Notre Dame de Rouen. The façade of the Gothic Church in France. Photographer: Hippo1947. Licence: SHUTTERSTOCK.

Monday 21 July 2014

Fontevraud Abbey, Anjou, France. Final Resting Place Of Plantagenet King, Richard The Lionheart (Richard Coeur De Lion).


Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,
unless otherwise stated.


English: The Abbey Church,
Fontevraud Abbey, France.
Français: Abbaye Fontevraud -
Intérieur Église Abbatiale.
Photo: 27 July 2010.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)


English: Fontevraud Abbey.
Français: Vue aérienne oblique de l'Abbaye de Fontevraud.
Photo: 8 October 2005.
Source: www.pixAile.com.
Author: Pierre Mairé, PixAile.com.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Fontevraud Abbey, or Fontevrault Abbey (in French: abbaye de Fontevraud), is a Religious Building hosting a cultural centre since 1975, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest, in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was founded by the itinerant reforming Preacher, Robert of Arbrissel, who had just created a new Order, the Order of Fontevrault. The first permanent structures were built between 1110 and 1119.

Philippa of Toulouse persuaded her husband, William IX, Duke of Aquitaine, to grant Robert of Abrissel land, in Northern Poitou, to establish a Religious Community dedicated to The Virgin Mary. The Abbey was founded in 1100 and became a Double Monastery, with both Monks and Nuns on the same site.


English: Fontevraud Abbey.
Français: Arches de l'abbaye royale de Fontevraud
dans le département du Maine-et-Loire.
Photo: 18 August 2011.
Source: Own work.
Author: Sberth.
(Wikimedia Commons)


English: Fontevraud Abbey.
Français: Abbatiale de Fontevraud.
Photo: 14 May 2010.
Source: http://fr.wikipedia.org
Author: Aurore Defferriere.
(Wikimedia Commons)

An international success, the Order established several "Fontevrist" Abbeys set up in England. Robert of Arbrissel declared that the Leader of the Order should always be a woman and appointed Petronille de Chemillé as the first Abbess. She was succeeded by Matilda of Anjou, the aunt of Henry II of England. This was the start of a position that attracted many rich and noble Abbesses over the years, including members of the French Bourbon Royal Family. It also became a refuge for battered women and penitent prostitutes, and housed a leper hospital and a home for aged Religious.


Tomb of Richard I of England, at Fontevraud Abbey, near Chinon, Anjou, France. The tomb of Queen Isabella of Angoulême, the second wife of King John of England, lies behind.
Richard died at Le Château de Châlus Chabrol, in Châlus, France, of a crossbow wound.
His entrails were buried at the Château, while his heart was taken to Rouen Cathedral
and the rest of the body to Fontevraud Abbey.
Photo: July 2003.
Source: Own work.
Author: AYArktos.
(Wikimedia Commons)

Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy (as Richard IV), Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany, at various times during the same period.


Fontevraud Abbey and Cloisters,
Date: 2001.
Source: Own work.
Author: JC Allin.
(Wikimedia Commons)

He was the third of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was known as Richard Cœur de Lion, or, Richard the Lionheart, even before his accession, because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior. The Muslims called him Melek-Ric (King Richard) or Malek al-Inkitar (King of England). He was also known, in Occitan, as Oc e No (Yes and No),
because of his ability to change his mind.


Armorial Bearings of The House of Plantagenet
Royal Arms of England (1198 - 1340).
Date: 20 July 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Sodacan.
(Wikimedia Commons)

By the age of 16, Richard the Lionheart had taken command of his own army, putting down rebellions in Poitou, against his father. Richard was a central Christian Commander during the Third Crusade, leading the Campaign after the departure of Philip II of France and scoring considerable victories against his Muslim counterpart, Saladin, although he did not reconquer Jerusalem from Saladin.

Richard spoke langue d'oïl, a French dialect, and Occitan, a Romance language spoken in Southern France and nearby regions. He lived in his Duchy of Aquitaine, in the South-West of France, and, while the King spent very little time, perhaps as little as six months, in England, preferring to use his Kingdom as a source of revenue to support his armies, he was seen as a pious hero by his Subjects. He remains one of the few Kings of England remembered by his epithet, rather than regnal number, and is an enduring iconic figure in England and France.


English: The Cloisters,
Fontevraud Abbey, France.
Français: Abbaye Fontevraud - Cloître du Grand-Moûtier.
Photo: 27 July 2010.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)

In the early years, the Plantagenets were great benefactors of Fontevraud Abbey and, while Isabella d'Anjou was Abbess, Henry II's widow, Eleanor of Aquitaine, became a Nun there. Louise de Bourbon left her Crest on many of the alterations she made during her term of Office.

