About 200 burial mounds exist in Kerch and its immediate surroundings. The Royal Kurgan is located about 5 km northeast of the town centre, close to the memorial to the defenders of the Adzhimushkay quarry. The mound is almost 20 metres high and its base perimeter is about 250 meters. It holds a burial chamber with a square floor plan (4.39 m X 4.35 m), which gradually merges into the circular shape of a corbelled dome ("false vault"). The total height of the burial chamber is 8.84 meters. Also the generous dromos, a 2.80-meter-wide and 37-meter-long acute entrance passage, is built in the corbelled vault technique. Both parts of the building are made of yellowish limestone blocks and have a floor from a tamped mix of clay, lime and limestone.
It is assumed that the Royal Kurgan, a masterpiece of ancient architecture, was the final resting place of  a ruler of the Bosporan Kingdom. This was founded in the 5th century BC from the Greek colonies in the northern Black Sea region and at the Sea of Azov. The kurgan could in particular have been the tomb of Leukon of Bosporus (389 - 349 BC). In the course of excavations in the years 1833 until 1837, the kurgan was opened. It contained only remnants of a wooden sarcophagus, so it is possible it was robbed long ago. Christian symbols carved on the walls suggest that the grave rooms served early Christians as a place of refuge and as a sanctuary.
A lapidarium is also located inside the enclosure of the barrow. The small museum displays archaeological finds from ancient times, including pedestals, grave stelae, and sarcophagi.


The Royal Library Garden (Danish: Det Kongelige Biblioteks Have), often referred to simply as the Library Garden, is a small, somewhat hidden garden between the Royal Library, the Tøjhus Museum, ChristianIV's Supply Depot and Christiansborg Palace on Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It has a reputation for being one of the most tranquil spots in the city centre.
The garden has a shallow water basin with a water feature in the middle, blooming flower beds and large shady trees. It is accessible from the courtyard at Christiansborg's show grounds.


The Library Garden is located on top of the former site of Christian IVs old Naval Harbour. The harbour was flanked by an arsenal—now housing the Tøjhus Museum—and a supply depot, both completed in 1694, and was connected to the main harbour by a narrow canal. Later the Navy was moved to Holmens Kanal and the old harbour was filled in 1867. The garden was designed in 1920 by landscape gardener Jens Peder Andersen and Christiansborg's architect Thorvald Jørgensen. As a reminder of its maritime past, a small pond has been retained in the middle of the gardens and an old mooring ring of the type used by ships in the 17th and 18th centuries has been built into the masonry at the end of the gardens.


The garden has a shallow pool at its centre. In the middle of it stands an eight-metre-high copper sculpture which spouts out cascades of water on the hour. Designed by scultpror Mogens Møller, it was a gift from the Ny Carlsberg Foundation to the Royal Library on the occasion of the opening of its extension, the Black Diamond, located on the waterfront on the other side of the old library building.


The wide variety of flowers in the gardens change with the seasons. Visitors can enjoy the view from rows of benches in the shade of the trees or from others out in the sun along the wall between the gardens and the yard to the Danish National Archives. Column plinths from the old Christiansborg serve as epergnes in the four grassy corner pieces and the principal axis through the gardens creates a link between the yard to the Danish National Archives and the main entrance to the Royal Library.


The Royal Palace (Romanian: Palatul Regal) of Bucharest, known as Palace of the Republic (Romanian: Palatul Republicii) between 1948 and 1990, is a monumental building situated in the capital of Romania, on Calea Victoriei. The Palace in its various incarnations served as official residence for the Kings of Romania until 1947, when the communist regime was installed after Michael I of Romania's forced abdication. Since 1950 the Palace hosts the National Museum of Art of Romania. The Romanian royal family currently uses Elisabeta Palace as its official residence in Bucharest. Nowadays, the palace is used by the Romanian royal family just for different occasions.
The Palace is the largest and most significant royal residence in the country, containing emblematic official spaces such as the Throne Hall, the Royal Dining Hall and the monumental Voivodes' Staircase. An equestrian statue of the first king of Romania, Carol I stands in the center of a large square in front of it, traditionally known as the "Palace Square"(Romanian: Piața Palatului), but renamed "Revolution Square" after the Romanian revolution of 1989.


After its anti-Communist Revolution of 1989, Romania remained under a republican government and the former Royal Palace continued to host the National Museum of Art. During the events in December 1989, with violent armed confrontations on the streets, the Palace was again seriously damaged and partially burnt, the art works of the National Museum inside it being put at great risk.. The main halls in the Royal Palace were generally restored after the regime change – with the most ample restoration work completed in 2013 – and are now opened to tourists, on periodic appointments.
After the Romanian Revolution, former King Michael and his wife, Anne, were allowed for a first visit in the country in April 1992 (despite their attempts to do that immediately after the events). The two-day visit was a historical event, with the monarchist press claiming more than one million people were cheering the King in the streets. After that, the Romanian post-Communist authorities denied him a second visit - until 1997; then, a newly-installed government under Victor Ciorbea abolished the Communist decree which banned the King's Romanian citizenship, effectively allowing him to regain ID documents and free pass throughout the country.
In August 2016, the coffin of Anne, King Michael's spouse, was laid in the Throne Hall for two days, before her burial in Curtea de Argeș, with thousands of Romanians paying homages.


The Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum (Spanish: Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán) is a museum in Lambayeque, Peru. It contains most of the important artifacts (ceremonial vessels, necklaces and jewelry) found at Huaca Rajada by archeologist Walter Alva in 1987, including the Lord of Sipán and his entourage. The museum was inaugurated in 2002.
The museum was designed to resemble the ancient Moche tombs.


The Royal West of England Academy was the first art gallery to be established in Bristol, and is one of the longest-running regional galleries and art schools in the UK. Its foundation was initiated by the extraordinary Ellen Sharples, who secured funding from benefactors including Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Prince Albert, and the building was ultimately financed by a bequest of £2,000 from her will in 1849.
At first, the core of the Academy was a well-known group of artists in Bristol, known as the Bristol Society of Artists, who were mostly landscape painters, and many, such as William James Müller, Francis Danby, James Baker Pyne and John Syer were well known. In 1844, when the Bristol Academy for the Promotion of Fine Arts was founded, the Bristol Society of Artists was incorporated into it. At this time the president and committee was predominantly its patrons, rather than its artists. In 1913 King George V granted the academy its Royal title, with the reigning monarch as its Patron, and by 1914 a major extension to the front of the building, including the dome and Walter Crane lunettes, was completed.
During World War II the academy building was taken over by various organisations including the Bristol Aeroplane Company and the U.S. Army. Immediately after the war ended the council applied for the release of the galleries but was informed that they would be occupied by the Inland Revenue until further notice. It was not until 1950 that the building was returned to its original function, after the intervention of the then prime minister, Clement Attlee. During the 1950s the Royal West of England Academy Schools became the West of England College of Art. This moved to the Bower Ashton campus in 1966, where it was then absorbed by the University of the West of England (School of Visual Studies), now the Department of Creative Industries, UWE, Bristol.
The current president is the artist Fiona Robinson PRWA and Director (Chief Exec) is Alison Bevan BEM.


1844-1859 John Harford
1859-1881 Philip WS Miles
1881-1884 Samuel Lang
1884-1887 Colonel H Savile
1887-1897 Daniel H Cave
1897-1898 Alderman Francis Fry
1898-1911 Sir William Wills, 1st Baron Winterstoke
1911-1932 Dame Janet Stancomb-Wills
1932-1936 Yda Richardson
1936-1971 Lord Methuen RA
1971-1974 Donald Milner OBE
1974-1984 Bernard Dunstan RA
1984-1989 Mary Fedden OBE RA
1989-1995 Leonard Manasseh OBE RA
1995-2000 Dr Peter Thursby
2000-2010 Dr Derek Balmer
2010-2011 Simon Quadrat
2011-2016 Dr Janette Kerr
2016-2019 Stewart Geddes
2019-         Fiona Robinson


Ruby Valley is a large basin located in south-central Elko and northern White Pine counties in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. From Secret Pass it runs south-southwest for approximately 60 miles (96 km) to Overland Pass. To the west is the steep escarpment of the Ruby Mountains, and to the north is the East Humboldt Range and Clover Valley. The east side of the valley is less well defined, but its maximum width is about 10 miles (16 km) near Franklin Lake. At its south end lies the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
SR 229 passes along the northeast edge of the valley, and Ruby Valley Road (SR 767 and CR 788) runs along its western edge. Harrison Pass Road (CR 718) crosses the Ruby Mountains near the center of the valley. Much of the floor of Ruby Valley lies at elevations near 6000 feet (1820 m).
The valley played an important role in the history of the Great Basin. Nomadic tribes of the Shoshone nation used Ruby Valley as a winter home, finding it warmer than nearby locations. The California Trail, active after the 1840s, was located just to the north. The Donner Party passed through the southern end of the valley in 1846, heading for the Overland Pass route across the Ruby Mountains – part of the Hastings Cutoff.
Overland Pass was also the site of much activity in the 1860s. A transportation route through central Nevada had been scouted by Howard Egan in 1855, and then surveyed by Captain James H. Simpson for the U.S. Army in 1859. Simpson established a trading post at the south end of Ruby Valley, and George Chorpenning built a way station there for his mail and stagecoach line in 1860. The Pony Express and its successor, the Transcontinental Telegraph, also ran through Overland Pass.
In September 1862 the U.S. Government established Fort Ruby at the east entrance to the pass to protect the passage of settlers and these important communication connections with residents of California during the war years. In 1863 it signed the Treaty of Ruby Valley with the Western Shoshone, which authorized access but did not cede any land.
After the American Civil War, John Warren Butterfield and Wells Fargo & Co continued transport service across the West. Around 1866, Wells Fargo began to develop agriculture in the Ruby Valley to help support its way stations.
But, in the late 1860s the Transcontinental Railroad was routed well to the north, and Overland Pass fell into disuse. Fort Ruby was closed in September 1869, seven years after it was built.
In the late 20th century, the old Pony Express Station was moved and restored. It is now part of a display at the Northeastern Nevada Museum in Elko. Population in the valley has declined, and the lands are principally used in large ranching and farming operations to raise cattle and to grow alfalfa.


The ruins of the hill castle Rujiena Castle  are located on the edge of today's village Rūjiena on the right bank of the Rūja river in Latvia.


