A templon is a Byzantine architectural feature first appearing in
Christian churches about the fifth century AD and is still found in
some Eastern Christian churches. It eventually evolved into the modern
iconostasis, still found in Orthodox churches today. It separates the
laity in the nave from the priests preparing the sacraments at the
altar. It is usually composed of carved wood or marble colonnettes
supporting an architrave (a beam resting on top of columns). Three
doors, a large central one and two smaller flanking ones, lead into
the sanctuary. The templon did not originally obscure the view of the
altar, but as time passed, icons were hung from the beams, curtains
were placed in between the colonnettes, and the templon became more
and more opaque. It is often covered with icons and can be very
elaborate.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templon
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1787:
The text of the United States Constitution was finalized in
Philadelphia.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution)
1809:
The Treaty of Fredrikshamn concluded the Finnish War between Russia
and Sweden, with Finland becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy under Czar
Alexander I.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fredrikshamn)
1894:
The Imperial Japanese Navy and the Beiyang Fleet of Qing China
clashed in the Battle of Yalu River, the largest naval engagement of
the First Sino-Japanese War.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yalu_River_%281894%29)
1908:
Thomas Selfridge became the first passenger to die in a plane crash.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Selfridge)
1978:
President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of
Israel signed the Camp David Accords after twelve days of secret
negotiations at Camp David (pictured).
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_David_Accords_%281978%29)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"I've never seen anybody really find the answer — they think they
have, so they stop thinking. But the job is to seek mystery, evoke
mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries
bloom. The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer."
-- Ken Kesey
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ken_Kesey)