93 Lisbon Cathedral/ Sé de Lisboa

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Lisbon Cathedral/ Sé de Lisboa

Lisbon cathedral was first built in 1147 ; it was built on the site of the main mosque of Lisbon, once the Christian crusaders had won out (and, presumably, destroyed the mosque). And pretty solid it is, since it survived the big earthquake. In the 1380s an angry crowd threw a bishop off the top, because they suspected him of plotting with a foreign power. Fine rose window, beautiful volumes and some good statues. At  the beginning of the 20th century, most of the neoclassical decoration from outside and inside of the cathedral was removed to make the cathedral look more medieval.

























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86 Paris, Montmartre, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Gospel is sport!

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 86 Paris, Montmartre, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart This tremendously famous church, which towers over Montmartre in Paris, is more directly political than most. It is often said to have been built as revenge against the Paris Commune, an insurrection during which the workers controlled Paris for a couple of months and showed the wonderful possibilities of workers’ power before being massacred by the authorities. This is not 100% true, in that the plans to build this church were decided before the Paris Commune. Nevertheless, the right wingers of the time certainly presented the church, and the worship of the sacrament in it as penance for the terrible sin of workers’ insurrection. As a result the church is cordially detested by many left wing activists in France (even more than the significant minority of left activists here who cordially detest any religious building). Shortly after the building of the church, it was the site of the National Vow, which again was a very co...
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