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July 21, 2012 by Max Distro LLC

Palais Garnier, Paris

Grand Foyer Palais Garnier, Paris

Grand Foyer Palais Garnier, Paris

The Palais Garnier is probably the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris like Notre Dame cathedral, the Louvre, or the Eiffel tower. It is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 by Napoleon III for the Paris Opera. This is the thirteenth building to house the Paris Opera since it's founding in 1669 by Louis IV. The Opera has now relocated to L’Opera de la Bastille as of 1989 and the Garnier is used mostly for ballet. The new opera house has had some issues with appearance and acoustics but both “opera houses” are sold out for every performance.

Exterior Palais Garnier, Paris

Exterior Palais Garnier, Paris

The selection of the architect was the subject of an architectural design competition in 1861, a competition which was won by the architect Charles Garnier (1825–1898).

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Filed Under: Bridges and Buildings, France, Monument, Painting, Paris, Sculpture Tagged With: Charles Garnier, Monuments, Napoleon III, Painting, Palais Garnier, Paris, Paris Opera, Paul Baudry

July 7, 2012 by Max Distro LLC

Dôme Des Invalides, Paris

Dôme Des Invalides, Paris
Dôme Des Invalides, Paris doors

Proposed by Louis XIV in 1670 as a home for “invalids” – disabled and impoverished war veterans, Les Invalides was designed by Libéral Bruant and completed in 1676. Shortly after the veterans' chapel was completed, Louis XIV commissioned Mansart to construct a separate private royal chapel referred to as the Église du Dôme from its most striking feature. Inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the original for all Baroque domes, it is one of the triumphs of French Baroque architecture.

The dome itself is 107 meters high (351 ft) making it one of the tallest monuments in Paris, and was centrally placed in order to dominate the court of honor – one of 15 courtyards at the complex, designed for military parades. The inside of the dome was painted by Charles de La Fosse, disciple of 18th century well-known French painter, Charles Le Brun.

The doors seen you see to the right are covered in gold leaf, 25 feet tall, weigh almost 3 tons and have several symbols on them. The top round monogram is Louis XIV with two crossed “L's”. The two round monograms framing the fleur de lis of France in the middle are for Saint Louis, King Louis IX. The square section between is topped with two trophy helmets, the sun with a human face for Louis XIV (he believed he was unique and radiant like the sun) and finally the coat of arms for the kings of France, three golden fleur de lis on a sea of blue.

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Filed Under: Cathedrals & Churches, France, Monument, Paris Tagged With: Cathedrals & Churches, France, Monuments, Napoleon I, Napoleon III, Tomb

June 24, 2012 by Max Distro LLC

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral the facade

I thought we would visit Notre Dame today, since it was good weather and we felt like an adventure. The cathedral is located on the east end of the Île de la Cité, one of two remaining islands in the Seine and home to the first inhabitants of Paris, the Celtic tribe Parisii.

I personally think the east side of Notre Dame shown above is more picturesque than the western facade shown to the right, primarily because you can see the “flying buttresses” that were added when cracks began showing in the fairly thin gothic walls. However, the western facade is packed with statues and carvings, most of which have religious meanings. Built in an age of illiteracy, the cathedral retells the stories of the Bible in its portals, paintings, and stained glass.

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Filed Under: Cathedrals & Churches, Paris Tagged With: Cathedrals & Churches, Chandelier, Monuments, Paris, Sculpture

June 18, 2012 by Max Distro LLC

Diogenes and Alexander, Pierre Puget

Diogenes and Alexander by Puget

According to legend, Alexander the Great came to visit the Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope. Alexander wanted to fulfill a wish for Diogenes and asked him what he desired. According to the version recounted by Diogenes Laërtius, Diogenes replied “Stand out of my light.” Plutarch provides a longer version of the story:

Thereupon many statesmen and philosophers came to Alexander with their congratulations, and he expected that Diogenes of Sinope also, who was tarrying in Corinth, would do likewise. But since that philosopher took not the slightest notice of Alexander, and continued to enjoy his leisure in the suburb Craneion, Alexander went in person to see him; and he found him lying in the sun. Diogenes raised himself up a little when he saw so many persons coming towards him, and fixed his eyes upon Alexander. And when that monarch addressed him with greetings, and asked if he wanted anything, “Yes,” said Diogenes, “stand a little out of my sun.” It is said that Alexander was so struck by this, and admired so much the haughtiness and grandeur of the man who had nothing but scorn for him, that he said to his followers, who were laughing and jesting about the philosopher as they went away, “But truly, if I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.”

