sacred space

SACREDSPACEMysteries of the World’s Sacred Places

SS3_Final_SinglesREV2_Layout 1 12-09-14 1:48 PM

Productions

Canamedia Inc.

2 Pardee Avenue, Suite 102

Toronto, ON Canada M6K 3H5

TF (416) 363-1949

www.canamedia.com

Looping Productions

43, quai de la Seine

75019 Paris, France

T 33 (0)140384160

www.looping-productions.com

Telefrance

71 rue de la Victoire

75009 Paris, France

T 33 (0)153782422

www.telfrance.com

SS3_Final_Singles_Sept2012_Layout 1 12-09-17 10:10 AM Page 64

SACRED SPACE13 x 30’ Documentary films shot in 2D and in 3D

LoGLinEThis major Documentary Series, shot both in 2D and in 3D, will transport us around the world and back in time to explore how human beings,

of all religions, have designed and interpreted Architecture to express their eternal quest for the Sacred. The exploration of religious monuments,

among them the most beautiful and emblematic in the world, will give us an understanding and open a window into the rich timeless dialogue

between Man and the Divine. The programs transport viewers into places of worship that are as rich and diverse as the congregations they serve.

International Co-Production with ARTE (Helene Coldefy)Producers: Dan D’or ~ Canamedia, Canada / Christine LeGoff ~ Telfrance, France

3D Producer: Veronique Legendre ~ Looping Productions, France Director: Mark Daniels

SynopSiSChurches, Monasteries, Temples, Cathedrals, Mosques, Synagogues…all of these Sacred Spaces hold the secrets of the timeless quest of

humanity for the divine, for God. Each one of these spaces, in their diversity, their complexity and their beauty represent the fruits of philosophy

and man’s relationship to the eternal throughout history and for all time. Each religion, each nation on earth, have developed their specific

idea of The Sacred and express their particular interpretation through these rites, their beliefs and the extraordinary diversity of their architecture.The connection between everyday secular space and cosmic, mysterious, Sacred Spaces are portrayed and represented in many ways. From

the complex composition of Cathedrals to the aerial qualities of Mosques, to the austerity of Monasteries, to the plethora of sculptures in HinduTemples- the same principles are at work and translate beliefs and myths in the form of symbols using geometry and sacred numerology.

The design and the construction of sacred spaces constitute a vast scale of an ancient and complex art form, most ambitious in that Manattempts to recreate the world of the Gods on earth in a multidimensional space where faith and belief penetrate physically as well as spirituallyas a passage towards the infinite.

In the many diverse traditions and theologies all over the world, sacred architecture attempts to reproduce the models, the structure andthe alignment of the universe, allowing man to attempt to reproduce the world of the divine on earth in order to approach and ultimatelyattain immortality.


SACRED SPACEWHAT HAppEnS in An EpiSoDE?WHy iS THiS SERiES UniQUE & EXCiTinG?

In an attempt to unravel the mysteries of man’s quest for the Divine, a

team of internationally renowned archeologists and theologians join

forces with historians to explore the world’s most Sacred Spaces.

Together they uncover and reveal the code and meaning of these

ancient Sacred Spaces and mystical religions. These places are still

today places where religious rituals are still happening. These are not

Museums; they are living places of worship. A major aspect of the series

is to learn how architecture and religious practice interact, (hence the

symbolism and the purpose). For example, in a Catholic church, the

choir (the heart where Christ is) is turned toward the East (Jerusalem).

One enters through the Occident (Life) and one walks down the

darkened Nave (the Passage of Life), toward the illuminated choir at the

East (Death). We symbolically walk from Birth to Death, from Life to

Death. With the communion with Christ (the Eucharist during mass),

we are assured the possibility of resurrection, meaning eternal life: the

fundamental belief of all Christians. This is a journey repeated every

time one attends Mass.

• Each Chapter in the Series is Thematic and will be comprised of 3-4 Episodes which correspond to each Theme (i.e. TEMPLES,MONASTERIES, CATHEDRALS, MOSQUES and SYNAGOGUES). EachEpisode will introduce the Monument and place it in itsGeographical, Historical and Religious Context. (i.e. Hindu Temple-in Kyoto Japan, Buddhist- 4th Century, built by slaves). The episodeswill illustrate, through the geometry and symbolism of architecture,how each Sacred Space was created which facilitated thecommunion between Man and The Divine.

• The Episodes will open with a series of aerials of the Regionputting the monument in a visual and geographical context andzoom in as we come face to face with the beauty and Grandeur ofthe building. We will always go from the panoramic view andunderstanding- to the detail and close up understanding of thesubject. Though one may be familiar with a particular monument,we will reveal mysteries and personal historical anecdotes whichhave never been revealed before and which imbue each Monumentwith an aura of fascination, adventure and intrigue.

• Experts in Religious History and Sacred Architecture will tell 1-2anecdotes and historical tales of the monument- and introduce theaudience to when, how, why and under which circumstances themonument was erected. Each story will outline the incrediblyunique way in which each monument came into being and what itrepresents to the Religion and to the world of the Divine and theworld of Man. For the first time, 3D will enable the audience toexperience each Sacred Space as the original builders intended. Itwill bring these fantastic monuments to life as nothing has before.Nothing built by man has been around longer or inspires deeperfeeling than these emblematic monuments. Nothing so old is still inuse serving its original purpose.


SACRED SPACEpRoDUCERS/FiLMMAKERS DiRECTion

Having produced and filmed the documentaries The

Parthenon and Cathedrals Unveiled for Nova and Arte, the

Producers have acquired a strong knowledge of the best

manner of shooting architecture in its most favourable way.

For this collection of films they plan to take that knowledge

and use it as well as move in another direction to give the

audience an intimate feel for these monuments as well as an

understanding of them. The usage of 3D to film these

magnificent monuments of great beauty is essential in our

opinion. We will do this in 4K using the RED Cameras, which is

to say, the leading technology today. We want to give the

audience a true sense of the grandeur and size of each space

and place, in order to elicit a sense of strong emotion and

mystery when experiencing each Sacred Space.

At each of the locations, we will use a helicopter to situate

the monument in its context and country. In the interiors we

will avail ourselves of the fluidity of the Steadycam. However,

the aspect of this series which will be undoubtedly the most

unique and original ever seen will be the use of the SOULCAM

System, a tele-commanded zeppelin (balloon) which will

permit us to take aerial photographs, slow and progressively

and which can go from 50 centimetres to 200 metres in

height in the same location and can go within an inch of any

façade or sculpture. Therefore, we will reproduce the sense of

elevation and the desire to go from the ground to the

Heavens, which was the eternal dream of all the builders of

Sacred Spaces.

The work we will be doing for the visuals of the series which

will require much storyboarding and intensive work will not

at all interfere or eclipse the historians and or the theologians

who will give us the keys to understanding the architecture of

these monuments, the symbolic and religious concepts and

ideas that these monuments represent and as well, their place

in the history of mankind.


THE TEAM ~ CANADASACRED SpACE ~ Mysteries of the World’s Sacred Places

Doug Connolly ~ Executive Producer, Canada Doug possesses 40-year career in the educational distributionand broadcast distribution business. Doug was appointedManaging Director of Distribution Access in 2004 then adivision of CHUM Television followed by CTV Inc. Doug puttogether a group to acquire the business unit from CTV andcompleted the acquisition in 2009 followed by the acquisitionof Canamedia Inc., one of the longest established distributionand production companies in Canada. Doug is a pioneer inexpanding the use of visual media from early formats to thedigital applications used in education today and hasdeveloped streaming services now used by major Telco’s andbroadcasters.

Richard nielsen ~ Writer/Co-Producer, CanadaRichard’s credits include individual films on St. Augustine,Pascal, William Blake, Soren Kierkegaard, Leo Tolstoy, andDietrich Bonhoeffer for Time-Life Films and the BBC. He alsoproduced Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace, a dramatic film that wonthe Golden Nymph as the best MOW for 2000 at the MonteCarlo film festival. He also produced 45 programs with JeanVanier, founder of L ‘Arche.

