1725 - Data Points by Date/Period

St. Euphemia's Church, commonly referred to as the Basilica of St. Euphemia (though not officially a minor basilica) and locally known as St. Fuma's Church, stands as a Baroque church situated in the historic center of Rovinj.The church, constructed between 1725 and 1736 atop earlier Christian foundations, was initially devoted to Saint George, later to both Saints George and Euphemia before being dedicated solely to Euphemia. Its facade, added in 1883, overlooks a wealth of art treasures including Gothic statues from the 15th century and paintings spanning the 16th and 17th centuries. The bell tower, reminiscent of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, was built between 1654 and 1680 and features a 60-meter-high tower crowned by a statue of Saint Euphemia functioning as a wind vane.The church is described by Alice Lee Moqué in Delightful Dalmatia:'At first glance it is seen that the tower with its golden angel is almost an exact copy of the campanile in Venice, only this angel is Saint Eufemia, the little town's patron saint...whose marvelous experiences are plainly depicted upon the walls of the chapel.'Alice Lee Moqué, a suffragette and travel writer, recounts a local legend surrounding the arrival of the sarcophagus at the Church. According to the legend, two fishermen, rescued by a mysterious light during a storm, witness an object sinking into the sea near Rovinj's shore. Despite unsuccessful attempts by townspeople to retrieve it, a widow's plan involving oxen successfully hauls the sarcophagus from the water to a nearby hill. A skeptic collapses in its presence, claiming to have received a vision from Saint Euphemia herself. The relics, believed to contain her bones, were said to have been stolen by the Genoese and later taken by the Venetians before finally returning to the town in the 14th century, solidifying the hill as the 'Hill of St Euphemia' in local folklore.

The Franciscan Church in Brașov, Romania, stands as a remarkable example of Gothic architecture within the old town. Believed to have been erected around 1450, the church has witnessed various architectural transformations throughout its history, particularly during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The church's current form, dominated by a Baroque style, was established in 1711. Dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, the church's historical journey is intriguing. Founded by the nuns of the Order of Saint Clare, also known as the Clarisses, the church's origins can be traced back to the 15th century. The first written record dates back to 1486, showcasing its early significance in the religious landscape of Brașov. However, in 1543, the rise of Lutheranism in Transylvania led to the expulsion of the Clarisses from the town, resulting in the church being repurposed as a granary. The Lutheran era continued until 1644 when the church was returned to its original status as a place of Lutheran worship. A turning point came with the arrival of the Jesuit and Franciscan orders alongside the Austrian Royal Army in 1686. Following an extensive fire in 1716, which caused substantial damage, the church was reconstructed through the contributions of figures like Generals Königsegg and Tige. The church was eventually handed over to the Franciscan order in 1724, officially inaugurated in 1725. The ensuing years marked the adornment of the interior, showcasing the talents of the order's members. Throughout its history, the church underwent several architectural enhancements. Notable features include a wooden bell-tower, a late Gothic walled-up archway on the southern frontispiece dating back to the 15th century, and various altars dedicated to different saints. The interior boasts Baroque church furniture from the late 1730s, with intricate inlays. The central piece of the main altar depicts St. John baptizing Jesus Christ, flanked by Corinthian columns. Richly adorned gold medallions and sculptures further enhance the interior's visual appeal. The church's organ, constructed in 1751 and later rebuilt in 1939, adds to its musical and artistic significance. In the 20th century, the church underwent restoration efforts, including interior painting by artist Hans Bulhardt in Neo-baroque style. The church holds a place of honor on Romania's historic monument list, recognized for its architectural and cultural importance. The Franciscan Church in Brașov, Romania, is not only an architectural masterpiece but also a testament to the religious and artistic history of the region. With its rich history, architectural evolution, and artistic embellishments, the church stands as a captivating symbol of Brașov's heritage.

St. Vitus' Cathedral is the only Baroque rotunda of monumental proportions built on Croatian soil. The construction of this church, designed by the Jesuit architect G. Briano, began in 1638. It was made on the model of the famous Venetian church of Santa Maria della Salute. The location selected for the construction of the St. Vitus' church was an elevated area at the heart of the then still medieval urban area. Initially, there was a small church of the same name, dedicated to the city's patron saint. The Jesuits, as the creators of the project, primarily decided to use the cult of the Miraculous Crucifix from the small church, which, according to popular legend, started bleeding when a certain Petar Lončarić threw a stone at it after exploding with rage over a gambling loss. The early Gothic crucifix is incorporated into the Baroque main altar of the new church, which, in the spirit of storytelling piety inherent to miraculous relics, also houses Lončarić's stone and a small bronze hand.The investment in building a new St. Vitus' church exceeded the capacities of the local community; thus, with interruptions, it took a whole century to build it, and judging by the facade surfaces that are not covered in stone slabs, it has never been completed. The design underwent a substantial change in 1725, when the new constructor, B. Martinuzzi added a gallery to the church. A local legend explains that this happened because the Jesuits did not want the monastic novitiate to mix with the masses during the mixed liturgy, especially with the beautiful girls of Rijeka.Inside, the church is a true Baroque 'Gesamkunstwerk', a synthesis of the arts. The authors of the lush, luxurious Baroque works of the interior, the altar and the pulpit are masters who arrived from Gorizia and Friuli; S. Petruzzi, P. Lazzarini, L. Pacassi and A. Michelazzi, of which the latter became naturalized in Rijeka.

