A work of art and a labor of love, the Little Chapel is possibly the smallest chapel in the world. It was built by Brother Déodat, a Benedictine monk, who started work in March 1914. His plan was to create a miniature version of the famous grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France. The first two he created, he ended up tearing down. The first one everyone thought was too small. The second one was torn down after a visiting bishop couldn't make it through the front door.
In late 1923, Brother Deodat set about the construction of a third chapel - which is the one there today. The building operation proved laborious. Day after day he collected pebbles and broken china to decorate the shrine. The Little Chapel became famous, thanks to an illustrated article in the Daily Mirror. Islanders brought colored china to Les Vauxbelets; the Lieutenant-Governor offered a remarkable mother-of-pearl; presents poured in from around the world.
It is a beautiful chapel, a true jewel, and the stations of the cross outside are worth a walk through too. Here are a few pictures from the chapel. Plus a few from the main church at St. Peter Port which is currently under extensive renovation. It is a lovely church as well.
Rome may be known as the City of Fountains and Kansas City bills itself as the American version but Trieste can compete too. There are lovely fountains and statues everywhere in the city and adorning many buildings. The large one in the main piazza,the Piazza Unità d'Italia, is known as The Fountain of The Four Continents. It was erected prior to the discovery of Australia.
Here's a sample. For those who like to play name that tune, the audio is Three Coins In A Fountain.
The history of this magnificent Castle spans eight centuries and its buildings now house several museums including The Maritime Museum and the 201 Squadron Museum. Soldiers in uniform fire the noonday gun daily and the gardens are very beautiful We had a guided tour that was every bit as fun and informative as the one at the Tower Of London. We learned a lot about the Castle, Guernsey & British history. It was very interesting to learn that the citizens of Guernsey are not allowed to vote in the British elections because Guernsey is actually owned by the Crown. On the plus side, they are not now (or ever have been) saddled with taxes. Who knows where we would be today if the Crown had reached a similar arrangement back in 1776.
If you visit Guernsey, make certain to visit the Castle & take the tour. For more info on the castle & it's history, read below the show.
The first Castle which was begun in the mid 13th Century, had a Chapel, a half round tower and a square tower; all of which were defended by walls, a ditch and a drawbridge. Archaeological evidence shows that vivid colours that were used to decorate such areas as the Great Hall.
THE MEDIEVAL CASTLE
There was a constant threat of attack from France during the 14th and 15th centuries. The Castle suffered great damage during these troubled times. In 1338 the Castle was captured and held for seven years and there is archaeological evidence of the many medieval weapons used in the Castle at this time. These are on display in ‘Story of Castle Cornet’ Museum.
By the end of the Medieval period, parts of the Castle had been rebuilt and made stronger. A Donjon (Keep) and a Barbican (outer defensive passageway) were added.
THE TUDOR CASTLE
During the 16th century, Henry VIII ordered the Castle to be strengthened against new artillery weapons. The changes were carried out under several governors and continued into the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Paul Ivy, the foremost military engineer of his day, was responsible for much its construction. He carried out work at Dover Castle and also at Elizabeth Castle in Jersey and was the first to apply Italian ideas to English sites by introducing the ‘bastion’ which provided additional defence from its angled faces. The Castle owes much of its present appearance to this work.
A bronze ‘Falcon’ cannon in one of the museums illustrates early artillery defence. Made in the 16th century this cannon had a maximum range of some 1300 paces with a full charge of 2.5 pounds of gunpowder.
CASTLE CORNET DURING THE CIVIL WAR
With the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, Castle Cornet under the Governor Peter Osborne remained loyal to the King. Guernsey supported the Parliamentarians and the Castle was under siege for nearly nine years. Although occasionally supplied by ships from Royalist Jersey, The garrison suffered many hardships during the siege.
THE CASTLE AS PRISON
Castle Cornet was continually used as a prison. Indeed, an old Guernsey expression for being sent to gaol was ‘avoir une vue du Chateau’ (to have a view from the Castle). Victims of religious intolerance were held here during the reformation, including three women who were burnt at the stake. During the English Civil War, three parliamentary commissioners who were imprisoned there escaped over the walls by making ropes out of old musket match.
After the English Civil War, when Charles II regained the throne, General Sir John Lambert was imprisoned in the Castle from1661 to 1670. He was one of Oliver Cromwell’s most highly regarded supporters but did not sign Charles 1 death warrant so escaped the death sentence - being instead banished to a ‘barbarous and distant place’. He is believed to have spent much of his time gardening in the Castle and to have introduced the Guernsey Lily to the island.