Daniel D’or ~ Producer and StereographerDan is a prolific Award-winning film producer, director andwriter with over 25 feature films and TV series to his credit. Heproduced and directed two seasons of the dramatic sci-fiseries Star Hunter and two seasons of the investigativeprogram Fraud Squad. His recent focus has been transforminga 2D experience of television to the world of 3D TV. Heteaches directors and camera teams on the technical aspectsof shooting in this new format. Daniel will now provide his 3Dexpertise to capturing images of these wonderful sacredstructures in cooperation with these incredible storytellers.


THE TEAM ~ FRANCESACRED SpACE ~ Mysteries of the World’s Sacred Places

Christine Le Goff ~ Creative Producer, France Award-winning producer Christine Le Goff’s career spansmore than 30 years in both France and the USA. She hasproduced over 50 feature docs and series. They include 2002Academy Award doc winner Murder on a Sunday Morning forHBO and France 2, The Origins of Aids, winner of the 2005Europa Prize and Werner Herzog’s sci-fi fantasy The Wild BlueYonder, winner of the Critics Prize at the Venice Mostra. Morerecently she co-produced and co-directed for ARTE and PBSNOVA, a collection of blue chip feature docs that have airedworldwide to great success: Secrets of the Parthenon, Riddles ofthe Sphinx and Gothic Cathedrals.

Veronique Legendre ~ Creative Producer, FranceFor the last few years, Veronique Legendre has been an expertin the development of new technologies, in particular 3D, inFrance. She has organized events and produced and directed3D programs for French and South Korean TV. With hercompany Looping Productions, Veronique has specialized ininternational co-productions with Asia. For 15 years, sheproduced and directed for NHK manycultural documentariesin High Definition In 2000, she produced “Catwalk”, the first HDTV series on Paris fashion that broadcast for 5 seasons on NHK.

Cyril Baraçon ~ Cinematographer/stereographer, FranceCyril Barbaçon has been a director of photography for cinemaand television for the last 15 years, specializing in nature films.

His main credits include Fire and Ice, The Fox and the Child. Hedeveloped a new tool for cinematography: the SoulCam, aremote–controlled balloon that is used worldwide. Cyril hasbecome one of France’s most renowned 3D cinematographers/stereographers. He is currently directing Hurricane – a 3Dfeature doc and series for ARTE.

Mark Daniels ~ Director, FranceMark Daniels’ first feature, The Influence of Strangers (1987),won the Joseph Von Sternberg Prize in Mannheim, a GoldenGate Award in San Francisco and was exhibited in theopening program of the American Museum of the MovingImage. Classified X (1998) was selected for Sundance and wonmany awards including First Prize at the Urbanworld Festival.More recently, Comic Books Go To War (2010) won BestReportage at the Montreal International Film on Art Festival and was nominated for the Europa Prize. Hisfeature documentary The Strange Disappearance of the Beesdrew the highest audience for a documentary on Arte. In2011 Daniels was nominated for an Emmy as Director of Photography on Nova’s Building the Great Cathedrals.


SOULCAM2D HD AnD 3D SoARinG TECHnoLoGy

A unique airship for aerial cinematography with HD and3D cameras as well as unique technology that allows theproduction to achieve the requested footage withcomplete security, giving difficult-to-obtain access tosome of the most famous buildings in the world.

Smoothly propelled forward by 4 electric motors, on anyaxis, at speeds from 0 to 30km/h, and as high as 150m,the Soulcam Airship will allow Sacred Space to capturefootage simply not available otherwise, in these sacredlocations. The lenses used with this technology enableus to move very close to objects, presenting incredibledetail on the volume and texture of the shot.

Imagine footage captured as if you were floating on air,through these spiritual locations, and you begin toappreciate the awe-inspiring visuals from the Soulcam. The 2D HD and 3D footage captured will take on anethereal quality as the viewer will literally soar aroundthe Sacred Spaces untethered by gravity andexperiencing sights of a truly spiritual nature.


THE MAGNIFICENCE OF ASIAN TEMPLES

Episode 1 Shinto Sanctuary Of Ise ~ Ise, Japan

Daitoku-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan

Zen Garden Of The Ryoan-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan

Episode 2 Meenakshi Hindu Temple ~ Tamil Nadu, India

Episode 3 Bulguksa Temple ~ South Korea

Seokguram Grotto ~ South Korea

Taktsang Monastery ~ Bhutan

SACRED LAND/HOLY LAND

Episode 4 The Dome Of The Rock ~ Jerusalem, Israel

Al-Aqsa Mosque ~ Jerusalem, Israel

The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre ~ Jerusalem, Israel

Episode 5 The Wailing Wall ~ Jerusalem, Israel

Dohany Street Synagogue ~ Budapest, Hungary

The Great Synagogue Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy

MOSQUES OF ISLAM

Episode 6 The Blue Mosque ~ Istanbul, Turkey

Al-Masjid Al-Haram (Kabba Of Mecca) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Episode 7 Al-Azhar Mosque ~ Cairo, Egypt

Episode 8 The Great Mosque Of Djenné ~ Mali, Africa

Kairouan Mosque ~ Tunisia, North Africa

CHURCHES, CATHEDRALS, AND MONASTERIES

Episode 9 The Great Cathedral Of Cologne ~ Cologne, Germany

Episode 10 St. Basil’s Cathedral ~ Moscow, Russia

Episode 11 Mont Saint-Michel ~ Normandy, France

Episode 12 Duomo Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy

Episode 13 The Metropolitan Cathedral ~ Mexico City, Mexico


THE MAGNIFICENCE OFASIAN TEMPLES

Episodes 1, 2 and 3

Asia is the most vast and populated continent on earth. Its beauty and the majesty of its

nature, its incredible physical and spiritual diversity is a foundation that is conducive for

exploring beliefs and mans quest for the divine. It is no coincidence that this continent is the

cradle of three grand Monotheistic religions: (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), and the two

grand religions of the Orient: (Hinduism and Buddhism).


EPISODE ONESHinTo SAnCTUARy oF iSE ~ Ise, Japan | DAiToKU-Ji TEMpLE ~ Kyoto, JapanZEn GARDEn oF THE RyoAn-Ji TEMpLE ~ Kyoto, Japan

SHinTo SAnCTUARy oF iSE

The most ancient religion of Japan is Shintoism and this religion has

a separate place in world history. The deep sentiment of communion

between the forces of the universe and the essential respect of ones

ancestors, are the spiritual basis of this religion. The followers of

Shinto have distinguished their devotion to their specific divine

spaces where they believe the Gods must have arrived on Earth by

planting Cyprus trees together in order to build the first sanctuary in

a forest. They created the Sanctuary Of Ise, which has become, over

centuries, the most sacred space for the religion of Shintoism, in the

world. To respect the purity of this space, the wood Temple is

destroyed and rebuilt again every 20 years, to reflect the original

building, since its first construction in the year 690. This tradition

began with the first rebuilding in 690, and is still being practiced. The

sixty-first rebuilding was completed in 1993, with the sixty-second

scheduled for 2013. The Uji Bridge is also rebuilt in this ceremony.

There is an identical plot of ground next to each sanctuary for the

purpose of the rebuilding ceremony. The construction of the new

shrine takes about eight years, and at each stage of construction a

religious ceremony is held.

The shrines themselves are made entirely out of plain Japanese

cypress, except for the roofs which are thatched with kaya grass. The

rebuilding is done mainly by local carpenters, who set aside their

usual work for this privilege for two to four years. Plans have been

handed down for generations, regarding the rebuilding of each

shrine, but in addition to this it is vital that the Master Carpenters

teach the apprentices the steps taken in rebuilding the shrines, as

the tools and methods used have been passed down from ancient

times. No nails are used at all in the process of rebuilding. By

rebuilding the shrines, it is said that the Japanese receive new

blessings from the Gods and pray for world happiness and it is also

done for purifications purposes. The next “destruction” of this Sacred

Space will take place in 2013 – documented and captured by the

watchful eye of our cameras.

