Saturday, April 3, 2010

The flutter of wings in the Holy Sepulchre

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(Mouse clicks will bring you the fine details.)
These stone birds are not the only birds to inhabit Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The church, on the traditional place of Jesus' crucifixion and burial, was built in 335 by Emperor Constantine and his mother, destroyed by the Persions in 614, and rebuilt by the Crusaders in 1149.
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The nooks and crannies high up in the cavernous structure are like heaven for pigeons.
The puffed up pigeon in the picture above looks like she might even have a roosting place.
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There she is, up in the right hand corner.
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And this is the beauty that is even higher up, over the pigeon's little "station."
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Camera-Critters meme is celebrating two years today. You are welcome to join in by contributing an animal photo.
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12 comments:

  1. Superb photos and architecture but sorry Dina... pigeons... yuck... However holy they may become!

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  2. Shalom Coffeeveggie addict, welcome. Yes, the Holy Sepulchre is unique.

    Ciel, yeah, but how to get rid of them? What do they do to prevent pigeons in the great basilicas of France? Any advice?

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  3. I wonder how different the last structure is from the one Constantine built. It is beautifully ornate.

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  4. Gigi, Constantine's basilica was far larger and even more grandiose than the present one.
    You can have a panoramic virtual tour (although the accompanying notes are a bit strange) at
    http://www.360tr.com/kudus/kiyamet_eng/index.html

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  5. Thanks for the video and your visit, Dina!

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  6. Wonderful images. I hate pigeons, even more when they are inside walls.
    I can't imagine a way to stop them inside a structure like this.

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  7. Very nice. It does look like that pigeon has found a place to roost.

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  8. Very nice images of a great structure, so detailed and interesting.

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  9. Wonderful post! That is so funny about the pigeons. your posts are always fascinating.

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  10. Why, one could spend the entire night in the Holy Sepulchre and not see the nooks and cranny delights.

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  11. What a magnificent place. I'm fascinated by old churches and their nooks and crannies. They're places of such mystery.

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