Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

You can purchase this photo on Getty Images In the years 1761–1776 the Cathedral was refurbished in the Baroque style and a tall bell tower was added. In 1776 the wonder working icon of the Mother of God held in the Cathedral was crowned and placed in the main altar. In 1892–1898 the presbytery was remodeled in the Neogothic style and stained glass, designed by Józef Mehoffer and Jan Matejko were installed. In 1910 the Cathedral was granted the status of a minor basilica by Pope St. Pius X. The Latin Cathedral is one of the just two churches in Lviv that weren't closed or subjected to the Muscovite Patriarchate during Soviet rule (the other being the Roman Catholic church of St. Anthony in Lychakiv), however during that time the bishops resided in Lubaczów, a town in southeastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine. In 1991 Pope John Paul II reactivated the diocese. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Cathedral,_Lviv

The city of L'viv, founded in the late Middle Ages, was a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial centre for several centuries. The medieval urban topography has been preserved virtually intact (in particular, there is evidence of the different ethnic communities who lived there), along with many fine Baroque and later buildings. 5 wallpapers https://dorpenstedennederland.blogspot.com/ https://fieggentrio.blogspot.com/

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Aug. 8, 2010. L'viv street scene..

The city of L'viv, founded in the late Middle Ages, was a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial centre for several centuries. The medieval urban topography has been preserved virtually intact (in particular, there is evidence of the different ethnic communities who lived there), along with many fine Baroque and later buildings. 5 wallpapers https://dorpenstedennederland.blogspot.com/ https://fieggentrio.blogspot.com/

Hello All. Today i will be continueing my series on the costumes and embroideries of Halychyna. I will still be focused on L'viw Oblast. There are in fact, some counties that i have little to no informantion on. I would be glad to recieve any information that anyone might have. Today I will be presenting some old embroideries from Zhowkva, previously Nesteriw, and Rava Rusa counties. Here is our map of L'viw Oblast again for orientation. The only source i have for this material is Krawchuk. I would dearly love to get a grant and be able to go around western Ukraine/southeastern Poland, and visit the small local museums and document their material. Dreams. This is likely some of the oldest types of embroidery found in the area. Very simple, based on holbein stitch, running stitch, buttonhole stitch, etc. Elaboration of the same stitches used to construct clothing. I will start with a few examples from Zhowkva county. Here is the inset [ustawka of a woman's chemise. you can see the outline of the ustawka at the top, with two rows of running stitch around the edge. then some herringbone, overcast [blanket] stitch and running stitch on the top of the sleeve. Embroidery likely developed from this desire to strenthen seams. Here is an example of a collar from this county. Some travelers in the 19th century reported that some villages had a rich embroidery tradition, and others had none at all. Here is an example of a simple yet elegant tradition that we have at least some record of. Some of the designs included some simple cross stitch, like this one. This again is the ustawka of a woman's chemise, you can see the outline, and the top of the sleeve at the bottom. One more example of a collar. The lines of double running stitch are sewn on to strengthen the collar, and here they form a frame for the embroidery. And one design from a different source, confirming the general nature of the embroidery of this region. If we go north a bit to Rava Rusa, we encounter very different embroidery. One type is done in zavolikannia stitch, where the thread is run over and under the length of the embroidery, imitating a woven design. We encountered this in Horodok county and others as well. It is executed like this. Unfortunately, all of the examples given are simple labelled 'fragment of embroidery', so i have no idea what they were used on. I suspect whoever collected them just cut the embroidery out, a despicalble habit that was all too common among those who went around collecting. So all that the museum has is a scrap of linen with embroidery on it, usually not even edge stitched or hemmed. But at least we have examples of this embroidery. Here is a very simple one. As you can see, this was done in mostly red stitching, with just a touch of blue or black. This type of stitching is also done in Polissia, where they have developed different designs. A couple more examples. I have not yet tried to duplicate these, but i think i should, just to be able to do it. They have a particular simple attractiveness of their own, owing to the texture due to repetition. There is another style of embroidery that was done in the villages of this area, apparantly only on the collars of men's and boy's shirts. I have not yet figured out how some of them were stitched. Here is one example which is reminiscent of Javoriw work. Cross stitch, herringbone, and flat stitching. Here is a similar one, with the addition of reshetiwka, or poverkhnytsia added in the middle, It was apparantly done in white, and is only visible as an erasure of the other colors and of the grid. Here is a schematic as to how you do this stitch. There is one row in the center of the design, apparantly worked on the diagonal. I will have to try this to see if i can replicate it. It would be much easier to see a photograph. There is one more type of embroidery in this group, which the text says was done in 'poza holku' which is the term used for herringbone, or any stitch where the needle comes out next to the previous stitch, such as stem stitch or some flat stitching. Here is a graph. I am not sure i can figure out how it was done. If any of you can replicate it, I would love to see it. It would have to be done very fine. Here is a challenge for you. Thank you all again for reading. These are relatively unknown types of embroidery, but they are also part of our history. Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals. Roman K. [email protected] . Source Material: L. Krawchuk, 'Ukrajinski Narodni Vyshywky L'viws'ka Oblast' [Ukrainian Folk Embroidery of Lviw Oblast], Kyjiw [Kiev] 1961 V. Zabolotnyj et al, 'Ukraijinske Narodne Dekoratywne Mystetsvo' [Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art], Kyjiw [Kiev], 1956

