Lapidarium: The Secret Lives of Stones

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The first hall is devoted to the Romanesque and Gothic period. E.g. there is afragment of the oldest Czech monumental relief from atympanum from Oldříš, achildren’s epitaph of Guta II, the tenth daughter of King Wenceslaus II, from the Convent of St. Agnes, pillars from the crypt decoration of the former Basilica of St. Vitus at the Prague Castle or our oldest preserved space sculpture – acouple of lying lions on apedestal, from the beginning of the 13 th century and last but not least aset of engraved Gothic epitaphs of the abbots from Ostrov uDavle.

Whitby jet, imbued with the spirit of the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, inspires tales of male priests who cut off their own genitalia to identify as women, 1982 excavations at Cataractonium – a third-century Roman military base on the River Swale, climate change in the Lower Jurassic period, promiscuous women simulating states of virginity, and warding off snakes. After the First World War, during which it was closed, the Lapidarium was in danger of losing its building. Finally, the building was reconstructed, the collections were reinstalled and in 1932, the space of Lapidarium could be opened to the public again. During the Second World War the collections were endangered by bombing raids on Prague, therefore they were taken to safer places. The largest objects were covered by sand. After the demanding restoration of the installation, the Lapidarium was ceremonially opened to the public for the third time, in 1954. In 1967, the building was due to serious disrepair closed again, namely for water leakage, and once more there was athreat of moving the collection. Eventually, in the years between 1987 and 1993, the building was reconstructed and the collection was installed again, so that it was ceremonially opened to the public for the fourth time, in 1993. It happened especially thanks to Dr. Lubomír Sršeň aJiří Fajt.Rococo is represented before all by a set of allegorical statues from the garden of a summer palace America projected by Kilian Ignac Dienzenhofer. Statues made by Ignac Platzer originate from the Palais Kinsky in Prague. The area below the Chapter Room became a vestry before World War I and the Undercroft was used as an air-raid shelter through both wars. In 1980, Arnold noted that, despite Payne's efforts, 'the stones had since been scattered again, a few preserved elsewhere in the cathedral, but many simply piled up on a ledge inside the ruined Chapter House, exposed to the weather. Some of the best have disappeared, doubtless taken as souvenirs or ornaments"". At Arnold's instigation, following discussions with Cathedral Architect Emil Godfrey, in 1981 the Lapidarium was established in the Treasury over the North Quire Transept. A 1994 portfolio in the Chapter Library compiled by Arnold is a valuable record of this project. In 1986 Cathedral Campers» redecorated the space and repaired the walls and floor. Cathedral Surveyor Martin Care designed the shelving, which was installed by the Royal School of Military Engineering, and Claire Walker and Leslie Hudson are credited with collecting 245 stones and moving them up to the space via a spiral staircase in the North Quire Transept.

W. H. St John Hope, The Architectural History of the Cathedral Church and Monastery of St. Andrew at Rochester, Archaeologia Cantiana, Vol. 23 (1898), p.328. Several buses pass close to the Lapidarium, although the nearest stop is a 10-minute walk away. By Metro You can’t fail to see the impressive brewhouse building from the harbour bus(which isn’t really a bus, it’s a boat!). To find out more about the harbour bus, including timetables, stops and pricing, take a look at What is The Harbour Bus, Copenhagen? Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

Notes and Observations of the Reverend Dr. [Robert] Stevens, Dean of Rochester, which may be found useful to succeeding Deans, Medway Archives DR/Acz/1 (1820-43), pp. 65 and 67-69. An account is also given in the Gentleman's Magazine for January 1825, p.76-77. Over time, weathering meant many statues and sculptures needed to be repaired. Some of the copies are replicas of the originals or replacements whilst they were being repaired.