Igreja de Sao Rogue

These pictures were taken inside the magnificent Igreja de Sao Rogue (St Roch Church) in Lisbon. It is a 16th  century building made in the tradition of the Jesuits. It has a rich intricate splendour which gives a sense of overawing majesty.

 

 

 

It has a chapel said to be the world’s most expensive chapel and dedicated to St John the Baptist.

 

 

 

It was built with precious ornaments and materials like the amethyst, ivory, alabaster,gold,silver,bronze, carrera marble, purple and green porphyry etc.

I find the detailing that went into the interior of the monument overwhelming.

Talk about dedication and commitment to one’s belief!

Unknown Writer

Sleep sweetly in this quiet room
O thou whoever thou art
And let no mournful yesterdays
Disturb thy peaceful heart
With dreams of ill coming
Thy maker is thy changeless friend
His love surrounds thee still
Forget thyself and all the world
Out of each garnish light
The stars are shining overhead
Sleep sweetly, then goodnight.

I came across this poem framed and hanging on a nursery wall in Drum Castle.
Drum Castle is a 13th century monument in Drumoak, Scotland. It had been in the Irving family for over 600 years before it became a national monument.
Judging from the frame the poem must have been there for hundreds of years and read by many children and adults many of whom would have long left these parts…

A cross section of Drum Castle.

The Zircon

Sometime ago, I came across the piece of rock below in the National Museum of Scotland.
It is reported to be 4.4 billion years old.

As I stood contemplating its rough and intricate exterior I wondered what kinds of mysteries and secrets it held.

I thought that it could probably give a complete account of evolution.

It could tell how Dinosaurs and other extinct species really disappeared from the earth.

It could describe how the early man actually looked, thought and fared.
How he has evolved.

The challenges of ages past.

What made people laugh.

It could talk about survival- in love and in war, betrayals…

If it had eyes and could see,what significant things did it witness these past billions of years?

Would it even have the memory capacity to store and remember things spanning billions of years?

If indeed that was so, I reasoned further,would there be computers now?
Would there be a need for them?
How would I be writing and sharing this post then?

What would be its impression of people now? The hate, the killings, the selfishness?

And which did it prefer? Which century? Why?

Questions and questions.

As I walked away from the room I thought..
If only..
If only the zircon could speak.