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Monday, 1 May 2017
Random Photo of the Day, May 1 2017
The random photo for today, the beautiful interior of the chapel in Brescia University College, London, Ontario, Canada.
Sunday, 30 April 2017
Random Photo of the Day April 30 2017
The random photo of the day, the beautiful front facade of Saint Peter's Cathedral-Basilica, London, Ontario, Canada.
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Saturday, 29 April 2017
Random Photo of the Day, April 29 2017
The random photo of the day, the exterior of Saint Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario, Canada.
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Friday, 28 April 2017
Random Photo of the Day, April 28, 2017
The random photo of the day, a detail of the nave in the beautiful Gothic Revival church of Saint Helen in Toronto, Canada.
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Thursday, 27 April 2017
The Mosaics of Count Alexander von Svoboda in Mount Saint Joseph, London, Ontario
Anyone visiting the beautiful chapel of the old Sisters of Saint Joseph Motherhouse (now Windemere on the Mount Retirement Residence) is stuck by the size and the beauty of this wonderful structure. The Italian marbles, coffered ceiling, carved woodwork, and vibrantly coloured stained glass from Florence, Italy are all very impressive.
The aspect of the chapel that I would like to focus on today is the stunning mosaic that can be seen in the ceiling of the sanctuary area. Here is a photo that shows the division between the coffered ceiling of the nave into the mosaic ceiling of the sanctuary.
What many people don't know is the amazing history behind the man who created this beautiful work of art.
Count Alexander von Svoboda was born in Vienna, Austria in 1929. Following a childhood of privilege, wealth, and art school, Count von Svoboda entered service with the Nazi army in World War II at the age of 15. He was eventually captured by the Russian army and sent to a work camp in Siberia. Soon after, he engineered a daring escape, and made a daunting 6,000 mile trek back to Austria. In Austria, Count von Svoboda befriended a group of American soldiers, which led to him being employed as an interpreter for General George S. Patton. With his considerable art and architecture skills, von Svoboda then worked for the U.S. Army as a designer of hospitals and chapels across Europe after the War. Realizing that Europe was too small for his artistic ambitions, von Svoboda moved to Toronto, Canada, where he worked on sculptures and mosaics, specializing in a type of classical mosaic technique developed in Italy known as "Smalti", which he mastered and brought to North America. Smalti is a type of molten glass that is fired and pressed into flat pancakes in a furnace, then coloured and processed using a secret method passed down from generation to generation. To create the mosaic, the glass tiles are glued upside-down on a paper pattern of the mosaic, then applied to fresh cement on the wall or ceiling. After each square-foot section is applied to the cement, the paper is then slowly removed using water.
It is truly amazing how the circumstances led to this wonderful piece of art being created in London, Ontario, Canada. Here are some of my photos of this glorious work.
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Saturday, 10 September 2016
Our Lady of Sorrows
Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori:
Oh my afflicted Mother, Queen of martyrs and of sorrows, thou didst so bitterly weep over thy Son, who died for my salvation; but what will thy tears avail me if I am lost? By the merits, then, of thy sorrows, obtain for me true contrition for my sins, and a real amendment of life, together with constant and tender compassion for the sufferings of Jesus and thy dolors. And if Jesus and thou, being so innocent, have suffered so much for love of me, obtain that at least I, who am deserving of hell, may suffer something for your love. "O Lady," will I say with St. Bonaventure, "if I have offended thee, in justice wound my heart; if I have served thee, I now ask wounds for my reward. It is shameful to me to see my Lord Jesus wounded, and thee wounded with him, and myself without a wound." In fine, O my Mother, by the grief that thou didst experience in seeing thy Son bow down his head and expire on the cross in the midst of so many torments, I beseech thee to obtain me a good death. Ah, cease not, O advocate of sinners, to assist my afflicted soul in the midst of the combat in which it will have to engage on its great passage from time to eternity. And as it is probable that I may then have lost my speech and strength to invoke thy name and that of Jesus, who are all my hope, I do so now; I invoke thy Son and thee to succor me in that last moment; and I say, Jesus and Mary, to you I commend my soul. Amen.
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Saint Mary's Pro-Cathedral High Altar
On Saturday I went on a trip to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to take a few photos in some of the beautiful churches there. The churches I visited were Saint Patrick's and Saint Mary's Pro-Cathedral. Here are a few photos of the high altar in Saint Mary's which I shot on that trip.
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