Historic chronicles dating from 1125 tell of the woodenLivonian Castle, Metsepole, located on the right bank of the Rūja River, about 3 km from the current centre of the town, and how it was destroyed by invading forces from Saaremaa. The region submitted to the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the Battle of St. Matthew's Day.
The wooden Livonian castle was replaced with castle built by Teutonic Order Master Burchard von Hornhausen in 1263. A substantial settlement was established around the castle and named Rūjiena. Rujiena Castle guarded the border between the Teutonic Order and the dominion of the Archbishopric of Riga.
The castle as an order castle of the Livonian Order was first mentioned in 1499. Their castle area not only included the parish of Rujiena, but also the part of the parish of Salisburg on the right bank of the Salis. Rujiena shared a bailiff with Karkus and Heimat. The Rujiena crochet mill is called  oppidum  in 1555.
During the reign of Ivan III of Russia Rujiena Castle was repeatedly attacked by Russian troops and destroyed in 1481. Apparently castle didn't suffer major damage and Rūjiena quickly recovered. In 1526 Teutonic Order Master Walter von Plettenberg called a provincial assembly to try Archbishop Johannes VII Blankenfeld for his relationship with Russia. Rujiena importance grew and Castle was raised to the rank of Commandery. Heinrich von Galen was it only commander in history.  He died in 1557 and never seen how Castle was destroyed by the Russians in 1560.  During the Livonian War in 1560, the castle was occupied, looted and burned by the Lithuanian nobility, but then restored. In September 1560, the Russian army under Ivan the Terrible destroyed Rūjiena Castle and the town.
After Vidzeme was partitioned to Poland in 1562, the Polish king Sigismund August presented Rūjiena to his brother-in-law, Swedish prince John.
The occupation of the castle surrendered in 1575 King Magnus, but in the autumn of 1575 the Germans managed to take them back. Rujiena was still called a castle in 1554 but it military value was slighting in 1582.
In 1622, King Gustavus Adolphus liened  castle to his financial administrator, Jasper Mattsson Krus. Rūjiena Castle was completely destroyed during the Great Northern War in 1704. Time has destroyed what little was left, and many of the remaining stones were taken by locals to build the dam for the mill.


The oval castle complex indicates that there used to be a Wallburg at the site of the castle. The castle hill is located on the right bank of the river Rūja, surrounded by a deep ditch with a bridge on the west side. Rujiena Castle was a typical Mantelmauer fortress. The only square tower, on the north side, leans against the wall.


Over the course of history, castle was referred in different documents under several names.
1414 – Ruyen
1437 – Rugen
1461 – Ruien, Rugen
1495 – Rughen
1496 – Rugenn
1499 – Rwen
XVI century - Rujen
1573 – Royen


Fragments made of enceinte from 1 to 2 m in height have been preserved from the ring wall. There has been an increase in the terrain from gatehouse. There are no information boards on the site and the castle is not on the list of local attractions.


Rundāle Palace (Latvian: Rundāles pils; German: Schloss Ruhental, formerly Ruhenthal or Ruhendahl) is one of the two major baroque palaces built for the Dukes of Courland in what is now Latvia, the other being Jelgava Palace. The palace was built in two periods, from 1736 until 1740 and from 1764 until 1768. It is situated at Pilsrundāle, in Rundāle Parish, Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia region,  12 km west of Bauska.


In 1735 Duke of Courland Ernst Johann von Biron bought land in Rundāle with an old medieval castle in the territory of a planned  summer residence. The old castle was demolished and construction after the design of Bartolomeo Rastrelli started in 1736. Construction proceeded slowly because part of the materials and resources were transferred to the construction of Jelgava Palace, a project which was more important for the duke. Following Biron's fall from grace in 1740, the palace stood unfinished and empty until 1762 when Biron returned from his exile. Under the supervision of Rastrelli its construction was finished in 1768. Johann Michael Graff produced lavish stucco decorations for the palace during this time. Ernst Johann von Biron loved the palace and moved there almost immediately in 1768. He often visited the palace and spent summers there until his death in 1772.
After Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was absorbed by the Russian Empire in 1795, Catherine the Great presented the palace to Count Valerian Zubov, the youngest brother of her lover, Prince Platon Zubov. He spent his declining years there after the death of Valerian Zubov in 1804. His young widow, Thekla Walentinowicz, a local landowner's daughter, married Count Shuvalov, and the palace passed into the control of the Shuvalov family, with whom it remained until the German occupation in World War I when the German army established a hospital and a commandant's office there. During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, the palace was used as a hospital for Napoleon's army. Several soldiers who died in this hospital were buried in the park of the palace. A monument has since been built there. At the end of the 19th century, the palace and park were restored and reconstructed.
The palace suffered serious damage in 1919 during the Latvian War of Independence. During their retreat Bermontians partially burned the palace. In 1920 after Latvian agrarian reforms the palace became the property of the Ministry of Agriculture. Part of the premises was occupied by the local school and part was reconstructed as flats for Latvian military veterans. Though still used as a school, Rundāle Palace was included in the list of state-protected monuments in 1924. In 1933, Rundāle Palace was taken over by the Ministry of Education and was officially reconstructed for use as a school.
The palace was dealt a serious blow after World War II, when a grain storehouse was set up in the premises in addition to the school. Later, the duke's dining room was transformed into the school's gymnasium. A school was located in the palace until 1978.
In 1963, Rundāle Palace became a branch of the Bauska local history museum. In 1965 and also in 1971, the Supreme Soviet of Latvian SSR decided to restore Rundāle Palace. In 1972, Rundāle Palace Museum was established. Latvian painter and art historian Imants Lancmanis became director of the new museum and restoration of the palace became his life's work. Extensive research and restoration work was completely funded by the state until 1992. After the restoration of Latvia's independence, the state continued to finance restoration work in part, with additional financing through private donations and later also through the Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund of the EU. In the spring of 2015 it was announced that restoration work in the Rundāle Palace was complete. Total restoration costs from 1972 until 2014 were estimated to be 8,420,495 euros.
The palace is one of the major tourist destinations in Latvia. It is also used for the accommodation of notable guests, such as the leaders of foreign nations. The palace and the surrounding gardens are now a museum.


The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium occupying an area of 20.7 hectares (51 acres) on Rungra Island, Pyongyang, North Korea. It opened on 1 May 1989, with its first major event being the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. It is the second largest stadium in the world by seating capacity (after India's Narendra Modi Stadium), considering the re-estimated number of seats in 2014, and the largest stadium in the world considering its official seating capacity.


The stadium is currently used for football matches, a few athletics events, and most often for the mass games of the Arirang Festival.


The stadium's scalloped roof features 16 arches arranged in a ring, and resembles a magnolia blossom. It hosts events on a main pitch covering 22,500 m² (242,000 sq ft). Its total floor space is over 207,000 m² (2,230,000 sq ft) across eight stories, and the lobes of its roof peak at more than 60 m (200 ft) above the ground. The stadium was originally built with an official capacity of 150,000.  After a 2014 remodel which included the replacement of some bench seating with individual seats, observers estimated a new capacity of approximately 114,000.


After the 1988 Summer Olympics had been awarded to Seoul, North Korea intensified its efforts to present itself as the legitimate Korean state. As part of these efforts, it successfully bid to organize the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in Pyongyang in 1989. Massive construction projects were initiated in preparation for the festival, one of which was the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium. At the time of completion, it was the largest stadium ever built in Asia.
While the stadium is used for sporting events, it is more frequently the site of massive performances and shows celebrating President Kim Il-sung and the North Korean nation. In June–July 2002, it was the site of the giant Arirang Festival gymnastic and artistic performance. The extravaganza involved over 100,000 participants— double the number of spectators, and was open to foreigners. These performances are now an annual feature in Pyongyang, usually in August and September. The event was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records in 2007 as the largest gymnastics display ever, with 100,090 participants.
Collision in Korea, the largest professional wrestling pay-per-view event ever, was held at Rungrado Stadium on April 28-29, 1995. Attendance was 150,000 and 190,000, respectively, according to local authorities.
After a two-year renovation project, the stadium reopened in 2015. In July 2017, the Rungrado Stadium played host to six group stage matches as part of 2018 AFC U-23 Championship qualification.
In the September 2018 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea gave a speech with Chairman Kim Jong-un to 150,000 North Korean spectators. The speech has themes of unification, peace, and cooperation.
In July 2019, Kim Jong-un hosted Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping to a special Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic performance called "Invincible Socialism", on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of China–North Korea relations.


Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. Almost exactly square, to the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row. Russell Square tube station sits to the north-east.
It is named after the surname of the Earls and Dukes of Bedford; the freehold remains with the latter's conservation trusts who have agreed public access and management by Camden Council. The gardens are in the mainstream, initial category (of Grade II listing) on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
In 2005, two terrorist bombings occurred nearby; one on a tube train between Kings Cross St Pancras and Russell Square, the other on a bus (Route 30, on diversion) outside the HQ of the British Medical Association on Tavistock Square. In condolence and commemoration the public and public institutions laid flowers at both squares; Tavistock Square has a later monument.  In 2016 the Russell Square stabbing took place.


Following the demolition of Bedford House, Russell Square and Bedford Square were laid out in 1804. The square is named after the surname of the Earls and Dukes of Bedford, who developed the family's London landholdings in the 17th and 18th centuries. Between 1805 and 1830, Thomas Lawrence had a studio at number 65. Other past residents include the famous 19th-century architectural father-and-son partnership, Philip and Philip Charles Hardwick, who lived at number 60 in the 1850s.
On the eastern side the Hotel Russell, built in 1898 to a design by Charles Fitzroy Doll, dominates (its builders were connected with the company which created RMS Titanic), alongside the Imperial Hotel, which was also designed by Charles Fitzroy Doll and built from 1905 to 1911. The old Imperial building was demolished in 1966.
The square contained large terraced houses aimed mainly at upper-middle-class families. A number of the original houses survive, especially on the southern and western sides. Those to the west are occupied by the University of London, and there is a blue plaque on one at the north-west corner commemorating the fact that T. S. Eliot worked there from the late 1920s when he was poetry editor of Faber & Faber. That building is now used by the School of Oriental and African Studies (a college of the University of London).
In 1998, the London Mathematical Society moved from rooms in Burlington House to De Morgan House, at 57–58 Russell Square, in order to accommodate staff expansion.
The Cabmen's Shelter Fund was established in London in 1875 to run shelters for the drivers of hansom cabs and later hackney carriages (and taxicabs).
In 2002, the square was re-landscaped in a style based on the original early 19th century layout by Humphry Repton (1752–1818).
Since 2004, the two buildings on the southern side, at numbers 46 and 47, have been occupied by the Huron University USA in London (now the London campus for EF International Language Centres and is the Centre for Professional Students over the age of 25).
On 7 July 2005, two terrorist bombings occurred near the square. One of them was on a London Underground train at that moment running between King's Cross St Pancras tube station and Russell Square tube station, and another was on a bus on Tavistock Square, near Russell Square. To commemorate the victims, many flowers were laid at a spot on Russell Square just south of the café. The location is now marked by a memorial plaque and a young oak tree.
The square was also the site of a mass stabbing in 2016.
The London Branch of École Jeannine Manuel has occupied 52-53 Russell Square since 2019.


