Heritage with Related Tags
Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots
The cathedrals and churches of Echmiadzin and the archaeological remains of Zvartnots vividly illustrate the evolution and development of the central-domed cross-hall church style in Armenia, which had a profound influence on the development of architecture and art in the region.
Old City of Acre
Acre is a historic port city that has been inhabited since the Phoenician period. The present city is an Ottoman fortified town built in the 18th and 19th centuries, with typical urban components such as a castle, mosque, khan and baths. The remains of the Crusader City, built between 1104 and 1291, are almost intact, and both above and below today's streets, show the layout and structure of the medieval capital of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din
These two castles are the most representative examples of the exchange of influences and the evolution of Near Eastern defensive architecture during the Crusades (11th-13th centuries). The Castle of the Knights was built between 1142 and 1271 by the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem. Further work by the Mamluks in the late 13th century made it one of the best preserved Crusader castles. The Fortress of Saladin (Qal'at Salah El-Din), although partly in ruins, is an outstanding example of this type of fortification, both in terms of the quality of its construction and the preservation of its historical strata. It retains features from the 10th-century Byzantine period, Frankish modifications from the late 12th century, and fortifications added during the Ayyubid period (late 12th to mid-13th century).
Tyre
According to legend, purple dye was invented in Tyre. This great Phoenician city dominated the seas and founded prosperous colonies such as Cadiz and Carthage, but its historical importance gradually declined at the end of the Crusades. There are many important archaeological remains here, mainly from the Roman period.
Vézelay, Church and Hill
The Benedictine Abbey of Vézelay was founded in the 9th century and soon after it received the relics of St. Mary Magdalene, it has been an important place of pilgrimage. St. Bernard preached the Second Crusade here in 1146, Richard the Lionheart and Philip II Augustus met here, and they set out for the Third Crusade in 1190. The Madeleine Church of Vézelay, a 12th-century abbey church with carved capitals and porches, is a masterpiece of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture.
Episcopal City of Albi
Located on the Tarn River in southwestern France, the old city of Albi is a culmination of medieval architecture and urban integrity. Today, the Pont-Vieux, the Saint-Salve quarter and its church bear witness to the city's early development (10th-11th centuries). After the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar pagans (13th century), the city became a powerful episcopal city. The towering fortified cathedral (late 13th century), built of local bricks in a distinctive southern French Gothic style with typical red and orange colours, is the city's commanding point and demonstrates the power regained by the Roman Catholic clergy. Next to the cathedral is the huge episcopal palace, overlooking the river, surrounded by residential areas dating back to the Middle Ages. The episcopal city of Albi forms a coherent and homogeneous group of monuments and neighbourhoods that have remained largely unchanged over the centuries.
Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika
The provincial capital and seaport of Thessaloniki, founded in 315 BC, was one of the first bases for the spread of Christianity. Among its Christian monuments are fine churches, some in the form of a Greek cross, others in the form of a three-nave basilica. Built over a long period from the 4th to the 15th century, these churches constitute a diachronic typological series that had a considerable influence on the Byzantine world. The Rotunda and the mosaics of St. Demetrius and St. David are among the great masterpieces of early Christian art.
Old Rauma
Rauma, located on the Gulf of Bothnia, is one of Finland's oldest ports. Rauma was built around a Franciscan monastery, where the mid-15th-century Church of the Holy Cross still stands today, an outstanding example of a Nordic timber-framed ancient town. Although it was destroyed by fire in the late 17th century, it still retains its ancient vernacular architectural heritage.