Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Frescoes

Remember "the walk in Emmaus"?

Abu Ghosh is located in the middle of the Kiryat Yearim Ridge Route between Nicopolis and Jerusalem, nine miles from the capital. A convent of Minorites with a Gothic church in Abu Ghosh was turned into a stable. Robinson dated it to the Crusader period and declared it "more perfectly preserved than any other ancient church in Palestine." Excavations carried out in 1944 corresponded with Crusader identification of the site as Emmaus.


Source: Wikipedia


It was in Abu Gosh, where I was able to visit our very first church in Israel, that's between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Awesome! It is the Benedictine Monastery, the Monastere de la Resurrection, one of the most beautiful buildings preserved from the Crusader Period that can still be visited.

What caught my eye was the fresco, of faceless people including Jesus Christ, covering part of the walls of the church. Got the feeling that these work of art dated way back.

Also, a fountain flows from the crypt at the base of the monastery.

We celebrated mass in the church, one that uplifted our souls.

I do remember seeing frescoes in Italy. Did some research and found the notes below.

Frescoes are paintings which are executed on plaster. Italy is particularly famous for its frescoes, but the art form can also be found in other cultures as well, where the relatively dry climate preserves frescoes. Many frescoes are quite ancient. The primary advantage of traditional frescoes is that they are surprisingly durable. Ancient frescoes which are hundreds of years old have been found more or less intact, or with enough clear imagery to make it easy to fill in the blanks. Since the pigments are bound to the plaster, they do not flake or chip off over the years. Most frescoes are executed on a huge scale, which can actually be quite challenging for the artist. Artists must create works of art which look pleasing up close and from a distance, often employing tricks of perspective to enhance the finished work.

Source : Wise Geek

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