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Iglesia Matriz is the oldest church in Uruguay and dates back to 1699. It has been damaged and partly destroyed several times, most severely in 1823 when an explosion destroyed the sacristy which was used as storage of the explosive. The church was later beautifully restored and houses many valuable works of art such the altar-piece from the16th century, painting of the Holy Family from 17th century and statue of Saint Francis of Assisi. ]]> Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:43:54 +0000 http://www.churchexplorer.org/catholic-churches/matriz-church-uruguay/ http://www.churchexplorer.org/catholic-churches/matriz-church-uruguay/
The Gothic cathedral was built after the plan of an anonymous architect in a shape of a cross. The spacious nave is 36 meters(118,8 feet) high and 28 meters long (92,4 feet). The plain pyramid spire (which survived the fire of 1194) is 105 meters (349 feet) high, while Flamboyant spire from the early 16th century is 113 meter (377 feet) high. Cathedral's stained glass windows date from 13th century. Chartres Cathedral stained glass windows remained almost untouched over the next centuries and represent one of the most complete collections of medieval stained glass in the world.

Chartres Cathedral is one of finest examples of Gothic architecture in France and is almost completely preserved in its original appearance. It was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1979. ]]> Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:58:52 +0000 http://www.churchexplorer.org/catholic-cathedrals/chartres-cathedral-france/ http://www.churchexplorer.org/catholic-cathedrals/chartres-cathedral-france/
Studenica Monastery is within fortified walls and encompasses three churches:

• the Church of the Virgin (built in 1191),
• the Church of the King (built in 1314)
• and the Church of St Nicholas which is the smallest from the three churches.

Both principal monuments the Church of the Virgin and the Church of the King were built of white marble. The Church of the Virgin is a domed single-nave basilica and a splendid combination of Byzantine and Romanesque styles which is typical for the Raška School.


Fresco from King's Church

Under Saint Sava the monastery became political, cultural and spiritual center of Medieval Serbia. The monastery flourished under the Nemanjic Dynasty until the fall of the last Serbian medieval state which was followed by often assaults of the Turks on the monastery. The first restoration works of the damage were carried out in 1569, while an earthquake and a fire in the 17th century destroyed the historical documents and a part of the artistic heritage.

The monastery houses important artworks which represent masterpieces of Byzantine-style art in the Balkans: the Crucifixion from 1209, representation of the Last Judgment, the portrait of Nemanja's wife Ana as the nun Anastasija, the Virgin taking Nemanja, the portraits of Nemanja, Stefan the First Crowned and King Radoslav with his wife Ana, the portraits of the three dignitaries of the Serbian Church - the archbishops Sava, Arsenije and Sava II (Radoslav's brother).

Studenica Monastery is considered one of the most important spiritual and cultural sites in Serbia and was also inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1986. ]]> Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:40:23 +0000 http://www.churchexplorer.org/orthodox-monasteries/studenica-monastery-serbia/ http://www.churchexplorer.org/orthodox-monasteries/studenica-monastery-serbia/
The design of the magnificent cathedral wanted to demonstrate the power and wealth of Seville after the Reconquista. Almost all signs of the former mosque are gone except for the Giralda (originally a minaret) which was converted into a bell tower and the Moorish entrance court. Seville Cathedral houses valuable artworks by Goya, Murillo and Zurbarán, 15th century stained-glass windows, religious jewelry items, the largest altar in the world which features 45 scenes from the life of Christ and the remains of Christopher Columbus which were transfered to Seville from the Havana Cathedral after the Cuban revolution in 1902 although some historians believe that wrong relics have been brought in Seville and that remains of Christopher Columbus are actually in the Columbus Lighthouse in Santo Domingo in Dominican Republic.

Together with the Citadel and General Archive of the Indies, Seville Cathedral was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1987. ]]> Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:25:17 +0000 http://www.churchexplorer.org/catholic-cathedrals/seville-cathedral-spain/ http://www.churchexplorer.org/catholic-cathedrals/seville-cathedral-spain/ San José Church or Iglesia de San José is a Roman Catholic Church located on the Plaza de San Jose, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The church was built by Dominican friars between 1532 and 1735 to serve as the monastery's church and was originally called the Church and Monastery of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Both the church and monastery were taken over by the Jesuits and renamed as San José Church in 1865.

San José Church is one of the finest examples of the 16th century Spanish Gothic architecture in Central America. It was the final resting place for the first Governor of Puerto Rico and donor of the land for the church, Juan Ponce de León, until 1913 when his remains were transfered to the San Juan Cathedral. José Campeche, a Puerto Rican artist, is still buried at San José Church. ]]> Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:13:14 +0000 http://www.churchexplorer.org/catholic-churches/san-jose-church-san-juan-puerto-rico/ http://www.churchexplorer.org/catholic-churches/san-jose-church-san-juan-puerto-rico/