Sacred Space

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SACRED SPACE Mysteries of the World’s Sacred Places

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Productions

Canamedia Inc. 2 Pardee Avenue, Suite 102 Toronto, ON Canada M6K 3H5 TF (416) 363-1949 www.canamedia.com

Telefrance 71 rue de la Victoire 75009 Paris, France T 33 (0)153782422 www.telfrance.com

Looping Productions 43, quai de la Seine 75019 Paris, France T 33 (0)140384160 www.looping-productions.com

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SACRED SPACE 13 x 30’ Documentary films shot in 2D and in 3D International Co-Production with ARTE (Helene Coldefy) Producers: Dan D’or ~ Canamedia, Canada / Christine LeGoff ~ Telfrance, France 3D Producer: Veronique Legendre ~ Looping Productions, France Director: Mark Daniels

LoGLinE This major Documentary Series, shot both in 2D and in 3D, will transport us around the world and back in time to explore how human beings, of all religions, have designed and interpreted Architecture to express their eternal quest for the Sacred. The exploration of religious monuments, among them the most beautiful and emblematic in the world, will give us an understanding and open a window into the rich timeless dialogue between Man and the Divine. The programs transport viewers into places of worship that are as rich and diverse as the congregations they serve.

SynopSiS Churches, Monasteries, Temples, Cathedrals, Mosques, Synagogues…all of these Sacred Spaces hold the secrets of the timeless quest of humanity for the divine, for God. Each one of these spaces, in their diversity, their complexity and their beauty represent the fruits of philosophy and man’s relationship to the eternal throughout history and for all time. Each religion, each nation on earth, have developed their specific idea of The Sacred and express their particular interpretation through these rites, their beliefs and the extraordinary diversity of their architecture.

The connection between everyday secular space and cosmic, mysterious, Sacred Spaces are portrayed and represented in many ways. From the complex composition of Cathedrals to the aerial qualities of Mosques, to the austerity of Monasteries, to the plethora of sculptures in Hindu Temples- the same principles are at work and translate beliefs and myths in the form of symbols using geometry and sacred numerology.

The design and the construction of sacred spaces constitute a vast scale of an ancient and complex art form, most ambitious in that Man attempts to recreate the world of the Gods on earth in a multidimensional space where faith and belief penetrate physically as well as spiritually as a passage towards the infinite.

In the many diverse traditions and theologies all over the world, sacred architecture attempts to reproduce the models, the structure and the alignment of the universe, allowing man to attempt to reproduce the world of the divine on earth in order to approach and ultimately attain immortality.

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SACRED SPACE WHAT HAppEnS in An EpiSoDE? WHy iS THiS SERiES UniQUE & EXCiTinG? In an attempt to unravel the mysteries of man’s quest for the Divine, a team of internationally renowned archeologists and theologians join forces with historians to explore the world’s most Sacred Spaces.

Together they uncover and reveal the code and meaning of these ancient Sacred Spaces and mystical religions. These places are still today places where religious rituals are still happening. These are not Museums; they are living places of worship. A major aspect of the series is to learn how architecture and religious practice interact, (hence the symbolism and the purpose). For example, in a Catholic church, the choir (the heart where Christ is) is turned toward the East (Jerusalem).

One enters through the Occident (Life) and one walks down the darkened Nave (the Passage of Life), toward the illuminated choir at the East (Death). We symbolically walk from Birth to Death, from Life to Death. With the communion with Christ (the Eucharist during mass), we are assured the possibility of resurrection, meaning eternal life: the fundamental belief of all Christians. This is a journey repeated every time one attends Mass.

• Each Chapter in the Series is Thematic and will be comprised of 34 Episodes which correspond to each Theme (i.e. TEMPLES, MONASTERIES, CATHEDRALS, MOSQUES and SYNAGOGUES). Each Episode will introduce the Monument and place it in its Geographical, Historical and Religious Context. (i.e. Hindu Templein Kyoto Japan, Buddhist- 4th Century, built by slaves). The episodes will illustrate, through the geometry and symbolism of architecture, how each Sacred Space was created which facilitated the communion between Man and The Divine.

• The Episodes will open with a series of aerials of the Region putting the monument in a visual and geographical context and zoom in as we come face to face with the beauty and Grandeur of the building. We will always go from the panoramic view and understanding- to the detail and close up understanding of the subject. Though one may be familiar with a particular monument, we will reveal mysteries and personal historical anecdotes which have never been revealed before and which imbue each Monument with an aura of fascination, adventure and intrigue.

• Experts in Religious History and Sacred Architecture will tell 1-2 anecdotes and historical tales of the monument- and introduce the audience to when, how, why and under which circumstances the monument was erected. Each story will outline the incredibly unique way in which each monument came into being and what it represents to the Religion and to the world of the Divine and the world of Man. For the first time, 3D will enable the audience to experience each Sacred Space as the original builders intended. It will bring these fantastic monuments to life as nothing has before.

Nothing built by man has been around longer or inspires deeper feeling than these emblematic monuments. Nothing so old is still in use serving its original purpose.

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SACRED SPACE pRoDUCERS/FiLMMAKERS DiRECTion

Having produced and filmed the documentaries The Parthenon and Cathedrals Unveiled for Nova and Arte, the Producers have acquired a strong knowledge of the best manner of shooting architecture in its most favourable way.

For this collection of films they plan to take that knowledge and use it as well as move in another direction to give the audience an intimate feel for these monuments as well as an understanding of them. The usage of 3D to film these magnificent monuments of great beauty is essential in our opinion. We will do this in 4K using the RED Cameras, which is to say, the leading technology today. We want to give the audience a true sense of the grandeur and size of each space and place, in order to elicit a sense of strong emotion and mystery when experiencing each Sacred Space.

At each of the locations, we will use a helicopter to situate the monument in its context and country. In the interiors we will avail ourselves of the fluidity of the Steadycam. However, the aspect of this series which will be undoubtedly the most unique and original ever seen will be the use of the SOULCAM System, a tele-commanded zeppelin (balloon) which will permit us to take aerial photographs, slow and progressively and which can go from 50 centimetres to 200 metres in height in the same location and can go within an inch of any

façade or sculpture. Therefore, we will reproduce the sense of elevation and the desire to go from the ground to the Heavens, which was the eternal dream of all the builders of Sacred Spaces.

The work we will be doing for the visuals of the series which will require much storyboarding and intensive work will not at all interfere or eclipse the historians and or the theologians who will give us the keys to understanding the architecture of these monuments, the symbolic and religious concepts and ideas that these monuments represent and as well, their place in the history of mankind.

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THE TEAM ~ CANADA SACRED SpACE ~ Mysteries of the World’s Sacred Places

Doug Connolly ~ Executive Producer, Canada Doug possesses 40-year career in the educational distribution and broadcast distribution business. Doug was appointed Managing Director of Distribution Access in 2004 then a division of CHUM Television followed by CTV Inc. Doug put together a group to acquire the business unit from CTV and completed the acquisition in 2009 followed by the acquisition of Canamedia Inc., one of the longest established distribution and production companies in Canada. Doug is a pioneer in expanding the use of visual media from early formats to the digital applications used in education today and has developed streaming services now used by major Telco’s and broadcasters.

Richard nielsen ~ Writer/Co-Producer, Canada Richard’s credits include individual films on St. Augustine, Pascal, William Blake, Soren Kierkegaard, Leo Tolstoy, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer for Time-Life Films and the BBC. He also produced Bonhoeffer: Agent of Grace, a dramatic film that won the Golden Nymph as the best MOW for 2000 at the Monte Carlo film festival. He also produced 45 programs with Jean Vanier, founder of L ‘Arche.

Daniel D’or ~ Producer and Stereographer Dan is a prolific Award-winning film producer, director and writer with over 25 feature films and TV series to his credit. He produced and directed two seasons of the dramatic sci-fi series Star Hunter and two seasons of the investigative program Fraud Squad. His recent focus has been transforming a 2D experience of television to the world of 3D TV. He teaches directors and camera teams on the technical aspects of shooting in this new format. Daniel will now provide his 3D expertise to capturing images of these wonderful sacred structures in cooperation with these incredible storytellers.

