#deconsecrated church

[bitchfitch]

I'm still in the mood to do photo reffo practice, so I'm going to go repaint screenshots of taskmaster bc every single frame of that show looks like a surrealist composition.

If there's any specific moments you'd like to recommend pls drop the series/episode number so I can find it dhdhhd

[dashalbrundezimmer]

liebfrauenkirche duisburg // duisburg mitte

architect: toni hermanns

relief on the front facade: "moses und der brennende dornbusch" karl heinz türk

completion: 1961

during my visit, i didn't realise what a pearl of modern church architecture duisburg has to offer. i think that even the few photos i took show the building's uniqueness. the church has been deconsecrated for a few years now and is used as a cultural centre. in any case, i have yet to visit the interior, because i hear it's fantastic.

bei meinem besuch war mir gar nicht bewusst welche perle des modernen kirchenbaues sich in duisburg befindet. ich finde selbst die wenigen aufnahmen die entstanden sind, zeigen die besonderheit des bauwerkes. seit mehreren jahren ist die kirche profaniert und kulturort. auf jeden fall muss ich das innere noch besuchen, denn der innenausbau soll fantastisch sein.

[theholmwoodfoundation]

DOCUMENT HF-63-2503 23rd November 1963

To [REDACTED] I am writing this report as a follow up of our meeting this morning, as I believe the magnitude of this week’s events will require proper documentation and filing once complete. As previously stated, our deployment in Northern France began in September, following several police reports of hikers going missing in dense woodland close to the town of [REDACTED]. Following the 1959 acquisition of Asset #4, we have implemented a protocol to investigate any missing person’s case above a bodycount of four individuals within an area of wilderness.  An Extraction Team was dispatched to the location in early October, under the guise of a university research team from Paris.  Extraction Team Leader Castle was tasked with setting up a perimeter, and local law enforcement were engaged to keep civilians away from the area. Following an intense investigation of the woodland in question, the team were able to uncover the asset’s hiding place. According to photographs of the site, she had sequestered herself inside the ruins of an abandoned church. I already have our Archival team working to assess whether this site was deconsecrated at any point in time, or whether this puts into question our current beliefs regarding vampirism and what is deemed “holy” iconography.  Asset was covered in blood when the Extraction team found her. It appears she had acquired a sixth victim on the night of our arrival. Said victim was not dead, and had not been forced to drink her blood. They have been placed under close medical supervision, and will be transferred to our medical centre in Amsterdam for examination. We believe they will require nothing more than the typical NDA and debriefing once physically recovered. The asset has been successfully restrained by the Extraction Team, and I have begun the paperwork for her transportation to Whitby. Due to her sentient state, we suspect she will require additional holding measures within the archives.  Archivist Jenkins has assured us that she has begun preparations, but I wish to stress the importance of this acquisition. This Extraction may be exactly the breakthrough we’ve been looking for in our research of the Undead.  We cannot let this opportunity pass us by.  Yours,  [REDACTED]

Acquisition Letter transcribed for the Whitby Archives

[skull-designs]

Danza Macabra part 2

There are 8 groups of people being stalked by Death. Here are the right-most 4. Note that Death's eyes have been gouged out, reputedly by those who worked in the deconsecrated church when it was a workshop and warehouse. Must have been pretty scary.

L'Usuraio, Il Povero e La Preziosa (The Usurer, The Poor Man and The Precious) Not sure what the last really means, anyone?

Il Medico (The Doctor)

It Notaio e L'Avvocato (The Notary and The Lawyer)

Il Re (The King). Not much of him visible.

San Silvestro, Iseo, Brescia, Italy.

[whencyclopedia]

Temple of Vesta/Hercules, Rome

The Temple of Vesta is the popular name given to the round temple near the Tiber River in Rome (now Piazza Bocca della Veritá). The association with Vesta is due to the shape of the building but in fact it is not known to which god the temple was dedicated. It may have been dedicated to Hercules Olivarius, patron of the Portus Tiberinus oil merchants, as three or four temples to the Greek hero are known to have stood in the area of the Forum Boarium where there was also a Great Altar to Hercules.

The temple is Greek in style and was probably the work of an eastern Greek architect. The building also uses that quintessential Greek building material, Pentelic marble, from near Athens. At the time of construction Pentelic marble was one of the more expensive building materials and so was rarely used for large projects. The columns, entablature and cella walls were constructed with this marble whilst the inner cella wall was lined with tufa and stucco.

The temple is 14.8 m in diameter (50 Roman feet) and has 20 exterior Corinthian columns standing on a 360 degree, 5-stepped tufa podium. The unusually high columns are 10.65 m (36 Roman feet) tall and are topped by composite capitals, which have a combination of Ionic volutes with Corinthian acanthus leaves. All of the capitals are constructed from two separate pieces and the flat ends of the column flutes, the single block used to carve the foot, base and plinth of the column, and the integration of the base into the first step of the podium are all typical features of 1st century CE architectural practice. The cella entrance was flanked by two tall rectangular windows, one on each side, and these remain visible today.

Some sort of disaster struck the temple in the 1st century CE as 10 columns on the north side were replaced using Luna marble and a capital, very similar to the originals but not an exact replica, was replaced on the south side.

The relatively good condition of the building is due to the fact that it was converted into a church and the oldest records (1132 CE) refer to the building as the church of S. Stefano alle Carozze ('of the carriages'). The building is today without its original roof and entablature. In addition, the top portion if the cella wall was replaced using brick-faced concrete and windows were added in the 12th century CE. In 1475 CE a fresco was added above the temple's altar. In the 17th century CE the church was re-dedicated to S. Maria del Sole ('of the sun') only to be then deconsecrated within two centuries. Finally, between 1809 and 1810 CE the podium of the building was excavated, the surrounding ground level was lowered, and the building was restored once again.

Continue reading...

