the weekend in black and white

This is the dome of the church of
Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli,
located in the neighborhood
of Sant'Angelo (also the site of the
former Jewish ghetto).    

[To see more b/w images,
visit Dragonstar's meme.]

inSPIREd Sunday

This beautiful model was the creation of a
Neapolitan cabinetmaker, Vincenzo
Pandolfi.  He began work on it in 1977 and 
finished 28 years later, shortly before
he died at the age of 98.  It's on display in
the church of Sant' Ignace di Loyola, in Rome.

[To see more churches from
around the world, go here.]

inSPIREd Sunday

Here's the beautiful dome of Sacré Coeur
in Paris.  This shot was taken a few
years ago and I'm a bit sad to report that
when I was last there (in July) they
had outlawed photography in the church
altogether.  Maybe that's not a bad
thing (it is a church, after all), though I'm
sure it was the "flashers" who precipitated that
new rule.  You know who you are!

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]

Thursday Challenge—"glass"

This is the 103-year-old, 43-meter-high
dome that caps the Galeries Lafayette, 
in Paris.  That's a lot of glass!

[To see more of the Thursday Photo
Challenge, visit Dale's meme.]

Destination shopping

This is the beautiful dome of the Galeries Lafayette 
department store, built in 1912 in Paris.

[Linking back to Blue Monday.]

Christmas is coming

Here's a little reminder (though you probably
didn't need one) that the holidays will
be here before you know it.  This huge tree
was the centerpiece of the Christmas décor at the
Galeries Lafayette, in Paris, last year.
The dome is gorgeous year-round, but especially
when it's washed with color for the season.

[It's Blue Monday. To see more, go here.] 

inSPIREd Sunday

Venice's Basilica di San Marco is just 
a bit over the top.  But seen from behind, 
the brick structure and lead-clad (I think) domes 
are almost—but maybe not quite—simple.

[To see more churches from around the world, go here.]