Praxiteles
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Prostejove (or Prossnitz in German) in Moravia, the Marian cloumn of 1714
Prossnitz was birth place of Edmund Husserl
Some more marian columns, this time from Bohemia and Moravia:
Here we see a model of the Marian Column erected by the Emperor Ferdinand III in Prague in thanksgiving for the delivernce of the city from the armies of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and from the plague. At noon its shadow marked the meridian for the cirty of Prague.
On 3 November 1918 the column was vandalized by a mob of iconaclasts who demolished it – similar to the mob intent on demolishing the interior of Cobh Cathedral.
And, finally, the replica of the statue erected in 1993.
Courtesy of Alan, a young photographer in Cobh, here are some views of St. Colman’s Cathedral from where it is best seen – a boat on the harbour:
@samuel j wrote:
Is is purely down to the egoes of individuals within these parishes to leave some mark of their being…. some mark…. what is the logic behind it..
Now we are on to something…MEGALOMANIA. That was the driving force in the Cobh debacle.
No. It is gone over to Irish Planning Matters.
The Magna Mater Bavariae (the Mother and Protectress of Bavaria) as drawn by Raphael Saedler c. 1620 with the Archangel Michael hold a map of Bavaria, the towers of the Frauenkirche in Munich clearly seen in the drawing of the city of Munich in the lower left hand corner. The ingraving is titled: “RELIGIO PRINCIPUMTUTELA REGNORUM”
The Mariensaeule before the Piaristenkirche in Vienna. It was erected in 1711 to commemorate the end of an outbreak of plague:
From this morning’s olim Cork Examiner:
Point of departure … airlines take a one-way ticket as arrivals faces a difficult climb
I READ with sadness all the criticism of the new Cork airport in your letters columns recently.
The lack of covered walkways, the long walk and the difficult climb to the new terminal on arrival are all impediments to airlines and customers using the airport.
Local politicians, who are very silent of late, the airport board and the relevant tourism interests might be interested to know that the following airlines have already left or are about to abandon the airport:
* Easy Jet to Gatwick
* Air Wales to Newquay and Cardiff
* Czech Airlines to Prague
* BM Regional to Leeds
* BMI Baby to Durham
* Loganair to Glasgow
* Thomsonfly to Coventry
* Air Malta to Malta
Ryanair has cut a daily flight each to Gatwick and Stansted and reduced their Liverpool service by three flights per week.
Add to that the loss of seasonal airlines SN Airways to Brussels, Fly West to Brest, VLM to Jersey and Crossair to Zurich and you have an airport sadly crumbling.
I hope someone wakes up at Cork airport before it is too late.
Evan White
4 Victoria Villas
Western Road
CorkAnd here we have Giovanni Paolo Panini’s 1744 veduta of Paul V’s Colonna della Pace and of Fuga’s loggia of Santa Maria Maggiore built in 1741 and the arrival (on the left steps) of Pope Clememt XII:
And here a picture of the prototype for these marian columns: the marian column of Paul V erected in front of Santa Maria Maggiore in 1613. The statue sits atop the sole surviving column of the Basilica of Maxentius. The architect was Carlo Maderno. The bronze statue is by Guglielmo B
Try this by way of historical development:
Here are two views of the Mariensaule in Munich, erected in 1648 to mark the end of the thrity years war.
@Rhabanus wrote:
Can’t tell you the name of the sculptor, but will comment on the model. This statue is a copy of the Immaculate Conception which stands atop a column at the Piazza di Spagna, Rome. It commemorates the definition and proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Blessed Pius IX in 1854. Each year on 8 December the Pope comes to pray before the statue and presents a wreath, which the chief fireman in Rome takes up to the statue and places on the right hand held aloft by Our Lady.
The statue and column so impressed Cardinal George Mundelein of Chicago, Illinois that he reportedly tried to persuade the Italian government to sell it to him, so that he might transport it to his seminary north of Chicago. Upon the rejection of his proposal by the Italian government, he commissioned a replica of the column and statue (to a slightly larger dimension) which dominates the lovely campus of The University of Our Lady of the Lake and Mundelein Seminary.