[in-death-we-fall]

Slipknot

Calculated Carnage: The Numbers Don’t Lie

By Paul Gargano (google drive link)

Ten years ago, the Limelight was a landmark for bands who performed in New York City. Women danced in cages suspended from vaulted ceilings, stained glass surrounded a stage elevated on what used to be an altar and men and women mingled in lines for the unisex bathrooms. Built as a church decades earlier, the site had since been deconsecrated, converted to a nightclub, and angel-shaped disco balls hung where a crucifix was once suspended. It was the perfect–not to mention haunting and eerie–setting for the inspired debauchery of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll that made the late ‘80s and early ‘90s such revered times. And almost a decade later, recently reopened, it was the perfect venue to host the live chaos that is Slipknot.

Had there still been cages, more timid members of the crowd may have fled for them, seeking sanctity from the madness that overwhelmed the mosh pit, a floor previously occupied by rows of pews. In stark contrast to the gothic styling of the stained glass that overlooked them, Slipknot’s red jumpsuits were bright and glaring, punching into the flashing strobes and lights that lit the stage and sold-out crowd. It was a venue far too small for Slipknot–who had made their network television debut only hours earlier on Late Night With Conan O’Brien–but what it lacked in size, it made up for in character, with fans occupying choir lofts that overlooked the insanity.

It’s been a whirlwind year for Slipknot, and post-show was no exception, where #1 and #2–drummer Joey and bassist Paul, who both founded the band with #6, custom-percussionist Shawn–took some time away from the post-show madness to offer their insight behind the band that has taken the world by storm over the past year. They left the following morning for a European tour that was ultimately cut short by a personal issue at home–says Joey, “When you get a call that brings you back to where your whole mind should be, you’ve gotta take care of that stuff first and foremost”–and in the midst of planning this summer’s anticipated Tattoo The Earth tour with Sevendust and Coal Chamber, are already at work on their sophomore album, which they hope to release early next year. Who knew Des Moines, Iowa could be so inspiring?

METAL EDGE: Looking at what’s going on with today’s hard rock/metal scene, it’s starting to look a bit like the rap industry, with all the separate camps and alliances. #1 (JOEY): Honestly, that type of shit disgust’s (sic) me. #2 (PAUL): We don’t need it. It’s not that we’re going out of our way, we just say what we feel, so either take it or leave it. Korn opened a lot of doors when they came out, and that’s that. Limp Bizkit, well, I’m not going to go there… Wes [Borland] is a good guitar player. It’s scary. I picked up a magazine yesterday with a “Slipknot vs. Limp Bizkit” poll for fans to vote on, and it came out to be Slipknot over Limp Bizkit like 70% to 30%. I don’t know how that happened and I’m very worried about… I mean, you got a magazine that caters to the teenybopper metal crowd, and you’ve got every fucking issue with Korn, Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit and Orgy. And now Slipknot’s in every issue–I don’t like that. The thing is, I guess I can’t help it because if it matters that much to the kids, I say, “thank you.” You know how appreciative we all are, you’ve hung out with the band. You know how humble we all are about what’s happening to all of us. But, when the next record comes out, our record label is not going to fucking hear it until it’s done. No one’s going to hear it. No studio reports. There’s not going to be anything done. We’re going back to our old, old, old fucking dingy practice room with my mom coming down and fucking doing laundry in the middle of practice. That’s the way it needs to be done because we’ve accomplished this on writing music that we thought filled our emotional need. Now, the emotional need has been magnified so much because of the experiences we’ve been through, so it’s just gonna be a massively, apocalyptic, totally sick and disgusting record.

ME: Do you realize the impact you’re having on your fans? I was at your instore in New York City and it was more enthusiastic than any I’d seen before. Your fans really seem to connect with you. #1: Yeah, well that’s the thing. People always talk about needing to branch out and try different things, and I’m okay with that. We want to get our music out to different crowds, but I sometimes don’t. I wanna make sure that we please the fans that were there from the beginning and understood every aspect when no one else understood. I wanna make sure that that fan remains happy for every record. We expected to sell maybe 150-200,000 records–And not until after two years of touring. Well, I guess we filled a void in those kids… They needed this band for awhile. That’s the whole thing, I don’t necessarily want to lump myself in with those bands because I feel we have nothing in common with them, but I give total respect to Korn because on their first fucking record they opened up so many doors and they did something completely original. You’ve got the mainstay, bands like Black Sabbath, and they’re got a bunch of imitators, but there’s only one Black Sabbath. I’m not a fan of Limp Bizkit, but there’s only one of them–Even though they came after Korn. You’ve got the Deftones and stuff, they all have very energetic and very, at times, liberating music. Limp Bizkit I can’t get into, I’m not a fan, and I think we’re the total opposite of a lot of that stuff that band stands for. It’s for some people, it’s not for some people, and I don’t want to be liked by everyone–That’s the scary thing. It’s so weird that so many people have identified with what we’re doing now–It’s very scary. #2: Yes! And it’s amazing, too, because we don’t get a lot of help from the radio and MTV like these other bands. We occasionally get our video played, and there are some radio stations, but it just proves that the kids need something different. They’re sick of the same old shit being pumped down their throats.

ME: There’s an extra psychological burden, “We’re not just a band anymore, we’re a cultural force.” Did you ever want that? #1: You know what? Yes, I have, and I love the fact, I’m very fucking fortunate and grateful. I do not want to decrease it in any way. I do want to make it bigger. I wanna make it bigger by keeping the fire real and by keeping the emotion and all that shit real. And not worrying about my record label breathing down my neck like they did last time for rough mixes and fucking, “Can you try and make…” No! Ther’s why the ante has been upped on making such a fucking… You could even say it’s overcompensated and fucking disjointed as far as our personalities are concerned. We were going to record in May, but we’re going to stay out and tour because the demand for the record and the demand for us to tour now is so huge in the States–We haven’t been there, we really haven’t toured since early January and that was only like two-and-a-half weeks. Our shows were sold-out, but now we’re selling 30,000 copies a week and we’re beating the system by being played on MTV–which I’m not a fan of–and radio stations like the L.A. K-Rock and the New York K-Rock. I guess I thank them for playing us–We could have it a lot worse–but the fact is, the next record probably wouldn’t turn out the same because we’ve been through a lot of experiences now. We’re going to work so hard on it and I think it’s going to be so ground-breaking for the fact that when you go through all the things we’ve just gone through, it will never be like this again. That’s why it’s very hard for a lot of bands to copy their first record and I love that people say that. Our first record is that good. It is a very pinnacle-type album. I’m so glad that people say that because I still have that hunger that I had when I was fucking playing in front of three people in Lincoln, Nebraska with a bartender and then a cat outside, grasshoppers and fucking crickets. We are maintaining that type of a focus. #2: When we started this band, I knew it was something kids needed. I didn’t think it would be like this, but I had a feeling. Nothing’s settled in yet. We’re on the road playing shows, and that’s basically all that’s settled in! Get up and play another show! [Laughing]