DAiToKU-Ji TEMpLE

Daitoku-ji is the head Temple of the Daitokuji school of Rinzai, a sect

of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Located in the Temple city of Kyoto,

Daitoku-ji is considered one of the best places to experience Zen in

Japan. Daitoku-ji was established in 1319 by Shohomyocho, also

known as Daitokokushi. After its construction in the 14th century, the

Temple was frequented by Emperor Go-Daigo of Japan and its

mountain was counted as one of the five sacred mountains. During

the Onin War, some of its Temples were burned down.

The Temple was subsequently rebuilt by rich

merchants of Sakai, Osaka.

(cont’d next page...)


EPISODE ONESHinTo SAnCTUARy oF iSE ~ Ise, Japan | DAiToKU-Ji TEMpLE ~ Kyoto, JapanZEn GARDEn oF THE RyoAn-Ji TEMpLE ~ Kyoto, Japan

(...cont’d from previous page)

Many of Daitoku-ji’s Temples were constructed before and in the early

Edo period. The first of the three gates was constructed in 1526. The

mountain in which the Daitoku-ji complex was built is known as

Ryuhozan (Dragon Treasure Mountain). Daitokuji is surrounded by 24

sub Temples, which together form a Temple village. The main Temple

and some of the sub Temples are open to the public and display Zen

architecture and design, including gardens and tea ceremony rooms.

Among the most interesting sub Temples are Kotoin, which is

famous for its maple trees and moss garden; and Daisenin, whose

small rock garden is considered one of the best in Japan. Ryogenin

features a miniature Zen garden that is reportedly the smallest in

Japan, and Zuihoin is noted for its natural simplicity.

ZEn GARDEn oF THE RyoAn-Ji TEMpLE

Ryoan-ji (Peaceful Dragon Temple) is a Zen Temple and World Heritage

Site in northwest Kyoto, Japan. It is best known for its Zen garden, a

simple gravel-and-rock arrangement that inspires peace and

contemplation. The site of the Temple was originally a Fujiwara family

estate during the Heian period. The Temple was founded in 1450 by

Hosokawa Katsumoto (1430-73), a military leader in the Muromachi

period. The original Temple buildings burned down during the Onin

Wars (1467-77), in which Katsumoto was killed. The Temple was

reconstructed from 1488 to 1499, and Ryoan-ji’s famous rock garden

was probably constructed around this time. Further reconstructions

and additions were made over the centuries. The Temple belongs to

the Myōshinji School of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism. Rinzai

Zen was introduced to Japan by the Chinese priest Ensai in 1191 and

emphasizes the use of paradoxical puzzles or questions that help the

practitioner to overcome the normal boundaries of logic.

Ryoan-ji is most famous for its dry landscape Zen rock garden,

thought to date from the late 1400s. It is one of the most notable

examples of the dry-garden style – some say it is the highest

expression of Zen art and teachings and perhaps the single greatest

masterpiece of Japanese culture. No one knows who designed the

placement of this simple garden, or precisely when, but it is today

as it was yesterday, and tomorrow it will be as it is today. The Zen

garden is an austere arrangement of 15 rocks resting on a bed of

white gravel, surrounded by low walls. The moss-covered boulders

are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle, only

14 are visible at one time. In the Buddhist world the number 15

denotes completeness. Behind the simple Temple that overlooks the

rock garden is a 17th Century stone washbasin called Tsukubai, It

bears a simple but profound four-character inscription:

“I learn only to be contented.” This is the heart

of Zen philosophy.


EPISODE TWOMEEnAKSHi HinDU TEMpLE ~ Tamil Nadu, India

In India, since the beginning of time, night falls and men retell

the marvelous tale of the sacred flood which created The

Ganges River. The stories are populated with people who

became living gods, by adventures full of wisdom and fury.

These tales represent the birth of beliefs of millions of souls for

centuries and are the basis of the multiple divinities that

comprise Hinduism- the most ancient of all religion. Hindus

have built Temples of stone according to sacred and geometric

knowledge, richly ornate with divine figures that they venerate

and pray to – as in the Meenakshi Temple which has 30 million

coloured sculptures adorning it.

Madurai or “the city of nectar” is the oldest and second largest

city of Tamil Nadu India. This city is located on Vaigai River and

was the capital of Pandyan rulers. The Pandyan king had built a

gorgeous Temple around which he created a lotus shaped city.

It has been a center of learning and pilgrimage, for centuries.

Legend has it that the divine nectar falling from Lord Shiva’s

locks gave the city its name - ‘Madhurapuri’, now known as

“Madurai”. The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara Temple and

Madurai City originated together. The structures that are

standing today date mostly from the twelfth to the eighteenth

century. They occupy a vast space, 258-m by 241m. At every

turn there is superb sculpture, magnificent architecture. The

Meenakshi Temple complex is one of the largest and certainly

one of the most ancient in India. According to legend Madurai

is the actual site where the wedding between Shiva and

Meenakshi took place. The gigantic Temple complex, the

statues exploring the entire range of human emotions,

everything here is larger than life. The soaring and exquisitely

carved towers enclose the Temple dedicated to Meenakashi.

The south gateway contains the twin Temples of Shiva and

Meenakshi and rise about nine storey’s high.

Meenakshi Kalyanam, the wedding festival of Goddess

Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwar is celebrated for twelve days

from the second day of the lunar month (i.e. two days after the

new moon). This is a spectacular festival celebrated in the

month of Chaitra (April-May). The festival is characterized with

royal decorated umbrellas, fans and traditional instrumental

music. Scenes from mythology are enacted and the deities of

Lord Shiva, Goddess Shakti and Goddess Meenakshi are taken

out in a colourful procession. Thousands of devotees from all

over the country gather in the city of Madurai on this occasion.


EPISODE THREEBULGUKSA TEMpLE ~ South Korea | SEoKGURAM GRoTTo ~ South KoreaTAKTSAnG MonASTERy ~ Bhutan

BULGUKSA TEMpLE & SEoKGURAM GRoTTo

Established in the 8th century on the slopes of Mount

Toham, the Seokguram Grotto contains a monumental

statue of the Buddha looking at the sea. With the

surrounding portrayals of gods, Bodhisattvas and

disciples, all realistically and delicately sculpted in high

and low relief, it is considered a masterpiece of Buddhist

art in the Far East. The Temple of Bulguksa (built in 774)

and the Seokguram Grotto form a religious architectural

complex of exceptional significance. The Temple and

Grotto are a masterpiece of Far Eastern Buddhist art. The

complex that it forms with Bulguksa Temple is an

outstanding example of the religious architecture of the

region and of the material expression of Buddhist belief.

Construction of Seokguram Grotto, located on the

south-eastern slope of Mount Toham, facing the East

Sea, began in AD 751, the 10th year of the reign of Silla

King Gyeongdeok, and completed in 774, the 10th year

of the reign of King Hyegong. It is built from granite and

features 39 Buddhist engravings on the main wall and

the principal sculpture of the Buddha in the centre. The

Eight Guardian Deities are carved in relief on the walls

of the rectangular antechamber of the Grotto. The Four

Guardian Kings are carved in pairs on either side of the

narrowed part of the corridor. A large circular lotus

flower is set in the wall behind the main Buddha,

creating the illusion of a halo for the Buddha when seen

from the front. There are 10 niches lining the upper wall

on either side of this lotus flower: originally each

contained images of Bodhisattvas or Buddhist devotees.

The main Sakyamuni Buddha figure is 3.45 m high, and

set on a lotus flower-shaped pedestal. The hair is tightly

curled and there is a distinct protuberance on the top of

the head symbolizing Supreme Wisdom. Beneath the

broad forehead the eyebrows are shaped like crescent

moons and the half-closed eyes gaze towards the East

Sea. The main Buddha of Seokguram is a masterpiece

that perfectly depicts the moment Sakyamuni attained

enlightenment, and Bulguksa Temple is an ambitious

architectural work through which Silla revealed the

world of Buddhism to the terrestrial world.

