Duomo Milan

Milan Cathedral is the cathedral church of Milan, Italy. Dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Angelo Scola. The Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. I’ll be sharing several posts on the Duomo. My first photos will be of the front of the Duomo. My future posts on the Duomo will be from the interior, the roof and the rear.

The cathedral of Milan holds over six centuries of history and the entire building is made of pink-hued, white marble that comes from the quarries of Candoglia. Its construction began in 1386 on the area where the basilicas Santa Tecla and Santa Maria Maggiore stood and later became “encompassed” in the new cathedral. Architects, sculptors, artists and thousands of specialized workers became involved in the Fabbrica del Duomo (the construction of the cathedral) which, it can easily be said, has never stopped operating. Even today, in fact, work still continues on this extraordinary piece that is the symbol and heart of the city.

This was one of the highlights of Milan but it also has it’s downside. Tourists are bombarded by pickpockets here that work in tag teams trying to distract you while they try to steal your valuables or just con you out of your money. We enjoyed the views of the Duomo away from the crowds.

I am finally feeling well enough to get things done around here and to go out and about again. It was so good to be back in church this morning and to reconnect with friends. After our morning Palm Sunday service Josh and Laura picked us up for a belated birthday meal in Seattle. We had a great time together catching up and planning some future events together. Hope you had a good day!

Fairest Lord Jesus ~ Hymn

Fairest Lord Jesus

 

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.

Have a wonderful Palm Sunday and beginning of Holy Week everyone…

Let’s Dish ~ Palm Sunday

We had a relaxed lunch on Palm Sunday with Josh and Laura. It was nice to catch up over some good food.

This is my pre-Easter table. On Easter I’ll have my Russian Easter Bread (Kulich/Paska) as my centerpiece.

I didn’t arrange my plate for a photo op so it’s hard to tell what we served. We had rack of lamb, roasted vegetables, and a loaded salad. Our dessert was simple with just sugared strawberries and angel food cake.

We’re looking forward to our Easter celebration coming up this Sunday. We’ll be having a small group for Easter this year. All is good because God is good.

Click over to Cuisine Kathleen to Dish!

Blest Jesus, When Thy Cross I View ~ Hymn

Blest Jesus, When Thy Cross I View

Blest Jesus, when Thy cross I view,
That mystery to th’angelic host,
I gaze with grief and rapture, too,
And all my soul’s in wonder lost.

What strange compassion filled Thy breast,
That brought Thee from Thy throne on high,
To woes that cannot be expressed,
To be despised, to groan and die!

For man didst Thou forsake the sky,
To bleed upon the accursed tree?
And didst Thou taste of death, to buy
Immortal life and bliss for me?

Had I a voice to praise Thy name,
Loud as the trump that wakes the dead,
Had I the raptured seraph’s flame,
My debt of love could ne’er be paid.

Yet Lord, a sinner’s heart receive,
This burdened, contrite heart of mine;
Thou knowest I’ve naught beside to give;
And let it be for ever Thine.

Words: Conrad Speece, 1800

Sunday April 17th is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. I am looking forward already to next Sunday and celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. The most amazing sacrifice in history with the best result for you and me.

All Glory, Laud and Honor ~ Palm Sunday Hymn

All Glory, Laud and Hon0r

Refrain

All glory, laud and honor,
To Thee, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou art the King of Israel,
Thou David’s royal Son,
Who in the Lord’s Name comest,
The King and Blessèd One.

Refrain

The company of angels
Are praising Thee on High,
And mortal men and all things
Created make reply.

Refrain

The people of the Hebrews
With palms before Thee went;
Our prayer and praise and anthems
Before Thee we present.

Refrain

To Thee, before Thy passion,
They sang their hymns of praise;
To Thee, now high exalted,
Our melody we raise.

Refrain

Thou didst accept their praises;
Accept the prayers we bring,
Who in all good delightest,
Thou good and gracious King.

Refrain

Words: Theodulph of Orleans, cir­ca 820 (Glor­ia, laus, et hon­or) trans­lat­ed from La­tin to Eng­lish by John M. Neale, 1851

Palm Sunday ~ Fairest Lord Jesus

Fairest Lord Jesus

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.

Have a wonderful Palm Sunday and beginning of Holy Week everyone…

Because of my very interesting day yesterday which I will share sometime soon I’m reposting my Palm Sunday Hymn from last year.  We have a new modem so my technical difficulities have been healed till the next time. Thank you to my sister Lana for posting such a beautiful explanation of why I haven’t been online.

All of my posts this coming Holy Week will be concentrated on the events of this week in history and all related to Jesus and the Cross and His Resurrection! This is a great challenge for me to incorporate Easter into all the weekly challenges I participate in.