Aug. 6, 2010. L'viv street scene; statue of the Virgin, (Drukarska & Virmens'ka Sts.).

The city of L'viv, founded in the late Middle Ages, was a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial centre for several centuries. The medieval urban topography has been preserved virtually intact (in particular, there is evidence of the different ethnic communities who lived there), along with many fine Baroque and later buildings. 5 wallpapers https://dorpenstedennederland.blogspot.com/ https://fieggentrio.blogspot.com/

© Павло Нера #Львів #Lwow #Lviv

Explore Minarge's 1709 photos on Flickr!

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Lviv is our top destination in Ukraine! Here's a very detailed guide with all of the info you need to plan the perfect vacation.

The city of L'viv, founded in the late Middle Ages, was a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial centre for several centuries. The medieval urban topography has been preserved virtually intact (in particular, there is evidence of the different ethnic communities who lived there), along with many fine Baroque and later buildings. 5 wallpapers https://dorpenstedennederland.blogspot.com/ https://fieggentrio.blogspot.com/

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Zhowkva to Brody has a very distinct style of embroidery which is little known. I will present the material that I have from the city of L'viw north, excluding the Sokal' and Rava Rusa districts. To begin, I have a handful of old photographs of the costume of this area which I present here. Somewhat frustratingly, all the people felt the need to put on overcoats for the photos. This couple is from the village of Stoyaniv in Kamianka-Buz'ka district. Google maps shows this village in the extreme north of L'viw Oblast, almost in Volyn'. It is possible that that is the wrong village, and there was one closer to Kamianka-Buz'ka, which no longer exists or had its name changed. Note the simple village style overcoats. This group is from the town of Kulykiv, near Zhovkva. Town costume style is evident here. The man on the left is wearing an expensive brocade woven sash, and the man on the right is wearing a wide leather belt. This family is from the village of Berlyn, near Brody. Note the presence of abundant fancy trim on two of the coats. This couple is from the village of Pidhirtsi, south of Brody. Note again the simple overcoats, cut in a more southern style, with several gussets. As interesting as these photos are, they do not show the embroidery which was presumably present. Let's take another look at the image at the head of the article. This shirt is typical of the region. Standard Halychyna cut with shoulder insert. Fold over collar. Cuffs attached to gathered sleeve. Relatively simple embroidery on the collar, cuffs, shoulder insets and upper sleeves, with wide emphatic joining stitch. The primary palette here is black, not surprising since we are so close to the Sokal' region, with the addition of accents of red or as here, dark blue. The primary stitch used is counted satin stitch, with over cast stiches on the cuffs and collar. Taking a closer look at the joining stitch, we see that it is made in three parts. Both the upper sleeve and ustawka have something like a blanket stitch executed on their edges in black, with a joining stitch connecting their loops in blue. Here is a closeup that has been lightened, with the contrast exaggerated. This is similar to what Tania Diakiw O Neill calls Boikian Joining in her book "Ukrainian Embroidery Techniques" on page 127. Blue is extremely rare in traditional Ukrainian embroidery. It is used as an accent along with many other colors in some Hutsul and Halychyna embroideries, indigo thread is used in Poltavian embroideries in the region of Hadiach, but is mostly unknown otherwise, especially such a dark shade. [Yes, you will see cross stitch embroideries done in light and dark blue, but this is a recent fad] But this shade of dark blue seems to be an integral part of this region's embroidery. Here is another example, by a well known contemporary embroiderer, Mahdy Dzvin. Here we see many of the same elements. Relatively simple and narrow design. Black and dark blue counted satin stitch. She has made more extensive use of the joining stitch, and she used all black. She has customized the front opening of the shirt in an interesting but non traditional style, opting for no collar. Running stich and overcast blanket stitch are in evidence, as in our first example. Here is what seems to be the shoulder of a woman's shirt. Notice that here again, the joining stitch is done in both black and blue. The other characteristics of the design also align with this style. Here is a modern style man's shirt using the same embroidery design. Here is another example. Here the black and have been joined by green. There are more rows of embroidery, and there is no joining stitch used. The embroidery here is also present around the front opening. In this example we see an extremely small embroidery design all in black. This shirt features a standing collar and small amounts of red added to the design. Note that the composition of the embroidery on the shoulder is more complex, with several bands of ornament. Here is a sampler from the region which includes the design on the shoulder inset above which is not well visible in the photo. Here is another example of shoulder embroidery. Here is another shirt from Zhowkva region. The motifs are smaller but are combined to make a larger composition. Here are some graphs from L. Krawchuk's book "Ukrajinski Narodni Vyshywky L'viwska Oblast". She dedicated two plates to this region. The following are shoulder inset embroideries from Zhowkva region. The following are designs from a shirt collar from the Zhowkva region. Here is a design from a cuff of the Zhowkva region. Here are some shoulder inset embroidery designs from Lypyna village near Brody. The following are collar and cuff designs from Lypyna village. Here is a sampler incorporating many of these designs. Here is a collection of small designs, many of which would be appropriate for this style of embroidery. I would like to share a few more shirts which I took from the blog of Halyna Lishchynska. Dec 14. which are done in this style. These are modern shirts. http://glishchynska.blogspot.com/2015/12/blog-post_14.html Over time, this style of embroidery has mostly been forgotten in the region, being replaced by larger, flashier, more colorful designs from other parts of Ukraine. But this is part of our heritage, and there is great understated beauty in this tradition. It deserves more recognition. Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this to be interesting and informative. I encourage you to try your hand at this style of embroidery if you are so inclined. Roman K email: [email protected]

