Category: Architecture

Georgia, ReligiousLeave a comment

Mtskheta and Jvari Church, Georgia, 2013.

Rich McClear

Jvari (Holy Cross) Church is near Tbilisi, about a three hour walk or half hour drive.  It looms over Mtskheta.  Before Georgia became reasonably prosperous it used to be a full day excursion, now it a common picnic spot for people wanting to get out of town for an hour or two.  It is the spot where the King Mirian, who was converted to Christianity by St. Nino and, in turn made Georgian a Christian nation (Georgia was a “Christian” country before Rome) erected a cross to mark his, and his nation’s conversion.  The church itself was built to shelter … Continue reading Mtskheta and Jvari Church, Georgia, 2013.

a, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Religious, TrainsLeave a comment

Tracking an Old Memory, Dobrun, BiH

Rich McClear

This is from a June, 2010 letter: Thirty Eight years ago, (in 1972) Suzi and I fleetingly encountered a narrow gauge steam powered train while driving the back roads of Bosnia.  Last week, near the same place, we saw that train again.  The rail company is just re-opening the narrow gauge line into Bosnia after closing it in the 70s.  This time we chased the train to get a better look, driving onto side roads and catching up with it at a siding where the engine could un-hook its cars, shuffle around to the other side of the train, and … Continue reading Tracking an Old Memory, Dobrun, BiH

a, Religious, SlovakiaLeave a comment

Wooden Churches in Eastern Slovakia

Rich McClear

This is from a letter written in October 1998: Eastern Slovakia is an area crossed in trade and fought over by Tartars, Lithuanians, Poles, Hungarians, Germans, Russians and Slovaks.  It’s where cultures meet.  Kosice boasts the eastern-most gothic cathedral in Europe, and while it is VERY gothic, the clock tower has a very un-gothic gilded dome.  This region is a borderland, a krajina in Slavic languages.  We drove “along the borderland,” U krajina, the origin of the name Ukraine, which sits just a few kilometers to the east. More than a dozen wooden churches, built between the fifteen and seventeen … Continue reading Wooden Churches in Eastern Slovakia

a, Montenegro, ReligiousLeave a comment

Plevja, Mosques and Monasteries.

Rich McClear

Plevja is in Northern Montenegro where Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro meet.  It is a multi ethnic area that saw a large influx of refugees during the Bosnian war.  It is part of the Sanzak region which was part of the Ottoman empire, administered by Austria, and when Austria withdrew Serbia and Montenegro split the district.  The “Holy Trinity” Monastery is just outside town.  The Mosque is typical of the Balkans.  The clock tower is a hold over from Ottoman times.  The Ottomans put up clock towers in most of their towns. Continue reading Plevja, Mosques and Monasteries.