The grounds of Bulguksa were seen as a utopia of

Buddhism itself.


EPISODE THREEBULGUKSA TEMpLE ~ South Korea | SEoKGURAM GRoTTo ~ South KoreaTAKTSAnG MonASTERy ~ Bhutan

TAKTSAnG MonASTERy

The Taktsang Monastery is the most famous Bhutanese

monastery located in the Paro valley, western Bhutan,

perched on a cliff 900 meters above the valley. It is also

known as “Tiger’s Nest” because Guru Rimpoche is said

to have flown on the back of a tigress in the 8th century.

He then meditated in a cave here for three months

where the monastery was later built. Taktsang

Monastery was built in 1692. He also subjugated the

Eight Categories of Evil Spririts and converted the valley

to Buddhism. The cave is said to be the origin of

Bhuddism in Bhutan.

Guru Rinpoche then returned to Tibet and transmitted

his teaching to his disciples. One of his disciples,

Langchen Pelkyi Singye, returned to Taktshang to

meditate in the year 853. He named the cave where he

meditated as Pelkyi’s Cave. Pelkyi is believed to have

gone to Nepal where he later died. His body

miraculously returned to Taktshang Monastery under

the grace of deity Dorje Legpa and is now sealed inside

the chorten, standing in the room on the left at the top

of the entrance. The monastery caught on fire in 1998.

The process of rebuilding it is still in progress but the

holy cave has been found intact after the disaster.

Paro Taktsang is the popular name of Taktsang

Palphug Monastery (also known as The Tiger’s Nest) and

has become the cultural icon of Bhutan.

An alternative legend holds that a former wife of an

emperor, known as Yeshe Tsogyal, willingly became a

disciple of Guru Rinpoche in Tibet. She transformed

herself into a tigress and carried the Guru on her back

from Tibet to the present location of the Taktsang in

Bhutan. In one of the caves here, the Guru then

performed meditation and emerged in eight incarnated

forms (manifestations) and the place became holy.

















MOSQUES OF ISLAM













SACRED LAND/HOLY LANDEpisodes 4 and 5

JERUSALEM ~ A mountainous walled city with a 5,000-year history is sacred to the three great

monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - which means it is sacred to more than a

third of the world's population. For Jews, Jerusalem is the site of the Temple, now in ruins except for

the Western Wall; for Christians, it is the site of Christ's death and resurrection; for Muslims, it is the

site of the Prophet's night journey to heaven. Jerusalem is therefore a major site of pilgrimage for

all three religions as well as, unfortunately, a place of religious and political tension

over this important piece of land.


EPISODE FOURTHE DoME oF THE RoCK ~ Jerusalem, Israel | AL-AQSA MoSQUE ~ Jerusalem, IsraelTHE CHURCH oF THE HoLy SEpULCHRE ~ Jerusalem, Israel

THE DoME oF THE RoCK

The most famous Islamic site in Jerusalem is the Dome of

the Rock. An impressive and beautiful edifice, the Dome of

the Rock can be seen from all over Jerusalem. It is the

crowning glory of the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock

is not a mosque, but a Muslim shrine. Like the Ka'ba in

Mecca, it is built over a sacred stone. This stone is believed

to be the place from which the Prophet Muhammad

ascended into heaven during his Night Journey to heaven.

The Dome of the Rock is the oldest Islamic monument that

stands today and certainly one of the most beautiful. The

sacred rock over which the Dome of the Rock is built was

considered holy before the arrival of Islam. Jews believed,

and still believe the rock to be the very place where

Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac (an event which

Muslims place in Mecca). In addition, the Dome of the Rock

is believed by many to stand directly over the site of the

Holy of Holies of both Solomon's Temple and Herod's

Temple.

The Dome of the Rock was built by the Umayyad caliph

from 688 to 691 AD. According to tradition, the Dome of the

Rock was built to commemorate Muhammad's ascension

into heaven after his night journey to Jerusalem "He wished

to erect a beautiful Muslim building that could compete

with the majestic churches of Christendom and would be

a symbolic statement to both Jews and Christians of the

superiority of the new faith of Islam." His building spoke to

Jews by its location, to Christians by its interior decoration

In the Middle Ages, Christians and Muslims both believed

the dome to be the biblical Temple of Solomon. The Knights

Templar made their headquarters there during the

Crusades and later patterned their churches after its design.

The extraordinary visual impact of the Dome of the Rock is

in part due to the mathematical rhythm of its proportions.

All the critical dimensions are related to the center circle

that surrounds the sacred stone. For example, each outer

wall is 67 feet long, which are exactly the dome's diameter

and exactly its height from the base of the drum. The same

principles were used in Byzantine churches of Italy, Syria,

and Palestine, but none compare to the integration of plan

and elevation seen in the Dome of the Rock.

The Dome is topped by a full moon decoration which

evokes the familiar crescent moon symbol of Islam. It is

aligned so that if you could look through it, you would

be looking straight towards Mecca.



THE AL-AQSA MoSQUE

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the most important mosque in Jerusalem. Located on the Temple

Mount, it is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. It is the central focus of

the Muslim community in Jerusalem, hosting daily prayers and accommodating large

crowds for Friday sermons. Originally, all of Jerusalem was known as the "distant sanctuary,"

but the term eventually came to be applied to the main mosque in the city. It is not certain

when the first mosque was built on this site - the first mosque in Jerusalem, the Mosque

of Umar, was built in 638 and may have stood here. In 680, the Christian pilgrim Arculf

described a mosque that appears to be on this site. The earliest mosque that was certainly

built here was constructed by the Umayyads around 710 AD, only a few decades after the

Dome of the Rock. Unfortunately nothing of the ancient mosque survives today: it was

destroyed by earthquakes twice in its first 60 years of existence and has been rebuilt at

least five times. The last major rebuild was in 1035 by Caliph az-Zahir. After the Crusaders

captured Jerusalem in 1099, Al-Aqsa was used as the royal palace of the Crusader kings,

then as the headquarters of the Knights Templar in 1118. The legacy of these European

occupants remains in the Romanesque central bays of the main facade.

After recapturing Jerusalem in 1187, Saladin left the new arches but tore down all the

Templar constructions around the mosque except for the refectory along the south wall.

The 20th century was a time of significant turmoil and change at Al-Aqsa. In 1951, King

Abdullah of Jordan was assassinated in the south end of the mosque; bullet holes can still

be seen in a pillar.



THE CHURCH oF THE HoLy SEpULCHRE

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, known as the Church of the Resurrection to Eastern

Orthodox Christians, is a church in the Old City of Jerusalem that is the holiest Christian

site in the world. It stands on a site that is believed to encompass both Golgotha, or Calvary,

where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb (sepulchre) where he was buried. The Church of

the Holy Sepulchre has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century.

Although it is not certain, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre could be located over the

actual tomb of Christ. The most important supporting evidence is as follows: The

topographical elements of the church’s site are compatible with the Gospel descriptions,

which say that Jesus was crucified on a rock that looked like a skull outside the city. The

Christian community of Jerusalem held worship services at the site until 66 AD even when

the area was brought within the city walls in 41-43 AD it was not built over by the local

inhabitants. The Roman Emperor Hadrian built a Temple of Venus over the site in 135 AD,

which could be an indication that the site was regarded as holy by Christians and Hadrian

wished to claim the site for traditional Roman religion.

The eyewitness historian Eusebius claimed that in the course of the excavations, the

original memorial was discovered.

Based on the above factors, the Oxford Archaeological Guide to the Holy Land concludes:

“Is this the place where Christ died and was buried? Very probably, yes.”