During the French Revolution, the Order was dissolved. The last Abbess, Madame d'Antin, died in poverty in Paris. On 17 August 1792, a Revolutionary decree ordered evacuation of all Monasteries, to be completed by 1 October 1792. The Abbey later became a prison, from 1804 to 1963, in which year it was given to the French Ministry of Culture.


Fontevraud Abbey.
Photo: 14 May 2010.
Source: http://fr.wikipedia.org
Author: Aurore Defferriere.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Fontevraud Church and Abbey
(Grand-Moûtier, on the right)
and Saint-Benoît Infirmary (on the left).
Photo: 24 July 2009.
Source: originally posted to Flickr as Panorama from Fontevraud Abbey.
Author: Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy Poirrier
(Wikimedia Commons)

This city prison in Fontevraud, planned to hold 1,000 prisoners, required major changes, including new barracks, in addition to the transformation of Monastic buildings into dormitories, workshops, and common areas. Prisoners - men, women and children – began arriving in 1814. Eventually, it held some 2,000 prisoners, earning the prison the title of the "toughest in France after Clairvaux."

Political prisoners experienced the harshest conditions: Some French Resistance prisoners were shot there, under the Vichy Government. Following closure of the prison, came major restoration, an opening to the public in 1985, and completion of the Abbey Church's restoration in 2006, under architect Lucien Magne.


English: The Cloister Galleries,
Fontevraud Abbey,
Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France.
Français: Abbaye de Fontevraud,
Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire,
France. Galeries du cloître.
Photo: 20 September 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Tango7174.
(Wikimedia Commons)


English: The West Front,
Fontevraud Abbey.
Français: Abbaye Fontevraud - Eglise Abbatiale,
facade ouest.
Photo: 27 July 2010.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)

The Abbey was originally the site of the graves of King Henry II of England, his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, their son, King Richard I of England, their daughter, Joan, their grandson, Raymond VII of Toulouse, and Isabella of Angoulême, wife of Henry's and Eleanor's son, King John. However, there is no remaining corporal presence of Henry, Eleanor, Richard, or the others on the site. Their remains were possibly destroyed during the French Revolution.

Henriette Louise de Bourbon, grand-daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, grew up here. Princess Thérèse of France, daughter of King Louis XV, is also buried here.


English: Decorated Walls,
Fontevraud Abbey.
Français: Salle capitulaire de Fontevraud.
Photo: 14 May 2010.
Source: http://fr.wikipedia.org
Author: Aurore Defferriere.
(Wikimedia Commons)


English: Fontevraud Abbey.
Français: Abbaye de Fontevraud -
Entrée de la salle capitulaire.
Photo: 27 July 2010.
Source: Own work.
(Wikimedia Commons)
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Pope Benedict XV (Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista Della Chiesa). Papacy From 1914-1922. (Part Seven.)


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.



English: Pope Benedict XV, circa 1915.
Français: Photo de Benoît XV prise vers 1915.
Photo: Circa 1915.
Source: Library of Congress.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Many factors of Pope Benedict XV's life made him characteristically unique. In physical appearance, he was a slight man (the smallest of three Cassocks that were prepared for the Election of a new Pope in 1914). As a result, he became known as "Il Piccolito", or "The Little Man." Pope Benedict XV was dignified in bearing and courtly in terms of matters, but his appearance was not that of a Pope. He was undersized, with a sallow complexion, a mat of black hair, and prominent teeth. Yet, despite this, everything about him seemed crooked from his nose to his eyes and shoulders.

He was renowned for his generosity, answering all pleas for help from poor Roman families with large cash gifts from his private revenues. When he was short on money, those who would be admitted to an audience would often be instructed by Prelates not to mention their financial woes, as Pope Benedict would inevitably feel guilty that he could not help the needy at the time. He also depleted the Vatican's official revenues with large-scale charitable expenditure during World War I. Upon his death, the Vatican Treasury had been depleted to the equivalent in Italian lire of $19,000.