ME: But it’s not enough to just “play another show” every night, you guys are beating the crap out of each other and takin’ bumps. #2: Who wants to see a band up onstage staring at their shoes? That’s not entertaining. We definitely have our bruises and our sore body parts after shows, but once we get the masks and coveralls on, I could have a broken leg and still go out there. In Australia, I tore cartilage in my knee, I couldn’t bend it, and I just taped it up really well and went out there. Shawn’s played with broken ribs. We just don’t feel the pain.

ME: You need to look into some aspirin endorsements! #2: Advil would be real nice! [Laughing] It hurts, the masks aren’t comfortable at all–it would be awesome to play in shorts and a t-shirts (sic), but that’s not us. After the show we can rest all we want.

ME: There’s a definite sense of surprise in your stage show, you never know what’s happening next. Does anyone ever take it too far and cross the line? #1: No. It can never go too far. Never too over-the-top. For a band like us, that’s the first sign of us not being what we stand for.

ME: Joey, from your vantage point onstage what do you see looking out from behind your kit? What goes through your head? #1: Honestly, I can’t even put that in words. You’re the first person that ever asked me that, but it’s something that I think about every day. I guess I see the other side of when I was in the audience watching Slayer or Metallica. I’m usually the first person out onstage, and everytime I come out there are literally tears. I really can’t explain it, it’s so grand, it’s so bigger than words. Literally, I’m getting cracked up just talking about it.

ME: Did you anticipate this kind of success, this fast? #1: Well, sometimes, but that’s just society’s control. Welcome it. If it happens this fast, welcome it and use it to your advantage and make sure that you… Like I said, I thanks all of our fans so much for fucking supporting what we have done, because it’s made me not wanna fucking destroy myself. Back in Des Moines, I thought I was literally going to die if I didn’t get to do this. I get to do it now. But, the whole thing is, when you climb one mountain, it’s time to make sure the next mountain gets climbed and the next one .And you gotta re-evaluate the goal because we got this many people on our side now. It’s like Guns N’ Roses coming so fucking fast, the next thing you know, the dude hasn’t put out a record in like a decade. Like Mike Patton, probably one of the most fucking insane performers and songwriters of the decade–He is so underrated, went on to sell millions of albums in the early ‘90s, and continually turned around and spit in everyone’s faces by putting out albums with some of the most fucked up shit I’ve ever heard. We always say that if things get too big, too fast, if there’s no room for the band to grow because we’ve already accomplished so much, it’ll be time for the band to stop. Johnny Rotten said that the easiest thing to do is stop being a rock star if you don’t want to be one anymore–I thought that statement had so much integrity, and it’s had such an impact on me. I think about that quote every day. #2: It’s amazing. Just to be able to see the country and play these shows for kids all over the place, it’s the most amazing thing. I can’t believe people get paid to do this. I would pay to do this! It rules, I can’t ask for anything more. I just sit back, smile, and if there’s any bullshit, I just smile and let it go on by without bothering me.

ME: Do you think there’s a need for rock stars in society today? #1: Yes, because I needed them, and if I didn’t have them I wouldn’t be where I’m at. It’s like giving two cents back to the music that meant so much to me growing up–Black Sabbath, Slayer, Venom and Mercyful Fate. I showed up at the Clash of the Titans tour long before anyone else did because I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Tom Araya, and last summer, I got to hang out with him. That’s a weird thing, but I needed it to become who I am today. That’s why I’ll welcome it if it’s happened this fast, because people obviously needed it. When we were practicing for pre-production of our album, we were in the same rehearsal space as KISS. I was drawing their logos all over my books in school, now we were practicing next to them, we were standing outside listening to their whole set. The funny thing was, when they all left the room, we were stealing sticks and stuff! It’s being that fan, because we still are that. On OZZfest, I’d watch Slayer from the front row every day, not like a rock star standing on the side of the stage with a laminate.

ME: Has being from Des Moines had a lot to do with your development? #1: Absolutely. From day one. Had we come from L.A. or New York, we would not have the band that we have. Honestly, we grasped on to something early on that meant something so much, then you take that and revel in it, building, building and building, practicing, practicing and practicing, and creating, creating and creating. You magnify those three things, you keep it going and you network, and if you can do that coming from where we’ve come from, you can do it anywhere, because it was a virtual black hole that Corey describes as a graveyard with buildings. #2: It’s weird, it’s almost impossible to get A&R people to Iowa. Half the people don’t even know where it is–”Iowa, isn’t that the potato state?” No, it’s corn country. No one wants to go to Des Moines for their weekend! Finally, Ross Robinson came out and said that regardless of the label, he’ll do the record. Now there are people looking all over Iowa for bands, but there’s just the one and only… People were hoping it would be the “new metal Mecca,” but it’s only us! There area (sic) few good blues bands out here, though.