The city of L'viv, founded in the late Middle Ages, was a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial centre for several centuries. The medieval urban topography has been preserved virtually intact (in particular, there is evidence of the different ethnic communities who lived there), along with many fine Baroque and later buildings. 5 wallpapers https://dorpenstedennederland.blogspot.com/ https://fieggentrio.blogspot.com/

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Zhowkva to Brody has a very distinct style of embroidery which is little known. I will present the material that I have from the city of L'viw north, excluding the Sokal' and Rava Rusa districts. To begin, I have a handful of old photographs of the costume of this area which I present here. Somewhat frustratingly, all the people felt the need to put on overcoats for the photos. This couple is from the village of Stoyaniv in Kamianka-Buz'ka district. Google maps shows this village in the extreme north of L'viw Oblast, almost in Volyn'. It is possible that that is the wrong village, and there was one closer to Kamianka-Buz'ka, which no longer exists or had its name changed. Note the simple village style overcoats. This group is from the town of Kulykiv, near Zhovkva. Town costume style is evident here. The man on the left is wearing an expensive brocade woven sash, and the man on the right is wearing a wide leather belt. This family is from the village of Berlyn, near Brody. Note the presence of abundant fancy trim on two of the coats. This couple is from the village of Pidhirtsi, south of Brody. Note again the simple overcoats, cut in a more southern style, with several gussets. As interesting as these photos are, they do not show the embroidery which was presumably present. Let's take another look at the image at the head of the article. This shirt is typical of the region. Standard Halychyna cut with shoulder insert. Fold over collar. Cuffs attached to gathered sleeve. Relatively simple embroidery on the collar, cuffs, shoulder insets and upper sleeves, with wide emphatic joining stitch. The primary palette here is black, not surprising since we are so close to the Sokal' region, with the addition of accents of red or as here, dark blue. The primary stitch used is counted satin stitch, with over cast stiches on the cuffs and collar. Taking a closer look at the joining stitch, we see that it is made in three parts. Both the upper sleeve and ustawka have something like a blanket stitch executed on their edges in black, with a joining stitch connecting their loops in blue. Here is a closeup that has been lightened, with the contrast exaggerated. This is similar to what Tania Diakiw O Neill calls Boikian Joining in her book "Ukrainian Embroidery Techniques" on page 127. Blue is extremely rare in traditional Ukrainian embroidery. It is used as an accent along with many other colors in some Hutsul and Halychyna embroideries, indigo thread is used in Poltavian embroideries in the region of Hadiach, but is mostly unknown otherwise, especially such a dark shade. [Yes, you will see cross stitch embroideries done in light and dark blue, but this is a recent fad] But this shade of dark blue seems to be an integral part of this region's embroidery. Here is another example, by a well known contemporary embroiderer, Mahdy Dzvin. Here we see many of the same elements. Relatively simple and narrow design. Black and dark blue counted satin stitch. She has made more extensive use of the joining stitch, and she used all black. She has customized the front opening of the shirt in an interesting but non traditional style, opting for no collar. Running stich and overcast blanket stitch are in evidence, as in our first example. Here is what seems to be the shoulder of a woman's shirt. Notice that here again, the joining stitch is done in both black and blue. The other characteristics of the design also align with this style. Here is a modern style man's shirt using the same embroidery design. Here is another example. Here the black and have been joined by green. There are more rows of embroidery, and there is no joining stitch used. The embroidery here is also present around the front opening. In this example we see an extremely small embroidery design all in black. This shirt features a standing collar and small amounts of red added to the design. Note that the composition of the embroidery on the shoulder is more complex, with several bands of ornament. Here is a sampler from the region which includes the design on the shoulder inset above which is not well visible in the photo. Here is another example of shoulder embroidery. Here is another shirt from Zhowkva region. The motifs are smaller but are combined to make a larger composition. Here are some graphs from L. Krawchuk's book "Ukrajinski Narodni Vyshywky L'viwska Oblast". She dedicated two plates to this region. The following are shoulder inset embroideries from Zhowkva region. The following are designs from a shirt collar from the Zhowkva region. Here is a design from a cuff of the Zhowkva region. Here are some shoulder inset embroidery designs from Lypyna village near Brody. The following are collar and cuff designs from Lypyna village. Here is a sampler incorporating many of these designs. Here is a collection of small designs, many of which would be appropriate for this style of embroidery. I would like to share a few more shirts which I took from the blog of Halyna Lishchynska. Dec 14. which are done in this style. These are modern shirts. http://glishchynska.blogspot.com/2015/12/blog-post_14.html Over time, this style of embroidery has mostly been forgotten in the region, being replaced by larger, flashier, more colorful designs from other parts of Ukraine. But this is part of our heritage, and there is great understated beauty in this tradition. It deserves more recognition. Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this to be interesting and informative. I encourage you to try your hand at this style of embroidery if you are so inclined. Roman K email: [email protected]

Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. USA: The Walnut Street Shul in Chelsea, Mass., A Synagogue Full of History and Art (Part 1) by Samuel D. Gruber I have continued documenting American synagogue wall paintings - a project conceived in conjunction with the International Survey of Jewish Monuments and the Center for Jewish Art. This past week that meant a visit to the remarkable Congregation Agudath Sholom in Chelsea, Massachusetts; better known as the Walnut Street Shul. I brought along two knowledgeable friends - Dick Bauer with whom I have previously explored former synagogues in Roxbury and Dorchester, and Jessica dello Russo, a native Bostonian (from the North End) who is president of the International Catacomb Society, and whose interest in the painting of Jewish sacred spaces stems in part from her knowledge of the Jewish catacombs of Rome (And yes, while there is no direct connection, both the Vigna Rondanini Catacombs in Rome and the Walnut Street Shul contain painted peacocks, and the Villa Torlonia and the Walnut Street Shul have curtains behind Torah Arks). Jessica joined me at Boston’s Vilna Shul for a visit a few years ago. The Vilna Shul, which was saved from demolition in the early 1990s, is an important painted younger "cousin" to the Walnut Street Shul, which was also founded by Litvak (Lithuanian) Jews. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Peacocks on ceiling above Ark. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. We three were given an enthusiastic welcome by congregation president Ed Medros and Board Secretary Richard Zabot, both who whom have deep knowledge of the building, the congregation, and the broader Jewish history of Chelsea. Ed, Richard, and their small but active board are working hard to maintain the building and to transition the Shul from a private congregation into a welcoming center of Jewish religion, history and culture for all of Chelsea and the larger community beyond. The building was significantly restored in 1991, and though there are some areas that need repair, especially the north stairway; overall it is in good shape. A big and expensive challenge will be to upgrade the electrical system and plumbing, parts of which are more than a century old. There is so much history and art packed into this ample structure (it was built in 1909 with a sanctuary to seat more than 1100) and Ed and Richard have been filling it even more as they have allowed the Walnut Street Shul to become a repository of historical items small and large from the Chelsea Jewish community and from other synagogues in East Boston that have closed in recent years. What the synagogue will be in the future is not certain - and we all discussed this in some detail. There are lessons to be learned from the Eldridge Street Synagogue and Kehilla Kedosha Janina in New York, and the Vilna Shul right in Boston. The next few years will see some serious review of the facilities and planning for the future. Meanwhile, Ed pulled out for us to view the recently received – but still in pieces – chandeliers from the Revere Synagogue that recently closed and has been demolished. The plan is to curate this material with proper registration, conservation, and presentation, so that in time the Shul will also serve as museum of sorts of Jewish Chelsea. Qualified and enthusiast volunteers will be needs for a lot of this work. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Ed Medros shows recently acquired chandelier formerly in Revere Synagogue. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. The most impressive art, however, is the wall decoration of the sanctuary, reputed to be the work of a Mr. Spector, about whom nothing else is known. The ceiling is painted in brilliant colors as a cloudy sky lit up with light - presumably at sunrise - since the sun is seen rising over the east wall immediately above the Ark. We see the sun and its rays. Over all the sky resembles the painted ceiling of the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Providence, Rhode Island, and for the rising sun I'm reminded of the sun painted in the apse of the Ark wall at the former Chai Adam Synagogue in Burlington). On the edge of the ceiling, effectively painted in trompe l'oeil perspective, are two peacocks looking west over the congregation. There is a long history of including birds in synagogue decoration. these ones remind me of the exotic parrots perched on the edge of the ceiling of Tsoir Gilod Synagogue in L'viv, Ukraine, painted in the 1920s. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. L'viv, Ukraine. Tsori Gilod Synagogue, wall painting. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2006. A large ornately painted circular medallion from which a chandelier descends is painted over the bimah, and a group of birds is also painted resting on the edge of this amidst flowering vegetation. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Painted medallion on ceiling. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Painted medallion on ceiling. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Above the west end of the women's gallery is painted a rectangular panel with a view of an ancient structure. I really wanted this to be a representation of a matriach's tomb corresponding to this exclusive women's space. The National Register of Historic Places nomination identifies the scene as Rachel's tomb, which is frequently painted, but this does not look like any such representation I am familiar with. Ed Medros thought it was Ruth's Tomb - a scene rarely represented - but definitely identified and visited in Hebron from at least the mid-19th century. After some research, however, I think it more likely that it represents the Tombs of the Kings of the House of David. The image is very close to a scene depicted in the center of a color Mizrah print, probably published in Germany ca. 1900. The Tombs of the House of David are not often represented, but they do show up in the murals of a prayer house in Krakow, about which I've posted in the past. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary, looking west and showing all three sides with women's gallery suspended from ceiling. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Ceiling painting of Holy Land scene. This has been identified as the Tomb of Rachel, but is more likely a representation of the Tomb of the Patrirachs/Matriarchs in Hebron. Or something else? Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Mizrah (exhibited in Trebic, Czech Rep). Probably printed in Germany, ca. 1890-1900. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Mizrah, detail (exhibited in Trebic, Czech Rep.). Probably printed in Germany, ca. 1890-1900. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Krakow, Poland. Beit Midrash Hevra Tehilim. Tombs of the Kings of the House of David. Photo: Sławomir Pastuszka 2008. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Holy land scene and ladder and hole leading to synagogue roof (sorry, no genizah here!). Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. The Walnut Street Shul Ark is a magnificent structure designed by local cabinet maker Samuel Katz, born in 1885 near L’vov, who emigrated to America in 1907. Over the next decades he made at least two dozen Arks, including the one at the Adams Street Shul in Newton, Massachusetts (1912), and probably the Ark in the Vilna Shul in Boston Over the Ark is a large painted red curtain, similar to ones that I have already written about, such as that in the Kupa synagogue in Krakow, Poland. The practice of painting curtains over an Ark is already seen in the work of Eliezer Sussman in the painted synagogue of Horb, Germany in 1735. The curtain opens to expose the Ark, so it should be seen as a representation of sorts of the parochet of the ancient temple before the Holy of Holies. There are more Arks on the first floor in the spaces sued for daily and Sabbath services (the main sanctuary has been reserved, at least for many decades, for the holidays). The painted curtain falls onto two painted columns, one on each side. These have different capitals than the columns painted on the sanctuary side walls, and may refer to the Joachin and Boaz columns said to be on the facade of Solomon's temple (compare these to the columns and capitals in the former Chevra Linas Hazedek synagogue in the Bronx, NY). If so, the Ark wall painting conflates the Temple's exterior and interior. Added this composition are two large blue six-pointed stars flanking the top level of the wooden Ark, and two bowls with flowers, painted in the wall space flanking the intermediate Ark level. The curtain motif is common in synagogues and elsewhere. It appears in Catholic art, for example over shrines of the Madonna, and in secular rt also over royal portraits. The complete history of the use of her painted curtain in Jewish hart still needs further research. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. View of Ark from women's gallery. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. View of Ark from women's gallery. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Detail of painted capital flanking Ark. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Along the side of the sanctuary are painted columns which show their bases and columns in the men's section of the main sanctuary, but bloom like flowers with their stylized capitals visible only in the women's gallery above. These are the only columns. The women's galleries are designed to hang from the ceiling so that their are no vertical obstructions to the congregants in the main hall. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. View of women's gallery. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Looking up to women's gallery and painted wall column. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. women's gallery, view to Ark. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018. As already indicated, a remarkable assemblage of materials has already been collected at the synagogue. The most impressive are the many Ark curtains (parochets), as well as one extra Ark in addition to the three used at the shul for daily, sabbath and holiday services (though these days it is hard to get a minyan and the schedule of services is much curtailed). For me, in the short time we had for examination, the most fascinating items were many hand inscribed and illuminated books, certificates and wall plaques. We found the name of at least one artist - Irving Bookstein - who seems to have been active from at least the 1920s through the 1950s - and it seemed to me that much of the work we saw came from hand. We'll look for more information on this Jewish artist, and post separately about his work. There are already several impressive on-line efforts by the congregation and affiliated organizations to collect the Jewish history of East Boston, and there are plans for a permanent exhibition to be installed in the former chapel of the Ohabai Shalom Cemetery in East Boston, the region’s oldest Jewish burial place (1844), which will open as the East Boston Immigration Center as the called the "Mystic River Jewish Exhibit Hall". The exterior was recently restored by the Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts, which won an award for the work. Chelsea, MA. Congregation Agudath Sholom/Walnut Street Shul. Sanctuary. Detail of Ark, designed and built by Samuel Katz. Photo: Samuel D. Gruber 2018.