English: Adolf Bertram (1859–1945), made a Cardinal,
by Pope Benedict XV, on 4 December 1916.
Deutsch: de:Adolf Bertram: Kardinal,
Erzbischof von Breslau, Deutschland.
Date: 1916.
Photographer: Götz, H.
Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2005-0065 /
Götz, H. / CC-BY-SA.
(Wikimedia Commons)


His relationship to secular Italian powers was reserved, yet positive, avoiding conflict and tacitly supporting the Royal Family of Italy. Yet, like Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII, he also protested against interventions of State authorities in internal Church affairs. Pope Benedict XV was not considered a Man of Letters. He did not publish educational or devotional books. His Encyclicals are pragmatic and Down-to-Earth, intelligent, yet, at times, far-sighted. He remained neutral during the battles of the "Great War," when almost everybody else was claiming "sides." Like that of Pope Pius XII, during World War II, his neutrality was questioned by all sides then, and even to this day.

Pope Benedict XV had a strong devotion to The Blessed Virgin Mary. He added the Title "Queen of Peace" to her Litany (Litany of Loreto) and gave his support to an understanding of Mary as "Mediatrix of All Graces" by approving a Mass and Office, under this Title, for the Dioceses of Belgium. Pope Benedict XV affirmed that "together with Christ, she redeemed the human race" by her immolation of Christ as His Sorrowful Mother, as described in his Apostolic Letter Inter Sodalicia.

Pope Benedict XV celebrated Mass with the Nuns at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, next door to Saint Peter's, and, while he waited for his driver out in the rain, he fell ill with 'flu, which turned into pneumonia. After a month of pain, he succumbed to that illness on 22 January 1922, at the age of sixty-seven, his nephews alongside him. After his death, flags were flown at half-mast. His body then Lay-in-State, before being moved for burial.



Giovanni Cagliero (1838–1926), made a Cardinal,
by Pope Benedict XV, on 6 December 1915.
Date: Edición de 1976.
Source: Foto extraída del libro
"Historia de la Iglesia en la Argentina".
Editorial: Don Bosco. Buenos Aires. Argentina.
Autor: Cayetano Bruno. S.D.B.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Possibly the least remembered Pope of the 20th-Century, Pope Benedict XV is nevertheless an unsung hero for his valiant efforts to end World War I. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI recognised the significance of his long-ago predecessor's commitment to Peace, by taking the same name, upon his own rise to the Pontificate. 

Pope Benedict XV was unique in his humane approach to the world in 1914–1918, which starkly contrasted with that of the other great Monarchs and Leaders of the time. His worth is reflected in the tribute engraved at the foot of the statue that the Turks, a non-Catholic, non-Christian people, erected of him in Istanbul: "The great Pope of the world tragedy . . . the benefactor of all people, irrespective of nationality or religion." This monument stands in the Courtyard of Saint Esprit Cathedral.

Pope Pius XII showed high regard for Pope Benedict XV, who had Consecrated him a Bishop on 13 May 1917, the very day of the reported Apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. While Pope Pius XII considered another Benedict, Pope Benedict XIV, in terms of his Sanctity and scholarly contributions, to be worthy as Doctor of the Church, he thought that Pope Benedict XV, during his short Pontificate, was truly a Man of God, who worked for Peace. He helped Prisoners of War and many others who needed help in dire times and was extremely generous to Russia.



Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa
(later Pope Benedict XV)
as Cardinal.
Source: Commons, from
Author: Frédéric.
(Wikimedia Commons)


He praised Pope Benedict XV as a Marian Pope who promoted the Devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes, for his Encyclicals Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum, Humani Generis Redemptionem, Quod Iam Diu, and Spiritus Paraclitus, and, for the Codification of Canon Law, which, under della Chiesa and Pietro Gasparri, he (Pope Pius XII), as Eugenio Pacelli, had the opportunity to participate in.

Pope Benedict XVI showed his own admiration for Pope Benedict XV, following his Election to the Papacy on 19 April 2005. The Election of a new Pope is often accompanied by conjecture over his choice of Papal Name; it is widely believed that a Pope chooses the name of a predecessor, whose teachings and legacy he wishes to continue. Cardinal Ratzinger's choice of "Benedict" was seen as a signal that Pope Benedict XV's views on Humanitarian Diplomacy, and his stance against Relativism and Modernism, would be emulated during the reign of the new Pope.

During his first General Audience in Saint Peter's Square, on 27 April 2005, Pope Benedict XVI paid tribute to Pope Benedict XV, when explaining his choice: "Filled with sentiments of awe and thanksgiving, I wish to speak of why I chose the name "Benedict". Firstly, I remember Pope Benedict XV, that courageous Prophet of Peace, who guided the Church through turbulent times of war. In his footsteps, I place my Ministry in the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples."