Russell Square appears in various novels. In the early chapters of Thackeray's Vanity Fair (1848), set in about 1812, Russell Square is evoked as the residence of "John Sedley, Esquire, of Russell Square, and the Stock Exchange." Virginia Woolf set many scenes of her novel Night and Day (1919) in Russell Square.
21 Russell Square is the murderer's street address in the novel (but not in the movie adaptation) The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (L'Assassin habite au 21) by the Belgian writer Stanislas-André Steeman. In John Dickson Carr's detective novel The Hollow Man, the victim, Professor Grimaud, lives in a house on the western side of Russell Square. In Alan Hollinghurst's novel The Swimming Pool Library (1988), the protagonist William Beckwith spends time here with his lover who works in a hotel overlooking the square.
In chapter 6 ("Rendezvous") of John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids (1951) the main characters William (Bill) Masen and Josella Playton are photographed by Elspeth Cary in Russell Square while practicing with triffid guns. In Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant books, the first of which is The Rivers of London (also known as Midnight Riot), The Folly – headquarters of British wizardry – is located in Russell Square.


Russell Square is the location of the eponymous bookshop in the Channel 4 sitcom Black Books. In the BBC's 2010 'Sherlock' episode entitled "A Study in Pink", Russell Square is the park in which the character of Dr Watson (Freeman) was re-acquainted with his previous classmate Mike Stamford (Nellist). The Imperial Hotel façade that lines Russell Square served as a backdrop for the park-bench conversation between Watson and Stamford.  (It is Stamford who subsequently introduces Dr Watson to Sherlock Holmes.)


Rutland Water is a reservoir in Rutland, England, east of Rutland's county town, Oakham. It is filled by pumping from the River Nene and River Welland, and provides water to the East Midlands. By surface area it is the largest reservoir in England, but its capacity is exceeded by that of Kielder Water in Northumberland. Its maximum depth is 33m (108 ft).
Set in 3,100 acres (13 km²) of countryside, it has a 23-mile (37 km) perimeter track, (17-mile (27 km) excluding Hambleton Peninsula) for walking or cycling. Since the water is drawn upon when needed, the relative areas of land and water vary a little, but the flatter parts of the lake margin are enclosed by banks so that the wetland nature reserve is maintained (grid reference SK886073).
A 1,555 hectare area of lake and shore is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds and Nature Conservation Review site. An area of 1,333 hectares is a Ramsar internationally important wetland site, and 393 hectares at the western end is managed by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.


The reservoir's construction, by damming the Gwash valley near Empingham, was completed in 1975. During its construction it was known as Empingham Reservoir. It flooded six or seven square kilometres of the Gwash valley as well as the side valley, at the head of which lies Oakham. Nether Hambleton and most of Middle Hambleton were demolished and their wells were plugged as part of the ground preparation. Their neighbouring village of Upper Hambleton survived, and now sits on the Hambleton Peninsula. The Gwash makes a net input to the lake but its flow downstream is maintained. Most of the stored water is extracted from the River Welland at grid reference TF017060, between Tinwell and Stamford, and from the River Nene upstream from Peterborough, a city which is a major user of the water.
Because much of the valley is clay, material for the dam was extracted from pits dug within the area that would be subsequently flooded. The clay dam is 115 feet (35 m) high, and around 1,300 yards (1,200 m) long. At its base, it is up to 890 yards (810 m) wide, and the finished structure has been landscaped to blend in with the environment, even when viewed from Empingham, the nearest village.
Rutland Water contains a limnological tower for study of the reservoir's ecological conditions.


Upper Hambleton and the remnant of Middle Hambleton, including the Old Hall, are together now known simply as Hambleton and are to be found on a long peninsula in the middle of the lake, land that was formerly a ridge between the two valleys in which the lake now lies. The few houses of Normanton avoided flooding although its church did not. The lower part of the building was supported against water damage so that its upper part could be used to present the story of the construction of the reservoir to the public. Some funerary monuments from it can be seen at Edenham church, Lincolnshire.


The reservoir is used not just for water storage, but is a popular sports centre – as well as water sports such as sailing visitors enjoy fishing, walking and cycling along a 25 miles (40 km) perimeter track. A pleasure cruiser, the Rutland Belle, carries people around the lake. Birdwatching brings visitors from far afield. The former butterfly centre at Sykes Lane has been turned into Bugtopia – The Zoo.


Large areas of wetland (as well as several small woods) at the western end of the lake form a nature reserve, managed by Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. The area is designated a Special Protection Area of international importance for its wintering populations of gadwall (some 4% of this species’ European population) and shoveler. It is home to the Anglian Water Bird Watching Centre. Every August, the centre is the venue for the British Birdwatching Fair. Other birds found here include lapwing, coot, goldeneye, tufted duck, pochard, teal, wigeon, cormorant, great crested grebe, little grebe and, most notably, osprey, which were re-introduced to the area during 1996, including one called "Mr Rutland".  In 2021 there were 26 ospreys in the area of Rutland Water.
The lake is stocked with brown trout and rainbow trout, but there is a large head of coarse fish populated by water pumped in from the River Welland and River Nene, species include roach, bream, pike, zander, perch, eel, wels catfish and carp.


In early 2021 an ichthyosaur fossil was discovered during the routine draining of a lagoon at the reservoir. A Temnodontosaurus with a skeleton measuring about 10 metres in length and a skull weighing about a tonne, is the largest and most complete fossil of its kind found in the UK.


The Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre, located in Egleton, features a gift shop operated by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and a shop selling binoculars and telescopes. The centre includes the Rutland Environmental Education Centre, exhibits, and windows overlooking the wetlands.
The Lyndon Visitor Centre is located on the reserve's south shore. There are exhibits, bird viewing windows, trails and hides.


Ryūzu Falls (龍頭滝, -taki, lit. "Dragon's Head Waterfall") is a waterfall located upstream from the Yugawa River which makes its way into Lake Yunoko and Lake Chūzenji.  It is located near Nikkō in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
Ryūzu can be translated as 'Dragon's Head', and is so named because its twin falls are said to resemble a dragon's head.


Ryaverket is a regional sewage treatment plant in Gothenburg, Sweden. The plant is located in southern Hisingen and treats wastewater from 797,485 people in the Gothenburg region (2020).
The facility is owned by Gryaab, a municipal company owned by the municipalities whose wastewater is treated at Ryaverket. The owner municipalities are Gothenburg, Ale, Härryda, Mölndal, Kungälv,  Partille, Bollebygd  and Lerum.
Ryaverket is the home of the world's longest mural, on 696 square meters, by Pontus Andersson.


The São Paulo Zoo (Portuguese: Parque Zoológico de São Paulo) is the largest zoo in Brazil. With 824,529 m² (82.45 hectares [203.7 acres]) of space in what was originally the Atlantic Forest, the zoo is south of the city of São Paulo.
It displays more than 3,200 animals, 102 species of mammals, 216 species of birds, 95 species of reptiles, 15 species of amphibians and 16 species of invertebrates in enclosures that replicate the natural habitats of these animals. The zoo's farm of 572 ha produces vegetables used in the manufacturing of feed for various animals, and material for the enclosures where the animals are. It also has animals that need extra space for mating.
The zoo has a nursery for cubs who are rejected by their mothers, electric incubators and an incubation room for eggs of birds and reptiles. The educational function is emphasized in the zoo. Its library of more than four thousand volumes is open to the public. Its partnerships with other state, federal and foreign institutions includes research that facilitates the preservation of endangered species.


The São Paulo Zoo was created in June 1957, from a statement of the then governor Jânio Quadros to the head of the São Paulo State Secretary of Agriculture's Department of Fish and Game, Emilio Varoli. The first animals of exotic origin such as lions, camels, bears and elephants, were acquired from private circuses while Brazilian wild fauna animals, such as jaguars and cock-of-the-rock, were acquired in Manaus.
The opening of the zoo, originally scheduled for January 1958, was postponed due to heavy rains that year, and on 16 March São Paulo Zoo was officially inaugurated featuring 482 animals, including nine deer, two spotted jaguars and one black jaguar, three ocelots, two wild cats, one bear, 23 parrots, three Spix's macaws, and the rhinoceros Cacareco, made famous by the episode when it was elected city councilor in the elections of October 1958.
In its first year of operation, zoo admission was free, and from the creation of the Zoological Park of São Paulo, in 1959, they began to charge for tickets.


The São Paulo Zoo became the first Brazilian institution to propose and engage in various recovery programs of seriously endangered Brazilian species such as the lion tamarin, small neotropical felids, hyacinth macaw and Lear's macaws, European bison, bush dog, condor, the only snow leopard in Brazil and spectacled bear. Since 1994, the São Paulo Zoo is recognized by the Guinness Book as the largest zoo in Brazil. That same year, the Zoological Park of São Paulo was classified in category "E", the highest, from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) for environmental management entities and preservation of species. In May 2001, the area next to the zoo which was occupied by the company "Simba Safari" was reincorporated into the Zoological Park of São Paulo. It was reopened to the public as "Zoo Safari" on June 5 of that year, providing tours where one can see the animals in the woods or drive through areas where animals roam.


The Saadian Tombs (Arabic: قبر السعديين, romanized: qubur as-sa'adiyyin, Berber languages: ⵔⵇⴱⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵉⵙⴰⵄⴰⴷⵉⵢⵏ, French: Tombeaux Saadiens) are a historic royal necropolis in Marrakesh, Morocco, located on the south side of the Kasbah Mosque, inside the royal kasbah (citadel) district of the city. They date to the time of the Saadian dynasty and in particular to the reign of Ahmad al-Mansur (1578–1603), though members of Morocco's monarchy continued to be buried here for a time afterwards. The complex is regarded by many art historians as the high point of Moroccan architecture in the Saadian period due to its luxurious decoration and careful interior design. Today the site is a major tourist attraction in Marrakesh.