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THE TEAM ~ FRANCE SACRED SpACE ~ Mysteries of the World’s Sacred Places

Christine Le Goff ~ Creative Producer, France Award-winning producer Christine Le Goff’s career spans more than 30 years in both France and the USA. She has produced over 50 feature docs and series. They include 2002 Academy Award doc winner Murder on a Sunday Morning for HBO and France 2, The Origins of Aids, winner of the 2005 Europa Prize and Werner Herzog’s sci-fi fantasy The Wild Blue Yonder, winner of the Critics Prize at the Venice Mostra. More recently she co-produced and co-directed for ARTE and PBS NOVA, a collection of blue chip feature docs that have aired worldwide to great success: Secrets of the Parthenon, Riddles of the Sphinx and Gothic Cathedrals.

Veronique Legendre ~ Creative Producer, France For the last few years, Veronique Legendre has been an expert in the development of new technologies, in particular 3D, in France. She has organized events and produced and directed 3D programs for French and South Korean TV. With her company Looping Productions, Veronique has specialized in international co-productions with Asia. For 15 years, she produced and directed for NHK manycultural documentaries in High Definition In 2000, she produced “Catwalk”, the first HD TV series on Paris fashion that broadcast for 5 seasons on NHK.

Cyril Baraçon ~ Cinematographer/stereographer, France Cyril Barbaçon has been a director of photography for cinema and television for the last 15 years, specializing in nature films.

His main credits include Fire and Ice, The Fox and the Child. He developed a new tool for cinematography: the SoulCam, a remote–controlled balloon that is used worldwide. Cyril has become one of France’s most renowned 3D cinematographers/ stereographers. He is currently directing Hurricane – a 3D feature doc and series for ARTE.

Mark Daniels ~ Director, France Mark Daniels’ first feature, The Influence of Strangers (1987), won the Joseph Von Sternberg Prize in Mannheim, a Golden Gate Award in San Francisco and was exhibited in the opening program of the American Museum of the Moving Image. Classified X (1998) was selected for Sundance and won many awards including First Prize at the Urbanworld Festival.

More recently, Comic Books Go To War (2010) won Best Reportage at the Montreal International Film on Art Festival and was nominated for the Europa Prize. His feature documentary The Strange Disappearance of the Bees drew the highest audience for a documentary on Arte. In 2011 Daniels was nominated for an Emmy as Director of Photography on Nova’s Building the Great Cathedrals.

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SOULCAM 2D HD AnD 3D SoARinG TECHnoLoGy

A unique airship for aerial cinematography with HD and 3D cameras as well as unique technology that allows the production to achieve the requested footage with complete security, giving diďŹƒcult-to-obtain access to some of the most famous buildings in the world.

Smoothly propelled forward by 4 electric motors, on any axis, at speeds from 0 to 30km/h, and as high as 150m, the Soulcam Airship will allow Sacred Space to capture footage simply not available otherwise, in these sacred locations. The lenses used with this technology enable us to move very close to objects, presenting incredible detail on the volume and texture of the shot.

Imagine footage captured as if you were oating on air, through these spiritual locations, and you begin to appreciate the awe-inspiring visuals from the Soulcam.

The 2D HD and 3D footage captured will take on an ethereal quality as the viewer will literally soar around the Sacred Spaces untethered by gravity and experiencing sights of a truly spiritual nature.

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THE MAGNIFICENCE OF ASIAN TEMPLES Episode 1

Episode 2 Episode 3

Shinto Sanctuary Of Ise ~ Ise, Japan Daitoku-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan Zen Garden Of The Ryoan-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan Meenakshi Hindu Temple ~ Tamil Nadu, India Bulguksa Temple ~ South Korea Seokguram Grotto ~ South Korea Taktsang Monastery ~ Bhutan

SACRED LAND/HOLY LAND Episode 4

Episode 5

The Dome Of The Rock ~ Jerusalem, Israel Al-Aqsa Mosque ~ Jerusalem, Israel The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre ~ Jerusalem, Israel The Wailing Wall ~ Jerusalem, Israel Dohany Street Synagogue ~ Budapest, Hungary The Great Synagogue Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy

MOSQUES OF ISLAM Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8

The Blue Mosque ~ Istanbul, Turkey Al-Masjid Al-Haram (Kabba Of Mecca) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia Al-Azhar Mosque ~ Cairo, Egypt The Great Mosque Of Djenné ~ Mali, Africa Kairouan Mosque ~ Tunisia, North Africa

CHURCHES, CATHEDRALS, AND MONASTERIES Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13

The Great Cathedral Of Cologne ~ Cologne, Germany St. Basil’s Cathedral ~ Moscow, Russia Mont Saint-Michel ~ Normandy, France Duomo Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy The Metropolitan Cathedral ~ Mexico City, Mexico

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THE MAGNIFICENCE OF ASIAN TEMPLES Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Asia is the most vast and populated continent on earth. Its beauty and the majesty of its nature, its incredible physical and spiritual diversity is a foundation that is conducive for exploring beliefs and mans quest for the divine. It is no coincidence that this continent is the cradle of three grand Monotheistic religions: (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), and the two grand religions of the Orient: (Hinduism and Buddhism).

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EPISODE ONE SHinTo SAnCTUARy oF iSE ~ Ise, Japan | DAiToKU-Ji TEMpLE ~ Kyoto, Japan ZEn GARDEn oF THE RyoAn-Ji TEMpLE ~ Kyoto, Japan SHinTo SAnCTUARy oF iSE

handed down for generations, regarding the rebuilding of each

The most ancient religion of Japan is Shintoism and this religion has

shrine, but in addition to this it is vital that the Master Carpenters

a separate place in world history. The deep sentiment of communion

teach the apprentices the steps taken in rebuilding the shrines, as

between the forces of the universe and the essential respect of ones

the tools and methods used have been passed down from ancient

ancestors, are the spiritual basis of this religion. The followers of

times. No nails are used at all in the process of rebuilding. By

Shinto have distinguished their devotion to their specific divine

rebuilding the shrines, it is said that the Japanese receive new

spaces where they believe the Gods must have arrived on Earth by

blessings from the Gods and pray for world happiness and it is also

planting Cyprus trees together in order to build the first sanctuary in

done for purifications purposes. The next “destruction” of this Sacred

a forest. They created the Sanctuary Of Ise, which has become, over

Space will take place in 2013 – documented and captured by the

centuries, the most sacred space for the religion of Shintoism, in the

watchful eye of our cameras.

world. To respect the purity of this space, the wood Temple is destroyed and rebuilt again every 20 years, to reflect the original

DAiToKU-Ji TEMpLE

building, since its first construction in the year 690. This tradition

Daitoku-ji is the head Temple of the Daitokuji school of Rinzai, a sect

began with the first rebuilding in 690, and is still being practiced. The

of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Located in the Temple city of Kyoto,

sixty-first rebuilding was completed in 1993, with the sixty-second

Daitoku-ji is considered one of the best places to experience Zen in

scheduled for 2013. The Uji Bridge is also rebuilt in this ceremony.

Japan. Daitoku-ji was established in 1319 by Shohomyocho, also

There is an identical plot of ground next to each sanctuary for the

known as Daitokokushi. After its construction in the 14th century, the

purpose of the rebuilding ceremony. The construction of the new

Temple was frequented by Emperor Go-Daigo of Japan and its

shrine takes about eight years, and at each stage of construction a

mountain was counted as one of the five sacred mountains. During

religious ceremony is held.

the Onin War, some of its Temples were burned down.

