The 'Big Apple' of the world; New York… Its heart is Manhattan. A forest of skyscrapers, whose name we are familiar with, at least from movies, that almost no one in the world can ignore. The city that shows how insignificant we are, with its huge structures reaching to the sky; billions of them came, and he doesn't care as if he says it will come and go. But at the same time, it is the place that says you are the most important being in this world, pats us on the back, and makes us forget that we are a cog in the machine.
It's actually a fairly new city. The Europeans' first steps here date back to 1554. Italian explorer Giovanni Verrazzona, who was in the French navy at that time, named it Nouvelle Angouleme, after a city in France. But before long, they nicknamed the Dutch-dominated place Nieuw Amsterdam. It was the turn of the British; The British, who conquered this place in 1664, began to call the city York or New York. Thus, the first building blocks of a metropolis that will become the legend of modern times have been laid. In the meantime, Manhattan, the most striking place of New York, was bought by Peter Minuit in 1626 from the Lenape natives, which he brought from Europe, which corresponds to about 1000 dollars in today's money. Today in Manhattan, flats in the consistency of chickpea, bean, bean, sofa are sold for 2-3 million dollars. From where to where…
Before starting the article, it is useful to determine the Middle Ages. In general, the Middle Ages begin with the migration of tribes around 375 AD, or with the collapse of Western Rome in 476 AD. The end of the Middle Ages was for us when Fatih Sultan Mehmet conquered Istanbul in 1453. There are also those who attribute this history to Europe's exploration of overseas places, and those who extend it until the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. In this case, I think it would be appropriate to base our article on the 5th-15th centuries AD as the Middle Ages.
In this article, I will take you to the world of the Middle Ages as you wander around Manhattan. It seems to one that Manhattan, which spent that period with the Indians in the consistency of sitting bulls and sideways cheetahs, has nothing to offer about the Middle Ages. But there is. Trying to close its short past by transferring the culture and wealth of other nations, the USA solved this issue as well. Oh, the USA is a culture exporter right now, but since it has no past, it has managed to internalize the past experiences of other cultures.
For example, Trinity Church, one of the oldest buildings in New York, was built in 1790. Surrounded by giant glass buildings, this historical building captures a beauty born of contrast; this is the soul of Manhattan. But beyond that, it is impossible to find a trace of the Middle Ages in Manhattan.
That's why we will make our trip to the medieval world in Manhattan through the three museums here. By the end of this trip, I had a bit of a grip on North American Indians. But what should I do, this is what I saw, now you will read it. What can I say, I'm a museum liar.
Museums that will guide us on our journey to the Middle Ages are The Cloister, the Metropolitan Museum and the National Museum of the American Indians. With this trip, we will cover Manhattan from top to bottom… First the Cloister.
The Cloister
The Cloister transports you to Europe's Middle Ages in a stunning landscape setting north of Manhattan, framed by the Hudson River, the Bronx shores, and New Jersey woods. This is actually a part of the famous Metropolitan Museum. Even with its appearance, the Cloister building is imposing as if it invites us to the Middle Ages, but in fact, the building has nothing to do with the Middle Ages.
In fact, the objects, mostly based on the collection of George Gray Barnard, were first displayed in a building on Fort Washington Avenue in 1914. This exhibit was acquired by the Museum in 1925 with the support of John D. Rockefeller Jr. Later, when the need for a larger area for this exhibition arose, the area a little further north was bought by Rockefeller and donated to the Museum. In a part of this area, a wonderful park was created as an entrance to the Cloister; Fort Tyron Park, with its extensive greenery, various flowers, huge shady trees and wonderful scenery, offers New Yorkers a natural environment within the metropolis, even though it is in the shadow of Central Park. But this park was not enough, Rockefeller bought the New Jersey woodland right across the Cloister and He donated it to the Museum so that the view of the Cloister would never deteriorate. Rockefeller donated especially unicorn tapestries from his own collection to the Museum.
The Cloister opened to the public in 1938. The medieval atmosphere dominating the Cloister was inspired by some medieval romanesque and gothic monasteries in Europe; chronologically, monasteries in France such as Saint Michel de Cuxa from the 9th century, Saint Guilhem le Desert from the 12th century, Trie sur Baise, and Bonnefont en Comminges from the end of the 13th century were the inspiration for the building. Another striking point is that the Cloister gardens are completely arranged with plants from the Middle Ages and the garden order of that period. Although there is not much information about the medieval monastery gardens, the Monastery of Saint Gall has created an important source on this subject.
Cloister's address; 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY10040… If you are coming here by bus, you can take the M4 from Penn Station, Cloister is the last stop. If you are coming by subway, you will take the A subway in the direction of 'Uptown', when you get off at the 190.th Street stop and go out, you will follow Fort Washington Boulevard, pass through the magnificent Fort Tryon Park and follow the signs to reach the Museum.
