nathan-mangrum

[nathan-mangrum]

St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland

I was interested in this site because it was in Scotland. I was also interested in the architectural design behind this building. The more I looked into it, the more interesting it became. I thought that it was very interesting how the cathedral that we see today is not the original cathedral that was built. This was built in the 14th century and enlarged several times after that.

St. Giles Cathedral was originally built as a Roman Catholic place of worship. In its early years, it was raided several times by the English armies while Scotland was trying to assert its independence from England. John Knox served as a minister here during the Reformation. After the Reformation, it served several purposes, including both secular and religious. It acted as a meeting place for Parliament and the prison and as a place of worship. It is often considered the "Mother Church of the World of Presbyterianism"

I was surprised to learn how diverse the use of this building was. I had never really seen a church building as diversely used as this one. Especially for such secular things as parliament meetings and a jail.

[nathan-mangrum]

Calvin Auditory, Geneva, Switzerland

I was initially interested in this site because I was curious about the connection to the Geneva Bible and if there was one. I figured that if this was a place where Calvin spent a lot of his time, this could be the place where he wrote it. I was also interested because it is such a simple building off the side of a large cathedral.

This was originally a Catholic chapel before John Calvin converted it into a Protestant auditorium. In its original days, it served as the original home of the University of Geneva. Bible studies were hosted here daily, and people came regularly to hear John Calvin and John Knox speak.

Due to the amount of refugees that came to Geneva, many worshippers here didn't speak French, so they were allowed to worship in their native language.

[nathan-mangrum]

Castle of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland

The Castle of St. Andrews was one of the largest cathedrals built in Scotland throughout the Middle Ages. Its size was a display of the immense power and wealth of its builders, Bishop Arnold and Bishop Roger.

This was a prominent location during the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. Some of the important events that occurred here like the burning of the Protestant preacher George Wishart, the murder of Catholic Cardinal David Beaton, and a great seige when reformer John Knox took up residence here.

What's interesting about this castle is that after the Reformation, its use gradually decreased. Several people tried to rebuild it and reuse it, but nothing lasted there for a significant amount of time. By the early 19th century, a lot of the castle had fallen off of the cliff and into the sea.

[nathan-mangrum]

Marburg Castle, Marburg, Germany

I was interested in this site because Marburg played a significant role during the Reformation. I liked the overall style of the building.

This was one of the most significant sites during the Reformation. Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli met here during the Marburg Colloquy, an attempt to unite the differing sides of the Protestant factions. Ultimately, the two parties could not unite and agree on all the points. They could not agree on their theology of Christ. Luther believed in the transubstantiation of Christ during the Eucharist, saying that the bread was quite literally the body of Christ and the wine was His blood. Zwingli, however, believed that communion was a metaphorical body and blood. Zwingli believed that to take this idea literally was absurd because eating included chewing, swallowing, and digesting Christ. This idea repulsed Zwingli!

[nathan-mangrum]

Grossmünster, Zurich, Switzerland

I was initially fascinated by the two towers on the building. I loved the architectural style of the building. As I learned more about it, many unique aspects make this cathedral stand out--the giant bronze doors that are still standing, the ornate stained glass, and the crypts are just some of the things that make this chapel stand out.

During the Reformation, Grossmünster was where Ulrich Zwingli initiated the Swiss Reforms. As Zwingli had it, Grossmünster was barren on the inside. He removed all of the religious statues and the organ. He did this to separate himself from the Papacy.

I was surprised to learn more about the History of Grossmünster. I had no idea that it is thought that it was founded by Charlemagne. According to the legend, Charlemagne's horse fell to its knees over the burial place of Felix and Regula, who were the patron saints of  Zürich.