THIS CONCLUDES THE ARTICLE ON POPE BENEDICT XV.


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Friday 18 July 2014

Pope Benedict XV (Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista Della Chiesa). Papacy From 1914-1922. (Part Six.)


Text and Illustrations from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.



English: Pope Benedict XV, circa 1915.
Français: Photo de Benoît XV prise vers 1915.
Photo: Circa 1915.
Source: Library of Congress.
Author: Unknown.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Encyclical Humani Generis Redemptionem, from 15 June 1917, deals with blatant ineffectiveness of Christian Preaching. According to Pope Benedict XV, there are more Preachers of the Word than ever before, but "in the state of public and private morals, as well as the Constitutions and Laws of Nations, there is a general disregard and forgetfulness of the Supernatural, a gradual falling away from the strict standard of Christian virtue, and that men are slipping back into the shameful practices of paganism."



Copyright-expired-photo of birth-place
of Bishop Della Chiesa
in Pegli, Genoa, Italy.
Date: 1906 (7 September 2008 (original upload date)).
Source: Transferred from en.wikipedia (Original text : Anton de Waal).
Author: Anton de Waal. Original uploader was Ambrosius007 at en.wikipedia.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The Pope squarely put part of the blame on those Ministers of the Gospel, who do not handle it as they should. It is not the times, but the incompetent Christian Preachers who are to blame, for no-one today can say for sure that the Apostles were living in better times than ours. Perhaps, the Encyclical states, that the Apostles found minds more readily devoted to the Gospel, or they may have met others with less opposition to the Law of God.

As the Encyclical tells, first are the Catholic Bishops. The Council of Trent taught that Preaching "is the paramount duty of Bishops." The Apostles, whose successors the Bishops are, looked upon the Church as something theirs, for it was they who received the Grace of the Holy Spirit to begin it. Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Christ sent us not to Baptise, but to Preach the Gospel."

Council of Trent Bishops are required to select, for this Priestly Office, those only who are "fit" for the position, i.e. those who "can exercise the Ministry of Preaching with profit to Souls." Profiting Souls does not mean doing such "eloquently or with popular applause, but rather with spiritual fruit."



Copyright-expired-photo of Cardinal Ferrata in 1913.
Source: 1914 Book von Waal.
Author: Hofrat Hilsdorf Darmstadt.
(Wikimedia)

Under Pope Benedict XV,
Cardinals Domenico Ferrata
in 1914 switched positions in the Vatican.


The Pope requested that all the Priests who are incapable of Preaching or of hearing Confession be removed from the position. The Encyclical helps to draw out the message that Priests must concentrate on the Word of God and the benefitting of Souls, before their own selves.

Quod Iam Diu was an Encyclical, given at Rome at Saint Peter's Basilica, on 1 December 1918, in the fifth year of his Pontificate. It requested that, after World War I, all Catholics of the world Pray for a Lasting Peace and for those who are entrusted to make such during Peace Negotiations.

The Pope noted that true Peace had not yet arrived, but the Armistice had suspended the slaughter and devastation by land, sea and air. It is the obligation of all Catholics to "invoke Divine Assistance for all who take part in the Peace Conference," as the Encyclical states. The Pope concludes that Prayer is essential for the Delegates, who are to meet to define Peace, as they are in need of much support.



Statue of Pope Benedict XV
in the Courtyard of Saint Esprit Cathedral,
Istanbul, Turkey.
This File: 20 May 2007.
User: Sissyneck.
(Wikimedia Commons)


Maximum Illud is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XV, issued on 30 November 1919, in the sixth year of his Pontificate. It deals with the Catholic Missions after World War I. Pope Benedict XV recalled the great Apostles of the Gospel, who contributed much to the expansion of Missions. He reviewed the recent history of the Missions and stated so as the purpose of the Apostolic Letter.

The Encyclical first turned to the Bishops and Superiors in charge of the Catholic Missions, noting the need to train local Clergy. Catholic Missionaries, today, continue to be reminded that their goal is a spiritual one, which must be carried out in a selfless way.

Pope Benedict XV underlined the necessity of proper preparation for the work in foreign cultures, and the need to acquire language skills before doing such work. He requested a continued striving for personal Sanctity and praised the selfless work of the Religious Females in the Missions.