ME: How long was Slipknot in the making? #1: Ten years in the making. From the day I started playing drums, the day I started playing guitar. Me, Paul and Shawn started the band. Paul and I were playing in different side projects, and I met all those other guys because we’d set up shows with friends’ bands and we’d be playing for each other. There was no one in the audience. When you put up a flier you’d get fined $50. There’s no audience. Not a fucking person. And we had no money because we spent it all (sic) drum stands and guitar strings, struggling to buy that shit. There were no newspapers or radio stations that would tell you about the bands. No doubt, man, all this stuff that’s happened to the band? You don’t even hear about it there. We go home and it’s like we never left. A girl that was on Jenny Jones was big news, but Des Moines doesn’t recognize the gold album, selling out all our shows, being on Conan O’Brien, doing OZZfest. They do’t even write about it. You wouldn’t believe it, but it’s the truth. It just goes back to show me why that place is so fucking special, because it’s such an integral part of making music. I’m glad it’s still like that, because when I go back home, the only thing I want to do is get back on tour, work hard on writing music and stay doing that until the album’s finished.

ME: Was there a certain point where you had the vision that would evolve into Slipknot? #2: Well, it wasn’t planned, it definitely evolved. The lack of anything in Des Moines definitely fueled it, and we just went from there. When we got together, we didn’t have any rules about what it would be, we just got together and the nine people made it what it is. All day, every day, that’s what the band is. The band’s my life, it means everything, it’s my family. It’s what I love the most, and it’s what I hate the most.

ME: It sounds like you’ve accomplished more than you ever hoped to, what’s next? #2: For now, just doing our shows and being with my best friends. But in the long term, it’s going to be world domination. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish. #1: Once you climb one mountain you need to reevaluate and climb another one. We’re going to continue to tour and knock it out, all the way through Tattoo. Then we’d like to go into the studio. Then the next step is to take the most anticipated disjointed, apocalyptic, gross-sounding, disgusting type of exorcism you can imagine and put them all on one record. Every song will be twice what every song on the last album was. It’s all about the band maintaining the good attitude and integrity, and the same fire and hunger that we’ve had, and taking that and magnifying it and making a way better album. #2: Our next record is going to be over the fucking top. It’s going to be stupid!

ME: With things blowing up so fast, what are you proudest of as a band? #2: I’m proudest every day of just being in this band. What blows me away most of all is the fact that I get to do it. The fact that I’m in a band with my best friends, playing songs that we wrote in a basement, and seeing all the emotion from people who come out and get it every night. #1: Our middle finger attitude. How we’ve beaten the system in less than a year, all eyes have turned, and we’ve answered to nobody. That’s why I’m glad it happened as fast as it did. Hard work over time? Sure, good things come, but when it happens that fast it’s more poignant and people remember it more. It’s freaky and it’s very surreal, but that’s why I did welcome it. There’s a reason it happened so fast, because those kids need to stand for something. That’s why I think the next record may shun some people. Is it too over the top? No, it can’t be.

ME: Are you afraid of being “too metal”? #1: We’re fully metal, and we’ve always said that. People are afraid of that word because when Pearl jam and Nirvana came they were supposed to make music more open-minded, but they really made it more closed-minded than ever. We’ll always be a metal band.

ME: You were offered OZZfest this year, why not do it again? It’s a big risk headlining your own tour. #1: There are a lot of reasons why we didn’t do it. It was very cool to do it, but I don’t need an encore performance of it. The Tattoo tour wasn’t our concept, someone came up with it and brought it to us and it was something that we were into. We stepped in. It’s cool to start something from the ground up and not know if it’s going to work. I like everything to be very unpredictable, like playing a show.

ME: It seems like you guys have just gone out of your way to defy everyone in any position of power. Is that conscious? #1: No, because we’ve always done it and we still don’t make any money–There are nine people in this band! The stage manager will come up to us before the show and say, “Please don’t burn anything on the stage, don’t throw your drums, don’t break anything…” Well, that’s a bad thing to tell us, because we’re in debt anyway. Break it all, spend all the money! We’re not making any smart fucking business calls! That’s what lawyers and managers are for. It’s all about being in the moment and being in the vibe, and you can’t deny that. If you deny human feelings, you’re a fraud. #2: I think people are drawn to honesty. Who wants smoke blown up their ass? People want to know that we’re for real. People are drawn to it because they’re sick of all the other bullshit.

ME: We’ve heard about a lot of the bands that you don’t get along with, what are some of the bands you really respect? #1: Amen. They’re very good friends of ours and have the same type of fire even though they create a different style of music. I’m a very big fan of Mike Patton’s [Faith No More] projects and the Melvins. I respect all those guys because they don’t care. They make music just for themselves, they don’t let outside influences get to them.

ME: If you could leave your fans with any one message, what would it be? #2: Be yourselves and don’t fuckin’ worry about everyone else. Do your own shit… And, thanks! From the bottom of our hearts, we thank every kid who’s ever bought our album, checked the website out, or given us any support. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be doing this interview, so from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

[thelampisaflashlight]

Narthex

[Best described as "A ghoul goes ghost hunting", Aether travels to the US to help solve a murder with a demonic twist. This part is primarily from Aether's POV, but it will likely swap between his and Alma's moving forward. Not suitable for younger audiences.] Below the cut.

"There is a church, a smaller branch of the ministry in the United States that sits on the fringe of our control." Papa had debriefed him the night before his flight, sliding a thick manila envelope -near bursting at the seams with documents- to him, "Recently, there... Ah, it's all described in the file. Please review it on the plane."

Aether had assured the other man that he'd do his best, smiling brightly, but, now, bleary eyed and tired, the ghoul wishes he'd saved some of his earlier enthusiasm and left the documents aside until this morning.

Yawning, Aether rubs his eyes and tries to go over the details of the case in his head to distract himself from the light headache setting in, sipping his coffee.

Saint Mary's Cathedral is a deconsecrated church; Although, the file explained, the altar stone was never broken, nor its sacred artefacts removed.

Construction on the building began in the mid 1800's, but the events of the Civil War halted progress on the cathedral for nearly a decade as the people of the surrounding township attempted to return to some sense of normalcy in the wake of the war.

It was not fully completed until 1885, almost two decades after the project was initially begun.

