Following on from the windmills our next port of call was the Jerusalem Church (Jeruzalemkark).

The striking Jeruzalemkerk was built between 1428 and 1465 and is a curious combination of Byzantine and Gothic styles. It was built by the Adornes family, originally merchants from Genoa, who had travelled on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and were so impressed by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that they built a copy of it in Bruges. There is even a copy of Christ’s memorial tomb in the crypt. Spared pillage or destruction throughout the centuries thanks to its private chapel status – the church is still owned by the family’s descendants – it is remarkably well preserved.

The alter is carved in a rather macabre fashion, with skulls and bones, and the cave-like atmosphere of the church is emphasised by the space behind the altar and above the crypt, which rises almost to the full height of the tower to create a rather eerie cavern.

Atop the tower outside sit the Jerusalem cross, and the wheel and palm leaf of St Catherine, to commemorate the journey of Anselm and his son to Jerusalem and Mt Sinai in 1470. *

More information on the church can be found here.

Jeruzalemkark

Outer Detail

Stained Glass

Main Altar

Pulpit

*Information from Insight Guides – Bruges Smart Guide.

10 Comments CherryPie on Jan 5th 2011

…The pathways of life.

Pathways

Those of you who have been following my blog for some time will know that last year presented some challenges for me and that I have not had much time for relaxation.  I was hoping for lots of free time over the Christmas break to enable me to gather my thoughts and get refocussed.  My days were a little bit more crowded and busy than I would have liked but even so my thoughts are coming back into focus (for now at least).

I know it sounds a little trivial, but one of the things I wanted to get tidied up was my flickr account.  I have been very lax with connecting my photos to collections which would make it easier to view a particular holiday or interest of mine.  I have now got that in order which then led me to sorting out all the superfluous groups I had managed to join for one reason or another. Eventually I get to the point and title of the post…

Before life crowded in on me one of the groups I enjoyed was ‘Perpetual Travellers’ (aprox 3 years ago).  It is a group of people that like to explore ideas, pathways, freedom, spirit, enlightenment and the experience of the journey and pathways in life.  These ideas were explored by conversation and through art and poetry.  I am hoping that in 2011 I will have enough free space to further explore these ideas.

Dani who started up the group had this to say:

I very much like the idea of: ” the experience of travel is more important than reaching the specific destination.” as long as we have a direction. But we do this, retaining the freedom of spirit to be able to suddenly change direction, if circumstances force us to, or if we need to change to discover new ways of welcoming the light.

My thoughts at the time were:

I think freedom and learning from others is important and exploring your own thoughts leads to enlightenment and new paths.

From Muslih-uddin Sadi:

Of journeying the benefits are many: the freshness it bringeth to the heart, the seeing and hearing of marvellous things, the delight of beholding new cities, the meeting of unknown friends, and the learning of high manners.

J. R. R. Tolkien expands on the idea:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

There are many pathways on the journey through life…

14 Comments CherryPie on Jan 4th 2011

This image was inspired by a comment I made in relation to my last blog post on windmills.

Dark and Foreboding

18 Comments CherryPie on Jan 3rd 2011

May you live as long as you wish and love as long as you live.

Robert A. Heinlein

Sunlight on the Horizon

12 Comments CherryPie on Jan 2nd 2011

After our walk around Minnewater park we walked to the north-east perimeter of the city where there are four windmills dotted about.  These are the only remaining examples of what was originally 29 that stood along the city walls during the 19th century, mainly milling grain.  In the summer months two of them are open to the public.

On Stilts

In the Distance

Autumn by the Canal

A Nice Day for a Walk

13 Comments CherryPie on Jan 1st 2011

Happy New Year

23 Comments CherryPie on Jan 1st 2011

Minnewater park is right next to the Beguinage of Bruges:
Minnewater park is dominated by its tree-fringed ‘Lake of Love’ and the Kasteel Minnewater, a chateau-style restaurant with a scenic waterside terrace. It is also a lush green space ideal for a picnic away from the crowds.

The origin of the lakes’s common name – the ‘Lake of Love’ – is the source of much debate. French novelist and poet Victor Hugo visited Bruges in 1837 and allegedly christened it the Lac d’Amour. It is said he was inspired by the word minne, medieval Dutch for ‘love’. But local legend has it that the minne was in fact a watery ghost: that of Saxon maiden Minna, who fled the home of her father rather than marry the suitor of his choice. When her lover returned from fighting the Romans, he found her dead of cold and hunger by a stream in the woods. He built a dyke, buried her in the ground, then released the water to create a lake over her resting place. *

I shall leave it for you to choose which version you like the best ;-)

Next to the Beguinage of Bruges

Minnewater Park

Autumnal Bridge


*Information from Insight Guides – Bruges Smart Guide.

2 Comments CherryPie on Dec 31st 2010

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