Aleksander Kakowski (1862–1938),
made a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XV
on 15 December 1919.
Date: Before 1938.
Source: http://www.polona.pl/dlibra/
doccontent2?id=15709&from=latest
Author: Anonymous.
(Wikimedia Commons)


"Mission," however, "is not only for Missionaries, but all Catholics must participate through their Apostolate of Prayer, by supporting Vocations, and by helping financially." The Encyclical concluded with the naming of several organisations which organise and supervise Mission activities within the Catholic Church.


PART SEVEN FOLLOWS.


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Thursday 17 July 2014

Castle Howard.


Text is taken from Wikipedia - the free encyclopaedia,
unless otherwise stated.




Castle Howard,
Yorkshire, England.
Photo: 21 March 2008.
Source: Own work.
Author: Pwojdacz.
(Wikimedia Commons)



The Castle Howard Web-Site can be found HERE



Castle Howard is a Stately Home in North Yorkshire, England, fifteen miles (twenty-four km) North of York. It is a private residence, the home of the Howard family for more than 300 years.

Castle Howard is not a true Castle, but this term is also used for English Country Houses erected on the site of a former Military Castle.

It is familiar to television and film audiences as the fictional "Brideshead", both in Granada Television's 1981 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, and a two-hour 2008 remake for cinema. Today, it is part of the Treasure Houses of England group of heritage houses.




The Chapel,
Castle Howard.
Photo: 31 March 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: Mdbeckwith.
(Wikimedia Commons)





Castle Howard Railway Station.
Photo: 24 June 1988.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Ben Brooksbank
(Wikimedia Commons)



Castle Howard Railway Station was a minor Railway Station serving the village of
Welburn and the stately home at Castle Howard, in North Yorkshire, England.
On the York to Scarborough Line, it was opened on 5 July 1845 by the
It closed to passenger traffic on 22 September 1930, but continued to be Staffed,
until the 1950s, for small volumes of freight and parcels.



The Station was often used by the aristocracy, notably Queen Victoria when she visited Castle Howard with Prince Albert, as a guest of the Earl of Carlisle in August 1850. A road was built from the Station to the Stately Home. Parts of this road (and the associated columns) can still be seen to the North side of Whitwell-on-the-Hill. The Station is now a private residence.





Castle Howard
from across the Great Lake.
Photo: 30 July 2007.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Author: John Nicholson
(Wikimedia Commons)



Castle Howard was built between 1699 and 1712, to a design by Sir John Vanbrugh, for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle. The site was that of the ruined Henderskelfe Castle, which had come into the Howard family in 1566 through the marriage to Lord Dacre's widow of Thomas, 4th Duke of Norfolk.

The House is surrounded by a large estate which, at the time of the 7th Earl of Carlisle, covered over 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) and included the villages of Welburn, Bulmer, Slingsby, Terrington and Coneysthorpe. The estate was served by its own Railway Station, Castle Howard, from 1845 to the 1950s.




Interior of Castle Howard's Central Dome,
with 1962 recreation of Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini's
The Fall of Phaëton (original 1712, destroyed by fire).
Photo: 21 May 2011.
Author: Pauline Eccles
(Wikimedia Commons)



In 1952, the House was opened to the public by then owner, George Howard, Baron Howard of Henderskelfe. It is currently owned by his son, the Honourable Simon Howard, who grew up at the Castle.

In 2003, the grounds were excavated over three days by Channel 4's Time Team, searching for evidence of a local village lost to allow for the landscaping of the estate.




The South Frontage of Castle Howard.
Photo: 5 June 1991.
Source: From geograph.org.uk
Author: Richard Croft
(Wikimedia Commons)



The 3rd Earl of Carlisle first spoke to William Talman, a leading architect, but commissioned Vanbrugh, a fellow member of the Kit-Cat Club, to design the building. Castle Howard was that Gentleman-Dilettante's first foray into architecture, but he was assisted by Nicholas Hawksmoor.

Vanbrugh's design evolved into a Baroque structure with two symmetrical wings projecting to either side of a North-South axis. The crowning Central Dome was added to the design at a late stage, after building had begun. Construction began at the East End, with the East Wing constructed from 1701–1703, the East End of the Garden Front from 1701–1706, the Central Block (including Dome) from 1703–1706, and the West End of the Garden Front from 1707–1709. All are exuberantly decorated in Baroque Style, with coronets, cherubs, urns and cyphers, with Roman Doric pilasters on the North Front and Corinthian on the South. Many Interiors were decorated by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini.




