Tea at Trianon: The Spectacular Byzantine Churches That Still Exist in Italy

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

The Spectacular Byzantine Churches That Still Exist in Italy

From The Greek Reporter:

The Italian peninsula is the birthplace of the Romans and their mighty empire. During Rome’s rule over much of the known world, Christians were persecuted without mercy. However, within a few decades, this new religion transformed the empire, turning the most powerful state of its time upside down.

After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of the Eastern Roman Empire, later known as the Byzantine Empire, Italy became home to some of the most spectacular churches, profoundly influenced by the Eastern territories of the empire.
The Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy is a masterpiece of early Byzantine church architecture and art, which was completed in 547 AD.

Its impressive octagonal structure combines Roman and Byzantine elements, featuring a modest dome that is supported by a total of eight pillars. The basilica is famous across the world for its stunning mosaics, particularly those depicting Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora. The reigning couple were very proud of their grandiose constructions and their presence in churches across the Empire symbolize the union of political and religious power in the early Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. The mosaics also include biblical scenes and beautiful designs. (Read more.)