The necropolis has two major structures: one to the east, surrounded by gardens on either side, and one to the west, next to the visitor entrance today. The eastern mausoleum started out first as a simple square mausoleum chamber adjoining the southern wall of the Kasbah Mosque. It is believed that this first mausoleum was built by the second Saadian sultan of Marrakesh, Moulay Abdallah al-Ghalib, between 1557 and 1574. Abdallah was already a prolific builder throughout his reign and it seems he wished to erect a mausoleum to honor his father Muhammad al-Sheikh, the founder of the dynasty, who was killed in 1557 and buried here in what was probably a simple grave. Before Muhammad al-Shaykh some Saadians – most notably al-Qai'm, the dynasty's founder, and Ahmad al-Araj and his sons – had been buried in the Zawiya of al-Jazuli and its adjoining cemetery in the city.
Abdallah al-Ghalib himself was eventually buried next to his father in 1574, in the new mausoleum he had built. A dedicatory marble inscription panel was placed on the wall at the head of his tomb, but this panel was later moved (at an unknown date and for unknown reasons) to the Chamber of the Three Niches in the later western building. It is probable (but unconfirmed) that the fourth Saadian sultan, Abd al-Malik, was also buried next to Muhammad al-Sheikh (also his father), on the south side of the latter's tomb, in 1578 or after.


The next building phase took place during the reign of Ahmad al-Mansur, another of Muhammad al-Sheikh's sons and the most powerful and wealthy of the Saadian sultans, between 1578 and 1603. When al-Mansur's mother, Lalla Mas'uda, a wife of Muhammad al-Sheikh, died in 1591, he decided to have her buried within the same mausoleum chamber as that of his father. It was most likely on this occasion, or slightly after, that al-Mansur decided to modify and expand this mausoleum. He allegedly redid the decoration of the existing chamber, and added two rectangular loggia rooms on its eastern and western sides. He also created a much larger rectangular chamber (the so-called Grand Chamber) on the southern side, connected directly to the other three rooms. It's possible that al-Mansur intended this larger chamber to house his own tomb. At some point, he probably also commissioned two more dedicatory marble inscription panels to be placed at the heads of the tombs of his father (Muhammad al-Sheikh) and his mother (Lalla Mas'uda). Again for unknown reasons and at an uncertain date, Muhammad al-Sheikh's dedicatory panel was moved to the western building and placed on the back wall of the Chamber of the Twelve Columns, where it is still visible today. The panel dedicated to Lalla Mas'uda has remained next to her grave (although it may have been moved around too).
At some point during al-Mansur's expansion and embellishment of the eastern mausoleum, between 1591 and 1598 (or before 1603 at latest), he decided to abandon this work and embarked on the construction of an entirely new building to the west. This new mausoleum was clearly intended for his own burial. The building was divided into three chambers, from south to north: the Chamber of the Mihrab (a prayer room, not originally meant to house any tombs), the Chamber of the Twelve Columns (a regal tomb chamber for himself), and the Chamber of the Three Niches (an annex to the main chamber). The first person to be buried in this building was in fact one of al-Mansur's wives, Mahalla, in 1598, in a spot close to the eventual tomb of her husband in the Chamber of the Twelve Columns. Ahmad al-Mansur himself was buried in the center of this chamber upon his death in 1603. Some of the decoration in the Chamber of the Mihrab may have been left unfinished after his death. After al-Mansur, a number of other family members, including his successors, were buried in this chamber with him. Among the more important ones, the first was another of his wives, Lalla Aisha as-Shabaniyya, in 1623. Then it was their son, Sultan Moulay Zidan, in 1627, followed by Sultan Abd al-Malik II in 1631 and Sultan Muhammad al-Sheikh al-Saghir in 1653–54. Today, Moulay Zidan's epitaph is immediately to the right of his father's while to the left is Muhammad al-Sheikh al-Saghir. The ornate tombstones (of a type called mqabriya) over these five important royal family members (i.e. al-Mansur, Lalla Aisha as-Shabaniyya, Zidan, Abd al-Malik II, and al-Sheikh al-Saghir) are also the largest and finest in the mausoleum, carved in Carrara marble. Their strong similarity in style and craftsmanship has been argued as evidence that they were created by the same artisan or workshop of artisans between 1603 and 1655, with the mqabriyas of the first two (al-Mansur and Lalla Aisha as-Shabaniyya) probably being commissioned by their son Moulay Zidan and then serving as models for the other three tombstones made later. A number of other lesser royal family members are scattered around the chamber.


The necropolis continued to be used as a burial place for some time after al-Mansur's death. The Alaouite sultan Moulay Isma'il (ruled 1672–1727), who plundered the Saadian palaces, later restricted access to the Saadian necropolis by sealing it off from most of the surrounding buildings. Nonetheless, it continued to be used even in the Alaouite period, as evidenced by the profusion of graves and tombstones scattered around the cemetery today. The large rectangular chamber (or Grand Chamber) on the southern side of Muhammad al-Sheikh's and Lalla Mas'uda's mausoleum was filled with other tombs. The Chamber of the Mihrab, the southern chamber of Ahmad al-Mansur's construction which was intended to be used merely as a prayer room, was used as a mausoleum by the Alaouite dynasty up until at least the late 18th century. It is now filled entirely with the graves of Alaouite family members. One of these graves is reputedly that of the Alaouite sultan Moulay al-Yazid (died 1792), which was previously marked off by a wooden balustrade and which was sometimes visited by local pilgrims. Moulay al-Yazid's name is now also associated with the Kasbah Mosque and with the square in front of it. In total, the necropolis now contains 56 tombstones marked with mqabriyas (ornate marble epitaphs) and another hundred or so tombs marked simply with multicolored tiles.


Eventually, the necropolis was isolated from the surrounding streets and fell out of use. In 1917 they were "rediscovered" by the Service des Beaux-Arts, Antiquités et Monuments historiques ("Service of Fine Arts, Antiquities, and Historic Monuments") of Morocco, an official body created in 1912 with the beginning of the French Protectorate over Morocco. By then, the tombs were in state of severe disrepair, and from 1917 onward the Service carried out a careful restoration process. Missing parts of the decoration were restored by using surviving parts as a model. The work also opened up the site to the general public for the first time. From the 1920s onward the tombs became the object of study by scholars. Today, they have become a major tourist attraction in Marrakesh.


The necropolis is a large garden cemetery enclosed by a rampart to the south and by the wall of the Kasbah Mosque to the north. Inside this are two main buildings; one on the western edge of the cemetery (on the left as visitors enter) and the other further east, surrounded by the cemetery gardens. The gardens themselves are filled with graves covered by colourful tiles.


The eastern building of the necropolis is the older of the two main buildings in the necropolis. It is often referred to as the Qubba of Lalla Mas'uda ("Qubba" being an Arabic word for a mausoleum, usually domed). It consists of a small central square chamber (the so-called Chamber of Lalla Mas'uda), two rectangular loggia rooms on either side to the east and west, and a large rectangular chamber to the south (the so-called Grand Chamber) which connects directly to all three. In addition to the two loggias which open onto the gardens, there is an opening (a door or a former window) on the southern side of the large southern chamber. This unusual and almost symmetrical layout is believed to be the result of at least two different construction phases: a square mausoleum originally erected over the tomb of Muhammad al-Sheikh by Moulay Abdallah al-Ghalib and an expansion by Ahmad al-Mansur which added the other chambers around it (see history section above). The bulk of the building is built in brick. The decoration, also believed to be from al-Mansur's time, is of high quality throughout, even though some scholars believe the decoration was left unfinished when Ahmad al-Mansur stopped working on this building and began constructing the western mausoleum.


The central chamber is also sometimes referred to as the Chamber of Lalla Mas'uda. It is believed to be the oldest structure in the necropolis, a relatively small mausoleum erected by the Saadian Sultan Moulay Abdallah between 1557 and 1574 over the tomb of his father, Muhammad al-Sheikh, the founder of the dynasty. Today it contains the tomb of Muhammad al-Sheikh, Lalla Mas'uda (a wife of al-Sheikh and mother of Ahmad al-Mansur), Moulay Abdallah himself, and possibly also Sultan Abd al-Malik (another son of al-Sheikh who ruled between 1576 and 1578).

The chamber is square, measuring 4 meters per side. The chamber is covered by a dome of very fine and intricate muqarnas (honeycomb or stalactite-like sculpting) made of stucco which retains a part of its polychrome painting in blue and gold (among other colours). The surfaces of the tiny niches in the muqarnas composition alternate between plain surfaces and surfaces carved with Moroccan/Andalusian arabesque motifs. The upper walls of the chamber are covered in intricate stucco decoration as well, in the form of arabesque and geometric compositions, while the lower walls are covered in zellij tile mosaics with geometric star patterns. Between these two parts are bands of Arabic inscriptions in both stucco and tilework. The floor is also covered in zellij paving (although in generally simpler motifs). On the chamber's northern side is a niche, resembling a mihrab, covered by its own canopy of muqarnas. This niche contains the tomb of Lalla Mas'uda. On the lower western wall of the niche is a carved marble panel with a dedicatory text to Lalla Mas'uda. The panel is the best preserved piece of its kind in the whole necropolis, thanks in part to the fact that it was originally protected by wooden shutters. In addition to its rich carvings, it retains hints of former red paint.


On either side of the mausoleum are small rectangular chambers (4 by 2 meters) that open to the outside through richly-decorated loggias.  The eastern loggia room has doorways opening onto both the central mausoleum chamber (via another intricate archway) and the southern Grand Chamber, while the western loggia connects only to the southern chamber. The loggias are triple-arched: a cedar wood canopy forms an arch resting on stucco-carved pillars that in turn rest on marble columns, with smaller muqarnas-carved arches crossing the space between the columns and the main walls of the structure. The wooden canopies feature a band carved with cartouches of Arabic calligraphy featuring a Qur'anic verse from the Surah al-Ahzab. The stucco carvings are again very fine and feature a variety of motifs. A band of stucco featuring a star-like pattern runs around the rest of the building on the outside, just below the wooden roof.


The western mausoleum building is divided into three chambers: the Chamber of the Mihrab, the Chamber of the Twelve Columns, and the Chamber of the Three Niches. It is believed to date entirely from the reign of Ahmad al-Mansur, though it contains many tombs from after his time as well.