Deutsch: Panoramaaufnahme der Nordseite (aus Richtung des großen Sees) von Castle Howard.
English: Panoramic shot of the Northern facade (seen from the lake) of Castle Howard.
Photo: 2 June 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: chris.
(Wikimedia Commons)



The Earl then turned his energies to the surrounding garden and grounds. Although the complete design is shown in the third volume of Colen Campbell's Vitruvius Britannicus, published in 1725, the West Wing was not started when Vanbrugh died in 1726, despite his remonstration with the Earl.

The house remained incomplete on the death of the 3rd Earl in 1738, but construction finally started at the direction of the 4th Earl. However, Vanbrugh's design was not completed: The West Wing was built in a contrasting Palladian Style to a design by the 3rd Earl's son-in-law, Sir Thomas Robinson. The new Wing remained incomplete, with no first floor or roof, at the death of the 4th Earl in 1758; although a roof had been added, the Interior remained undecorated by the death of Robinson in 1777. Rooms were completed, stage by stage, over the following decades, but the whole was not complete until 1811.




The Turquoise Drawing Room,
Castle Howard, Yorkshire,
England.
Photo: 31 March 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: Mdbeckwith.
(Wikimedia Commons)



A large part of the house was destroyed by a fire which broke out on 9 November 1940. The Dome, the Central Hall, the Dining Room, and the State Rooms on the East Side, were entirely destroyed. Paintings depicting the Fall of Phaeton by Antonio Pellegrini were also damaged. In total, twenty pictures (including two Tintorettos and several valuable mirrors) were lost. The fire took the Malton and York Fire Brigades eight hours to bring under control.




Castle Howard,
Yorkshire.
Photo: 16 August 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Peter Astbury.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Some of the devastated rooms have been restored over the following decades. In 1960–1961, the Dome was rebuilt and, in the following couple of years, Pellegrini's Fall of Phaeton was recreated on the underside of the Dome.

Some were superficially restored for the 2008 filming, and now house an exhibition. The East Wing remains a shell, although it has been restored externally. Castle Howard is one of the largest Country Houses in England, with a total of 145 rooms.




The Great Hall,
Castle Howard.
Photo: 31 March 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: Mdbeckwith.
(Wikimedia Commons)



According to figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, nearly 220,000 people visited Castle Howard in 2010.

Castle Howard has extensive and diverse gardens. There is a large formal garden immediately behind the house. The house is prominently situated on a ridge and this was exploited to create an English landscape park, which opens out from the formal garden and merges with the park.

Two major garden buildings are set into this landscape: the Temple of the Four Winds at the end of the garden, and the Mausoleum in the park. There is also a lake on either side of the house. There is an arboretum, called Ray Wood, and the walled garden contains decorative rose and flower gardens.




Lady Georgiana's Dressing Room,
Castle Howard.
Photo: 31 March 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: Mdbeckwith.
(Wikimedia Commons)



Further buildings, outside the preserved gardens, include the ruined Pyramid, currently undergoing restoration, an Obelisk and several Follies and Eye-Catchers, in the form of fortifications. A John Vanbrugh ornamental Pillar, known as the Quatre Faces (marked as 'Four Faces' on Ordnance Survey Maps), stands in nearby Pretty Wood.

The grounds of Castle Howard are also used as part of at least two charity running races during the year.There is also a separate 127 acre (514,000 m²) arboretum, called Kew at Castle Howard, which is close to the house and garden, but has separate entrance arrangements. Planting began in 1975, with the intention of creating one of the most important collections of specimen trees in the United Kingdom.

The landscape is more open than that of Ray Wood, and the planting remains immature. It is now a joint venture between Castle Howard and Kew Gardens and is managed by a charity called the Castle Howard Arboretum Trust, which was established in 1997. It was opened to the public for the first time in 1999. A new visitor centre opened in 2006.




The Crimson Dining Room,
Castle Howard.
Photo: 31 March 2014.
Source: Own work.
Author: Mdbeckwith.
(Wikimedia Commons)


The house is Grade I Listed and there are many other Listed structures on the estate, several of which are on the Heritage at Risk Register.

In addition to its most famous appearance in film, as Brideshead, in both the 1981 television serial and 2008 film adaptations of Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited, Castle Howard has been used as a backdrop for a number of other cinematic and television settings.

In recent years, the Castle has featured in the 1995 film The Buccaneers and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, released in 2006. In the past, it was notable in Peter Ustinov's 1965 film Lady L and as the exterior set for Lady Lyndon's estate in Stanley Kubrick's 1975 film Barry Lyndon. It has even featured as the Kremlin, in Galton and Simpson's 1966 film The Spy with a Cold Nose.
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