Aether stretches, glancing out the window at the passing cars, trying desperately not to fall asleep.

In 1918, the church was used to quarantine those afflicted with influenza, with over 100 individuals passing within its walls during the span of the outbreak.

Unsurprisingly, this is often cited as a main cause of the supposed haunting taking place inside the building... however.

"You will meet with the caretaker when you arrive, her name is Alma Amato." Papa had said, handing him yet another file to read through, "She believes the haunting to be demonic."

"Demonic, huh?"

Aether leans on his palm.

"And you're sending another demon to deal with it?"

"...I can see how that might seem counterintuitive."

He snorts and returns to aimlessly flipping through the file on his lap.

Alma Amato, Age 30, Caretaker and Administrative Officer of Saint Mary's Cathedral, one of three employees -now two- who work to maintain the property.

"Ms. Amato is a diligent worker, and has been in service to the church for eleven years now. In that time, she has never lodged a single complaint about the haunting at Saint Mary's, but, after the events of last month, she is, understandably, more than a little disturbed."

Aether looks at the newspaper clipping he'd pulled from the envelope earlier and frowns.

Two Dead, One Injured During Ghost Hunting Investigation.

As the car stops for a red light, Aether flips the page over to look at the photos attached to it with a paperclip.

Four faces stare back at him; Jason Vine, age 37, a ghost hunting show host, Maxwell Kurt, age 68, an administrative officer at Saint Mary's, Howard Walker, age 51, the church's lone security guard, and lastly...

Alma Amato.

Aether shivers, something about her gaze, so forward, so focused, it feels like she's watching him through the photograph.

Her eyes are a reddish brown, her brows thin -darkened with make-up from the looks of it- and her hair a pale blonde.

She seems a dour sort, but looks can be deceiving.

"We'll be arriving in fifteen minutes." the driver says, peering back at him in the rearview mirror.

"Ah, I see, thank you." Aether tucks the files back into his backpack and returns to looking out the window.

.

.

.

Saint Mary's is... less imposing than Aether imagined.

It's not a particularly large building, but it is a rather peculiar shade of green.

Huh.

"It's serpentine." a clear, sweet voice answers his unasked question.

Aether looks towards the large, red doors at the front of the church and sees a woman in a...

A...

It's more so what she's not wearing that causes Aether to inhale sharply.

Before him stands Alma Amato, dressed in a wide brimmed black sunhat and a low cut black dress with a short skirt that Aether has to actively NOT think of how little fabric is between the hem and the swell of her ass.

She gives a little, testy huff, and Aether realizes she must have asked a question.

"Apologies, I was... I'm a bit tired, long flight." He says, then holds out his hand, "I'm Aether, the ministry sent me to assist in the investigation. I presume you're Ms. Amato, the caretaker?"

"You're earlier than expected." Amato shakes his hand, "I'm surprised."

"I took the first available flight." Aether explains, "I hope that's alright."

"Perfectly alright. You will have to make your own bed though, I hadn't gotten around to visiting the Bishop's Palace yet, that's where you'll be staying." she gestures for him to follow, turning and entering the church, her heels clicking on the stone, removing her hat.

"The Bishop's Palace?" Aether questions, "That is...?"

"It's a fancy way of saying a house that a bishop used to live in from what I've gathered, but these days the building is primarily used for storage." Amato says, "When the church contacted us that they'd be sending someone, we made sure to clear it out and moved everything down to the cellar for the time being. I hope you don't mind the idea of residing on the property during your stay?"

Aether shakes his head, "No, no, that's fine. That's preferable to wasting my money on a hotel when I'm not sure how long I'll be here... speaking of which."

"I read in the report I was given that you also live on the property, I'm not... displacing you from your home am I?"

Amato shakes her head.

"Like I said, the Bishop's Palace is mostly for storage, I live in the caretaker's cottage passed the cemetery."

Aether pauses.

"I hadn't realized how much would be out here, I was really only debriefed about the church itself..." he admits, "How big is the property?"

"I believe it's roughly 7 acres, everything is relatively spaced out, but as it shakes out... The church itself sits on 1 acre of land, the cemetery takes up about 3 acres including the out buildings, then the Bishop's Palace and the cottage take up about an acre combined, and the remaining 2 acres accounts for the gardens and miscellaneous greenspaces across the property." Amato gestures towards a display case hanging from the wall, "We have a map of the general layout here for visitors."

Aether approaches the display case, taking out his phone to snap a picture for future reference.

"We haven't been giving tours since the... I'm sure you read what happened." Amato sighs, guiding him towards a side door, "I'll let you get settled before we get into all of that."

"Right."

The Bishop's Palace is less a palace and more a simple, Cape Cod style house, but compared to living in a hotel room for an indefinite period of time, this feels a bit more.... homely?

Comfortable.

Amato gives him the tour, which takes all of ten minutes, if even that.

"It's really just three rooms, four if you count the bathroom; kitchen, living room, bedroom upstairs..." she gets him connected to the wi-fi, and shows him where the washer and dryer are, tucked away behind a curtain in the kitchen, "...Any questions?"

"I don't think so... You've been very helpful." he smiles, "I suppose, if it's alright with you, I would like to start by interviewing you about the... the incident."

Amato nods, "We can walk and talk to get you acquainted with the property better-"

.

.

.

It's just after sunset when Aether finally makes his way back to the Bishop's Palace, having conducted his interview with Amato in the morning, using the afternoon to make a run to the grocery store to pick up some necessities, he's feeling more than a little rundown.

Jetlag combined with marching back and forth across the property, the nature of his conversation with Amato, and the tedium of grocery shopping in a foreign country has, understandably, worn him out, but years of traveling have well prepared him for this sort of thing.

Glancing at his phone, Aether frowns, it's late back home, too late to call and check in on his packmates, but, then again, he doesn't think he'd be able to hold a conversation with how tired he is.

Yawning, Aether decides to call it a night... but it's not long before he feels... something.

It's the lightest shift in the mattress, something he's more than used to back home, but here...