The southernmost chamber was intended to be a small mosque or prayer room, which is why it features a mihrab on its south/southeast wall. In Islamic architecture the mihrab is a niche or alcove symbolizing the qibla (the direction of prayer). The mihrab here resembles that of the Ben Youssef Madrasa (also Saadian in origin): a horseshoe arch surrounded by elaborate stucco decoration and hiding a small muqarnas cupola inside. The decoration of the lower parts of the mihrab, however, appears to have been left unfinished: the outlines of a pattern have been traced but they have not been filled-in and carved. This is believed to be due to Ahmad al-Mansur dying before the decoration was completely finished and his successors lacking the will or the resources to finish it. A total of 8 engaged columns, made out of veined marble, are arranged around the base of the mihrab. The rest of the chamber is a large rectangular space marked by four columns supporting arches. The columns and the arches split the upper space of the chamber into 9 rectangular areas, with each division having its own wooden ceiling with star patterns. The ceiling in front of the mihrab, however, is different and instead features a large pyramid-shaped dome of intricate muqarnas (similar in style to the ceiling of the Chamber of Lalla Mas'uda). Since the dome has a square outline, it transitions into the rectangular space with two more sloped surfaces of muqarnas on either side.

This mosque chamber was originally the only entrance into the building. The central mausoleum of al-Mansur (the Chamber of Twelve Columns) is entered via another ornate muqarnas archway directly opposite the mihrab. Nowadays, however, the floor of the chamber is covered with the tombs of family members of the Alaouite dynasty, as well as, reputedly, the tomb of the Alaouite sultan Moulay al-Yazid. As a result, visitors are generally not allowed to walk inside.


Scholars generally view the design and decoration of the Saadian Tombs as strongly and clearly embedded in the artistic traditions of earlier Andalusian and Moroccan architecture (or "Hispano-Moorish" art). Some, such as Georges Marçais, even refer to Saadian art more generally as a "renaissance" of this style, before its relative decline in the following centuries. In addition to the use and continued elaboration of decorative techniques from the Marinid era of Morocco, the Saadian Tombs also suggest an influence from Nasrid antecedents in Granada, Spain. The layout of the Chamber of the Twelve Columns, for example, is similar to the layout of the rawda mausoleum in the Alhambra and was later repeated in the Mausoleum of Moulay Isma'il in Meknes during the Alaouite period. Other Nasrid influences in Saadian architecture include the two ornamental ablutions pavilions which Ahmad al-Mansur and Abdallah al-Ghalib II added to the courtyard of the Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fes, which strongly resemble the two pavilions in the Court of the Lions at the Alhambra.
The Saadian Tombs are frequently regarded as the high benchmark of Moroccan art and architecture in the Saadian period and in the post-medieval period generally, thanks to its extremely rich decoration and its "rational" arrangement of interior space. Shortly after they were "rediscovered" and made accessible to the public by French colonial authorities in 1917, they were praised by many contemporary art historians and observers who visited them. At the same time, many (Western) scholars still view the Saadian period as the beginning of a decline or of a "conservative" period in Moroccan art and architecture, during which existing styles were faithfully reproduced and imitated but few innovations were introduced.


Lake Saadjärv is a lake in middle-east Estonia with an area of 7.08 km²(1,750 acres). The lake is 53.4 m (175 ft) above sea-level.
This lake is referenced in Canto VIII of the epic "The Hero of Estonia" by William Forsell Kirby.


The Saalfeld Fairy Grottoes (in German: Saalfelder Feengrotten) are caverns or grottoes of a former mine near Saalfeld, in the German state of Thuringia.
They have long been famous for their countless colorful mineral formations (speleothems) formed over many years by water dripping through relatively soft rock. Since 1993, the Guinness Book of World Records has termed the Feengrotten "the most colorful cave grottoes in the world".


The caverns consist of  three chambers connected by galleries. In the first chamber, information is presented about the history of the mine — in the 16th to 19th centuries an alum shale mine that was closed in 1850 but opened for sightseeing in 1914. The historical background includes information about environmental radiation treatments formerly offered there until such treatments were found to be hazardous.
In the second chamber is found the source of the mineral-laden water that formed colorful stalagmites, stalactites and other shapes over the centuries. The third chamber contains the famed "Fairy Kingdom" (Märchendom), featuring a variegated grouping of deposits that, illuminated by theatrical lights and reflected in a perfectly still pool of water, is thought to resemble miniature castles and other buildings.


The Saar Polygon in Ensdorf, Saarland is a monument commemorating the coal mining industry in Saarland, which ended in June 2012.


In the setting of the coal mining industry ending, an organization called “Bergbauerbe Saar Association” was founded whose stated purpose is to promote the cultural heritage of mining with the establishment of a landmark that celebrates the contribution that the miners had in the region.
In cooperation with RAG AG, which last operated the coal mining industry in Saarland through its subsidiary, RAG Deutsche Steinkohle AG, a design contest for the monument was announced. 147 designs were submitted, and the winner of the competition was the Berlin architect duo Katja Pfeiffer and Oliver Sachse. Their design for a walk-through large-scale sculpture demonstrates multiple mountain motifs as a symbol of change and is intended appear to be a gateway into the future. The meaning behind the design of the steel grid construction is the inseparability the past and future of the country and showing the traditional bond of coal, steel and energy in Saarland.
Construction began in late 2015. The sculpture was completed in the spring of 2016 and was inaugurated in September 2016 and opened to the public. The approximately two million euros in construction costs were financed by the association Bergbauerbe Saar Association, RAG AG, the RAG Foundation, the Saarland state government, and donations. Donors could symbolically buy a step inside the monument for 1000 euros; at each level, a plaque with the name of the donor was placed.


The Saar Polygon stands on the spoil tip of the Bergwerk Saar coal mine. This pile, with an area of about 50 hectares, rises about 150 meters above the surrounding Saar Valley. Due to its prominent position, the polygon is visible from all directions. France and Luxembourg are visible from the structure.


The walk-in monument is about 30 meters high. The top of the structure is a platform, which spans approximately 35 meters long and is supported by two slanting towers with exactly 132 steps going up 25 meters. The viewing platform weighs around 60 tons. The Saar Polygon is designed to have a different shape depending on the direction it is viewed such as a rectangular arch, a triangle, an inverted triangle, and an hourglass. Furthermore, it resembles the structures that are used in mines for support.


1st Prize in the International Ideas Competition, May 2011
Association of German Architects - Award for Architecture and Urbanism in Saarland, 2017
Industrieverband Feuerverzinken - Prize for Architecture and Metal Design, 2017


The Sacred Heart Basilica or Timaru Basilica, as it is popularly known because of its style of architecture, is a Catholic church in Timaru, New Zealand. It was designed by the prominent New Zealand architect, Francis Petre and is one of his most celebrated works. Its great size and beauty make it one of the most important historic buildings of Timaru and of the South Canterbury region. The Basilica's twin towers and copper cupola are highly visible features of the Timaru skyline, especially from the south. The Basilica is also one of the "most noteworthy examples of ecclesiastical architecture" in New Zealand with elements of "Roman and Byzantine architecture with touches of Art Nouveau decoration." It is a registered historic place, category 1.


The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the third church built on the Craigie Avenue property. A wooden chapel was opened on 25 October 1874, and was replaced three years later by a larger church. Increasing numbers of parishioners dictated the need for a further, and even larger building. The inspiration for the design of the Basilica came during a visit to the United States by the Parish Priest Father John Tubman. His brother was a priest at the Catholic cathedral of Reno, Nevada, and Fr Tubman was impressed with the design of that church. So it is that the exterior of the Timaru Basilica bears resemblance to the Saint Thomas Aquinas Cathedral, Reno.
Upon his return to Timaru in 1907 Fr. Tubman had plans drawn up, based on photographs he brought back with him. The plans were drawn by the noted Dunedin architect, Francis Petre. Although Fr. Tubman thought the plan for the proposed building too ambitious, he was encouraged to continue the large project by  the Bishop of Christchurch, John Grimes S.M. Fr. Tubman had at the time £7,000. In order to maintain the budget, the tradesmen were paid at the end of each day. Bart Moriarty, a surveyor, was engaged to oversee the construction.  Many district farmers contributed their labour and materials. Farmers at the Levels felled blue gums to use as scaffolding, and transported them to the site. Parishioners from St Andrews carted sand and shingle to the railhead and at Timaru, off-loaded, and carted it by bullock teams to the site. It was not uncommon to see Father Tubman climbing ladders and scaffolding to check progress.


The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Grimes, assisted by Bishop Verdon of Dunedin on 6 February 1910. In a sealed receptacle beneath the stone, newspapers, coins and documents of the time were placed. A collection amounting to £1100 was taken up after the ceremony. There were many generous benefactors present, including the Mayor and Member of Parliament James Craigie, who gave ten pounds. John Cassidy of the Levels gave the foundation stone and the silver trowel used in the ceremony. Benediction was given from the site of the high altar, after a "very fine procession". Translated from Latin, the stone reads: "To the Most Sacred heart of Jesus This foundation stone was blessed and laid by the Most Rev. J. J. Grimes S.M. D.D. Bishop of Christchurch, On 6th February 1910. Parish Priest, Rev. J. Tubman S.M."


It was timely that the church was completed in 1911. The wooden church had burnt down in 1910 and Mass had been offered in the boys’ school until the Basilica was ready. The building cost £23,000 and was practically completed and paid for by the time of the opening and consecration, on Rosary Sunday, 1 October 1911. This was an enormous effort by a relatively poor, largely Irish, Catholic community. Dignitaries who attended the consecration included Archbishop Francis Redwood of Wellington, and the three other New Zealand bishops. All the district's mayors were in attendance, being given seats of honour. The church was packed with clergy and laity. The Messe solennelle en l’honneur de Sainte-Cécile (St Cecilia Mass or Mass in G), composed by Charles Gounod, was sung by the choir of sixty, supported by a full orchestra. The sermon was preached by Bishop Cleary of Auckland. Following the blessing ceremony an unexpected honour was bestowed on Father Tubman. He was elevated to the office of Dean. The honour was a complete surprise to all in attendance. The plan of the building is cruciform.  The style is Roman Renaissance of the Ionic order. Most of the material used was ferro-concrete, Oamaru stone, and locally made bricks.


