Vera Cruz Cross
by Joan Carroll
Title
Vera Cruz Cross
Artist
Joan Carroll
Medium
Photograph - Digital Art
Description
The Church of the Vera Cruz in Segovia Spain is more of a shrine than a church. It seems set off on a lonely bit of land outside of the historic walls of Segovia on the road to the next town. The property around it isn't 'landscaped' to look pretty. The cross outside seemed just propped up. Everything just holding together. Add to that a visit in January, during mid afternoon when it was closed, not to open for another hour and a half. I felt like the only person in the world, getting to walk around and study the church exterior and enjoy the countryside. I was forced to slow down and just admire. The 90 minutes spent outside 'just waiting' for it to open were some of the most peaceful and memorable of my day in Segovia. Consecrated in 1208, Vera Cruz was built in Romanesque style by the Knights Templar to house a fragment of the True Cross. It is thus not really a parish church or even a monastic church, but primarily a shrine. Vera Cruz has a unique 12-sided exterior with a tower on the south side, which can be admired from the viewpoint near the Alcazar. Its shape is patterned on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, where according to legend the True Cross was found by St. Helena in the 4th century. Inside, the round nave centers on an unusual two-story gallery, where the Knights are thought to have kept vigil over the sliver of wood.
FEATURED PHOTO, Spanish Theme Artwork group, 7/13/15
Uploaded
July 12th, 2015
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Viewed 1,949 Times - Last Visitor from Beverly Hills, CA on 04/19/2024 at 1:03 PM
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