EPISODE FIVETHE WAiLinG WALL ~ Jerusalem, Israel | DoHAny STREET SynAGoGUE ~ Budapest, HungaryTHE GREAT SynAGoGUE oF FLoREnCE ~ Florence, Italy

THE WAiLinG WALL

The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest of Jewish

sites, sacred because it is a remnant of the Herodian

retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the

Second Temple. It has also been called the “Wailing

Wall” by European observers because for centuries Jews

have gathered here to lament the loss of their Temple.

The Western Wall Plaza, the large open area that faces

the Western Wall, functions as an open-air synagogue

that can accommodate tens of thousands of

worshipers. The Western Wall was built by King Herod

in 20 BC during his expansion of the Temple enclosure,

and is part of a retaining wall that enclosed the western

part of Temple Mount. According to the Roman-Jewish

historian Josephus, construction of the walls took 11

years, during which time it rained in Jerusalem only at

night so as not to interfere with the workers’ progress.

In 70 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its

Temple. During the Ottoman Period (beginning in the

16th century), the wall became the Jewish Peoples’

main place of pilgrimage, where they came to lament

the destruction of the Temple.

In 1967 the Israelis made the wall about 6 1/2 feet

higher by digging down and exposing two more tiers

of ashlars (squared stones) from the Temple Plaza’s

retaining wall that had been buried by accumulated

debris for centuries.

The huge, lower stones of the wall are from the time

of Herod, while those higher up date from Omayyad

and Fatimid times. The sides of the Herodian

monumental stones have been carved with such

precision that they rest perfectly against and on top of

each other, without mortar. Over the centuries, the fine

straight lines and margins of some of the stones have

eroded away. The lower cracks of the chalky, yellow-

white blocks have been stuffed with bits of paper

containing written prayers. Orthodox Jews can be seen

standing at the wall, chanting and swaying. Some Jews

visit the wall daily to recite the entire Book of Psalms.



DoHAny STREET SynAGoGUE

Built in 1859, the Dohány Street Synagogue also known

as The Great Synagogue in Budapest is the largest

synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the

world (after Temple Emanu-el in New York City). Dohány

Synagogue was built in 1854-59 after the plans of

Ludwig Förster, who was not Jewish. At the time the

Jewish community, in this area of Pest, numbered

about 30,000. Dohány Synagogue would go on to have

a rich but tragic history.

In March 1944, Adolf Eichmann arrived in Budapest

with the occupying Nazi forces to supervise the

establishment of the Jewish ghetto and the subsequent

deportations. For a time, Eichman had an office behind

the rose window in the women's balcony. Up to 20,000

Jews took refuge inside the synagogue complex during

the war, but 7,000 people perished during the bleak

winter of 1944-45. These victims are buried in the

courtyard, where you can also see a piece of the original

brick ghetto wall. During the Communist period, many

windows were broken and the Jews boarded up the

synagogue. An ambitious restoration was recently

completed, funded in large part by famous Americans

Tony Curtis and Estée Lauder, who are of Hungarian-

Jewish descent. The building's original splendor is now

fully apparent.

The Great Synagogue is designed like a basilica and

includes some striking Byzantine and Moorish

elements. The interior is vast and ornate, with two

balconies and, unusually, an organ. Its ark contains 25

torah scrolls taken from other synagogues destroyed

during the Holocaust. Next to the main building is the

Jewish Heroes' Mausoleum and Temple in memory of

the thousands of Jews who died during the Second

World War. The Memorial Garden contains monuments

to Jews who died in the Holocaust and to non-Jews

who protected their Jewish neighbors. The National

Jewish Museum is also in the synagogue complex.



THE GREAT SynAGoGUE oF FLoREnCE

In 1872 David Levi, donated enough money to build a

synagogue "worthy of Florence". The construction was

assigned to architects Treves, Falcini and Micheli and

lasted eight years, between 1874 and 1882. Because the

Florentine Jews were Sephardic, the design of their

synagogue recalls the Muslim art of Moorish Spain. It

was dedicated October 24, 1882. All the internal walls

were decorated between 1882 and 1890 by a local

painter: Giovanni Panti, who made use of gold-plating

to highlight the Moorish designs.

The synagogue has successfully withstood wars,

barbarism and floods. The Germans tried to blow up the

structure during WWII, but the main building withstood

their efforts. Bayonet marks are still visible on the doors

of the Holy Ark which the Nazis used as a warehouse

and stable. When the fascists were driven out of

Florence they mined the synagogue with explosives

before they left. Fortunately, the partisans were able to

diffuse the bombs. In 1944 Leon Dison a Lance-Corporal

in the 12th Field Squadron, South African Engineers

Corps, 6th South African Armoured Division and another

Sapper, Hymie Bloch were instructed by their officer,

Arnold Harris to check the Synagogue in Florence as it

was feared that it was booby-trapped. Lon and Hymie

checked the whole Synagogue and told the people

waiting outside that it was safe to go in. Hymie Bloch

lived in Durban and passed away in 2004 and as of 2008

Leon Dison lives in Johannesburg. He is 87 years old.

On the second floor is the Jewish Museum of

Florence, and outside of the synagogue, there is a stone

monument with the names of 248 Jewish deportees

engraved on the face. The Florence synagogue was

built after years of discussion about its location. The

community wanted to build it as close to the center as

possible, in order to signify what it saw as the important

role Jews played in the new, unified Italy which had

guaranteed them full civil rights. A gift of land and

money by congregant David Levi was too good to

refuse. Still, the large dome of the Tempio Israelitico is

a prominent feature of the Florence landscape. The

vaguely oriental shape of the dome supplanted an

original typically neo-renaissance design. This and all

the other Moorish features of the Temple were virtually

imposed on the architects by the professors of the

Florentine Academy.

















MOSQUES OF ISLAM













MOSQUES OF ISLAMEpisodes 6, 7 and 8

The word “Mosque” signifies the act of prostrating oneself to pray. The first sacred buildings

were modest and humble living quarters of Mohammed. According to Islamic belief, the first

mosque in the world was Masjid Al-Haram, known also by the name of Kaaba Of Mecca.

The geometric structure, its sacred proportions, which branch out from octagonal passages,

are the symbols of the conscience – linked as well from heaven and earth – the

Material world to the Spiritual world.


EPISODE SIXTHE BLUE MoSQUE ~ Istanbul, TurkeyAL-MASJiD AL-HARAM (KABBA oF MECCA) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia

THE BLUE MoSQUE

Man and his need to affirm the greatness of his belief,

wanted to make an offering to God, as well to appear

grand and opulent before his fellow man. The most

beautiful symbol of this conquest is The Blue Mosque

of Istanbul. It was built a few feet from one of the most

important edifices of the first Christians – Sainte Sophie

or Ayasofia – the ancient Basilica, and it became the

most impressive mosque in Constantinople. Sultan

Amhet 1st commissioned the Mosque to be built when

he was only 19. He wanted to prove that the Ottoman

architects had absolutely nothing to envy from their

Christian predecessors. The architectural plan of the

mosque is inspired by the Cathedral of Justinien, built

almost a thousand years earlier. 260 windows make the

mosque inundated with light. The interior is decorated

by 21,043 squares of earthenware from Iznik-

dominated by the colour blue - hence the name The

Blue Mosque. Conceived to appease the wrath of God,

The Blue Mosque is a symbol of uninterrupted dialogue

between Man and God.

The Blue Mosque is one of the great masterpieces of

Muslim architecture and was constructed in the early

17th Century. It took seven years to build. Its six

minarets caused a scandal, as the Haram Mosque in

Mecca (the holiest in the world) also had six minarets.

In the end, the young sultan solved the problem by

sending his architect to Mecca to add a seventh

minaret.

Another striking feature of the exterior is the

beautifully arranged cascade of domes that seems to

spill down from the great central dome. The arcades

running beneath each dome add further visual rhythm.

None of the exterior is blue. The term “Blue Mosque”

comes from the blue tiles inside.