Bart Moriarty, the surveyor contracted to supervise the construction of the basilica, later became a well-recognised builder in Melbourne, where he built a village for investment and has a street named after him. His recommendations were the basilica and other Timaru buildings he worked on. In 1915 the Archbishop of Sydney commissioned him to replace the church of St Francis Church, Paddington, Sydney. Moriarty simply replicated the Petre design in Timaru, although in Paddington only the sanctuary, transepts and sacristies were built. They are attached to the Neo Gothic nave of the original church.


At the head of the nave is the internal dome, supported by Ionic columns, and buttressed by external walls. It rises to a height of 21.33 metres (70 feet) from the floor. The internal dome is one of the main artistic features, and over this dome rests the central tower out of which rises the coppered cupola (the external dome) of the church. The cupola rises to a height of 35 metres (115 feet) and is in square tower-like fashion. There is a walk-round base from which, on a clear day, can be seen Aoraki / Mount Cook, and with the aid of binoculars, Temuka and Geraldine. The dome is 12.19 metres (40 feet) at the base. Access to the space between the internal dome and Cupola is gained by a concrete spiral staircase. A wooden staircase leads to the outer dome. The interior was retimbered at the time of the Basilica's  Silver Jubilee in 1936 as "Sufficient care was not taken during the building." The copper for this dome alone cost £600. Two small domes surmount the towers that flank the façade and there is another internal dame above the sanctuary centering the apse of the basilica.


The north east tower houses a peal of scale C bells. They are named, starting at the top of the scale: Patrick, Thomas, Henry, Michael, John, Francis, Mary and Nicholas after the children of Nicholas Quinn who gave a bequest of £300 towards their cost. They were cast by the celebrated English firm of John Warner & Sons, at a cost of £1000. The heaviest, Nicholas, weighs nearly a tonne. They were installed in July 1914, blessed by the Reverend Dean Hills on Sunday 12 July 1914 and first rung on 26 July 1914. They were originally played every hour, until complaints were received from the nurses’ home. Night nurses, trying to sleep during the day, were being kept awake. A popular hymn played was Faith of Our Fathers, at that time a very popular Catholic hymn (by Father Faber). The bells were at one time rung by an electric keyboard, but this proved unsatisfactory. Access to the campanile is by the south tower, a cast iron spiral staircase leading from the choir loft.


The high altar was installed in 1912. It is of alabaster and was selected from many designs submitted from leading marble works throughout the world. It is of Italian renaissance design, having a circular tabernacle with a brass sliding door, which is surmounted by a mosaic dome. It cost £1000. Of particular beauty, behind the altar, is the semi-circular colonnade of 13 graceful Ionic columns representing St Paul and the Twelve Apostles. The floor of the sanctuary is decorated with mosaic tiles while the windows are adorned with attractive stained glass. On the south side near the sanctuary is the sacristy, which has a tiled floor, and colonial kauri fittings. It was partially destroyed by fire in 1934. The altar boys were blamed! Insurance of £211.11.06 was claimed. The brass sanctuary lamp was presented by Mrs C Byrne of Pleasant Point, at Christmas 1911.


Situated immediately under the north tower, the baptistry houses a beautiful marble and brass font. Hanging there is a rope for tolling the great bell, Nicholas. Entry is gained through the brass gates which originally were installed at the altar rails. Dominating the Baptistry is the great stained glass window of the Baptism of Jesus which forms part of a war memorial and is known as the "Memorial window".


The statues of the Sacred Heart and St Patrick are by the Bernadine Statuary Company, New York. The statue of St Peter Chanel is by Pelligrini of Melbourne. The print of the Madonna, Madonna Della Sedia, is taken from the original by Raphael, which hangs in the Pitti Palace in Florence. The original roofing tiles from Marsailles, France, were transported to New Zealand as ship's ballast. They were replaced in 1985 at a cost of $19,000. The floor tiles were imported from England.  Hampton's studio of Christchurch was commissioned to make the Stations of the Cross, which were solemnly erected on 26 September 1967. They are of carved plaster with 70mm relief, and bronzed over lightly to give good outline of the figures. They have a flat gold mosaic background, and cost £50 each.


Installed between 1911 and Silver Jubilee in 1936, the windows are "some of New Zealand’s finest." Before their installation the windows, which number over 100, were glazed with Cathedral glass. The creators of the windows and their windows were:
F.X. Zettler, Munich, Germany  (on the north side of the Basilica - St Joseph's altar): the Sermon on the Mount, Christ the Good Shepherd, the Annunciation and the Nativity.
H. Credington, Catholic Art Gallery Melbourne (above the altar): the Crucifixion and the Coronation of Our Lady.
Matheson and Gibson, Melbourne (on south side of the Basilica – Our Lady's altar): Calming the waters, Loaves and Fishes, Presentation in the Temple, The finding the child Jesus in the temple.
James Watson and Son, Éire (Nave windows): St Margaret Mary, St Therese, St Ita, St Michael, St Matthew, St Vincent de Paul, St Colmcille (Columba).  "To the 'purist' the superb Irish glass in these seven windows make them the pick of all the windows in the church."
John Hardman and Company, Birmingham (baptistry) John the Baptist (memorial window) and the Sanctuary windows: St Aloysius, St Bridget, St Patrick, Mother Immaculate, Sacred heart, St Joseph, St Anne, St John the Evangelist.
The donors and those commemorated by the windows are named on marble tablets at the head of the nave, and in other parts of the Basilica.


The organ built by Arthur Hobday, and installed in this church in 1912, was Hobday's last work before his death. He was apprenticed to the prominent nineteenth-century Australian organbuilder, George Fincham, about 1866, and later sent up his own organbuilding business in Wellington. He died on 9 October 1912, at the age of sixty-one.
Internal evidence suggests that this organ is a rebuild (and enlargement) of a previous instrument, made in England in 1848 and sent to Sydney. It was originally powered by bellows worked by an hydraulic system. An open pipe carried the water out on to the church grounds. The present organ makes use of pipework from an older instrument. John Stiller in his 1981 documentation of this organ, states that it is the "finest of the Hobday organs which have been preserved." Excellent tonal qualities are enhanced by a splendid acoustic and visual setting. The Hobday case has been preserved in original form, and displays design characteristics typical of his style and also the console has been retained and includes original fittings such as stopknobs, stop labels, keyboards, keyboard cheeks, pedal-board and organ bench. The pneumatic action of the organ is a unique feature.  The Organ was restored in 1986 by the South Island Organ Company. It now has 1516 pipes. They range from sixteen feet to a quarter of an inch, and are made from wood, tin-lead and zinc. In that restoration the front pipes were altered in colour from silver to gold, and springs were added to the pneumatic actions to improve the organ's responsiveness. The 1986 restoration cost $70,000.


In Roman Catholic ecclesiastical terms, Sacred Heart Basilica is not a Minor basilica. See:  List of minor basilicas in the world.
Brosnahan 2011, p. iii.
Heritage New Zealand (2 April 1985). "Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Catholic)". Heritage List: No 325. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
Wood 1986, p. ?.
Brosnahan 2011, pp. 124f.
"Basilica of the Sacred Heart Memorial window". New Zealand History. Retrieved 21 February 2015.


Sacred Heart Church  is a Roman Catholic church and parish in Wimbledon, South West London initially run by the Jesuits, that serves the Catholic community of Wimbledon and surrounding areas. It is in the Archdiocese of Southwark and is situated next to Wimbledon College and Donhead Preparatory School. The main entrance to the church is on Edge Hill road, but the church can also be accessed from the adjacent Darlaston Road.


The church was founded by Edith Arendrup, a member of the wealthy Courtauld family who came to live in Wimbledon in 1877. At the time, there were few Catholics in the area, so she convinced the Jesuits at Roehampton to start a Mass-centre at her house in Cottenham Park. Seven years later, she commissioned the construction of a large church in a prominent position on the slopes of Edge Hill. The  Grade II* listed building was designed by Frederick Walters, a young architect, who designed it in the late Decorated Gothic style.


The nave of the newly built church opened on 17 June, the feast of the Sacred Heart, in 1887. Construction continued for fourteen years while the rest of the building was completed: first the sanctuary and south aisle in 1895, then the back chapels in 1896, the north aisle and sacristy in 1898, and finally the west front in 1901. The original plan called for a large tower on the west front, but money ran out and it was replaced by twin turrets and a massive, traceried window. A monument on the south wall of the church dedicated to Edith Arendrup is inscribed with the words: “It was through her Christian vision that this parish of the Sacred Heart came into being; it was through her generosity the church was built.”
From 1898, the church had a new benefactor, Caroline Currie of Coombe Hill. She was the wealthy widow of the banker Bertram Wodehouse Currie, and paid for the north aisle, along with a chapel dedicated to the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius, and the baptistery. The St. Ignatius chapel contains a medallion of Mrs. Currie who died in 1902.
In 1905, another church was built within the parish by the Jesuits, St Winefride Church. It was built to accommodate the congregation in South Wimbledon. In 1913, again the parish needed to expand and a Mass centre was set up in Wimbledon Park. In 1926, a church was built in the area by the Jesuits which became Christ the King Church and was finished in 1928.


In 1990 the church was re-ordered. A new high altar was installed, designed by David John who was also responsible for the bronze reliquary underneath containing relics of Roman and English martyrs, including Saints Thomas More and Saint Edmund Campion. The tiled floor was designed by Austin Winkley. The altar was dedicated by Bishop Tripp, an Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Southwark, at a special ceremony on the feast of the Sacred Heart, 22 June 1990.


In 2007 and 2008 the church halls were refurbished, access improved and a new youth room added. On 17 November 2012, it was announced that the Jesuits would no longer be involved in the direct administration of the church  after serving the parish for over 130 years. On 10 January 2014, it was handed over to the Archdiocese of Southwark who continue to administer the parish.


The church is next door to Wimbledon College and Donhead School for boys (both of these schools are served by the Jesuits) and the Ursuline High School and Ursuline Preparatory School for girls (served by the Ursulines), which all enjoy a close relationship with the parish. The schools use the church for various masses throughout the school year.
The parish hosts many groups within its parish centre. It has a local Christian Life Community association which ministers to the spiritual needs of the parish, by garnering interest in Ignatian spirituality. Also, it has a social justice group which promotes fair trade products and raises awareness of social issues.
Also situated along the same road as the church is the office of Jesuit Missions, an overseas mission-based organisation of the Society of Jesus in Great Britain. The role of office is to organise fundraising initiatives, manage supply links, provide logistical support, raise awareness of the situation of people in developing countries and bring the work of the Jesuits and their colleagues to the attention of people in the UK and provide overseas missionaries with regular news from Britain.