The suggested entrance fee of the Cloister is 25 dollars, but you can say that I want to give this much, not that much. I paid $10 for entry. If you can do it on the same day, visiting the Metropolitan Museum and/or the Beuer Museum, where the contemporary art collections of the Metropolitan Museum are exhibited, are also included in this fee. Museum galleries and gardens can be visited with guided tours; The museum entrance fee is also included.
The Cloister is open 7 days a week; You can visit between 10.00-17.15 in March-October and between 10.00-16.45 in November-February. In the collection of the museum, there are many works from stained glass, illustrated manuscripts, sculptures, tapestries, paintings and metal objects, which were brought from medieval monasteries in Western Europe. These include the 15th-century book of illustrated clocks, The Belles Heures of Jean de Evreux, the finely crafted ivory cross from the 12th-century Abbey of Saint Edmunds, the stained-glass windows of the castle chapel from Ebreichsdorf Austria, the 13th-century from Strasburg Cathedral. The Statue of Mary, whose stonework stands out, and the Merode works of Robert Campin dating from the 15th century are particularly noteworthy.
There are 13 interlocking sections in the museum. In the Romanesque Hall, the stone doors of the churches from the 12-13th century in France open to a hall where Spanish frescoes and French sculptures are formed.
The altar section of the 12th-century Church of San Martin at Fuentiduena in Spain can be seen in the Fuentiduena Chapel.
The Saint Guilhem Church, on the other hand, houses sculptures from Italy, France, and Andalusia Spain, as well as sculptural work from the 12th century, in which Roman style is adapted to the medieval structure of the Saint Guilhem le Desert church in France.
In the Langon Church section, there are sooty stained glass windows, stone and wooden sculptures from the building parts of the 12th century Notre Dame du Bourg at Langon Church in France.
Pontaut Chapter House, a romanesque section representing the place where priests and nuns hold their daily meetings; Pontaut Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in France in the 12th century. The building, which was damaged during the religious wars of the 16th century, was sold to the local people in France in 1791 and brought to New York in 1932.
Cuxa Cloister, on the other hand, contains sections made of pink stone from the 12th century Benedictine Abbey of Saint Michel de Cuxa in the French Pyrenees. This section opens to the Judy Black Garden; You can take a breather against the magnificent view in the garden, which is composed of ornamental plants and medicinal plants in the medieval monastery gardens.
When you move on to the Early Gothic Hall, you will notice the 13th-century stained glass windows brought from France, England and Germany that adorn the windows overlooking the Hudson River. In addition, the sculptures and paintings in the hall reflect the atmosphere of the magnificent cathedrals of Spain, France and Italy of the period.
In the Hall of the Nine Heroes Tapestry, nine tapestry paintings from the 1400s depict Ancient World, Jewish and Christian heroes.
The Gothic Chapel is a part of the church where 14th century Austrian stained glass ornaments accompany the tombstones of nobles brought from France and Spain.
There are daily objects from the Middle Ages in the room illuminated by stained glass windows in the Stained Glass Hall.
In the Hall of Unicorn Tapestries, tapestry paintings containing the unicorn's capture and hunting scenes, designed in Paris around 1500 and woven in Brussels, are exhibited. The unicorn represented Jesus.
The Boppard Hall, on the other hand, is remarkable with the stained glass windows of the Carmelite Monastery in Boppard am Rhein, Germany, from the 15th century. In addition, religious and non-religious objects can be seen in the hall.
The highlight of the Merode Hall is the Merode Altar Painting, an important example of early Dutch painting. The painting, made by Robert Campin, is about Gabriel giving the good news to Mary and is a three-part work. Other items from the late Middle Ages can also be seen in the hall.
The Late Gothic Hall, on the other hand, contains altars, sculptures from the churches of Germany, Spain and Italy, and a tapestry painting from the Burgos Cathedral, in the room illuminated by the 15th-century monastery windows in France.
Although the Bonnefort Cloister is a reference to Bonnefort en Comminges Abbey in France, the objects in the hall are generally compiled from other monasteries in the region. In this section, it opens to a garden with 250 kinds of herbs grown in the Middle Ages, and the view is magnificent.
The stonework for the Carmelite Monastery in the Trei Cloister, Trie Sur Baise region is remarkable. In the garden, which can be found in this section, flower types that were processed into tapestries in the Middle Ages were grown.
And the Treasury contains objects decorated with gold, silver, ivory and silk workmanship, reflecting the wealth of medieval churches and the nobility of the time. You can also see both religious and everyday items such as illustrated manuscripts, jewellery, tablecloths and playing cards from the European Middle Ages from the 9th to the 15th centuries.