Aether cracks an eye open, peeking through his lashes at...

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

He blinks, reaching out into the darkness to smooth the sheets, feeling his hand brush through a cold spot that makes the hair on his arm stand on end.

What.

Sitting up, Aether fumbles with the bedside lamp, hissing as he accidentally looks directly into the bulb, and looks around the room.

Again, nothing.

He wets his lips, furrowing his brow.

"Hello...?"

No reply.

Aether breathes.

"Look..." he says wearily, "If there's any... spooky bitches in this house right now, just let me sleep. You can haunt me in the morning, but if you wake me up before 7am, I can and will devour your soul and send you straight to the pit. Do we have an understanding?"

...

"That was mean, I'm sorry, I won't actually do that, just... we're cool, right?"

...

"Cool."

"I'm gonna sleep. Goodnight."

"...Good... night..." a disembodied voice responds, "Sleep... tight..."

Aether makes a noise in the back of his throat.

Oh boy.

[art-damaged]

Andrea Saltini "INRI" (2024) / knife, spray paint

In March 2024, this work - and the artist who produced it - were attacked at the Museo Diocesano in Carpi, Italy. Saltini's exhibition "Gratia Plena" had been the subject of widespread controversy for its "blasphemous" reimaginings of religious themes, including a painted pieta in which the Virgin Mary was replaced by an astronaut. (The Museo Diocesano, it should be noted, is actually a deconsecrated church, formerly known as Sant'Ignazio.) The show's most contentious work had been INRI (2024), which depicted Jesus’s nude body splayed on the floor while the head of St Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced his side with a lance during the crucifixion, is seen from behind to hover above Jesus's crotch, suggesting an act of oral sex being performed on the lifeless figure of Christ. The work had drawn an immediate public outcry, with a petition calling for the painting's removal garnering over 30,000 signatures in the weeks following its unveiling.

About three weeks after the show's opening, a masked individual entered the exhibition and began slashing at various paintings, including INRI, with a knife and spraying them with black paint. Saltini, who was in the room at the time, tried to stop him, at which point the assailant cut the artist's neck and fled. (As of this writing, no suspects have been arrested.)

For what it's worth, Saltini told reporters prior to the attack that he hadn't meant for the work to provoke worshippers: “I simply wanted to ’cover’ the nudity of a man, as had been done in the past with the bodies in the Sistine Chapel," he said. "There is no malicious intent: the artistic concept would like the canvas placed vertically, and in fact in the catalog I had it photographed as lying on the ground. There is nothing scabrous about St. Longinus touching the side of Christ coming down from the Cross, probably helping him.”

While Saltini was rushed to the hospital, his injuries were deemed non-life-threatening. As for the damaged artworks, it's still unclear whether restoration will be an option.

[stickthisbig]

Things that actually are liminal in the classical sense

Airports

Gas stations

Hallways, especially hyphens and ones with no doors

Roadside hotels/motels with no attractions nearby

TAs and graduate assistants

Orientation weeks of all kinds

People working out a notice

Condemned buildings with demo orders

Engaged people

People getting a divorce

All um-friends and will they won't they couples

Unfinished works in progress

Construction sites

Things that are not liminal, and I will not be taking questions

Abandoned buildings that are just sitting there

Deconsecrated churches

Old cemeteries

Spoooky pictures

Places that give you the heeby jeebies, because I regret to inform you that neither heeby nor jeeby is in the meaning of the word liminal, which requires a person or place to be in the active process of being neither one state nor another yet negotiating both

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Cannot resist these church conversions.  The Ferry Hall Chapel, built in 1888, in Lake Forest, Illinois was designed by noted architect Henry Ives Cobb. This Gothic style building has 3 bds. & 3.5 ba. Listed for $1.6M. (I’ve been noticing that some people are reticent to live in a former church, but when they sell a church it is deconsecrated by a priest and is no long a sacred place or the House of God.)

The entrance hall looks pretty much the same. 

I like that it still looks like a church, plus they’ve added this wonderful fireplace.

This is quite dramatic.

Very nicely done. They furnished it beautifully and that’s what makes it, too. 

The dining area is right next to the kitchen.

Beautiful kitchen is an expanded galley style with an island down the middle to break it up. Lots of counter space and cabinetry.

What a lovely, relaxing room.

In this bd. and en suite- each person gets a large sink to call their own.

This is a great feature. You can stand up hear make authoritative declarations. 

If you need a home office, this is very roomy and professional.

The main bd. has a lovely ceiling and window.

Love the cabinetry.

The en suite- look at the double doors. Very classy.

The third bd. also has a beautiful en suite.

Coming down the stairs to the entrance hall.

What a great location, too.

Lovely large patio and garden.

https://www.premierlistingshowcase.com/orders/2022/10/25/28939/index_idx.php

[gorbalsvampire]

𝖃𝕴𝕴𝕴 𝕿𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖘 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝕱𝖊𝖚𝖉𝖆𝖑 𝕭𝖔𝖍𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖆

𝔄𝔠𝔱 ℑℑℑ, 𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔫𝔢 𝔦𝔳

Our story reaches its first peak, with Theodericus awakening to overhear hushed words between Libussa and... is that Prince Brandl? Surely not. Most unlike him to be concerned with a lowly mortal. Putting his new Heightened Senses to the test, Theodericus overhears an an overture being made - or perhaps a reassurance given.

In haste, the young Ventrue hies him to the Inn of the Four Stags, there to meet with Marsillius and put the Brujah to the question. Surely Ecatarina or Cosmas know where the Prophet of Kupala might be found, and what his designs on the Basilica might be. Theodericus was very hung up on the idea that a church might be deconsecrated, and wanted to be damned sure that wasn't the plan. Cosmas reassured him that, as a former deacon who'd arranged a deconsecration for his first parish, there was a little more to it than Theodericus might think, and also that the Church does not casually discard a whole-ass Basilica.