Hanging from the north gate are symbolic chains that

encourage everyone, even the Sultan who entered on

horseback, to bow his head.


EPISODE SIXTHE BLUE MoSQUE ~ Istanbul, TurkeyAL-MASJiD AL-HARAM (KABBA oF MECCA) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia

AL-MASJiD AL-HARAM

Al-Masjid Al-Haram (The Holy Mosque), also known as

Al-Haram Mosque, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the holiest

mosque in the world and the primary destination of the

Hajj pilgrimage. The Mosque complex covers an area of

356,800 square meters and can accommodate up to

820,000 worshippers during the Hajj. The Holy Mosque

is the only Mosque that has no direction, since Muslims

pray facing the Ka’ba in the central courtyard. The

Mosque was built in the 7th century and has been

modified, rebuilt, and expanded on a regular basis ever

since. The beginnings of the Holy Mosque were

established under Caliph Omar Ibn al-Khattab (634-

644). The caliph ordered the demolition of houses

surrounding the Ka’ba in order to accommodate the

growing number of pilgrims and then built a 1.5-meter

high wall to form an outdoor prayer area around the

shrine. In 692, after Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan

conquered Mecca from Ibn Zubayr, the building was

enlarged and embellished: the outer walls were raised,

the ceiling was covered with teak and the capitals were

painted in gold.

In 1571, Ottoman Sultan Selim II (1566-1574)

commissioned the court architect Sinan to renovate the

Holy Mosque. It is from this renovation that the present

building mostly dates. The interior of the domes were

decorated with gilded calligraphy.

Between 1955 and 1973, the first of many extensions

under the Saudi kings was commissioned by King

Abdul Aziz (1932-1953). The two-story extension was

built of reinforced concrete arches clad in carved

marble and artificial stone, which communicates with

the street and the mosque via eleven doors.


EPISODE SEVENAL-AZHAR MoSQUE ~ Cairo, Egypt

Al-Azhar University in Cairo is one of the oldest operating

universities in the world. The Islamic university is connected to the

beautiful and historic Al-Azhar Mosque. The mosque and

university are named in honor of Fatima Az-Zahraa, the daughter

of Muhammad, from whom the Fatimid Dynasty claimed descent.

The mosque was built in two years beginning in 971 AD. The

school of theology (madrassa) connected with it was founded in

988 as an Ismaili Shia school, but it later became a Sunni school,

which it remains to this day. It claims to be the oldest Islamic

university in the world. The core academic life of Al-Azhar has

remained much the same for over a millenium: its students study

the Qur’an and Islamic law in detail, along with logic, grammar,

rhetoric, and how to calculate the lunar phases of the moon. Most

of this learning is done by listening in a circle (halqa) at the feet of

a sheikh and rote memorization. Al-Azhar does not admit students

who are not practicing Muslims but provides training in secular

professions; it is thus a unique combination of a theological

seminary and regular university, with faculties of medicine and

engineering established in 1961.Al-Azhar is considered by most

Sunni Muslims to be the most prestigious school of Islamic law,

and its scholars are seen as the highest scholars in the Muslim

world. Its stated objectives remain the propagation of Islamic

culture and the Arabic language.

Al-Azhar is run by a Supreme Council that establishes general

policy, headed by a Grand Imam, styled the "Sheikh Al-Azhar."

Since 1929 Al-Azhar has published a magazine (now monthly)

whose stated purpose is to promulgate religious rules, subjects

related to the propagating of Islamic literature, and basic

jurisprudence (sharia), including sections on history, biographies,

translated texts and news concerning the Muslim world. The

current Imam of Al-Azhar has declared that the perpetrators of the

9/11 attacks and suicide bombers are heretics who are not

following the true path of Islam. In a recent conference in

Indonesia, he asked all "true believers" to deny speakers of

violently heretical Islam places to speak in the mosque, thus

preventing the spread of violent ideologies.

The Al-Azhar Mosque is a grand structure that reflects many

centuries of styles. Entrance is through the 15th-century Barber’s

Gate, where students traditionally had their heads shaved. This

leads into a great courtyard (sahn), which dates from the 10th

century and is overlooked by three stately minarets. The

university’s library (not open to visitors), which was consolidated

in 1897, is considered second in range and importance only to Dar

Al-kotob Al-Masriah in Egypt, as far as the number of Islamic books

and manuscripts are concerned. The library comprises of

99,062 books consist of 595,668 volumes of the

most precious manuscripts and rare

books, some as old as the 8th

century.


EPISODE EIGHTTHE GREAT MoSQUE oF DJEnnÉ ~ Mali, AfricaKAiRoUAn MoSQUE ~ Tunisia, North Africa

THE GREAT MoSQUE oF DJEnnÉ

The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud brick or

adobe building in the world and is considered by many

architects to be the greatest achievement of the

Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, with definite Islamic

influences. The mosque is located in the city of Djenné,

Mali on the flood plain of the Bani River. As well as being

the centre of the community of Djenné, it is one of the

most famous landmarks in Africa. Along with the “Old

Towns of Djenné” it was designated a World Heritage Site

by UNESCO in 1988.

The actual date of construction of the first mosque in

Djenné is unknown, but some experts assert that it dates

as early as 1200. The earliest document mentioning the

mosque is al-Sadi’s which gives the early history,

presumably from the oral tradition as it existed in the

mid seventeenth century. There is no written

information on the Great Mosque until the French

explorer René Caillié visited Djenné in 1828 and wrote

“In Jenné is a mosque built of earth, surmounted by two

massive but not high towers; it is rudely constructed,

though very large. It is abandoned to thousands of

swallows, which build their nests in it”. In 1996, Vogue

held a fashion shoot inside the mosque. Vogue’s pictures

of scantily-dressed women outraged local opinion, and

as a result, non-Muslims have been banned from

entering the mosque ever since.

The walls of the Great Mosque are made of sun-baked

mud bricks, a mud based mortar, and are coated with a

mud plaster which gives the building its smooth,

sculpted look. The walls of the building are decorated

with bundles of rodier palm sticks that project about 60

cm (2 ft) from the surface. The prayer wall of the Great

Mosque faces east towards Mecca and overlooks the city

marketplace. It is dominated by three large, box-like

towers or minarets jutting out from the main wall. The

cone shaped spires or pinnacles at the top of each

minaret are topped with ostrich eggs.


EPISODE EIGHTTHE GREAT MoSQUE oF DJEnnÉ ~ Mali, AfricaKAiRoUAn MoSQUE ~ Tunisia, North Africa

KAiRoUAn MoSQUE

Kairouan also known as Kirwan or al-Qayrawan, is the capital of

the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. Referred to as the Islamic

Cultural Capital, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city was

founded by the nomads of Tunisia around 200 to 250 BC and

soon Romans occupied it and built a huge Claussium which is

still standing and is one of the most complete of its kind around

the Mediterranean sea. Arabs later on demolished the central

temple and made a mosque instead. Some of the stones are still

visible with Roman alphabets hacked on them. In the period of

Caliph Mu’awiya (reigned 661-680), it became an important

centre for Islamic and Quranic learning, and thus attracting a

large number of Muslims from various parts of the world, next

only to Mecca and Medina. The holy Mosque of Uqba is situated

in the city. It is considered by many Muslims to be Islam’s fourth

holiest city Kairouan was founded in about the year 670 when

the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi of Amir Muauia selected a site

in the middle of a dense forest, then infested with wild beasts

and reptiles, as the location of a military post for the conquest

of the West. It was located far from the sea where it was safe

from continued attacks of the Berbers who had fiercely resisted

the Arab invasion. Berber resistance continued. Subsequently,

there was a mass conversion of the Berbers to Islam. Kharijites

or Islamic "outsiders" who formed an egalitarian and puritanical

sect appeared and are still present on the island of Jerba. Power

struggles remained until Kairouan was recaptured by Ibrahim

ibn al-Aghlab at the end of the 8th century. In 800, Ibrahim was

confirmed Emir and hereditary ruler of Ifriqiya by Caliph Harun

ar-Rashid in Baghdad. Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab founded the

Aghlabid dynasty that ruled Ifriqiya between 800 and 909. The

new Emirs embellished Kairouan and made it their capital

which soon became famous for its wealth and prosperity

reaching the levels of Basra and Kufa and giving Tunisia one of

its golden ages long sought after the glorious days of Carthage.