The shrines themselves are made entirely out of plain Japanese

The Temple was subsequently rebuilt by rich

cypress, except for the roofs which are thatched with kaya grass. The

merchants of Sakai, Osaka.

rebuilding is done mainly by local carpenters, who set aside their

(cont’d next page...)

usual work for this privilege for two to four years. Plans have been

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EPISODE ONE SHinTo SAnCTUARy oF iSE ~ Ise, Japan | DAiToKU-Ji TEMpLE ~ Kyoto, Japan ZEn GARDEn oF THE RyoAn-Ji TEMpLE ~ Kyoto, Japan (...cont’d from previous page)

was probably constructed around this time. Further reconstructions

Many of Daitoku-ji’s Temples were constructed before and in the early

and additions were made over the centuries. The Temple belongs to

Edo period. The first of the three gates was constructed in 1526. The

the Myōshinji School of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism. Rinzai

mountain in which the Daitoku-ji complex was built is known as

Zen was introduced to Japan by the Chinese priest Ensai in 1191 and

Ryuhozan (Dragon Treasure Mountain). Daitokuji is surrounded by 24

emphasizes the use of paradoxical puzzles or questions that help the

sub Temples, which together form a Temple village. The main Temple

practitioner to overcome the normal boundaries of logic.

and some of the sub Temples are open to the public and display Zen

Ryoan-ji is most famous for its dry landscape Zen rock garden,

architecture and design, including gardens and tea ceremony rooms.

thought to date from the late 1400s. It is one of the most notable

Among the most interesting sub Temples are Kotoin, which is

examples of the dry-garden style – some say it is the highest

famous for its maple trees and moss garden; and Daisenin, whose

expression of Zen art and teachings and perhaps the single greatest

small rock garden is considered one of the best in Japan. Ryogenin

masterpiece of Japanese culture. No one knows who designed the

features a miniature Zen garden that is reportedly the smallest in

placement of this simple garden, or precisely when, but it is today

Japan, and Zuihoin is noted for its natural simplicity.

as it was yesterday, and tomorrow it will be as it is today. The Zen garden is an austere arrangement of 15 rocks resting on a bed of

ZEn GARDEn oF THE RyoAn-Ji TEMpLE

white gravel, surrounded by low walls. The moss-covered boulders

Ryoan-ji (Peaceful Dragon Temple) is a Zen Temple and World Heritage

are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle, only

Site in northwest Kyoto, Japan. It is best known for its Zen garden, a

14 are visible at one time. In the Buddhist world the number 15

simple gravel-and-rock arrangement that inspires peace and

denotes completeness. Behind the simple Temple that overlooks the

contemplation. The site of the Temple was originally a Fujiwara family

rock garden is a 17th Century stone washbasin called Tsukubai, It

estate during the Heian period. The Temple was founded in 1450 by

bears a simple but profound four-character inscription:

Hosokawa Katsumoto (1430-73), a military leader in the Muromachi

“I learn only to be contented.” This is the heart

period. The original Temple buildings burned down during the Onin

of Zen philosophy.

Wars (1467-77), in which Katsumoto was killed. The Temple was reconstructed from 1488 to 1499, and Ryoan-ji’s famous rock garden

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EPISODE TWO MEEnAKSHi HinDU TEMpLE ~ Tamil Nadu, India

In India, since the beginning of time, night falls and men retell the marvelous tale of the sacred flood which created The Ganges River. The stories are populated with people who became living gods, by adventures full of wisdom and fury.

These tales represent the birth of beliefs of millions of souls for centuries and are the basis of the multiple divinities that comprise Hinduism- the most ancient of all religion. Hindus have built Temples of stone according to sacred and geometric knowledge, richly ornate with divine figures that they venerate and pray to – as in the Meenakshi Temple which has 30 million coloured sculptures adorning it.

Madurai or “the city of nectar” is the oldest and second largest city of Tamil Nadu India. This city is located on Vaigai River and was the capital of Pandyan rulers. The Pandyan king had built a gorgeous Temple around which he created a lotus shaped city.

It has been a center of learning and pilgrimage, for centuries.

Legend has it that the divine nectar falling from Lord Shiva’s locks gave the city its name - ‘Madhurapuri’, now known as “Madurai”. The Sri Meenakshi Sundareswara Temple and Madurai City originated together. The structures that are standing today date mostly from the twelfth to the eighteenth century. They occupy a vast space, 258-m by 241m. At every turn there is superb sculpture, magnificent architecture. The Meenakshi Temple complex is one of the largest and certainly

one of the most ancient in India. According to legend Madurai is the actual site where the wedding between Shiva and Meenakshi took place. The gigantic Temple complex, the statues exploring the entire range of human emotions, everything here is larger than life. The soaring and exquisitely carved towers enclose the Temple dedicated to Meenakashi.

The south gateway contains the twin Temples of Shiva and Meenakshi and rise about nine storey’s high.

Meenakshi Kalyanam, the wedding festival of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwar is celebrated for twelve days from the second day of the lunar month (i.e. two days after the new moon). This is a spectacular festival celebrated in the month of Chaitra (April-May). The festival is characterized with royal decorated umbrellas, fans and traditional instrumental music. Scenes from mythology are enacted and the deities of Lord Shiva, Goddess Shakti and Goddess Meenakshi are taken out in a colourful procession. Thousands of devotees from all over the country gather in the city of Madurai on this occasion.

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EPISODE THREE BULGUKSA TEMpLE ~ South Korea | SEoKGURAM GRoTTo ~ South Korea TAKTSAnG MonASTERy ~ Bhutan BULGUKSA TEMpLE & SEoKGURAM GRoTTo Established in the 8th century on the slopes of Mount Toham, the Seokguram Grotto contains a monumental statue of the Buddha looking at the sea. With the surrounding portrayals of gods, Bodhisattvas and disciples, all realistically and delicately sculpted in high and low relief, it is considered a masterpiece of Buddhist art in the Far East. The Temple of Bulguksa (built in 774) and the Seokguram Grotto form a religious architectural complex of exceptional significance. The Temple and Grotto are a masterpiece of Far Eastern Buddhist art. The complex that it forms with Bulguksa Temple is an outstanding example of the religious architecture of the region and of the material expression of Buddhist belief.

Construction of Seokguram Grotto, located on the south-eastern slope of Mount Toham, facing the East Sea, began in AD 751, the 10th year of the reign of Silla King Gyeongdeok, and completed in 774, the 10th year of the reign of King Hyegong. It is built from granite and features 39 Buddhist engravings on the main wall and the principal sculpture of the Buddha in the centre. The Eight Guardian Deities are carved in relief on the walls of the rectangular antechamber of the Grotto. The Four Guardian Kings are carved in pairs on either side of the

narrowed part of the corridor. A large circular lotus flower is set in the wall behind the main Buddha, creating the illusion of a halo for the Buddha when seen from the front. There are 10 niches lining the upper wall on either side of this lotus flower: originally each contained images of Bodhisattvas or Buddhist devotees.

The main Sakyamuni Buddha figure is 3.45 m high, and set on a lotus flower-shaped pedestal. The hair is tightly curled and there is a distinct protuberance on the top of the head symbolizing Supreme Wisdom. Beneath the broad forehead the eyebrows are shaped like crescent moons and the half-closed eyes gaze towards the East Sea. The main Buddha of Seokguram is a masterpiece that perfectly depicts the moment Sakyamuni attained enlightenment, and Bulguksa Temple is an ambitious architectural work through which Silla revealed the world of Buddhism to the terrestrial world.

The grounds of Bulguksa were seen as a utopia of Buddhism itself.

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EPISODE THREE BULGUKSA TEMpLE ~ South Korea | SEoKGURAM GRoTTo ~ South Korea TAKTSAnG MonASTERy ~ Bhutan TAKTSAnG MonASTERy The Taktsang Monastery is the most famous Bhutanese monastery located in the Paro valley, western Bhutan, perched on a cliff 900 meters above the valley. It is also known as “Tiger’s Nest” because Guru Rimpoche is said to have flown on the back of a tigress in the 8th century.

He then meditated in a cave here for three months where the monastery was later built. Taktsang Monastery was built in 1692. He also subjugated the Eight Categories of Evil Spririts and converted the valley to Buddhism. The cave is said to be the origin of Bhuddism in Bhutan.

Guru Rinpoche then returned to Tibet and transmitted his teaching to his disciples. One of his disciples, Langchen Pelkyi Singye, returned to Taktshang to meditate in the year 853. He named the cave where he meditated as Pelkyi’s Cave. Pelkyi is believed to have gone to Nepal where he later died. His body miraculously returned to Taktshang Monastery under the grace of deity Dorje Legpa and is now sealed inside the chorten, standing in the room on the left at the top of the entrance. The monastery caught on fire in 1998.

The process of rebuilding it is still in progress but the holy cave has been found intact after the disaster.

Paro Taktsang is the popular name of Taktsang Palphug Monastery (also known as The Tiger’s Nest) and has become the cultural icon of Bhutan.