Marsillius was intrigued and asked about said parish: it was, said Cosmas, the parish of St. Stephen's in what is now the Jewish ghetto, in the old cemetery that's now the new cemetery. Theodericus and Marsillius blinked: there was no church in the Josefov cemetery. Cosmas assured them that yes, there was. And this was a sign, the first sign, that something was up.

It was decided that they needed a Malkavian to catch a Malkavian. They needed Octavio's childe. Off to the convent to collect Alzbeta. A very hungry Alzbeta, who had once again been trying to induce Premonition...

But before we get into that, let's talk about Mariam. Mariam who had seen fit to venture into the cemetery alone, having picked up a trail from that circuit of BREAD CRIMINALS who constitute her modest Herd. Ruth told her there was a reason they made their drops by the stream that flows under the cemetery: there was a customer who wanted a lot of bread and, according to Simon who'd followed him into the cemetery one night, was living in the old Christian church...

Yes. Of course there was an old Christian church. Hadn't there always been?

Mariam decided there was no time to waste. She rang the lich gate bell, left a scrawled message in the wood of the gate, and ran like hell up through the trees and the gravestones and the winding hummocky paths to a dark, drab, modest chapel - a stolid, decaying cruciform of a building, a roost of owls screened from the world's vulgar gaze by overgrown and tangled yews.

With the Silence of Death woven about her, Mariam pushed open the door; deep, dark, that even her Eyes of the Beast could barely penetrate. Pews... pulpit of stone... the faint lightness of leaded windows...

She stepped inside, and plunged into an Escherian nightmare of stairs, arches, walkways, pillars; wooden doors that had the vague shape of pews about them. Tapping ahead of her with her staff, and cursing her importune folly, she tried to find her way forward, but the Mental Maze of the prophet was taking its toll on her will.

His voice drifted through the deeps, telling her what he had seen - red star, thin blood, world would be as Gehenna, if the Fiends are strong this can be prevented. Mariam was having none of it, gritting her teeth and accusing him of the murder of the rabbi Zachary - almost forgetting the name as her willpower was sapped still further. The penalty for death, she told Octavio, was death -

And the world shifted about her, and she was clinging to a pillar in the dark as all the pathways turned turtle and twisted. In that moment, by some strange outward compulsion, her Convictions were no longer as they were - to hell with being greater than the beast. Eric's lesson was to indulge it. To live with harmony. To exist in accordance with its needs.

Alzbeta, meanwhile, was troubled. Her vision of Octavio had come again - this time, a prophet in a pulpit before a congregation that could not see him for what he was - and she came to understand that this was not quite how it happened. Nothing was quite how it had happened. Her memories were not as they should be.

Still convinced that Octavio was not a villain of his own volition, as it were, she asked God or the Cobweb or both: how do we stop him without killing him?

And the answer was: Theodericus. He had not expected four Cainites. The others he had plans for, but not the Ventrue knight. There was a lovely conversation between the three who remained at large, a refrain of "with all the love in my heart" passing between them, as it was impressed on each by each that this was urgent. Kupala's Night was tomorrow night. If he wasn't stopped now... he might never be.

They went at once to the Josefov's gates, to the lychway, where they were met by Othelio - Mariam's broodmate, who had answered the ringing of the bell and was most perturbed. So perturbed, in fact, that he led them into the warren beneath the cemetery - showing them a passage that led up into the apse of St. Stephen's as was, if you but broke through one flagstone.

Alzbeta was the first to climb, her Beast howling - Hunger 4, at this point - and Six accepted a devil's bargain to gamble Alzbeta's Humanity on not letting a hunger frenzy drag her further down. Climbing into the dark, Alzbeta had to dare the Mental Maze, and even Rousing - Hunger 5! - could not save her. She climbed and climbed and climbed while Octavio asked her: is this how it ends?

It was the first time any of us at the table had heard Alzbeta genuinely angry. Genuinely shouting at her sire, full throated, that what he was doing was not God's work nor Humanity's, that she had to stop him to save him...

Marsillius was next, and as he braved the Maze he broke the charm and saw the interior of St. Stephen's for what it truly was. There was Mariam, frozen in the doorway, clutching at the jamb as if her unlife depended on it. There was Alzbeta, scrabbling like one of her spiders, trying to climb the wall as if to touch the windows above. And there, in the pulpit, white-knuckled and red-eyed, a figure that looked like him. Older. Haggard. Wretched. Mad. And clearly on the verge of frenzy himself, because ol' Relleytrots here cannot use Mental Maze with any SPC and not fail all three Rouse checks to get it going. Thank goodness for Octavio's deep, deep Willpower pool.

What to do? Marsillius could see what was afoot, but he was no warrior born - just a little monk! He ran out into the church proper, determined at least to attract Octavio's attention, and stopped short: there they were, row upon row of them. A congregation, half-starved, half-bled, and all blind: not a one in possession of their eyes. The stench of humanity at its lowest, in thrall to Humanity now forsaken.

Theodericus clambered into the chapel. To his eyes, Octavio stood at the head of this congregation; Marsillius in the pulpit, mad with fear. Mask of Isolation. You've gotta love it. Theodericus did what he had to do and gave chase to the "prophet" and Marsillius did what he had to do and ran like hell. Straight into Mariam. Desperately gabbling that they were all going mad, that it was him, that her eyes were not to be trusted, that whatever she was seeing was not real.

Mariam came out of the maze. For this moment only, her soul was torn, one quarter of her heart given over to the Via Bestiae, and so she called upon the Beast Within and the beasts of the air. Down swooped a flight of owls, shrieking and shrilling, hooting and hollering, and that was the moment Octavio finally snapped and entered a frenzy.

Flailing and cursing to the sane, but to Alzbeta in her visionary state? Crucified. Crucified with his arms outstretched, crying to Heaven, and she was so hungry...

Was it truly him? Was it one of her friends? Some poor dupe like Marsillius who just looked the part?

The Beast cares not, and she drank. She drank deep and deep, and she drank until the body in her arms went rigid -

And there was Theodericus, with the Prophet's heart impaled on his Mithraen sword.

