each month Medievalists.net Queen’s University: PhD Dissertation The medieval wall paintings of the church of S provide insight into the intellectual use of images in the Middle Ages supplemented by antiquarian drawings that include copies of lost nave cycles and a lost donor portrait of their patron on which documents the paintings’ dating currently depends Questions about this dating have surfaced in the art-historical literature as have concerns about gender and historical veracity matters of historiography which are introduced in Chapter 1 the goals of this study were to verify the paintings’ dating to examine their use of text and image and to illuminate the context in which they were created Maria in Pallara paintings within Roman artistic traditions of the Romanesque period Since no contemporary parallel can be found for the iconography of the Apostles on the shoulders of Prophets decorating the church’s apse arch Chapter 3 examines the iconography’s diffusion and sources Textual evidence suggests that a church dedicated to Saint Sebastian preceded the tenth-century foundation of S which was then rededicated to the Virgin Mary Chapter 4 examines the visual profile of the cult of Saint Sebastian and its dependence on the Acta Sebastiani to provide a context for the church’s depictions of that saint including portraits and a lost narrative cycle Messages about chastity encoded in these images are also examined Chapter 5 examines the lost narrative cycle depicting the life of the little-known Saint Zoticus to whom the church was also dedicated and who was envisioned in the guise of another saint Messages about chastity were also communicated through that cycle’s manipulation of S Maria in Pallara paintings engage Roman history reforming that history to project a moral image of the future We've created a Patreon for Medievalists.net as we want to transition to a more community-funded model We aim to be the leading content provider about all things medieval podcast and Youtube page offers news and resources about the Middle Ages We hope that are our audience wants to support us so that we can further develop our podcast and remove the advertising on our platforms This will also allow our fans to get more involved in what content we do produce Member Login Christian saints don't makethe cover of gay magazines every day – even less so in a slick of baby oil and a pair of Calvins. But such was the case with last July'sissue of reFRESH, the saint in question being played by French policeman-turned-TV-hunk, Sebastien Moura. So how do we get from a shit-encrusted Sebastian to a blow-dried Sebastien Moura? For an answer to that, take a trip to Dulwich. None of this, though, explains the saint's transformation in painting from a Byzantine daddy to a Baroque twink. Here, Reni was only a follower of fashion. Piero della Francesca's Misericordia polyptych, painted two centuries earlier, already shows Sebastian as young, willowy and lightly rouged. But why? Even so, it is something of a leap from the canvases of Reni to the cover of reFRESH magazine. Obvious answers to the question of just why Sebastian should have spent the past 400 years as gay saint du jour don't seem to add up. There are as many explanations for his appeal as there are people doing the explaining. Perhaps Sebastian's oddest reinvention came in Thomas Mann's Nobel Prize acceptance speech. "Grace in suffering – that is the heroism symbolised by St Sebastian," said Mann; then, warming to his theme, he added: "The image may be bold, but I am tempted to claim this heroism for the German mind and German art." The date was 1929. A decade later, German gays such as Mann were being rounded up and gassed. 'The Agony and the Ecstasy: Guido Reni's Saint Sebastians' is at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21, 020 8693 5254, until 11 May Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Having contemplated hundreds of Catholic saints over the past decade for my research both on Santa Muerte and Catholic death culture I am intrigued by one in particular whom I have seen in countless churches across Europe and Latin America Saint Sebastian was a third-century Roman martyr who during the the intense Diocletianic Persecution of Christians was ordered to face a firing squad of archers for his monotheistic faith Saint Irene went to collect his body for Christian burial and discovered Sebastian still clinging to life and nursed him back to health over the course of several days the brave soldier went to confront the pagan emperor Diocletian publicly on his pogrom against Christians This time Sebastian didn’t survive the execution by clubbing that Diocletian ordered for his brazen defiance of imperial rule Saint Lucy recovered his body from a Roman sewer where it had been dumped and had Sebastian buried in a Roman catacomb where a basilica dedicated to the martyred saint was eventually erected Beside being one of the saints I have seen most often at scores of churches and shrines across Latin America and Europe the scantily clad and muscular saint interests me due to his relevance to my research on Catholic death culture and faith healing The Roman saint is associated with both the concept of Holy Death (one of Santa Muerte’s English translations) and the Black Plague Medieval Europeans correlated the apparent randomness with which the Plague struck to an indiscriminate rain of arrows from the sky  And since Sebastian was already associated with arrows became one of the most popular guardian saints during the Black Death it was also at this same time that the figure of the Grim  Reaper first emerged in European art as a skeletal personification of death Since the Reaper and Reapress (in Mediterranean countries) were harvesting European souls at unprecedented rates during the Plague countless Christians turned to the martyred Sebastian for both protection from the insidious pandemic and for a good Catholic death in the event that the random arrows of the Black Death pierced the saint’s protective shield The Roman holy man’s role as both supernatural protector from the Plague and patron of Holy Death find extraordinary historical continuity in Mexican folk saint Santa Muerte’s present role as protectress and healer, not to mention granting a Good Death, for Mexican devotees battling Coronavirus in one of the hardest hit countries on the planet That one of the English translations of her name is Holy Death (Saint Death is the other) captures the paramount importance of the Skeleton Saint’s mission of attending to those who seek a relatively peaceful and painless demise And the contemporary parallels between Sebastian and Santa Muerte have an intriguing historical precedent Such is her appeal to North American LGBTQ communities that her rainbow colored votive candle appears to be morphing into LGBTQ Skeleton Saint especially since many recent devotees aren’t familiar with the color symbolism of the fastest growing new religious movement in the West that Saint Sebastian has remained relevant across the centuries gives testament to the paramount importance of the interrelated themes of faith healing and a good death in societies of Christian heritage It is no coincidence that the NRM of Santa Muerte has experienced meteoric growth in large measured based on the folk saint’s reputation for healing the sick and granting a good death to Mexicans plagued by so much bad death.