An alternative legend holds that a former wife of an emperor, known as Yeshe Tsogyal, willingly became a disciple of Guru Rinpoche in Tibet. She transformed herself into a tigress and carried the Guru on her back from Tibet to the present location of the Taktsang in Bhutan. In one of the caves here, the Guru then performed meditation and emerged in eight incarnated forms (manifestations) and the place became holy.

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THE MAGNIFICENCE OF ASIAN TEMPLES Episode 1

Episode 2 Episode 3

Shinto Sanctuary Of Ise ~ Ise, Japan Daitoku-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan Zen Garden Of The Ryoan-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan Meenakshi Hindu Temple ~ Tamil Nadu, India Bulguksa Temple ~ South Korea Seokguram Grotto ~ South Korea Taktsang Monastery ~ Bhutan

SACRED LAND/HOLY LAND Episode 4

Episode 5

The Dome Of The Rock ~ Jerusalem, Israel Al-Aqsa Mosque ~ Jerusalem, Israel The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre ~ Jerusalem, Israel The Wailing Wall ~ Jerusalem, Israel Dohany Street Synagogue ~ Budapest, Hungary The Great Synagogue Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy

MOSQUES OF ISLAM Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8

The Blue Mosque ~ Istanbul, Turkey Al-Masjid Al-Haram (Kabba Of Mecca) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia Al-Azhar Mosque ~ Cairo, Egypt The Great Mosque Of Djenné ~ Mali, Africa Kairouan Mosque ~ Tunisia, North Africa

CHURCHES, CATHEDRALS, AND MONASTERIES Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13

The Great Cathedral Of Cologne ~ Cologne, Germany St. Basil’s Cathedral ~ Moscow, Russia Mont Saint-Michel ~ Normandy, France Duomo Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy The Metropolitan Cathedral ~ Mexico City, Mexico

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SACRED LAND/HOLY LAND Episodes 4 and 5 JERUSALEM ~ A mountainous walled city with a 5,000-year history is sacred to the three great monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam - which means it is sacred to more than a third of the world's population. For Jews, Jerusalem is the site of the Temple, now in ruins except for the Western Wall; for Christians, it is the site of Christ's death and resurrection; for Muslims, it is the site of the Prophet's night journey to heaven. Jerusalem is therefore a major site of pilgrimage for all three religions as well as, unfortunately, a place of religious and political tension over this important piece of land.

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EPISODE FOUR THE DoME oF THE RoCK ~ Jerusalem, Israel | AL-AQSA MoSQUE ~ Jerusalem, Israel THE CHURCH oF THE HoLy SEpULCHRE ~ Jerusalem, Israel THE DoME oF THE RoCK The most famous Islamic site in Jerusalem is the Dome of the Rock. An impressive and beautiful ediďŹ ce, the Dome of the Rock can be seen from all over Jerusalem. It is the crowning glory of the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but a Muslim shrine. Like the Ka'ba in Mecca, it is built over a sacred stone. This stone is believed to be the place from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven during his Night Journey to heaven.

The Dome of the Rock is the oldest Islamic monument that stands today and certainly one of the most beautiful. The sacred rock over which the Dome of the Rock is built was considered holy before the arrival of Islam. Jews believed, and still believe the rock to be the very place where Abraham prepared to sacriďŹ ce Isaac (an event which Muslims place in Mecca). In addition, the Dome of the Rock is believed by many to stand directly over the site of the Holy of Holies of both Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple.

The Dome of the Rock was built by the Umayyad caliph from 688 to 691 AD. According to tradition, the Dome of the Rock was built to commemorate Muhammad's ascension into heaven after his night journey to Jerusalem "He wished to erect a beautiful Muslim building that could compete

with the majestic churches of Christendom and would be a symbolic statement to both Jews and Christians of the superiority of the new faith of Islam." His building spoke to Jews by its location, to Christians by its interior decoration In the Middle Ages, Christians and Muslims both believed the dome to be the biblical Temple of Solomon. The Knights Templar made their headquarters there during the Crusades and later patterned their churches after its design.

The extraordinary visual impact of the Dome of the Rock is in part due to the mathematical rhythm of its proportions.

All the critical dimensions are related to the center circle that surrounds the sacred stone. For example, each outer wall is 67 feet long, which are exactly the dome's diameter and exactly its height from the base of the drum. The same principles were used in Byzantine churches of Italy, Syria, and Palestine, but none compare to the integration of plan and elevation seen in the Dome of the Rock.

The Dome is topped by a full moon decoration which evokes the familiar crescent moon symbol of Islam. It is aligned so that if you could look through it, you would be looking straight towards Mecca.

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EPISODE FOUR THE DoME oF THE RoCK ~ Jerusalem, Israel | AL-AQSA MoSQUE ~ Jerusalem, Israel THE CHURCH oF THE HoLy SEpULCHRE ~ Jerusalem, Israel THE AL-AQSA MoSQUE The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the most important mosque in Jerusalem. Located on the Temple Mount, it is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. It is the central focus of the Muslim community in Jerusalem, hosting daily prayers and accommodating large crowds for Friday sermons. Originally, all of Jerusalem was known as the "distant sanctuary," but the term eventually came to be applied to the main mosque in the city. It is not certain when the first mosque was built on this site - the first mosque in Jerusalem, the Mosque of Umar, was built in 638 and may have stood here. In 680, the Christian pilgrim Arculf described a mosque that appears to be on this site. The earliest mosque that was certainly built here was constructed by the Umayyads around 710 AD, only a few decades after the Dome of the Rock. Unfortunately nothing of the ancient mosque survives today: it was destroyed by earthquakes twice in its first 60 years of existence and has been rebuilt at least five times. The last major rebuild was in 1035 by Caliph az-Zahir. After the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, Al-Aqsa was used as the royal palace of the Crusader kings, then as the headquarters of the Knights Templar in 1118. The legacy of these European occupants remains in the Romanesque central bays of the main facade.

After recapturing Jerusalem in 1187, Saladin left the new arches but tore down all the Templar constructions around the mosque except for the refectory along the south wall.

The 20th century was a time of significant turmoil and change at Al-Aqsa. In 1951, King Abdullah of Jordan was assassinated in the south end of the mosque; bullet holes can still be seen in a pillar.

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EPISODE FOUR THE DoME oF THE RoCK ~ Jerusalem, Israel | AL-AQSA MoSQUE ~ Jerusalem, Israel THE CHURCH oF THE HoLy SEpULCHRE ~ Jerusalem, Israel THE CHURCH oF THE HoLy SEpULCHRE The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, known as the Church of the Resurrection to Eastern Orthodox Christians, is a church in the Old City of Jerusalem that is the holiest Christian site in the world. It stands on a site that is believed to encompass both Golgotha, or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, and the tomb (sepulchre) where he was buried. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century.

Although it is not certain, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre could be located over the actual tomb of Christ. The most important supporting evidence is as follows: The topographical elements of the church’s site are compatible with the Gospel descriptions, which say that Jesus was crucified on a rock that looked like a skull outside the city. The Christian community of Jerusalem held worship services at the site until 66 AD even when the area was brought within the city walls in 41-43 AD it was not built over by the local inhabitants. The Roman Emperor Hadrian built a Temple of Venus over the site in 135 AD, which could be an indication that the site was regarded as holy by Christians and Hadrian wished to claim the site for traditional Roman religion.

The eyewitness historian Eusebius claimed that in the course of the excavations, the original memorial was discovered.

Based on the above factors, the Oxford Archaeological Guide to the Holy Land concludes: “Is this the place where Christ died and was buried? Very probably, yes.”

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EPISODE FIVE THE WAiLinG WALL ~ Jerusalem, Israel | DoHAny STREET SynAGoGUE ~ Budapest, Hungary THE GREAT SynAGoGUE oF FLoREnCE ~ Florence, Italy THE WAiLinG WALL The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest of Jewish sites, sacred because it is a remnant of the Herodian retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. It has also been called the “Wailing Wall” by European observers because for centuries Jews have gathered here to lament the loss of their Temple.