Sage Chapel is the non-denominational chapel on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York State and serves as the burial ground for many contributors to Cornell's history, including the university's founders, Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, and their wives.  The building was a gift to the university of Henry William Sage and his wife. The chapel was opened in 1875 and is located on Ho Plaza, across from Willard Straight Hall and next to John M. Olin Library, John McGraw Tower, and Barnes Hall.


Sage Chapel was designed by the Reverend Charles Babcock, Professor of Architecture at Cornell, with stonework by local stone-carver Robert Richardson.
The design has been significantly altered over the years. The original design featured a 75-foot tower with spire and belfry. An apse was added in 1898 for the bodies of Henry Williams Sage and his wife. The mosaic decoration of the apse was created by J&R Lamb Studios of New York; preliminary designs for this work can be found in the Lamb Studios Archive in the Library of Congress. A north transept was added in 1903. In 1940-41, a west wing expansion and renovation added more space for a new choir loft and the current pipe organ, a 3-manual Aeolian-Skinner with 69 stops and an estimated 3858 speaking pipes. The organ incorporates several ranks of pipes from previous instruments, including two of the previous organs built in the chapel. The building includes Tiffany glass windows and a stained glass memorial to three civil rights workers (one of whom was a Cornell alumnus, Michael Schwerner), murdered during Freedom Summer.


The interior building has a rich and detailed history with many of the artistic renderings representing numerous Christian and educational themes. The olive vine theme on the floor and walls is a symbol of fertility. The double crosses in the ceiling have a blue background in which are set gilded sunbursts and stars, while in the centers are found the Greek letters, XP, which began the word Christos, and the Alpha and Omega. The colours also are symbolic; white is for purity, innocence, and faith. Black and white together, purity of life, and humiliation. Red is for fire, heat, and the creative power. Red and black together, purgatory and the realm of Satan.  Green is for hope, of victory and immortality. Grey is for mourning and innocence accused. Blue for the firmament, truth, and constancy.  Gold is the sun and goodness of God. The anchor represents hope and patience. The lamp is piety and wisdom. The lamb and pennant, represents the Redeemer. The cross is for redemption. The interwoven triangles, represents the Trinity. The Lion is for the Tribe of Judah. The open book with a hand pointing to the Beatitudes, is a symbol of the Gospels. The sword and palm is for martyrdom and victory. The chalice is for faith. The flaming heart is of fervent piety and love. The standard, the wreath, and the crown represent victory over evil. The sun, stars, and crescent moon, are the luminous nebula which emanates from and surrounds the Divine Essence. The burning bush is for the fervor of the martyrs. I.H.S. originally were the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, but which in Renaissance time were said to stand for Jesus Hominum Salvator, "Jesus, Saviour of men."
Many of the decorative carvings of Sage Chapel were executed by one Robert Richardson, a stone-carver who had emigrated to Ithaca from England. Of Richardson's work in Sage Chapel, Andrew Dickson White wrote:
Best of all was [Richardson's] work in the chapel. The tracery of the windows, the capitals of the columns, and the corbels supporting the beams of the roof were masterpieces; and, in my opinion, no investment of equal amount has proved to be of more value to us ... than these examples of a conscientious devotion of genius and talent which he thus gave us. ... The stone vaulting, the tracery, and other decorative work ... carried out as a labor of love by Richardson, were all that I could desire.
— Andrew Dickson White, Autobiography Volume 1 (1906)


Cornell University was founded as a non-sectarian institution; this drew criticism of "godlessness" from some quarters. In response, Henry W. Sage, sometimes called the "second founder of the University" donated funds for the establishment of a chapel. Sage stipulated two conditions for the gift: first, that the chapel "would never be delivered over to one sect," and second that "students should be attracted but not coerced into it." Henry Sage's son Dean Sage later endowed the position of chaplain.
Opening services were held on June 13, 1875 with Reverend Phillips Brooks of Boston's Trinity Church presiding.
Sage Chapel originally featured a 75-foot tower with spire and belfry. In 1875, the tower held one of two electric arc lamps installed on campus by professor of physics William Arnold Anthony. It was said to be the "first locality in America, if not the world, to have a permanent installation of electric arc lamps." The lamps were "visible for many miles around, and it excited the wonder of the inhabitants."
Sage Chapel has hosted many speakers, including Lyman Beecher, John R. Mott (Cornell class of 1888), Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Stephen Samuel Wise, Martin Luther King Sr., Martin Luther King Jr., Reinhold Niebuhr, Paul Tillich, Elie Wiesel, Abraham Heschel, Hans Küng, Harold Kushner, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, Carl Sagan, Jane Goodall, Arianna Huffington, and Peter Gomes. Other speakers have included Lyman Abbott, Daniel Berrigan, and John Cleese.
Father Robert S. Smith, Catholic priest, author, and educator, preached regularly at Sage Chapel from 2002 to 2010.
Sage Chapel Christmas Vespers is an annual tradition at Cornell. For many years, beloved Professor Morris Bishop delivered the readings.
Sage Chapel is a popular choice for couples getting married at Cornell.
Sage Chapel also serves as the home of the Cornell University Glee Club and Cornell University Chorus.


The church was raised to the status of cathedral on 15 January 1867, by Jean Langevin, first bishop of Rimouski and was consecrated on 28 May 1853.
The cathedral was spared from the nuit rouge ("Red Night") on 6 May 1950, when nearly half of the town was burnt down by a fire that started at the Price Brothers Company sawmill. Legend has it that a priest sprinkled holy water around the city's cathedral and that the fire would not cross the line.


The exterior of the cathedral is of neo-Gothic influence with pointed arch windows decorated with stained glass, buttress and pinnacles while the interior is influenced by the Gothic style with its ceiling that looks like a diagonal rib vault. Grey stones were used to build the outside. The main vault is 28 m (90 ft) high and the interior one is 18 m (60 ft) high. Three bells, weighing 1,641 kg in total were installed in 1891. The cathedral is famous for its Casavant Frères organ.
Joseph J.B. Verret (architect) designed the Bishop's Palace (1901-01) for Monseigneur A.A. Blais, of St. Germain Roman Catholic Cathedral.


The Église Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles de Paris is a Roman Catholic parish church in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. It has housed the relics of the Empress Saint Helena, mother of Constantine, since 1819, for which it remains a site of veneration in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. In 1915 the French Ministry of Culture listed it as a monument of historical value.


Construction of the church began in 1235. Since then, the building has undergone several major renovations and modifications, notably in 1320, 1611, 1727, and 1780, when an underground chapel was added.
In 1819 the relics of Saint Helena were transferred to the church from the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d’Hautvillers by the knights of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
When Boulevard de Sébastopol was cleared in 1857, the church’s three chapels and apse were destroyed. A renovation project was undertaken by architects Étienne-Hippolyte Godde and Victor Baltard.
In 1875, after the Paris Commune, the reliquary of Saint Lupus of Sens was opened in order to carry out an anatomical analysis of the remains of Saint Helena. Based on the medical findings, Monsignor Richard, Archbishop of Paris, announced that the “reliquary contained the almost-complete torso of Saint Helena”, that “the head was missing and the limbs compressed”, and that “the state of the body conserved in the reliquary of the Église Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles corresponded to the descriptions known to the Bollandistes in the 18th century”. The reliquary was subsequently placed on open display above and behind the high altar, at the feet of the large crucifix, suspended between two pillars of the apse.
On 16 October 1928, Cardinal Dubois, Archbishop of Paris, held a ceremony in the church for the “Reintegration of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre”. The building was subsequently made chapter house of that order.
On 17 March 2000 the relics of Saint Helena were transferred to the crypt of the order’s knights, making them more easily accessible for veneration. The first Eastern Orthodox liturgy was celebrated before the relics of Saint Helena on 22 February 2003.
The church is now managed by the Trinitarian Order. It pays particular attention to the homeless of its neighborhood, Les Halles.


The church is built in the Gothic style. Its forward façade is surmounted by two turrets.
The church’s single nave counts numerous stained-glass windows. It is flanked by aisles, but the church has no transept.


The church’s organs date to 1788, the work of François-Henri Clicquot. Restored in 1983, they are now protected as national historical monuments (declaration of 20 May 1915).


The Saint-Nicolas-de-Campagnac Bridge (French Pont Saint-Nicolas-de-Campagnac) is an arch bridge crossing the river Gardon near Sainte-Anastasie, in the southern French department of Gard.
The bridge was built between 1245 and 1260.
It is crossed by departmental route 979 ((D 979) from Nîmes to Uzès.


WikiWeb_Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery_0

The Monastery of Saint Jovan Bigorski (Macedonian: Свети Јован Бигорски) is a Macedonian Orthodox monastery located in the western part of North Macedonia, near the road connecting the towns of Debar and Gostivar.
The monastery church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist.  One of its most valuable treasures is the iconostasis, created by Petre Filipov - Garkata from the nearby village of Gari, and considered one of the finest examples of wood-carved iconostases.


The Saint Nicholas Church (Swedish: Sankt Nikolai kyrka) or the Nicholas Church (Swedish: Nikolaikyrkan) is a church building in central Örebro, Sweden. It was originally called the Örebro Church (Swedish: Örebro kyrka) because it was the only Church of Sweden building in town until the early 20th century. Örebro Nikolai  parish is in the Diocese of Strängnäs  of the Church of Sweden.


Construction began in the late 13th century and is supposed to have been completed by the mid 14th century.
Large parts of the church are built in the limestone.
There are Romanesque styles in the oldest parts and therefore  Gothic style in the newer.
The oldest is the choir area from around 1275–1300.
The current look of the church dates from the great restoration in 1863–1900 when the church's Gothic style was emphasized.
The restoration proposal had been made by Carl Georg Brunius (1793–1869) and was completed by Axel Herman Hägg (1835–1921) and associate professor Adolf Kjellström (1834–1932).
Partial renovations took place in 1936 under the direction of architect Erik Fant (1889–1954) and in 1962–64 after drawings by architect Kurt von Schmalensee (1896–1972). The latest renovation took place in 1979–80.