The statue likewise served as the model for the image of the Blessed Virgin atop the famous Golden Dome of The University of Notre Dame at South Bend, Indiana. Fr Edward Sorin, like Cardinal Mundelein, commissioned a replica of this statue of the Immaculate Conception to dominate the campus of The University of Notre Dame (du Lac). Instead of surmounting a column, Our Lady’s statue gleams from the top of the Golden Dome of the main building. Dome and statue were regilded just last year (the process of cleaning and regilding takes place every five years). It is to be regretted that the halo of lights was removed either during the last or penultimate cleaning/gilding. Glad to see the halo of lights on the statue in Dublin.
Rhabanus!
Do you know of any other examples in North America or perhaps in Latin America?
From to-day’s Irish Times:
A bold and controversial architect who left his mark on Dublin
Sam Stephenson: he was responsible for designing the Central Bank and the Civic Offices in Dublin, which gave rise to praise and criticism. Other designs include the former Bord na Mona headquarters in Baggot Street.
Photograph: Brenda FitzsimonsSam Stephenson: Sam Stephenson, who has died suddenly aged 72, was one of Ireland’s best-known architects. He left his mark through a series of striking buildings around Dublin, such as the Central Bank and the Civic Offices, which gave rise to praise and criticism.
His warmth and generosity attracted many loyal friends from all walks of life.
Critics associated him with some of the destruction of Georgian Dublin, often unfairly. He designed the new ESB offices in Fitzwilliam Street but the decision to demolish a block of the original houses had been already taken. Similarly with the redevelopment of the corner of Hume Street, where his design was a Georgian reproduction.
What was denounced as the “bunker” design of the new Civic Offices on Wood Quay behind Christ Church was harder to defend. But to Stephenson’s chagrin, the then Corporation refused to implement his plans for the second phase, which would have softened the effect of the original towers. This phase was later carried out by a rival architect, Ronald Tallon. Stephenson was not allowed to enter the competition.
Stephenson shrugged off the storm of criticism, saying that James Gandon, who designed the Custom House, was also pursued around Dublin for his Custom House and Four Courts designs.
It is often overlooked that Stephenson was responsible for other brilliantly designed structures in addition to the Central Bank, which has an international reputation. There was much controversy when it was discovered that the height was going to be 30 feet higher than approved and the firm was fined about £200,000. The copper roof was left off but put on 18 years later.
His other designs include the former Bord na Mona headquarters in Baggot Street, the prizewinning Currency Centre or Mint in Sandyford, the Institute of Advanced Studies, Fitzwilliam tennis club and the Fieldcrest factory in Kilkenny. Most of his big projects have won awards, national and international.
Sam Stephenson was born in Dublin on December 15th, 1933. His father, Paddy Stephenson, was the city librarian and a founder of the Old Dublin Society. He had fought in the 1916 Rising. He was later involved in the restoration of Kilmainham Gaol. It was not surprising that his son would also be involved actively in Fianna Fáil in the early stages of his career.
Sam was the youngest of five brothers, the others being Patrick, Dan, Desmond and Noel, all of whom made reputations in various careers but predeceased him. Sam was educated at Belvedere College, where he won a Leinster Senior Cup medal in 1951. He had an uncle, Fr James Stephenson, who was a well-known Jesuit. He studied architecture at Bolton Street College of Technology. In 1956 he won a travelling scholarship and did not sit for the diploma in architecture – he was granted an honorary diploma in 1972. In the meantime he had taken the examinations of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, which later awarded him a fellowship. He set up in practice in 1957 and won the competition for the new ESB building. In 1960 he and his former classmate, Arthur Gibney, set up practice together as Stephenson, Gibney Associates.
Sam at this time was an active member of Fianna Fáil, as part of a think tank, and also in Taca, the fundraising organisation for the party among wealthy business people, many of them in the construction industry. He also became friendly with Charles Haughey, a friendship that survived up to the latter’s death earlier this year. He served for a time on the Film Censorship Appeals Board and on the board of Kilkenny Design Workshops. He once ran for a seat in the Seanad but dropped out when he discovered his brother was also running on a different panel.
He was married in 1958 to Bernadette Flood, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. Their first home was in a mews coach-house in Leeson Close, which he restored. It later became famous for parties and social occasions. A striking feature was a sunken area in the living room giving a Roman bath effect.
In 1970, Stephenson designed the Irish Pavilion for Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. He also re-modelled a Huguenot church in Bride Street as his new offices, which at one time employed 140 people.
The partnership with Arthur Gibney ended but Sam arranged a merger with a British company called Stone Toms. The new company was called Stone Toms Stephenson. It entailed Sam spending much time in London and travelling around the world but he kept on Stephenson Associates and eventually came back fulltime to Dublin. He had a house in Islington and kept up a vigorous social life in London, where Princess Margaret is said to have asked for a recording of his rendering of Raglan Road.