THE GREAT EXPLOSION
In 1672 gunpowder kept in the Donjon exploded during a thunderstorm. The explosion killed seven people including the young wife and the mother of the Governor, Lord Hatton. According to our guide, the Governor had gone to bed early. He and his bed were blown clear out to the wall whre he remained sleeping. His manservant was not allowed to wake him, so they had to wait until he woke up on his own before they could attempt a rescue.
The explosion destroyed the Tower, Chapel and Governor`s residences, greatly altering the appearance of the Castle and from that time, no Governor has lived here. Many artifacts were buried in the rubble of the explosion, some of which are on display in the ‘Story of Castle Cornet’ Museum.
THE 18TH CENTURY CASTLE
Women and children lived amongst the English garrisons in the Castle. There are exhibits in the ‘Story of Castle Cornet’ museum which show the domestic life of the Castle. For example, a sampler embroidered in Castle Cornet by 10 year old Isabella Aldridge, the daughter of a soldier.
The 18th century, with the international tension of the French wars saw the construction of two new barracks blocks where the ‘Maritime Museum’ and the ‘Story of Castle Cornet’ are housed today. Two bombproof casemates were also constructed under the citadel in the late 18th century.
THE 19TH CENTURY CASTLE
By the 1790s Castle Cornet was considered cramped, with difficult access and within easy range of artillery. This resulted in a new fort being built on the southern end of St. Peter Port. Fort George was completed in 1812 and many of the soldiers were moved out of the Castle. However, the Castle continued to defend the harbour with its guns The ‘Traversing Gun’ at the southern end of the Castle exemplifies the Castle`s defences at this time. The artillery garrisons left in the Castle are represented in one of the museums as figures of two gunners standing stiffly to attention from the late Victorian era and the First World War respectively.
THE GERMAN OCCUPATION
The Castle was renamed the ‘Hafenschlosss’ (harbour Castle) during the occupation of Guernsey by German forces from 1940 until 1945. The occupying forces built air raid shelters and platforms for anti aircraft guns to update the Castle for 20th century warfare. An example of a German flak (anti - aircraft) gun, similar to those which were in the Castle to defend the harbour from attack by allied aircraft is on show in the ‘Story of Castle Cornet’ museum.
THE CASTLE AS A MUSEUM
In 1947 King George VI presented Castle Cornet to the Islanders of Guernsey as a gift in token of their loyalty during the two World Wars. Since that time it has been maintained and developed as a visitor attraction by the States of Guernsey.
Guernsey reminded us of Ireland. It is very lush & green. The same plants there are huge compared to Kansas. Nearly everybody has a garden where they grow their own vegetables. Our friend, Mel, even had a green house where he was growing plums, grapes, peaches, etc. They do have to fight off the rabbits. The Hobbs' have a pet rabbit that is the biggest rabbit we ever met.
Fish is one of the main food products. We indulged in crab, shrimp, sea bass and a lot of other seafood. It was all prepared fantastically; again the French influence we guess.
The flowers are abundant and magnificent. Plus, they don't seem to have any weeds anywhere. It doesn't seem possible, maybe it's because they are such a small island. We also never saw any bugs - a big plus for us - no mosquitoes!!
P.S. Thanks to John Hughes for the great movies. We will miss you.
Thanks to the great work by Alessi Patrovicchio, I had an outstanding private, guided tour of Trieste by Gilberto Civardi. Gilberto is a retired Generali employee. One of the many places he worked was in the New York branch. Gilberto had a wealth of information on the history, art and architecture of Trieste.
Trieste is a beautiful, hilly city on the Adriatic and was the main port for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Until the end of World War I, Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It also contains Roman ruins that were uncovered during the time of Mussolini. The Americans & British occupied the city after the end of World War II and did a lot of work restoring damage from the war. It is on the border with Slovenia. Francesco drove us up to the border for a fabulous dinner.
We started the tour at the Miramare gardens & castle. All of this was built by Maximilian and Charlotte. Unfortunately, he never lived to enjoy it because he was killed in Mexico. It is a fantastic place with many of the original furnishing restored and on display. (Sorry no pics allowed inside.)
We saw many parts of the city, including the many churches. The Serbian Orthodox and Greek Orthodox churches were especially interesting; the icons are exceptional. I'll have to have my friend, Pam Collins, translate the information on the signs. All the mosaic work was beautiful.
The main mode of transportation is motorcycle or motor scooter. The narrow streets and lack of parking makes this the best way to get around. Italy has a helmet law which is adhered to strictly in Trieste. Based on my observation, I think it is generally ignored by the time you get to Rome.
I highly recommend visiting Trieste; it's a short trip from Venice. Here's a few pictures from the 2 days. If you are not a regular viewer of F1 racing, the music is the Italian National Anthem.