The Monastery of Ardenica is located at the highest point of a range of hills stretching across the great plain of Myzeqea (Myzeqe). Over the centuries this monastery has been an important historical, cultural, and spiritual center of the Orthodox Church. The monastery was situated close to the important road, Via Egnatia, which joined Western and Eastern Europe and continued all the way to Constantinople. In the monastery itself, several mile-marker stones from the Via Egnatia can be found. Because it was located on this major artery, the monastery drew many people to its gates. The monastery is dedicated to the Nativity of the All-Holy Theotokos and celebrates its feast-day on September 8th, when a great number of the faithful gather from all over Albania. Some scholars say that the initial core of the monastery, The Church of the Holy Trinity, has its beginnings in the 10th century. According to tradition, the monastery itself was founded in the 13th or 14th century during the time of the Epirius Despotism. The central Church of the Nativity of Theotokos was built in 1743, with funds from merchants of Voskopoja, who were scattered across Europe. It is said that this church replaced an older church, which was destroyed together with the entire monastery at the end of the 17th century, perhaps from a fire or earthquake. Its restoration was due in large part to the abbot of the monastery Nektar Terpo from Voskopoja, a renowned personality and preacher of the Church at that time. Two years after the building of the church, Abbot Andoni wrote a letter to the donors requesting their continued economic help in order to rebuild the monastery. The funds gathered from these efforts made possible the gradual completion of the monastery's buildings. Now, though they have been repaired several times, most of the buildings at the monastery - the cellars, kitchen, bakery, cells, welcoming rooms, and especially the oil mill - are in their original form and rank among the best preserved buildings for monasteries of the 18th century. The inside walls of the monastery church are completely covered with frescoes. The murals are the work of Konstandin and Athanas Zografi, who were brothers from Korca; they date back to the year 1744. All of the words, including those on the frescoes, are written in old Greek. Some of the more notable frescoes can be found on the northern part of the western-facing wall, where visitors will find icons of the seven saints who evangelized the Slavs as well as St. John Kukuzeli of Durres, a notable Byzantine musician of the 12th century. It is also worth noticing the group of frescoes devoted to the sufferings of Christ on the fourth level of the murals. A majority of the icons on the iconostasis were made in 1744 by another famous iconographer of the 18th century, Konstandin Shpataraku (from the regions of Shpati near Elbasan). He signed his name Hierodeacon Konstandin. Among the icons on the iconostasis was also an icon of St. John Vladimir; the Albanian Prince, Karl Topia, is also pictured there in miniature. This icon is now housed in the Medieval Art Museum in Korca. The iconostasis structure itself was also carved around the year 1744 and repaired in 1804. The Episcopal throne, the amvon, and the icon stand were also carved during the same period. All the wood carvings are painted with gold. Flora and fauna are a significant element found carved in these pieces and each has symbolic meaning. They rank among the most beautiful carved pieces of these regions. Inside the church are also a number of silver adornments with floral motifs, such as the lampadas of the iconostasis which date back to the years 1725 and 1745. Many of the liturgical and historical artistic objects of the Monastery - icons, silver pieces, the holy stole, and various documents - are preserved in archival and private museum collections, both local and foreign, in at least five other European countries: Greece, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Poland.

18th century Petrine Baroque palace in Tallin's subdistrict of Kadriorg. Both the Estonian and the German name for the palace means "Catherine's valley". The palace was a present of czar Peter the Great of Russia for his wife Catherine I of Russia. It was built in 1718–1725 for Nicola Michetti's designs by Gaetano Chiaveri and Mikhail Zemtsov. The palace currently houses the Kadriorg Art Museum, a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia, displaying foreign art from the 16th to 20th centuries. Peter the Great and Catherine visited the unfinished residence on several occasions, but after his death in 1725 Catherine showed no interest in the seaside property. The great hall with Catherine's initials and profuse stucco decor (attributed to Heinrich von Bergen) survives, while many other interiors have been altered.

1725 (5)

Other Dates/Periods

1435

12-07-1941

31-03-1982

0400

1987 - 1989

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