Misere II

Vittoriosa, Malta

"After a storm comes a calm." Matthew Henry

A continuation with the photograph I posted yesterday which you can find here Misere. For those who don't know misere is in Latin and means mercy. I always thought it was a profound and suitable name for really dense clouds...the reason? I don't really know.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV.

Victory Square

Victory Square, Vittoriosa, Malta

"Statues and pictures and verse may be grand, But they are not the Life for which they stand." James Thomson

A few days ago I posted a picture from my hometown - Vittoriosa. It was taken in the town church, the church of St.Lawrence. Today I am posting a picture of square in the town. 

In WW2 Vittoriosa suffered major damage with bombs falling from the sky relentlessly. The church of St.Lawrence suffered intense damage and so did the square. What you see in the picture here is part of the square, that is called Victory Square. In the middle you see a white statue of St.Lawrence, the patron of Vittoriosa. Behind it you can see the local band club and next to it is another club that belongs to a political party. Yes you guess right, religion and politics are a big influence in Malta.

During the day, this square is full of older people talking about this and that and frankly enough, they are the ones who add to the character that this small town offers. You can start talking with one of them, and in a matter of minutes they will tell you in the story of their life and how they fought in the war and emerged victorious.

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

Higher

St.Lawrence Church, Vittoriosa, Malta

"Love is not consolation. It is light. " Friedrich Nietzsche

No it is not something from outer space. This is a church dome, the St.Lawrence church dome. I posted another picture from this church a few days ago, so if you missed it you can go read what I wrote on the other post. This church is oldest church in Malta and it's full of interesting history.

Once again, what attracted me to this church dome is the way the light was hitting it.The sun hitting on the right hand side really brings out the texture of the old stone. The perfect circles are all textured differently and it shows how much time and effort they put into building beautiful buildings a couple of centuries ago. While I am sure they had deadlines, I am also sure that their deadlines were not fast and in result we get a building like this St.Lawrence Church in Malta. 

The nicest sight is actually walking into the church. The church is usually dark (dark drapery, dark paintings) and then you reach this dome and see a burst of light that is right above the main altar. 

 This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV

When Angels Sing

St.Lawrence Church, Vittoriosa, Malta

"Art never seems to make me peaceful or pure." Willem de Kooning

Today I have decided to upload something different, from another country. It's the country I come from, my town in particular. This is a picture of my village church. Malta is a very Catholic country and every town has at least one church dedicated to a certain saint. In total there are 365 churches, exactly one for everyday. In my town, Vittoriosa, the church is dedicated to St.Lawrence.

The church of St.Lawrence is the oldest church in Malta and was built in the 17th Century when the Knights of St.John were still ruling the country.

What you see in the picture is the back part of the church. The organ is all made of wood. What strikes me in this picture is the light. You can tell that the majority of the light is coming from the left side. On the left window you can see light being shined on the two angels painted on the ceiling, but the two on the right side are not as illuminated. It adds contrast and makes the ceiling look more beautiful. The light creating the contrast and the church being basically empty created this eerily peaceful place. I wish I had my DSLR with me on this particular day so I could have more control but  I was only carrying my iPhone with my beloved Hipstamatic app and I think we have done a decent job!

This photograph was captured on my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app. Some minor editing was done in PS CS4. Settings for Hipstamatic were BlacKeys B&W/Lucifer IV