The Western Wall Plaza, the large open area that faces the Western Wall, functions as an open-air synagogue that can accommodate tens of thousands of worshipers. The Western Wall was built by King Herod in 20 BC during his expansion of the Temple enclosure, and is part of a retaining wall that enclosed the western part of Temple Mount. According to the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus, construction of the walls took 11 years, during which time it rained in Jerusalem only at night so as not to interfere with the workers’ progress.

In 70 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple. During the Ottoman Period (beginning in the 16th century), the wall became the Jewish Peoples’ main place of pilgrimage, where they came to lament the destruction of the Temple.

In 1967 the Israelis made the wall about 6 1/2 feet higher by digging down and exposing two more tiers

of ashlars (squared stones) from the Temple Plaza’s retaining wall that had been buried by accumulated debris for centuries.

The huge, lower stones of the wall are from the time of Herod, while those higher up date from Omayyad and Fatimid times. The sides of the Herodian monumental stones have been carved with such precision that they rest perfectly against and on top of each other, without mortar. Over the centuries, the fine straight lines and margins of some of the stones have eroded away. The lower cracks of the chalky, yellowwhite blocks have been stuffed with bits of paper containing written prayers. Orthodox Jews can be seen standing at the wall, chanting and swaying. Some Jews visit the wall daily to recite the entire Book of Psalms.

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EPISODE FIVE THE WAiLinG WALL ~ Jerusalem, Israel | DoHAny STREET SynAGoGUE ~ Budapest, Hungary THE GREAT SynAGoGUE oF FLoREnCE ~ Florence, Italy DoHAny STREET SynAGoGUE Built in 1859, the Dohány Street Synagogue also known as The Great Synagogue in Budapest is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world (after Temple Emanu-el in New York City). Dohány Synagogue was built in 1854-59 after the plans of Ludwig Förster, who was not Jewish. At the time the Jewish community, in this area of Pest, numbered about 30,000. Dohány Synagogue would go on to have a rich but tragic history.

In March 1944, Adolf Eichmann arrived in Budapest with the occupying Nazi forces to supervise the establishment of the Jewish ghetto and the subsequent deportations. For a time, Eichman had an office behind the rose window in the women's balcony. Up to 20,000 Jews took refuge inside the synagogue complex during the war, but 7,000 people perished during the bleak winter of 1944-45. These victims are buried in the courtyard, where you can also see a piece of the original brick ghetto wall. During the Communist period, many windows were broken and the Jews boarded up the synagogue. An ambitious restoration was recently completed, funded in large part by famous Americans Tony Curtis and Estée Lauder, who are of Hungarian-

Jewish descent. The building's original splendor is now fully apparent.

The Great Synagogue is designed like a basilica and includes some striking Byzantine and Moorish elements. The interior is vast and ornate, with two balconies and, unusually, an organ. Its ark contains 25 torah scrolls taken from other synagogues destroyed during the Holocaust. Next to the main building is the Jewish Heroes' Mausoleum and Temple in memory of the thousands of Jews who died during the Second World War. The Memorial Garden contains monuments to Jews who died in the Holocaust and to non-Jews who protected their Jewish neighbors. The National Jewish Museum is also in the synagogue complex.

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EPISODE FIVE THE WAiLinG WALL ~ Jerusalem, Israel | DoHAny STREET SynAGoGUE ~ Budapest, Hungary THE GREAT SynAGoGUE oF FLoREnCE ~ Florence, Italy THE GREAT SynAGoGUE oF FLoREnCE In 1872 David Levi, donated enough money to build a synagogue "worthy of Florence". The construction was assigned to architects Treves, Falcini and Micheli and lasted eight years, between 1874 and 1882. Because the Florentine Jews were Sephardic, the design of their synagogue recalls the Muslim art of Moorish Spain. It was dedicated October 24, 1882. All the internal walls were decorated between 1882 and 1890 by a local painter: Giovanni Panti, who made use of gold-plating to highlight the Moorish designs.

The synagogue has successfully withstood wars, barbarism and floods. The Germans tried to blow up the structure during WWII, but the main building withstood their efforts. Bayonet marks are still visible on the doors of the Holy Ark which the Nazis used as a warehouse and stable. When the fascists were driven out of Florence they mined the synagogue with explosives before they left. Fortunately, the partisans were able to diffuse the bombs. In 1944 Leon Dison a Lance-Corporal in the 12th Field Squadron, South African Engineers Corps, 6th South African Armoured Division and another Sapper, Hymie Bloch were instructed by their officer, Arnold Harris to check the Synagogue in Florence as it

was feared that it was booby-trapped. Lon and Hymie checked the whole Synagogue and told the people waiting outside that it was safe to go in. Hymie Bloch lived in Durban and passed away in 2004 and as of 2008 Leon Dison lives in Johannesburg. He is 87 years old.

On the second floor is the Jewish Museum of Florence, and outside of the synagogue, there is a stone monument with the names of 248 Jewish deportees engraved on the face. The Florence synagogue was built after years of discussion about its location. The community wanted to build it as close to the center as possible, in order to signify what it saw as the important role Jews played in the new, unified Italy which had guaranteed them full civil rights. A gift of land and money by congregant David Levi was too good to refuse. Still, the large dome of the Tempio Israelitico is a prominent feature of the Florence landscape. The vaguely oriental shape of the dome supplanted an original typically neo-renaissance design. This and all the other Moorish features of the Temple were virtually imposed on the architects by the professors of the Florentine Academy.

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THE MAGNIFICENCE OF ASIAN TEMPLES Episode 1

Episode 2 Episode 3

Shinto Sanctuary Of Ise ~ Ise, Japan Daitoku-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan Zen Garden Of The Ryoan-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan Meenakshi Hindu Temple ~ Tamil Nadu, India Bulguksa Temple ~ South Korea Seokguram Grotto ~ South Korea Taktsang Monastery ~ Bhutan

SACRED LAND/HOLY LAND Episode 4

Episode 5

The Dome Of The Rock ~ Jerusalem, Israel Al-Aqsa Mosque ~ Jerusalem, Israel The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre ~ Jerusalem, Israel The Wailing Wall ~ Jerusalem, Israel Dohany Street Synagogue ~ Budapest, Hungary The Great Synagogue Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy

MOSQUES OF ISLAM Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8

The Blue Mosque ~ Istanbul, Turkey Al-Masjid Al-Haram (Kabba Of Mecca) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia Al-Azhar Mosque ~ Cairo, Egypt The Great Mosque Of Djenné ~ Mali, Africa Kairouan Mosque ~ Tunisia, North Africa

CHURCHES, CATHEDRALS, AND MONASTERIES Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13

The Great Cathedral Of Cologne ~ Cologne, Germany St. Basil’s Cathedral ~ Moscow, Russia Mont Saint-Michel ~ Normandy, France Duomo Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy The Metropolitan Cathedral ~ Mexico City, Mexico

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MOSQUES OF ISLAM Episodes 6, 7 and 8 The word “Mosque” signifies the act of prostrating oneself to pray. The first sacred buildings were modest and humble living quarters of Mohammed. According to Islamic belief, the first mosque in the world was Masjid Al-Haram, known also by the name of Kaaba Of Mecca.

The geometric structure, its sacred proportions, which branch out from octagonal passages, are the symbols of the conscience – linked as well from heaven and earth – the Material world to the Spiritual world.

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EPISODE SIX THE BLUE MoSQUE ~ Istanbul, Turkey AL-MASJiD AL-HARAM (KABBA oF MECCA) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia THE BLUE MoSQUE Man and his need to affirm the greatness of his belief, wanted to make an offering to God, as well to appear grand and opulent before his fellow man. The most beautiful symbol of this conquest is The Blue Mosque of Istanbul. It was built a few feet from one of the most important edifices of the first Christians – Sainte Sophie or Ayasofia – the ancient Basilica, and it became the most impressive mosque in Constantinople. Sultan Amhet 1st commissioned the Mosque to be built when he was only 19. He wanted to prove that the Ottoman architects had absolutely nothing to envy from their Christian predecessors. The architectural plan of the mosque is inspired by the Cathedral of Justinien, built almost a thousand years earlier. 260 windows make the mosque inundated with light. The interior is decorated by 21,043 squares of earthenware from Iznikdominated by the colour blue - hence the name The Blue Mosque. Conceived to appease the wrath of God, The Blue Mosque is a symbol of uninterrupted dialogue between Man and God. The Blue Mosque is one of the great masterpieces of Muslim architecture and was constructed in the early 17th Century. It took seven years to build. Its six

minarets caused a scandal, as the Haram Mosque in Mecca (the holiest in the world) also had six minarets.