WikiWeb_Saint Nicholas Princely Church_1

According to chronicler Grigore Ureche, the church was established by Stephen the Great after the 1485 Battle of Cătlăbuga. While he named the right ktitor, the date is incorrect, and was fixed by Axinte Uricariul, who observed that 1491 is inscribed on the dedication above the entrance. The date of completion is also written there and has largely been read as 1492, including by Nicolae Iorga. Another opinion sides with the earlier reading by Melchisedec Ștefănescu, suggesting a date of 1493. The building is one of Stephen's city churches: large, tall, with a spire, side apses and an enlarged vestibule. The facade was of unworked stone, with buttresses that reached two-thirds of the walls' height. The exterior was decorated with two rows of recesses, as well as rows of enameled, colored terra-cotta discs representing people and animals. The apses were endowed with large arches. The church was in a trefoil plan, with semicircular apses on the exterior as well as the interior. The walls of the interior were painted and there was a single spire, with an angular roof. A wall separated the nave from the vestibule.
In 1593, Trifon Korobeynikov, while passing through the city, noted the church's "height and grandeur". His description reveals that it had already been modified since Stephen's time: there was a stone bell tower above the entrance. Given the Russian traveler's mention, it is also likely that the church was painted on the exterior during the 16th century. Over the course of the following centuries, other modifications took place: the separating wall between nave and vestibule was replaced by two large stone pillars; and a large foyer was added, twice the size of the church, with a northern and a southern entrance. Two altars were set up in the area, probably during the 18th century, to Saints Barbara and Stephen. Other outbuildings were erected in the churchyard, bounded by a stone wall from the princely court.


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Over time, the church suffered serious damage, so that in 1677, Prince Antonie Ruset ordered repairs and improvements; this is attested by chroniclers Nicolae Costin, Ion Neculce, Alexandru Amiras and Nicolae Mustea. However, not all the work was completed, and it was only in 1680, under George Ducas, that the interior painting was finished. Many historians believe that Ruset added the large foyer, particularly as he prepared his own grave there. A minority believe it is older, likely from the time of Alexandru Lăpușneanu. As no documents mention the structure until 1786, another hypothesis suggests a date from the later part of the 18th century. This was the position taken by the historians' committee that opted for demolition in 1890. The church was hit by fire in 1725, 1753, 1784, 1822, 1827 and 1853, and by an earthquake in 1814, as well as being affected by normal wear and tear. In 1703-1705, it was repaired by Ana, the wife of Prince Mihai Racoviță; Prince Ioan Teodor Callimachi undertook repairs in 1758 and Scarlat Callimachi during his 1812-1819 reign.
A document of March 1677 indicates that Antonie Ruset had decided, together with Metropolitan Dosoftei, to turn the church into a second seat for the Moldavia Metropolis, alongside that in Suceava. So it remained until another metropolitan see was built in 1695. While the chronicles indicate Ruset prepared his grave here, he died poor in Constantinople, and Prince Constantin Cantemir was placed in his crypt for a time. Others were subsequently buried there, very likely members of the princely families; several graves were removed from the narthex during the 1884 restoration. The church was the scene of welcoming ceremonies for princes who entered Iași in order to take up the throne, and many of them were anointed there during a ceremony described by Dimitrie Cantemir. The great religious feasts of the year were also celebrated in the church for the benefit of the royal court. The final anointment was that of Grigore Alexandru Ghica, in October 1849.
The church is associated with the activity of Dosoftei, who ran a printing press there. One of the works he put out was a renowned Lives of the Saints from 1681 to 1686. However, after Dosoftei was taken to Poland, the printing press petered out and the next one was not set up until the time of Iacov Putneanul, in the middle of the following century. Moreover, it functioned in a different location, the courtyard of the current cathedral. The school from the Saint Nicholas Church, begun by Constantine Mavrocordatos and by Metropolitan Nechifor, was reorganized by Iacov, eventually becoming among Moldavia's most renowned. It lasted until the early 19th century as among the few institutions where Romanian was the language of instruction; pupils were taught writing, reading, grammar and liturgical music.
The church was endowed with books, vestments and furniture that gradually disappeared. For example, when John III Sobieski took Dosoftei with him to Poland in 1686, he brought all the church's precious objects and clothing. Donors would constantly replenish the collection, which was fairly complete according to an 1803 inventory. When it was restored, all the church's remaining objects were divided among the city's other churches. This is how two 18th-century bells, repaired in 1817, ended up first in the cathedral yard and then behind Trei Ierarhi Monastery.
It appears that when Sultan Mehmed IV spent a week in Iași in July 1672 while on the way to Poland, the church was used as a mosque and then remained closed until Ruset's renovation. Unusually, from the late 18th century, the church had three altars (some sources speak of two chapels), where the liturgy was officiated in three languages (Romanian, Greek and Slavonic). By the time the restoration was agreed upon, it had five dedications: Saints Nicholas, Barbara, Stephen, Mina and Catherine.


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After 1880, serious discussions about a restoration began. The building was in a very poor condition, particularly the added foyer, made of carved stone and irregularly-shaped boulders, the wooden ties of which had rotted. The limestone had oxidized and burst during fires, while the entire structure showed earthquake damage. The corners, particularly on the south face, showed enormous cracks. The French architect André Lecomte du Nouÿ was selected to lead the restoration work, assisted by Nicolae Gabrielescu. Operations began in 1884, when the 18th-century addition was demolished. Mihail Kogălniceanu and others asked that this instead be rehabilitated, but the committee on historic monuments ultimately decided that only Stephen's original church should be restored. Moreover, Lecomte du Nouÿ agreed with complete demolition due to the degraded condition of the masonry.
Reconstruction began in 1888, with a view toward a final form that expressed the artistic ideals of Stephen's era. From the annexes, only a nearby wall fragment surrounding the church was left standing. Lecomte du Nouÿ returned to the church's initial plan, placing the walls and the spire in one vertical sweep and eliminating the buttresses, thus giving the whole a much more sleek appearance. The exterior walls, above the stone base, were decorated with panels of visible brick and with traditional Moldavian elements such as rows of niches, discs of glazed and colored ceramic and large recesses.
The interior, including the iconostasis, furniture and painting, was completely redone. Fragments of 17th-century painting that depicted Ruset, Duca and their families were saved; for a time, they were kept in the Old Metropolitan Cathedral, then in the Gothic hall of Trei Ierarhi before probably ending up in a museum. The new painting was done by three French artists in a neo-Byzantine style that deviates from the previous iconographic layout. Notable are the idealized portrait of the first founder, Stephen and the second, King Carol I of Romania. The latter is shown with his queen, Elisabeth of Wied; Crown Prince Ferdinand and his wife Marie; and the three children the couple had at the time: Carol, Elisabeth and Mărioara. The symbolic significance of the paintings is underscored by the presence of traditional Romanian costume in the allegorical figures surrounding the king and in the children.
Although subject to criticism, the idealized reconstruction became a prototype for other monuments built or restored over the coming years. For example, Nicolae Ghica-Budești drew inspiration from the project. The church was blessed in October 1904, during national celebrations marking 400 years since Stephen's death. For the 1906 Bucharest jubilee, it was reproduced in its entirety as a symbol of Carol's achievements.
Today, the church functions as a chapel of Trei Ierarhi. It is listed as a historic monument by Romania's Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, as are the wall fragments.


Saint Quentin Church (in French église Saint-Quentin) is a small 12th-century fortified church in Scy-Chazelles, in the suburbs of Metz (Lorraine, France). It is the burial place of Robert Schuman,  one of the founders of the European Union.


WikiWeb_Saint Sarkis Church of Ashtarak_1

Saint Sarkis Church has a small cruciform central-plan supposedly built in the 19th century on an old foundation. A single drum and umbrella type dome rest on top of the church. Four small windows are located around the drum and upon the walls directly below at each of the four sides of the church.  The interior stone has not been changed, yet the exterior façades have had extensive restoration work done recently. It looks to be a new church, but a small number of the older original stones carved with decorative relief and inscriptions (replaced with new stone and now sitting next to the foundation of the building) show its age to be much older.


WikiWeb_Saint Sarkis Monastery of Ushi_1

The Monastery of Saint Sarkis consists of Saint Sarkis Chapel of the 10th century, Surp Astvatsatsin Church ("Church of the Holy Mother of God"), an adjacent gavit of the 11th-12th centuries, vestibule, belfry, refectory, vaulted guest-chamber, housing for monks, and utility rooms. A fortification wall built in 1654 with fortified two-storey circular towers in three of the corners surrounds the monastic complex. During the earthquakes of 1679 and 1827, the monastery was reduced to ruins. The only structure left standing was the single-nave vaulted chapel that houses the grave of Saint Sarkis. He was originally buried in the village town of Namyan, but in the 5th century a delegation led by Saint Mesrop moved the remains of Saint Sarkis and interred them at this site. The chapel was damaged and left in poor condition due to the earthquakes, and shows some signs of emergency repairs.
Restoration work was done on the chapel in December 2003 to spring of 2004, and recent archaeological excavations have started to take place under the patronage of Archbishop Shahen Ajemian headed by Frina Babayan. Archaeologists have cleared the collapsed structures and are currently (as of Aug. 2009) working to piece together parts of the collapsed church and gavit.
Upon the hill nearby, there are the remains of an Iron Age fortress. It is almost nonexistent except for portions of the collapsed walls that once surrounded the fortress. Nearby down the main road that leads back into Ushi from the monastery, is a small chapel from the 10th century.


Sakonnet Light, built in 1884, is a sparkplug lighthouse near Sakonnet Point, Little Compton, Rhode Island, on the eastern side of the state.
The light was deactivated in 1954 after Hurricane Carol and was going to be destroyed, but local citizens protested, and eventually Carl and Carolyn Haffenreffer bought the lighthouse in 1961.  Explaining his decision to purchase the lighthouse, Carl Haffenreffer said, "I was afraid someone was going to paint it pink or haul it away for scrap."  The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse acquired the lighthouse in 1985, and it was reactivated by the United States Coast Guard in 1997.  A $1.45 million restoration of the lighthouse it was completed in 2012. The Friends of the Sakonnet Light were awarded the 2012 Rhody Award by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission for their work.


Sakurada Gate (桜田門, sakurada-mon) is a gate at Tokyo Imperial Palace, in Tokyo, Japan. It was the location of the Sakuradamon Incident in 1860.
Opposite the gate of Sakurada Gate is the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, which shares "Sakurada Gate" as a metonym (akin to London's Scotland Yard).


Sala Silver Mine (Swedish: Sala silvergruva) is a mine in Sala Municipality, in Västmanland County in Sweden. The mine was in continuous production from the 15th century until 1908. Additional mining occurred in 1950–1951 and also in 1945–1962 in the neighbouring Bronäs Mine.