More interesting facts about Miramare:
During the First World War all the furniture and works of art belonging to the Castle were moved to Vienna and stored in the Schönbrunn and Belvedere Palaces and in the court libraries. At the end of the war the whole territory of Miramare passed under the direct control of the Italian government. Between October 1925 and March 1926, by mutual consent of the two governments, Austria returned all the furnishings in order to make possible the reconstruction of the Castle’s original interior. The restoration of the furnishings and rooms, under the direction of the Royal Superintendence, meant that the museum could be opened to the public on March 24, 1929.
Two years later the government assigned Miramare to Duke Amedeo of Aosta, captain of the first air division stationed in Gorizia, who lived there continuously till 1937 when he was appointed viceroy of Ethiopia. The Castle was also inhabited off and on by the Duke’s family until the middle of 1943.
Nonetheless, the visitors were allowed access to the upper part of the Park and, from 1931, to the Castelletto, furnished with the Archduke Maximilian’s fittings which had not formed part of the Duke of Aosta’s furnishings. Afterwards the Castle was used as a school for officers by the German troops who occupied the city. As a result of the opposition of the Gauleiter Friedrich Rainer to the conversion of the Castle into a Nazi headquarters the building was saved from the possible danger of bombardment. In the meantime, the furnishings had been removed and were kept in various buildings in the city.
At the end of 1945, the New Zealand troops under the command of the General Freyberg entered Trieste and settled in the Castle, making many changes to the interior. The British troops followed, and set up the headquarters of XIII Corps in Miramare. Finally the Americans came and the castle served as headquarters for the American garrison (TRUST) from 1951 to October 3, 1954. The Superintendence immediately began the work of restoration of the interior of the Castle and the Castelletto and the layout of the Park. On the basis of drawings and period photographs, wood decorations were restored in the rooms and furniture, furnishings, pictures and tapestries were rearranged.
Finally, in March 1955, the Park was reopened free of charge to the public and from June 2 of the same year, Maximilian of Habsburg’s residence was officially named The Historical Museum of the Castle of Miramare and entrusted to the Sopraintendenza per i Beni Architettonici ed il Paesaggio e per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Over the years it has become an attraction for thousands of tourists interested in experiencing full immersion in one of the very few examples of European historical residences which have preserved almost entirely their original furnishings and which, still today, transmit the charm of living around the middle of the Nineteenth century.
The Nazis occupied Guernsey during World War II and the people there had a very tough time during those years. They did manage an evacuation to England of many of the children and some of the women before the Germans invaded. They ran short of fuel, food, and nearly everything especially after D-Day cut off the German's access to occupied Europe.
Guernsey has been a strategic island since the days of William The Conqueror. Fortifications ring the island and were added to during the Tudor reigns, to ward off invaders from France during the Napoleonic era, etc. The Germans added to this, often building right on top of or modifying the existing work to accommodate their bunkers, cannons, etc. It was all built by slave labor, especially Poles, brought over from Occupied Europe. They built an extensive network of tunnels connecting the bunkers. Finally, they built an underground hospital that was used to treat those injured in the D-Day invasion.
Here's a bit of a photo montage of the German remnants.
We arrived in Trieste and had a lovely welcome at the Duchi Hotel. It is a great hotel with wonderful ambiance and warmth. Chris is making a concerted effort to catalog the artwork. After a lovely dinner with Francesco near the Solvenia border, Chris discovered that his shoe had a major blowout. Friday morning we had to frequent the early shoe repair shop before heading to the Generali headquarters. They were very accommodating and we enjoyed the Grand Canal area whilst Chris's shoes were rapidly repaired.
Guernsey is one of the loveliest islands we have ever visited. You can see the Channel from nearly every point on the island and ships are everywhere. Ships have played an important part in the history of Guernsey. The waters off St. Peter Port contain more ship wrecks than any other place in the world. There is even a wreck of an ancient Roman ship. They have the highest and lowest tides we have ever seen.
We thoroughly enjoyed watching the ships from our balcony at the Le Fregate. (My original audio for this slideshow was muted by You Tube and I had to do an audio swap; so just hum Otis Redding's Sitting By The Dock On The Bay" as you watch it.)
We spent several lovely days in St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands. It was a fabulous place - scenery, people, pubs, food (It must be the French influence.), and weather.
Thanks to Mel Carvill, a close friend and Guernsey dweller, we had an excellent tour guide. We plan on providing more info and pics in the next few days.
The following photo collection is dedicated to Mel, who is less than enamored with the proliferation of signs that have cropped up around town.