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Filed Under: Paris, Sculpture, The Louvre Tagged With: Diogenes and Alexander, Monuments, Puget, Sculpture, The Louvre

June 18, 2012 by Max Distro LLC

The apartments of Napoleon III at the Louvre

Napoleon III Bedroom at the Louvre
Today we visited the Louvre and viewed the Napoleon III Apartments which were built for the ministry of state between 1852 and1857 as part of a larger project to connect the Louvre and the Tuileries Palace, thus making an enclosed square of the Tuileries and the Louvre. As far as I can tell, these “apartments” were meant for visiting VIPs like heads of state, not for Napoleon III himself. The picture above shows a bedroom, the whole affair was fitted out in Louis IV style as you will see below.
The job was directed by Napoleon III, who still lived in the Tuileries and let the public into the Louvre to see the Art collection. He also added the two bits inside the courtyard, designed to conceal the fact that the two long galleries aren’t parallel.
Map of Louvre

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Filed Under: Paris, The Louvre Tagged With: Chandelier, Dining Room, Interiors, Monuments, Museums, Napoleon III, Paris, Paris commune, Vanity

June 15, 2012 by Max Distro LLC

Manneken Pis in Brussels

Manneken Pis

I know this is a little out of order since I am currently in Paris, but I found this charming photo from our trip to Brussels a few years ago and I thought I would share. Manneken Pis (literally Little Man Pee in Marols, a Dutch dialect spoken in Brussels, also known in French as le Petit Julien), is a famous Brussels landmark. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain’s basin. It was designed by Jerome Duquesnoy and put in place in 1618 or 1619. It bears a similar cultural significance as Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid.

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Filed Under: Belgium Tagged With: Brussels, Monuments

June 3, 2012 by Max Distro LLC

The Atomium in Brussels, Belgium

© www.atomium.be – SABAM 2010 – Kurt Buzard (this ridiculous little statement is required by Belgian law or I get sued)

Since we are going to Paris this summer, I thought I would post about a famous European monument similar to the Eiffel tower but located in Brussels, the Atomium. We traveled to Amsterdam and Brussels a few years ago and I thought I would share some snaps.

Like the the Eiffel tower, built for a world expo in 1889, the Atomium was built for a world expo in 1958. Also like the Eiffel tower, it was scheduled for demolition after the the expo but has lived on as a symbol of the city of Brussels. The Atomium was the main pavilion and symbol for the World Expo of 1958, the balls were used as conference rooms and the tubes have stairs. The structure is 102 meters high and has 9 spheres oriented in the form of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. For the fiftieth anniversary it was completely renovated, the original aluminum covering of the spheres was replaced with stainless steel. Today it contains a museum and a small children’s hotel (where they sleep in spheres) and is the most recognizable symbol of Brussels, home of the European Union.

The monument was constructed to represent a vision of peace and prosperity through science and technology, particularly directed toward the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Today, the vision is the same, perhaps slightly clouded by the Fukushima, Chernobyl and Three Mile Island meltdowns. As Diane Hennebert, former Director of the Atomium, has said:

“The story of the Atomium is, above all, one of love, the love that the Belgians have for an extraordinary structure symbolising a frame of mind that wittily combines aesthetic daring with technical mastery. The appearance of the Atomium is unusual and unforgettable. It has a rare quality of lifting everyone’s spirits and firing their imagination.”

 

Filed Under: Belgium Tagged With: Monuments

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