Esther's photos with the keyword: cross

House toppers near Pisac, Peru to put on their roofs. These are given to new home owners by their family and friends. Each figure symbolizes a different wish for good luck. The bulls symbolize fertility and the cross means God should look over them. Pisac is a small Peruvian village which is located in the Sacred Valley on the Urubamba River. AIMG 0708

Santo Domingo, Quito, Ecuador dates back from 1581. AIMG 0551

The Church of El Carmen de la Asuncion, Santuario Mariano, Cuenca was founded in 1682. The beautiful city of Cuenca, Ecaudor sits at an altitude of 8,400 ft (2,560 m). The central part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site because of the many historical buildings - some dating back to the Spanish settlement of the city in the 16th century. AIMG 9993

St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy "is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. It lies at the eastern end of the Piazza San Marco, adjacent and connected to the Doge's Palace. Originally it was the chapel of the Doge, and has only been the city's cathedral since 1807, when it became the seat of the Patriarch of Venice, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, formerly at San Pietro di Castello. For its opulent design, gilded Byzantine mosaics, and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power, from the 11th century on the building has been known by the nickname Chiesa d'Oro (Church of gold)" "The first St Mark's was a temporary building in the Doge's Palace, constructed in 828, when Venetian merchants stole the supposed relics of Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria. This was replaced by a new church on its present site in 832; from the same century dates the first St Mark's Campanile (bell tower). The new church was burned in a rebellion in 976, rebuilt in 978 and again to form the basis of the present basilica since 1063. The basilica was consecrated in 1094, the same year in which the body of Saint Mark was supposedly rediscovered in a pillar by Vitale Faliero, doge at the time. The building also incorporates a low tower (now housing St Mark’s Treasure), believed by some to have been part of the original Doge's Palace. Within the first half of the 13th century the narthex and the new façade were constructed, most of the mosaics were completed and the domes were covered with higher wooden, lead-covered domes in order to blend in with the Gothic architecture of the redesigned Doge's Palace." "While the basic structure of the building has been much altered, its decoration changed greatly over time. The succeeding centuries, especially the fourteenth, all contributed to its adornment, and seldom did a Venetian vessel return from the Orient without bringing a column, capitals, or friezes, taken from some ancient building, to add to the fabric of the basilica. Gradually, the exterior brickwork became covered with various marbles and carvings, some much older than the building itself (see Four Tetrarchs, below). The last interventions concerned Baptistery and St Isidor’s Chapel (1300s), the carvings on the upper profile of the facade and the Sacristy (1400s), the Zen Chapel (1500s). This cathedral is a prime example of Gothic architecture due to the fact of its appearance from a distance." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mark%27s_Basilica AIMG_4743

Mykonos, Greece is one of the most popular islands for tourists in the Aegean Sea. It is known for its architecture and windmills, as well as its restaurants and sunsets. Although it encompasses an area of only 33 sq. miles, it has over 250 churches. AIMG_3665

Mykonos, Greece is one of the most popular islands for tourists in the Aegean Sea. It is known for its architecture and windmills, as well as its restaurants and sunsets. Shrines dot the main town, Chora. AIMG_3662

Mykonos, Greece is one of the most popular islands for tourists in the Aegean Sea. It is known for its architecture and windmills, as well as its restaurants and sunsets. Although it encompasses an area of only 33 sq. miles, it has over 250 churches. AIMG_3678

Mykonos, Greece is one of the most popular islands for tourists in the Aegean Sea. It is known for its architecture and windmills, as well as its restaurants and sunsets. Although it encompasses an area of only 33 sq. miles, it has over 250 churches. AIMG_3667

The Agios Eleftherios church, also known as Mikri Mitropoli ("little metropolitan church") or Panagia Gorgoepikoos, was built in the 12th Century in Athens, Greece. It is a very small church with dimensions of approximately 25 by 40 feet. AIMG_3818

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Nice, France. Nice was popular with the Russian aristocracy in the mid-1800's due to its pleasant climate. The cathedral, was consecrated in December 1912 in memory of Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, who died in Nice and who funded the cathedral. AIMG_2879

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Nice, France. Nice was popular with the Russian aristocracy in the mid-1800's due to its pleasant climate. The cathedral, was consecrated in December 1912 in memory of Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, who died in Nice and who funded the cathedral. AIMG_2880

Oia (pronouced Ee-ah) is one of the most beautiful towns on one of the most beautiful islands (Santorini) in Greece. The town is situated on a high cliff overlooking a volcanic caldera that is now filled with water from the Aegean Sea. Because the views are so spectacular, many tourists crowd the narrow walkways to peer out at the water and to enjoy the charming shops and restaurants. To see what one has to walk through to get photos like this, check out www.flickr.com/photos/ejhrap/6945397629/in/photostream . AIMG_3341

Inside the Basilique Notre Dame de Montréal, Canada AMontreal.08 190