When his marriage broke up he married Caroline Sweetman and they had two sons. He eventually moved his practice first to Bloomfield Avenue and then to Leixlip.
He was never afraid to take on critics and could win them over at times. Frank McDonald, the Environment Editor of this newspaper, wrote scathingly about some of Stephenson’s buildings in a book about 20 years ago but they later became good friends.
McDonald has described him as “one of the most generous people I have met. He never held a grudge and was a great raconteur.” He was a frequent guest on radio and television programmes. At the time of the death of Charles Haughey, whom he visited frequently at Kinsealy, he recounted some humourous episodes from the time they campaigned together in the 1960s for Seán Lemass.
When he was interviewed by investigators into Ansbacher account holders, he was quoted in the subsequent report as saying: “I understand the Cayman Islands are a kind of lump of sand in the middle of the Pacific.” He insisted that his money invested in Ansbacher by the late Des Traynor had been taken out before such investments became illegal.
In later years, his architectural style changed. As he put it himself: “I used to be an apostle of modern architecture but I’ve given up that religion completely and am now an atheist. I go to bed with Palladio in the evening and get up with Lutyens.”
To-day’s irish Independent:
Both charming and caustic, he helped reshape capital’s skyline
SAM Stephenson was a gifted architect with decided stylistic views, great charm and an inexhaustible capacity for wit and anecdote.
He was very much a Dubliner, and could be caustic in his comments, particularly about politicians. He was bonded for much of his life to Fianna Fail and was a close friend of Charles Haughey.
His lament over Haughey’s death, earlier this year, was one of genuine grief. Sadly, he also lost his former architectural partner, Arthur Gibney, who died in the spring.
His architectural style was essentially defiant. In a city of predominantly Palladian lines, elegant and vertical, he adopted a strongly horizontal scheme – most obvious in the Central Bank building in Dame Street.
The controversial building proved a source of humour to its creator who referred to it as his “biggest erection”.
He was intelligent enough and determined enough to want his own signature on the city.
His earlier building, the ESB offices in Fitzwilliam Street, though much more controversial, since the office block destroyed one of the finest uninterrupted 18th century streetscapes in Europe, was less dramatically intrusive.
Much cruder and more forceful was the block beside Sir Patrick Dunne’s Hospital in Grand Canal Street, the epitome of lateral architectural thinking. It has since been demolished.
He was responsible also for the Bord na Mona building and the Civic Offices.
Time, and the explosion of more extreme examples of architectural adventure and innovation, have given a certain degree of restraint to his work and legitimacy to the decided egotism of style it represents.
The partnership of Sam Stephenson and Arthur Gibney faced competition principally from Scott, Tallon, Walker.
Together, during the first phase of new buildings in the 1960s and 1970s, these two firms reshaped modern Irish architecture.
Both Sam Stephenson and his partner, Arthur Gibney were painters, mainly in watercolour, and both exhibited regularly with the Royal Hibernian Academy of which they were members, Arthur becoming the academy’s president.
Sam Stephenson was great company and had wide interests. The last time I met him was at a book launch in Newman House earlier this year. The long wait for guests of honour culminated in the Taoiseach’s arrival at the top of the stairs where we were drinking together. “Ah!” said Mr Ahern, shaking our hands and no doubt repeating what he had said on several occasions that day, “the two most powerful men in the room!”
Bruce Arnold
I understand from a reliale source that the marbel panels from the High Altar in Tuam (seen in the last picture posted above) are in a shed at the back of the archiepiscopal palace in Tuam while the columns are now supporting a vulgar Southfork-type ranch house in a rural part of Co. Cork.
Worst of all, the iconaclasts when they got to work on Tuam demolished the crypt underlying the sanctuary and filled it with rubble and concrete paying no attention to the fact (indeed probably egged on by it) that it contains the mortal remains of Archbishop John McHale, arguably one of the most important figures in 19th. century Irish history. The scenario has something of the macabre ghoulism of the revolutionary attack on the tombs of the Kings of France in the Basilique of St. Denis!
On the morning of 8 December every year, a large floral tribute is placed on the arm of the Immacolata by the Firemen of Rome. The attached image shows Ivano Procacci doing the honours on the 150th. anniversary of the declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception on the 8 December 2000:
