Surprise shadow

.
I turned the corner at Terra Sancta College and its gate's sharp shadow greeted me.
It was a total surprise!
Normally I take that route to the American library every Sunday morning.
But this time I got there just after noon, and the angle of the sun gave me this nice bonus.
.
It made me think how important it is for variety's sake to try going to familiar places at unfamiliar times, at least for us photo-bloggers.
.
This shadow goes straight to Shadow Shot Sunday.
.

A nun at Terra Sancta's door

.
I've posted about Terra Sancta College before, but now I want to show its lovely front door for Monday Doorways (where meme host Louis la Vache is showing some nice Biblical scenes on his doors today).
.
You normally have to shoot through the locked outer gate, so just believe me that the door bears the words CHARITAS -- FIDES.
Charity/love -- faith.
.
Today was my lucky day.
I saw the door open for the first time AND a nun came out!

Enlarge the photo and see she is kneeling not in prayer but rather in service to the plants, watering them on this hot day.
Well, gardening is holy work too, IMHO.
Terra Sancta was designed by the prolific Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi.
This historic photo is from the 1920s, when it was dedicated.
.
The heritage sign says that "This monumental building typical of Italian public buildings of the period ... served as a boys college (high school) administered by the Franciscan order."
When the Hebrew University on Mt. Scopus became inaccessible to Israelis in 1949, the university used Terra Santa (aka Terra Sancta) for offices and to store the library collections.
Just a few years ago the entire building finally went back into entirely Franciscan hands.
.
I think it is now a college where young Catholic men can study and live.
And the new Franciscan Media Center might be inside that big door as well.
.

Mary in the clouds

.
This afternoon the clouds seemed to be pointing to the haloed Madonnina, the patron saint of Milan.
By tradition, no building in Milan is higher than the Madonnina. Not so in Jerusalem.

Mary's hands and gesture look so graceful, even from far below.

This is the Terra Santa building that I showed you last night, across from France Square.

This monumental building typical of Italian public buildings of the period was dedicated in 1927.

It served as a boys' college (high school), administered by the Franciscan order.

From 1949 it was used by the Hebrew University and by the National Library.

At the beginning of this century the Franciscans took it back.

Terra Santa was designed by Antonio Barluzzi, the Italian architect who made many of the newer Catholic churches in Jerusalem.
.

The wintery Jerusalem sky says Shalom to all the different skies appearing tonight at SkyWatch Friday. Keep looking up!

.