City Go

The first square, Saint Pierre square, was created in 1877, but after some landslide problems, a new square started being planned in 1889. The eastern part of the park was concluded in 1894 including waterfalls, rock gardens, grottos, paths and stairways. The whole park was only concluded in 1927 and was inaugurated as Square Willette, after a painter.  The square became known mainly for the 222 steps leading to the church of Sacré Coeur; however, it's a very relaxing place to rest, with its luxuriant vegetation, a variety of tree species and the monumental fountain, by Paul Gasq, dedicated to the sea gods. The square also offers magnificent views over the city of Paris. In 1975 the square was renamed Louise-Michel after a teacher and revolutionary of the Paris Commune. Opening hours:  From 8 a.m. to 17.45 p.m. (Winter)/ 21.30 (Summer) (changes along the year); opens at 9 a.m. on Sat., Sun. and holidays. How to go:  Anvers metro station.

The Arch of Trajan is not a triumphal arch nor is this its original name. It was a monumental gate to the Provincial Forum (main square) located on the main street (cardo), of which little more is known. It's nearly 15m high and 13m wide. Originally it was faced with marble and adorned with statues. For centuries it was a symbol of Merida while its other Roman monuments stood in ruins or buried under the ground. It was possibly erected right after the foundation of the city, in the early 1st century AD. Back to Merida

The Church of Saint Martin is built on the site where Utrecht was founded as a Roman border fortress. In the 7th century, during the Frankish period, the monk Wiilibord, responsible for the Christianisation of the region, rebuilt the church of Saint Martin which had been destroyed by the Frisians. He also built a second church and a school for the clergy. In the 9th century, Utrecht was attacked and destroyed by the Vikings. The church of Saint Martin was later rebuilt in the Romanesque style. The construction of the Gothic Cathedral, seen today, officially started in 1254, replacing the Romanesque church piece by piece. However, in the beginning of the 16th century both money and enthusiasm ran out, and the construction of the cathedral came to a halt. The influences of the Renaissance and the Reformation further determined that it was left unfinished so in 1674, when a tornado hit the town and country the dome of the unfinished cathedral collapsed. The ruins were left untouched ...

The Keras Kardiotissis Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox Monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary, first mentioned in manuscripts in 1333. Its interest derives from the amazing 14th-century frescoes in the small church. It is built on the northern slopes of Mount Dikti, at an altitude of 650 meters. The monastery became renowned for its miracle-working Panagia Kardiotissa icon, which is said to have been stolen three times, and on the three times returned "on its own" to the monastery. On the third time, it was even tied to a column with chains, both of which can be seen in the monastery. It was successfully stolen a fourth time by a wine merchant and taken to Rome, where it's now enshrined in the church of St. Alphonsus. The icon was replaced by a copy dating from 1735 which is also regarded as miraculous. Opening hours: Closed on Mondays Entrance fee: €2 How to go: By car or an excursion to the Lassithi Plateau.

The Church of Our Lady before Tyn was built between the mid 14th century, in the reign of Charles IV, and the early 16th century, although its origins are from an earlier date, as there used to be a Romanesque church from the 11th century on the site.  In the Hussite times, Tyn church was the most important church in the city. After 1620 the country was re-Catholicized and the golden chalice of the Utraquists adorning the facade was ripped off and melted.  (Utraquists were a moderate fraction of the Hussites who maintained  that both the bread and the wine should be administered to people, while Catholics defended that only priests could partake in the wine). At the end of the  17th century, due to a fire, the interior was remodelled, in the Baroque style. The two towers, suggestively called Adam and Eve, are about 80m tall but not symmetrical. Adam is larger than Eve, representing the strong side of the family, a characteristic of the Gothic architect...

Portas do Sol is a lookout point over the Bairro de Alfama, the Monastery of Saint Vincent, the Pantheon and the river Tagus. The Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts is located here and it's a good starting point for a walk through the maze of Alfama, just go down the stairs by the Moorish wall. Its namesake is a gate that was part of the Moorish or Old walls and which was destroyed by the Great Earthquake of 1755. Segments of the walls can still be seen, both by the stairs descending to Alfama and in the Azurara Palace (Museum of Portuguese Decorative Arts), which includes a tower belonging to the old walls.  The statue in the square represents Saint Vincent, one of Lisbon's patron saints. According to legend, after his martyrdom, the body of the saint was protected by ravens. It was thrown into the sea but was recovered by Christians who buried him in Cape Saint Vincent, in the Algarve (southern Portugal), where he continued to be guarded by flocks of ravens. After con...

Saint Catherine's Convent Museum houses a vast collection of religious art, ranging from the medieval period to the 21st century. It was created in 1979 and includes richly illuminated manuscripts, jewelled book bindings, Dutch paintings from the Golden Age, altarpieces, ecclesiastical vestments and artefacts in gold and silver. It also includes a "Pandhof", a courtyard with a garden where some of the plants have biblical references. The convent was built in the 16th century by the Order of the Knights of Saint John and it included a hospital wing with 24 beds, at the time the largest in Utrecht. After the Reformation, the convent was abandoned and laid in ruins until a large-scale renovation carried out in the 1950s. Opening hours: Tue. to Fri. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Entrance fee: €12.50 (plus €3 for temporary exhibitions) Back to Utrecht