L'viv IS THE BEST UKRAINIAN CITY TO TRAVEL TO.Just wanted to show what its like to live in lviv,Ukraine. Living in Lviv for the two weeks that we have done has been very unique and amazing. We have been living life to the fullest and the city allows us to do all that we want because of the value of the dollar. Everything is cheap and doable even for a student with limited income. The music and spirit of the city is something to behold. Inspired by Bald and bankrupt and Harald Baldr

An emotive sculpture marks the final resting place of Stanyslav Lyudkevych, in Lychakiv cemetery, in L'viv, Ukraine. The musician Stanyslav Lyudkevych, was born in Jarosław (Poland), studying first in L'viv and then gaining his PhD in Vienna, and became a renowned musician, rising to head of the musicological commission of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and becoming a professor at the in the Lysenko Higher Musical Institute. In 1969, aged 90 and ten years prior to his death, he was named as the People's Artist of the USSR. Established in 1787, Lychakiv holds the remains of many of L'viv's most famous inhabitants. Following the Soviet annexation in 1939/1944 the cemetery suffered a period of vandalism and neglect which continued until the 1970s, when it was declared a historic monument. Shot with a Nikon D40 and a Nikkor AFS DX 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G II lens, and processed in GIMP and Photoscape. Check out my 100 most interesting photos on Flickr!

All about Lviv-city in Ukraine. Wszystko O Lwowie. Все про Львів. Все о Львове.

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

Hello all, I recently received a request for costume material from the Kamianka-Buz'ka area of L'viw Oblast. This part of Ukraine, from Z...

This Ukraine alleyway has become its own little island of forgotten things.

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