In the end, the young sultan solved the problem by sending his architect to Mecca to add a seventh minaret.

Another striking feature of the exterior is the beautifully arranged cascade of domes that seems to spill down from the great central dome. The arcades running beneath each dome add further visual rhythm.

None of the exterior is blue. The term “Blue Mosque” comes from the blue tiles inside.

Hanging from the north gate are symbolic chains that encourage everyone, even the Sultan who entered on horseback, to bow his head.

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EPISODE SIX THE BLUE MoSQUE ~ Istanbul, Turkey AL-MASJiD AL-HARAM (KABBA oF MECCA) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia AL-MASJiD AL-HARAM Al-Masjid Al-Haram (The Holy Mosque), also known as Al-Haram Mosque, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is the holiest mosque in the world and the primary destination of the Hajj pilgrimage. The Mosque complex covers an area of 356,800 square meters and can accommodate up to 820,000 worshippers during the Hajj. The Holy Mosque is the only Mosque that has no direction, since Muslims pray facing the Ka’ba in the central courtyard. The Mosque was built in the 7th century and has been modified, rebuilt, and expanded on a regular basis ever since. The beginnings of the Holy Mosque were established under Caliph Omar Ibn al-Khattab (634644). The caliph ordered the demolition of houses surrounding the Ka’ba in order to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims and then built a 1.5-meter high wall to form an outdoor prayer area around the shrine. In 692, after Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan conquered Mecca from Ibn Zubayr, the building was enlarged and embellished: the outer walls were raised, the ceiling was covered with teak and the capitals were painted in gold.

In 1571, Ottoman Sultan Selim II (1566-1574) commissioned the court architect Sinan to renovate the

Holy Mosque. It is from this renovation that the present building mostly dates. The interior of the domes were decorated with gilded calligraphy.

Between 1955 and 1973, the first of many extensions under the Saudi kings was commissioned by King Abdul Aziz (1932-1953). The two-story extension was built of reinforced concrete arches clad in carved marble and artificial stone, which communicates with the street and the mosque via eleven doors.

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EPISODE SEVEN AL-AZHAR MoSQUE ~ Cairo, Egypt

Al-Azhar University in Cairo is one of the oldest operating universities in the world. The Islamic university is connected to the beautiful and historic Al-Azhar Mosque. The mosque and university are named in honor of Fatima Az-Zahraa, the daughter of Muhammad, from whom the Fatimid Dynasty claimed descent.

The mosque was built in two years beginning in 971 AD. The school of theology (madrassa) connected with it was founded in 988 as an Ismaili Shia school, but it later became a Sunni school, which it remains to this day. It claims to be the oldest Islamic university in the world. The core academic life of Al-Azhar has remained much the same for over a millenium: its students study the Qur’an and Islamic law in detail, along with logic, grammar, rhetoric, and how to calculate the lunar phases of the moon. Most of this learning is done by listening in a circle (halqa) at the feet of a sheikh and rote memorization. Al-Azhar does not admit students who are not practicing Muslims but provides training in secular professions; it is thus a unique combination of a theological seminary and regular university, with faculties of medicine and engineering established in 1961.Al-Azhar is considered by most Sunni Muslims to be the most prestigious school of Islamic law, and its scholars are seen as the highest scholars in the Muslim world. Its stated objectives remain the propagation of Islamic culture and the Arabic language.

Al-Azhar is run by a Supreme Council that establishes general policy, headed by a Grand Imam, styled the "Sheikh Al-Azhar."

Since 1929 Al-Azhar has published a magazine (now monthly) whose stated purpose is to promulgate religious rules, subjects related to the propagating of Islamic literature, and basic jurisprudence (sharia), including sections on history, biographies, translated texts and news concerning the Muslim world. The current Imam of Al-Azhar has declared that the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks and suicide bombers are heretics who are not following the true path of Islam. In a recent conference in Indonesia, he asked all "true believers" to deny speakers of violently heretical Islam places to speak in the mosque, thus preventing the spread of violent ideologies.

The Al-Azhar Mosque is a grand structure that reflects many centuries of styles. Entrance is through the 15th-century Barber’s Gate, where students traditionally had their heads shaved. This leads into a great courtyard (sahn), which dates from the 10th century and is overlooked by three stately minarets. The university’s library (not open to visitors), which was consolidated in 1897, is considered second in range and importance only to Dar Al-kotob Al-Masriah in Egypt, as far as the number of Islamic books and manuscripts are concerned. The library comprises of 99,062 books consist of 595,668 volumes of the most precious manuscripts and rare books, some as old as the 8th century.

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EPISODE EIGHT THE GREAT MoSQUE oF DJEnnÉ ~ Mali, Africa KAiRoUAn MoSQUE ~ Tunisia, North Africa THE GREAT MoSQUE oF DJEnnÉ The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud brick or adobe building in the world and is considered by many architects to be the greatest achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, with definite Islamic influences. The mosque is located in the city of Djenné, Mali on the flood plain of the Bani River. As well as being the centre of the community of Djenné, it is one of the most famous landmarks in Africa. Along with the “Old Towns of Djenné” it was designated a World Heritage Site

by UNESCO in 1988.

The actual date of construction of the first mosque in Djenné is unknown, but some experts assert that it dates as early as 1200. The earliest document mentioning the mosque is al-Sadi’s which gives the early history, presumably from the oral tradition as it existed in the mid seventeenth century. There is no written information on the Great Mosque until the French explorer René Caillié visited Djenné in 1828 and wrote “In Jenné is a mosque built of earth, surmounted by two massive but not high towers; it is rudely constructed, though very large. It is abandoned to thousands of swallows, which build their nests in it”. In 1996, Vogue held a fashion shoot inside the mosque. Vogue’s pictures

of scantily-dressed women outraged local opinion, and as a result, non-Muslims have been banned from entering the mosque ever since.

The walls of the Great Mosque are made of sun-baked mud bricks, a mud based mortar, and are coated with a mud plaster which gives the building its smooth, sculpted look. The walls of the building are decorated with bundles of rodier palm sticks that project about 60 cm (2 ft) from the surface. The prayer wall of the Great Mosque faces east towards Mecca and overlooks the city marketplace. It is dominated by three large, box-like towers or minarets jutting out from the main wall. The cone shaped spires or pinnacles at the top of each minaret are topped with ostrich eggs.

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EPISODE EIGHT THE GREAT MoSQUE oF DJEnnÉ ~ Mali, Africa KAiRoUAn MoSQUE ~ Tunisia, North Africa KAiRoUAn MoSQUE Kairouan also known as Kirwan or al-Qayrawan, is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia. Referred to as the Islamic Cultural Capital, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city was founded by the nomads of Tunisia around 200 to 250 BC and soon Romans occupied it and built a huge Claussium which is still standing and is one of the most complete of its kind around the Mediterranean sea. Arabs later on demolished the central temple and made a mosque instead. Some of the stones are still visible with Roman alphabets hacked on them. In the period of Caliph Mu’awiya (reigned 661-680), it became an important centre for Islamic and Quranic learning, and thus attracting a large number of Muslims from various parts of the world, next only to Mecca and Medina. The holy Mosque of Uqba is situated in the city. It is considered by many Muslims to be Islam’s fourth holiest city Kairouan was founded in about the year 670 when the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi of Amir Muauia selected a site in the middle of a dense forest, then infested with wild beasts and reptiles, as the location of a military post for the conquest of the West. It was located far from the sea where it was safe from continued attacks of the Berbers who had fiercely resisted the Arab invasion. Berber resistance continued. Subsequently, there was a mass conversion of the Berbers to Islam. Kharijites or Islamic "outsiders" who formed an egalitarian and puritanical

sect appeared and are still present on the island of Jerba. Power struggles remained until Kairouan was recaptured by Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab at the end of the 8th century. In 800, Ibrahim was confirmed Emir and hereditary ruler of Ifriqiya by Caliph Harun ar-Rashid in Baghdad. Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab founded the Aghlabid dynasty that ruled Ifriqiya between 800 and 909. The new Emirs embellished Kairouan and made it their capital which soon became famous for its wealth and prosperity reaching the levels of Basra and Kufa and giving Tunisia one of its golden ages long sought after the glorious days of Carthage.