The Aghlabites built the great mosque and established in it a

university that was a centre of education both in Islamic

thought and in the secular sciences. Kairouan envoys from

Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire returned with

glowing reports of the Aghlabites palaces, libraries and

gardens. It has been said that seven pilgrimages to this mosque

is considered the equivalent of one pilgrimage to Mecca.

















MOSQUES OF ISLAM













CHURCHES, CATHEDRALS,AND MONASTERIES

Episodes 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13

Since the millennium men have chosen the Vow of Solitude in order to access the Divine.

They have built monuments between heaven and earth, architectural wonders and

challenges to simple form, without artifice, where the stones and the light are designed in

such a way as to create the ideal Sacred Space to be in communication with God.


EPISODE NINETHE GREAT CATHEDRAL oF CoLoGnE ~ Cologne, Germany

Dedicated to the Saints Peter and Mary, Cologne Cathedral is

the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. Cologne

Cathedral is the greatest Gothic cathedral in Germany and has

been Cologne's most famous landmark for centuries. Once the

tallest building in the world, Cologne Cathedral still boasts the

world's largest church façade. The cathedral's main treasure is

a golden reliquary containing the remains of the Three Magi of

Christmas story fame. These relics and other treasures have

made Cologne Cathedral a major pilgrimage destination for

centuries.

Cologne Cathedral stands on the site of a 4th century Roman

temple, followed by a square church known as the "oldest

cathedral" commissioned by Maternus, the first Christian

bishop of Cologne. A second church built on the site, the "Old

Cathedral," was completed in 818. This burned down on April

30, 1248.Construction of the present Gothic church began in

the 13th century and took, with interruptions, more than 600

years to complete. The new structure was built to house the

relics of the Three Magi, taken from Milan by Holy Roman

Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa and given to the Archbishop of

Cologne, Rainald von Dassel in 1164. Only with the 19th century

Romantic enthusiasm for the Middle Ages and the commitment

of the Prussian Court did construction work resume. The

completion of Germany's largest cathedral was celebrated as a

national event in 1880, 632 years after construction had began.

The celebration was attended by Emperor Wilhelm I. The

cathedral suffered 14 hits by World War II aerial bombs but did

not collapse and reconstruction was completed in 1956..

In 1996, the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World

Heritage List of culturally important sites and in 2004, it was

placed on the “World Heritage in Danger” list. Inside, the most

celebrated work of art in the cathedral is the Sarcophagus of

the Magi, a large gilded sarcophagus dating to around 1200.

The largest reliquary in the western world, the exterior is seven

feet of gilded silver and jewels. Images of Old Testament

prophets line the bottom and the 12 apostles decorate the top.

Inside, the reliquary holds three golden-crowned skulls

believed to belong to the Three Magi.


EPISODE TENST. BASiL’S CATHEDRAL ~ Moscow, Russia

Saint Basil’s Cathedral is located at one end of Red Square, just

across from the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin. The

combination of color and shapes that is St. Basil’s Cathedral is

unmatched anywhere else in the world. The French diplomat

Marquis de Custine commented that it combined "the scales of

a golden fish, the enameled skin of a serpent, the changeful

hues of the lizard, the glossy rose and azure of the pigeon’s

neck" and wondered at "the men who go to worship God in this

box of confectionery work."

The powerful Eastern Orthodox design of St. Basil’s reflects

both its location between Europe and Asia and its historical

origins. Since the Kazan Qolsharif mosque had been the

principal symbol of the Khanate captured by Ivan the Terrible,

some elements from the mosque were incorporated into the

cathedral to symbolize the victory.

St. Basil’s was built to commemorate the capture of the Tatar

stronghold of Kazan in 1552, which occurred on the Feast of the

Intercession of the Virgin. The cathedral was thus officially

named Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat

(the moat being one that originally ran beside the Kremlin). But

the cathedral was popularly known as St. Basil’s Cathedral, after

St. Basil the Blessed (a.k.a. St. Basil Fool for Christ; 1468-1552),

almost from the beginning. Basil impressed Ivan the Terrible in

1547 when he foretold a fire that swept through Moscow that

year. Upon his death, Basil was buried in the Trinity Cathedral

that stood on this site at the time.

The Cathedral of the Intercession a.k.a. St. Basil’s Cathedral

was constructed from 1555 to 1560. Legend has it that after it

was completed, Ivan had the architect blinded in order to

prevent him from building a more magnificent building for

anyone else. Although the towers and domes appear chaotic,

there is symmetry and symbolism in its design. There are eight

domed chapels symbolizing the eight assaults on Kazan: four

large and octagonal and four small and square. The ninth

chapel on the east side added in 1588 for Basil’s tomb interrupts

the symmetry of design somewhat. It can be recognized on the

outside by its green-and-gold dome studded with golden

pyramids.


EPISODE ELEVENMonT SAinT-MiCHEL ~ Normandy, France

The grandest architectural feat in the world which sits in the middle

of nowhere, surrounded completely by water at high tide, is the

Benedictine Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in France. This 10th

century edifice was created by the Bishop Saint Aubert who

received a vision in a dream three times from Saint Michel to build

an oratory. This edifice was built as well as a space to gather twelve

canons. The monastic ensemble, built on the precipice of a lone

rock, is a mega-structure where all of the wings and various

buildings are superimposed as a vertical labyrinth towards the light.

Mont Saint-Michel is a Monastery perched atop a rocky tidal

island and a commune in Normandy, France. It is located

approximately one kilometre off the country’s north-western coast,

at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. The

population of the island is 41. The island has been a strategic point

holding fortifications since ancient times, since the 8th century AD.

The Wonder of the Western World forms a tower in the heart of an

immense bay invaded by the highest tides in Europe. It was at the

request of the Archangel Michel, chief of the celestial militia that

Aubert; Bishop of Avranches built and consecrated a small church

on the 16th October 709. In 966 a community of Benedictines

settled on the rock at the request of the Duke of Normandy and the

pre-Romanesque church was built before the year one thousand.

In the 11th century, the Romanesque abbey church was founded

over a set of crypts where the rock comes to an apex, and the first

monastery buildings were built up against its north wall. The

interpretation of Heaven and Earth is embodied in The Church, a

symbol of the world and the Creator. The Gothic Cathedral,

replicated in Jerusalem, is described by Celeste in the Apocalypse

as the most extraordinary architecture on earth which will never be

equaled. The innumerable gothic buildings that were built

throughout Europe attest to the immense virtuosity of Man and his

desire to reach Heaven.

In the 14th century, the Hundred Years War made it necessary to

protect the abbey behind a set of military constructions, enabling

it to hold out against a siege lasting 30 years. With Rome and Saint

Jacques de Compostelle, this great spiritual and intellectual centre,

was one of the most important places of pilgrimage for the

medieval occident. For nearly one thousand years, men, women

and children went there by roads called “paths to paradise” hoping

for the assurance of eternity. The Abbey was turned into a prison

during the days of the French Revolution and Empire. With the

celebration of the monastic’s 1000th anniversary, in the year 1966

a religious community moved back to what used to be the

abbatial dwellings, perpetuating prayer and welcomed

the original vocation of this place.


EPISODE TWELVEDUoMo oF FLoREnCE ~ Florence, Italy

Florence’s cathedral stands tall over the city. The church of Santa

Maria del Fiore, the Cathedral or Duomo, of Florence is a vast

Gothic structure built on the site of the 7th century church of

Santa Reparata, the remains of which can be seen in the crypt.

