A Benedictine Abbey Enters the Digital Age

The Benedictine abbey church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine at Vézelay in Burgundy, a destination for pilgrims in the 12th century, is one of the better preserved examples of Romanesque architecture. Images from the University of Pittsburgh’s Digital Library include plans and photographs of the buildings exterior as well as its elaborate  sculptural program.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon have created a prototype, Bungee View, to help users gain a sense of the image collection as a whole and identity patterns – such as what materials were more prevalent in a particular period  of the abbey’s history.

You can also view images of Chartres Cathedral in the Bungee interface.

Tags: abbey, cathedrals, Chartres, digital_collections, Medieva, Pitt, religion, Romanesque
Posted by Joan Winter on October 27, 2009 in architectural history, architecture, art, image presentation, images | No Comments »

Sacred Destinations

Comparison of the sizes of the largest sacred sites from Sacred Destinations

Sacred Destinations is a guide to sacred places, pilgrimage sites, and religious art, covering over 1,250 places in 61 countries. User generated photographs, maps, travel guides and brief histories enrich the web resource. Categories include Footsteps of the Buddha, Dead on Display, Mayan Ruins, Tallest Churches, and Ancient Mysteries.

Tags: ancient architecture, cathedrals, ruins, sacred architecture
Posted by Joan Winter on March 19, 2009 in architecture | No Comments »