The Aghlabites built the great mosque and established in it a university that was a centre of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences. Kairouan envoys from Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire returned with glowing reports of the Aghlabites palaces, libraries and gardens. It has been said that seven pilgrimages to this mosque is considered the equivalent of one pilgrimage to Mecca.

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THE MAGNIFICENCE OF ASIAN TEMPLES Episode 1

Episode 2 Episode 3

Shinto Sanctuary Of Ise ~ Ise, Japan Daitoku-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan Zen Garden Of The Ryoan-Ji Temple ~ Kyoto, Japan Meenakshi Hindu Temple ~ Tamil Nadu, India Bulguksa Temple ~ South Korea Seokguram Grotto ~ South Korea Taktsang Monastery ~ Bhutan

SACRED LAND/HOLY LAND Episode 4

Episode 5

The Dome Of The Rock ~ Jerusalem, Israel Al-Aqsa Mosque ~ Jerusalem, Israel The Church Of The Holy Sepulchre ~ Jerusalem, Israel The Wailing Wall ~ Jerusalem, Israel Dohany Street Synagogue ~ Budapest, Hungary The Great Synagogue Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy

MOSQUES OF ISLAM Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8

The Blue Mosque ~ Istanbul, Turkey Al-Masjid Al-Haram (Kabba Of Mecca) ~ Mecca, Saudi Arabia Al-Azhar Mosque ~ Cairo, Egypt The Great Mosque Of Djenné ~ Mali, Africa Kairouan Mosque ~ Tunisia, North Africa

CHURCHES, CATHEDRALS, AND MONASTERIES Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13

The Great Cathedral Of Cologne ~ Cologne, Germany St. Basil’s Cathedral ~ Moscow, Russia Mont Saint-Michel ~ Normandy, France Duomo Of Florence ~ Florence, Italy The Metropolitan Cathedral ~ Mexico City, Mexico

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CHURCHES, CATHEDRALS, AND MONASTERIES Episodes 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 Since the millennium men have chosen the Vow of Solitude in order to access the Divine.

They have built monuments between heaven and earth, architectural wonders and challenges to simple form, without artiďŹ ce, where the stones and the light are designed in such a way as to create the ideal Sacred Space to be in communication with God.

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EPISODE NINE THE GREAT CATHEDRAL oF CoLoGnE ~ Cologne, Germany

Dedicated to the Saints Peter and Mary, Cologne Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. Cologne Cathedral is the greatest Gothic cathedral in Germany and has been Cologne's most famous landmark for centuries. Once the tallest building in the world, Cologne Cathedral still boasts the world's largest church façade. The cathedral's main treasure is a golden reliquary containing the remains of the Three Magi of Christmas story fame. These relics and other treasures have made Cologne Cathedral a major pilgrimage destination for centuries.

Cologne Cathedral stands on the site of a 4th century Roman temple, followed by a square church known as the "oldest cathedral" commissioned by Maternus, the first Christian bishop of Cologne. A second church built on the site, the "Old Cathedral," was completed in 818. This burned down on April 30, 1248.Construction of the present Gothic church began in the 13th century and took, with interruptions, more than 600 years to complete. The new structure was built to house the relics of the Three Magi, taken from Milan by Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa and given to the Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald von Dassel in 1164. Only with the 19th century Romantic enthusiasm for the Middle Ages and the commitment of the Prussian Court did construction work resume. The completion of Germany's largest cathedral was celebrated as a

national event in 1880, 632 years after construction had began.

The celebration was attended by Emperor Wilhelm I. The cathedral suffered 14 hits by World War II aerial bombs but did not collapse and reconstruction was completed in 1956..

In 1996, the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of culturally important sites and in 2004, it was placed on the “World Heritage in Danger” list. Inside, the most celebrated work of art in the cathedral is the Sarcophagus of the Magi, a large gilded sarcophagus dating to around 1200.

The largest reliquary in the western world, the exterior is seven feet of gilded silver and jewels. Images of Old Testament prophets line the bottom and the 12 apostles decorate the top.

Inside, the reliquary holds three golden-crowned skulls believed to belong to the Three Magi.

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EPISODE TEN ST. BASiL’S CATHEDRAL ~ Moscow, Russia

Saint Basil’s Cathedral is located at one end of Red Square, just across from the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin. The combination of color and shapes that is St. Basil’s Cathedral is unmatched anywhere else in the world. The French diplomat Marquis de Custine commented that it combined "the scales of a golden fish, the enameled skin of a serpent, the changeful hues of the lizard, the glossy rose and azure of the pigeon’s neck" and wondered at "the men who go to worship God in this box of confectionery work."

The powerful Eastern Orthodox design of St. Basil’s reflects both its location between Europe and Asia and its historical origins. Since the Kazan Qolsharif mosque had been the principal symbol of the Khanate captured by Ivan the Terrible, some elements from the mosque were incorporated into the cathedral to symbolize the victory.

St. Basil’s was built to commemorate the capture of the Tatar stronghold of Kazan in 1552, which occurred on the Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin. The cathedral was thus officially named Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin by the Moat (the moat being one that originally ran beside the Kremlin). But the cathedral was popularly known as St. Basil’s Cathedral, after St. Basil the Blessed (a.k.a. St. Basil Fool for Christ; 1468-1552), almost from the beginning. Basil impressed Ivan the Terrible in 1547 when he foretold a fire that swept through Moscow that

year. Upon his death, Basil was buried in the Trinity Cathedral that stood on this site at the time.

The Cathedral of the Intercession a.k.a. St. Basil’s Cathedral was constructed from 1555 to 1560. Legend has it that after it was completed, Ivan had the architect blinded in order to prevent him from building a more magnificent building for anyone else. Although the towers and domes appear chaotic, there is symmetry and symbolism in its design. There are eight domed chapels symbolizing the eight assaults on Kazan: four large and octagonal and four small and square. The ninth chapel on the east side added in 1588 for Basil’s tomb interrupts the symmetry of design somewhat. It can be recognized on the outside by its green-and-gold dome studded with golden pyramids.

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EPISODE ELEVEN MonT SAinT-MiCHEL ~ Normandy, France

The grandest architectural feat in the world which sits in the middle

monastery buildings were built up against its north wall. The

of nowhere, surrounded completely by water at high tide, is the

interpretation of Heaven and Earth is embodied in The Church, a

Benedictine Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in France. This 10th

symbol of the world and the Creator. The Gothic Cathedral,

century edifice was created by the Bishop Saint Aubert who

replicated in Jerusalem, is described by Celeste in the Apocalypse

received a vision in a dream three times from Saint Michel to build

as the most extraordinary architecture on earth which will never be

an oratory. This edifice was built as well as a space to gather twelve

equaled. The innumerable gothic buildings that were built

canons. The monastic ensemble, built on the precipice of a lone

throughout Europe attest to the immense virtuosity of Man and his

rock, is a mega-structure where all of the wings and various

desire to reach Heaven.

buildings are superimposed as a vertical labyrinth towards the light.

In the 14th century, the Hundred Years War made it necessary to

Mont Saint-Michel is a Monastery perched atop a rocky tidal

protect the abbey behind a set of military constructions, enabling

island and a commune in Normandy, France. It is located

it to hold out against a siege lasting 30 years. With Rome and Saint

approximately one kilometre off the country’s north-western coast,

Jacques de Compostelle, this great spiritual and intellectual centre,

at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. The

was one of the most important places of pilgrimage for the

population of the island is 41. The island has been a strategic point

medieval occident. For nearly one thousand years, men, women

holding fortifications since ancient times, since the 8th century AD.

and children went there by roads called “paths to paradise” hoping

The Wonder of the Western World forms a tower in the heart of an

for the assurance of eternity. The Abbey was turned into a prison

immense bay invaded by the highest tides in Europe. It was at the

during the days of the French Revolution and Empire. With the

request of the Archangel Michel, chief of the celestial militia that

celebration of the monastic’s 1000th anniversary, in the year 1966

Aubert; Bishop of Avranches built and consecrated a small church

a religious community moved back to what used to be the

on the 16th October 709. In 966 a community of Benedictines

abbatial dwellings, perpetuating prayer and welcomed

settled on the rock at the request of the Duke of Normandy and the

the original vocation of this place.

pre-Romanesque church was built before the year one thousand.