Enter Josef Zvi, as the coterie found what comfort they could. Arrangements were made. The wretches in the Prophet's care would be taken to such hospitals and surgeons as their circumstances allowed. Many would not survive; none would truly have lives worth living; but they would not simply be killed outright. Neither, said Josef, would Octavio. Moved by Alzbeta's pleas, he agreed to advocate for one adversary with another; to approach the Prince of Prague and plead for Octavio to be spared the Final Death or further suffering.

Tomorrow night would be Kupala's Night. Prince Brandl would hold court. Libussa would be present, and at his behest she would before the assembled Cainites drink of him, and be free of her ancient mistress. Orsi and Katya would be present, and as a cousin Ventrue Orsi would be shown mercy for his violation of multiple Traditions in Embracing her. Katya would become a ward of Prince Brandl's court, her education the responsibility of Ardan the Warlock; Orsi would be banished thus from Prague, with five nights to get him hence. And Octavio would be given into the care of Garinol the Cappadocian, whose arts were best suited - in the absence of any Salubri - to trawling the Malkavian's sleeping madness in search of answers. Provided Octavio was not wakened from torpor - provided he remained staked - he would not be killed.

One more piece of business. Theodericus von Ingolstadt. His services were needed. If the Prophet had been at work in the east, in Carpathia, then further devilment may be afoot. Prince Brandl - as prince, as nymphus of the cult, as cousin Ventrue - asked Theodericus to ride for Buda-Pesth, to the court of Nova Arpad, and deliver warning to her of what's afoot. Perhaps, when work schedules permit again, Theodericus will return - but for now, Real Life Writes The Plot.

And here, for now, our story ends.

I'll see you in October.

[waidwund]

remembrance day of the last service in the church of St. Martinus before it was deconsecrated and later demolished; every citizen of the village received a stone from the masonry of the church on this day. former village of borschemich, germany // 11-2014 © 2014 waidwund-photo  

[formulapookie]

my car is completely stained in mud

but life is good, the air is amazing, the griglia is grigliando and we’re nearby a deconsecrated church

[grimowled]

@apprehensivities from x.

"BRAVO, THAT WAS quite the virtuoso performance!"

the enthusiastic clapping of the demon prince's taloned hands echoed eerily all around the stunned silence of recent death, as he sauntered in prowling semi-circles around the bashful musician and bona-fide director of the orchestra of sacrificial massacre around them; bodies lay scattered on the floor, bowed upon their discarded instruments, some with their hands uselessly reaching skywards in their final, gasping moments.

(as if anyone up there cared!)

first, four crimson slits burn like coals embedded within a deathly pale mask; an impossibly tall and other-worldly silhouette shrouded in an army of eldritch shadows heaving and slithering around him, trailing with every step and swish of his cloak as they danced with the flickering candlelight. the owl prince of the ars goetia finally came into full view and regal finery in the dimly lit, unhallowed grounds of the deconsecrated church.

"--and what a marvellous setting. I'm more of a violin enthusiast myself, but the organ does make for a gloriously rhapsodic entrance. it's been a while since someone used this particular ritual to sell their soul for musical prowess, no less. how poetic."

he cooed in unabashed delight, stopping short of the small human so that his sinister shadow covered him like a cold mantle. the ritual was rather old and full of whimsical flourish and dramatic flair, just as stolas had intended many moons before when he guided the hand that wrote it to summon him in a most triumphant fashion. it had been a long time since he'd felt the irresistible pull of a summoning, tearing at the seams of his essence, unmaking him to remake him on the earthly plane where his sacrifice of souls awaited.

(he'd been merciful - as beautiful as fresh blood looked, streaked across marble floors and spattered prettily upon the rotting stone of the faces of angelic statues, he allowed for the victims to keep their blood and organs within their bodies.)

he'd been since burning with curiosity as to who had pulled off such a feat-- only to find out it had been helplessly accidental, a child playing with a stick of dynamite.

(how titillatingly fun!)

the demon canted his crowned head, slender talons curling around his chin in thought as he mused and studied his latest summoner with a whetted predatory gaze, as if to pick him apart morsel by delicious morsel.

(could he be his type?)

"hm, looks like you didn't properly read the label though. it takes a rather large sacrifice to summon someone like me, you know ? oh, but don't you worry about the mess, my dear."

he made a vaguely sweeping gesture towards the remains of slaughter, unable to restrain a gleeful hoot before schooling his expression into one of fabricated sympathy for the musician's unfortunate (or perhaps fortunate, depending on the prince's mood) plight.

"I assure you they barely suffered --well, at least compared to what they will experience once they've descended to hell. now.."

he clasped his taloned hands, shifting his mien into an amiably lighthearted one without warning, as if he were simply switching between theatrical masks.

"--onto business. what can this old owl do for you, my dear fellow ? "

[skull-designs]

Danza Macabra part 1

There are 8 groups of people being stalked by Death. Here are the left-most 4. Note that Death's eyes have been gouged out, reputedly by those who worked in the deconsecrated church when it was a workshop and warehouse. Must have been pretty scary.

Il Patriarca (The Patriarch)

L'Abate e Il Monaco (The Abbott and the Monk)

La Donna del Villaggio e La Borghese (The Village Woman and The Bourgeoise)

La Prediletta e La Contadina (The Favourite and The Peasant).

San Silvestro, Iseo, Brescia, Italy.

[sdog1ablog]

Every church needs a gargoyle.

Église Saint-Bernard, Pointe-de-l'Église, Nova Scotia

Pointe-de-l'Église is a small community that was never particularly rich, but has a large, European style cathedral. Built between 1910 and 1942, the legend has it that a row of granite blocks was added each year. Now deconsecrated, the property is owned by a historic preservation trust that is planning its future.

About 15 KM up the road, also in Pointe-de-l'Église, is another massive cathedral, Église Sainte-Marie. Built of wood, it is reputed to be the tallest wooden structure in North America. Alas it is falling to ruin and will likely need to be torn down as the cost of renovation is to much.