The Cathedral was begun at the end of the 13th century in the

Gothic style by Arnolfo di Cambio, and the dome, which

dominates the exterior, was added in the 15th century. The

church was then consecrated and “completed” . The exterior is

covered in a decorative mix of pink, white and green marble.

Inside, the clock above the entrance was designed in 1443 by

Paolo Uccello in accordance with the ora italica, where the 24th

hour of the day ended at sunset. The Basilica di Santa Maria del

Fiore is the main church of Florence, Italy. The Duomo, as it is

ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style..

The Cathedral complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, includes

the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile. The three buildings are

part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic

centre of Florence The basilica is one of Italy’s largest churches,

and until development of new structural materials in the

modern era, the dome was the largest in the world. It remains

the largest brick dome ever constructed. The Cathedral is the

mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence.

When the relics of Saint Zenobius were discovered in 1330 in

Santa Reparata, the project obtained new impetus. In 1331, the

Arte della Lana, the guild of wool merchants, took over

exclusive patronage for the construction of the Cathedral and

in 1334 appointed Giotto to oversee the work. When Giotto

died in 1337, Andrea Pisano continued the building until work

was again halted due to the Black Death in 1348.

Work started on the dome in 1420 and was completed in

1436. The Cathedral was consecrated by Pope Eugene IV on

March 25, 1436 (the first day of the year according to the

Florentine calendar). It was the first ‘octagonal’ dome in history

to be built without a temporary wooden supporting frame: the

Roman Pantheon, a circular dome, was built in 117–128 AD with

support structures. It was one of the most impressive projects

of the Renaissance.

There are two lateral doors, the Doors of the Canonici (south

side) and the Door of the Mandorla (north side) with sculptures

by Nanni di Banco, Donatello, and Jacopo della Quercia. During

its long history, this Cathedral has been the seat of the Council

of Florence (1439), heard the preachings of Girolamo

Savonarola and witnessed the murder of Giuliano di Piero de’

Medici on Sunday, 26 April 1478 (with Lorenzo Il

Magnifico barely escaping death) in the

Pazzi conspiracy.


EPISODE THIRTEENTHE METRopoLiTAn CATHEDRAL ~ Mexico City, Mexico

The Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City is the largest

Cathedral in the Americas and the seat of the Roman

Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. The Cathedral was built

in sections from 1573 to 1813 around the original

church that was constructed soon after the Spanish

conquest of Tenochtitlán, eventually replacing it

entirely. Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega

planned the construction, drawing inspiration from

Gothic Cathedrals in Spain.

Each chapel is dedicated to a different saint, and each

was sponsored by a religious guild. The chapels contain

ornate altars, altarpieces, paintings, furniture and

sculptures. The Cathedral is home to two of the largest

18th century organs in the Americas. There is a crypt

underneath the Cathedral that holds the remains of

many former archbishops.

After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the

conquistadors decided to build their church on the site

of the Templo Mayor of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan to

consolidate Spanish power over the newly-conquered

domain. Hernán Cortés and the other conquistadors

used the stones from the destroyed temple of the Aztec

god of war Huitzilopochtli, principal deity of the Aztecs,

to build the church.

In 1544, ecclesiastical authorities in Valladolid ordered

the creation of a new and more sumptuous Cathedral.

The Cathedral was begun by being built around the

existing church in 1573. When enough of the Cathedral

was built to house basic functions, the original church

was demolished to enable construction to continue.

The Cathedral was constructed over a period of over

two centuries, between 1573 and 1813. Its design is a

mixture of three architectural styles that predominated

during the colonial period, Renaissance, Baroque and

Neo-classic.


EPISODE EXAMPLETHE METEoRA MonASTERiES ~ Greece

In the northwest corner of Thessaly, the wide bed of the Pinios River emergesfrom the mighty canyons of the Eastern Pindus Mountains that plummetabruptly onto the Thassalian plain. Here, in the shadow of the mountainsand just beyond the town of Kalampaka, massive gray coloured pinnaclesrise towards the sky. It is a strange but breathtaking landscape that has beensculpted by wind and water over thousands of years. The feat of the 9thcentury hermit monks who first climbed these pillars of rock to settle in thecaves and fissures of the rocks is incredible to behold.

If one were designing another planet one might invent a place likeMeteora. Geologists remain perplexed by the towering pillars of smoothsandstone that demand a myth to explain their origin- petrified giants? Or aperfect place for Zeus to store his thunderbolts. Meteora means “suspendedin air” and it is a perfect name for the natural landscape and for the 24medieval monasteries that were constructed on top of these 1,800 foot rockformations. The rocks are so overwhelming that it takes a while to noticethe monasteries, and when you do… you think your eyes deceive.

As Greece fell to the Ottoman Turks many Monks and Nuns found refusein these rocks. Only divine intervention can explain how these simple piousmen and women reached the tops of the treacherous rocks and built 24glorious Monasteries. There were no steps and the main access to theMonasteries was by means of a net that was hitched over a hook and hoistedup by rope and a hand cranked windlass to winch towers overhanging thechasm. Monks descending in the nets or on retractable wooden ladders upto 40 metres long and there were many casualties.

Six of the 24 Monasteries still exist, precariously perched atop the 1,800foot high pinnacles. Hermit monks constructed the first Monastery beforenuns came to build too. Monks inhabit four of the monasteries and nowomen are permitted- the remaining two Monasteries are the home of Nuns.

There are less than 10 inhabitants in each Monastery today.The story of Meteora will open with a panoramic aerial view of the majestic

rock mountains and the Monasteries perched in the clouds. Ourhistorian/experts will recount the origin and history of this unusual andexotic place and explain the era and context of when and under whatcircumstances the Monasteries were built. We will learn about the EasternOrthodox religion of the Monks who built the 24 Monasteries of Meteoraand how the architecture and design of each monument symbolizes heavenand contributed to a quest for the Sacred on earth. We will scale the 1,800foot rock walls with our SOULCAM (a tele-commanded zeppelin ballooncamera) as a climber retraces the ancient ascent of the holy men and womenwho braved the treacherous climb to the summit using the same laddersand nets they used in the 11th century.

The audience will be transported to a time, centuries ago, and experiencethe climb and summit of these rock mountains and see the architectural featof the sacred monasteries built to ensure isolation and meditation. We willexplore and recreate the journey of what a few men and women were ableto accomplish driven only by their faith. The episode will take the audienceon a journey into the past and uncover the stories and reveal clues from thisperiod in history- illuminated by the voices and expertise of renownedhistorians and theologians. We will ride the SOULCAM as it scales the 1,800foot pinnacles to deliver us into a world rarely seen or understood. At theconclusion of the episode will meet the small community of Monks and Nunswho still inhabit these wonders of Sacred Architecture, hear their ritualGregorian chanting and learn about the significance and wonder of theMeteora Monasteries. The 11th Century of Greece and the lives of the holymen and women who devoted their lives to their religious beliefs and questfor salvation will become vivid and tangible.


POTENTIAL EPISODES FOR SEASON 2

Albi Cathedral ~ France

Piazza Del Duomo ~ Italy

St. Peter's Basilica ~ Rome

Familia Sagrada ~ Spain

Hamat Tiberias ~ Israel

Temple Emanu-El ~ United States

Sardiz ~ Turkey

Portuguese Synagogue ~ Amsterdam

Cordoba ~ Spain

Hassan Mosque ~ Morocco

Omizudara ~ Japan

Potola Palace ~ Tibet


Productions

Canamedia Inc.

2 Pardee Avenue, Suite 102

Toronto, ON Canada M6K 3H5

TF (416) 363-1949

www.canamedia.com

Looping Productions

43, quai de la Seine

75019 Paris, France

T 33 (0)140384160

www.looping-productions.com

Telefrance

71 rue de la Victoire

75009 Paris, France

T 33 (0)153782422

www.telfrance.com

SS3_Final_Singles_Sept2012_Layout 1 12-09-17 10:10 AM

sacred space

Documents