In the 11th century, the Romanesque abbey church was founded over a set of crypts where the rock comes to an apex, and the first

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EPISODE TWELVE DUoMo oF FLoREnCE ~ Florence, Italy

Florence’s cathedral stands tall over the city. The church of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Cathedral or Duomo, of Florence is a vast Gothic structure built on the site of the 7th century church of Santa Reparata, the remains of which can be seen in the crypt.

The Cathedral was begun at the end of the 13th century in the Gothic style by Arnolfo di Cambio, and the dome, which dominates the exterior, was added in the 15th century. The church was then consecrated and “completed” . The exterior is covered in a decorative mix of pink, white and green marble.

Inside, the clock above the entrance was designed in 1443 by Paolo Uccello in accordance with the ora italica, where the 24th hour of the day ended at sunset. The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the main church of Florence, Italy. The Duomo, as it is ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style..

The Cathedral complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto’s Campanile. The three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence The basilica is one of Italy’s largest churches, and until development of new structural materials in the modern era, the dome was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed. The Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence.

When the relics of Saint Zenobius were discovered in 1330 in Santa Reparata, the project obtained new impetus. In 1331, the

Arte della Lana, the guild of wool merchants, took over exclusive patronage for the construction of the Cathedral and in 1334 appointed Giotto to oversee the work. When Giotto died in 1337, Andrea Pisano continued the building until work was again halted due to the Black Death in 1348.

Work started on the dome in 1420 and was completed in 1436. The Cathedral was consecrated by Pope Eugene IV on March 25, 1436 (the first day of the year according to the Florentine calendar). It was the first ‘octagonal’ dome in history to be built without a temporary wooden supporting frame: the Roman Pantheon, a circular dome, was built in 117–128 AD with support structures. It was one of the most impressive projects of the Renaissance.

There are two lateral doors, the Doors of the Canonici (south side) and the Door of the Mandorla (north side) with sculptures

by Nanni di Banco, Donatello, and Jacopo della Quercia. During its long history, this Cathedral has been the seat of the Council of Florence (1439), heard the preachings of Girolamo Savonarola and witnessed the murder of Giuliano di Piero de’ Medici on Sunday, 26 April 1478 (with Lorenzo Il Magnifico barely escaping death) in the Pazzi conspiracy.

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EPISODE THIRTEEN THE METRopoLiTAn CATHEDRAL ~ Mexico City, Mexico

The Metropolitan Cathedral, Mexico City is the largest Cathedral in the Americas and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico. The Cathedral was built in sections from 1573 to 1813 around the original church that was constructed soon after the Spanish conquest of Tenochtitlán, eventually replacing it entirely. Spanish architect Claudio de Arciniega planned the construction, drawing inspiration from Gothic Cathedrals in Spain.

Each chapel is dedicated to a different saint, and each was sponsored by a religious guild. The chapels contain ornate altars, altarpieces, paintings, furniture and sculptures. The Cathedral is home to two of the largest 18th century organs in the Americas. There is a crypt underneath the Cathedral that holds the remains of many former archbishops.

After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the conquistadors decided to build their church on the site of the Templo Mayor of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan to consolidate Spanish power over the newly-conquered domain. Hernán Cortés and the other conquistadors used the stones from the destroyed temple of the Aztec god of war Huitzilopochtli, principal deity of the Aztecs, to build the church.

In 1544, ecclesiastical authorities in Valladolid ordered the creation of a new and more sumptuous Cathedral.

The Cathedral was begun by being built around the existing church in 1573. When enough of the Cathedral was built to house basic functions, the original church was demolished to enable construction to continue.

The Cathedral was constructed over a period of over two centuries, between 1573 and 1813. Its design is a mixture of three architectural styles that predominated during the colonial period, Renaissance, Baroque and Neo-classic.

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EPISODE EXAMPLE THE METEoRA MonASTERiES ~ Greece In the northwest corner of Thessaly, the wide bed of the Pinios River emerges from the mighty canyons of the Eastern Pindus Mountains that plummet abruptly onto the Thassalian plain. Here, in the shadow of the mountains and just beyond the town of Kalampaka, massive gray coloured pinnacles rise towards the sky. It is a strange but breathtaking landscape that has been sculpted by wind and water over thousands of years. The feat of the 9th century hermit monks who first climbed these pillars of rock to settle in the caves and fissures of the rocks is incredible to behold.

If one were designing another planet one might invent a place like Meteora. Geologists remain perplexed by the towering pillars of smooth sandstone that demand a myth to explain their origin- petrified giants? Or a perfect place for Zeus to store his thunderbolts. Meteora means “suspended in air” and it is a perfect name for the natural landscape and for the 24 medieval monasteries that were constructed on top of these 1,800 foot rock formations. The rocks are so overwhelming that it takes a while to notice the monasteries, and when you do… you think your eyes deceive.

As Greece fell to the Ottoman Turks many Monks and Nuns found refuse in these rocks. Only divine intervention can explain how these simple pious men and women reached the tops of the treacherous rocks and built 24 glorious Monasteries. There were no steps and the main access to the Monasteries was by means of a net that was hitched over a hook and hoisted up by rope and a hand cranked windlass to winch towers overhanging the chasm. Monks descending in the nets or on retractable wooden ladders up to 40 metres long and there were many casualties.

Six of the 24 Monasteries still exist, precariously perched atop the 1,800 foot high pinnacles. Hermit monks constructed the first Monastery before nuns came to build too. Monks inhabit four of the monasteries and no women are permitted- the remaining two Monasteries are the home of Nuns.

There are less than 10 inhabitants in each Monastery today.

The story of Meteora will open with a panoramic aerial view of the majestic rock mountains and the Monasteries perched in the clouds. Our historian/experts will recount the origin and history of this unusual and exotic place and explain the era and context of when and under what circumstances the Monasteries were built. We will learn about the Eastern Orthodox religion of the Monks who built the 24 Monasteries of Meteora and how the architecture and design of each monument symbolizes heaven and contributed to a quest for the Sacred on earth. We will scale the 1,800 foot rock walls with our SOULCAM (a tele-commanded zeppelin balloon camera) as a climber retraces the ancient ascent of the holy men and women who braved the treacherous climb to the summit using the same ladders and nets they used in the 11th century.

The audience will be transported to a time, centuries ago, and experience the climb and summit of these rock mountains and see the architectural feat of the sacred monasteries built to ensure isolation and meditation. We will explore and recreate the journey of what a few men and women were able to accomplish driven only by their faith. The episode will take the audience on a journey into the past and uncover the stories and reveal clues from this period in history- illuminated by the voices and expertise of renowned historians and theologians. We will ride the SOULCAM as it scales the 1,800 foot pinnacles to deliver us into a world rarely seen or understood. At the conclusion of the episode will meet the small community of Monks and Nuns who still inhabit these wonders of Sacred Architecture, hear their ritual Gregorian chanting and learn about the significance and wonder of the Meteora Monasteries. The 11th Century of Greece and the lives of the holy men and women who devoted their lives to their religious beliefs and quest for salvation will become vivid and tangible.

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POTENTIAL EPISODES FOR SEASON 2 Albi Cathedral ~ France Piazza Del Duomo ~ Italy St. Peter's Basilica ~ Rome Familia Sagrada ~ Spain Hamat Tiberias ~ Israel Temple Emanu-El ~ United States Sardiz ~ Turkey Portuguese Synagogue ~ Amsterdam Cordoba ~ Spain Hassan Mosque ~ Morocco Omizudara ~ Japan Potola Palace ~ Tibet

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Productions

Canamedia Inc. 2 Pardee Avenue, Suite 102 Toronto, ON Canada M6K 3H5 TF (416) 363-1949 www.canamedia.com

Telefrance 71 rue de la Victoire 75009 Paris, France T 33 (0)153782422 www.telfrance.com

Looping Productions 43, quai de la Seine 75019 Paris, France T 33 (0)140384160 www.looping-productions.com