This is definitely a place that deserves a half-day trip. 9-15. It is up to you to extend your journey to a full day by adding a wonderful view of the Hudson River to a journey between the 19th century, mingling with nature in Fort Tyron Park, enjoying a medieval coffee in the museum cafeteria...
Metropolitan Museum
The Metropolitan Museum, to which the Cloister is also attached, is located on the 5th Avenue side of Central Park, its address is; '1000, 5th Avenue, New York'. The M4 bus brings you directly from the Cloister, you will get off at 84th street, the subway is more complicated, you have to take line A and then switch to lines B or C. To get here from other points of the city, you can use the metros numbered 4,5,6 and buses numbered M1, M2, M3, M4 depending on your location.
The suggested entrance price to the Metropolitan Museum is $25, but you can pay as much as you want. The museum is open every day, you can visit it between 10.00-17.30 on Sunday-Thursday, and between 10.00-21.00 on Friday-Saturday.
Opened in 1880 at its place in Central Park, the Museum defines itself as '5000 years of art from all corners of the world'. Really it is; It is a huge museum that can be counted just after the British Museum, Louvre and Hermitage. Here you can find traces of civilizations from Europe to Oceania, from Africa to the Asian steppes.
You can reach the whole world and history in one building. But our subject is the Middle Ages… Fortunately, as soon as we enter the Museum, we encounter the Medieval section, of course the Medieval section of Europe, where the period was lived in all its splendor. But in each chapter, we'll take a look at medieval artifacts.
Byzantine artifacts, Antioch treasures, medieval art, illustrated manuscripts, and Late Medieval secular art sections are noteworthy in the European Medieval section. Especially in the Late Middle Ages secular art section, the motif of the woman beating her husband as a metal plate decoration is the best example of how much detail the event goes into.
In the European part, Greek Mosaics from various periods, starting from the 550th century, Byzantine jewelry, religious ceremonial items, crosses, silver book covers, ceremonial crosses from northern Spain, war paraphernalia, saint statues from France, Virgin Mary statues from Germany, from Armenia stone crosses, precious stones and glass products from Sicily, tapestries from the Netherlands, ivory altar decorations from Florence, various church stained glass, books and ceramics from the Andalusian world will take you to the Middle Ages of Europe.
Evidence that the Middle Ages lived in this region both in great chaos and in an advanced civilization is exhibited in the Near East and Middle East section. Among the various examples of successive states, of course, Seljuk and Ottoman works will catch our eye first. A section where Iznik tiles shine was established with the support of the Koç Family. In addition to tiles, valuable carpets, Qur'an manuscripts, ceramics from the Kanuni period, Mevlevi ceremonial items, objects dominated by stone and woodwork will show us the Middle Ages of Anatolia.
The Metropolitan Museum is a very rich museum; It hosts many artifacts from ancient times, the new age, and the modern world. From Egyptian temples to Oceanian totems, from Madagascar masks to 19th-20th century European paintings, there is everything you can look for.
The museum deserves a full day, even on Fridays and Saturdays, you can visit the cafes and restaurants with various price options until 21 in the evening.
National Museum of the American Indian
Now we head towards the south end of Manhattan and go to what we might call the Native American Museum. at the bottom of Manhattan; The Museum at '1 Bowling Green, New York, NY 10004' can be reached from the Wall Street stop by subways 2 and 3, from Bowling Green stop by subways 4 and 5, and by subway number 1 from South Ferry stop. The museum is open every day from 10 to 17 and admission is free.
Pay particular attention to the building, perhaps you will remember the most building from this Museum. The building, which is one of the most beautiful examples of the Beaux Art movement, was built as a customs house in 1907. There are four female statues representing Asia, Europe, Africa and America at the entrance of the building, which is decorated with statues of the Roman god of commerce, Mercury. In the building, many ornaments related to the sea are remarkable. The Indian Museum forms one floor of this building.
After three museums, I think that Europe and the Middle East lived intensely in the Middle Ages and that there are many artifacts left, perhaps even more than that… Of the seven wonders of the ancient world, only the Pyramid of Giza has survived, the Statue of Rhodes, the Babylonian Considering that the Hanging Gardens, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus, the Lighthouse of Alexandria and my Bodrum Mausoleim are gone, our losses are more like those that remain. When the Middle Ages are mentioned, I first think of Hagia Sophia, the masterpiece of the period in Turkey, then all the Byzantine Palaces that disappeared, then Topkapı Palace, Seljuk heirloom Divriği Ulu Mosque, Bursa Ulu Mosque, caravanserais, madrasahs, complexes… Likewise, in the Middle East, the Middle Ages The aspects of Islam, which dominates together, reflected on art and architecture… Famous Notre Dame Church in Europe (France), Canterbury Cathedral (England), Burgos Cathedral (Spain), Elisabeth Cathedral (Germany), San Francesca Basilica (Italy) are among the best examples of medieval remnants. Various temples led by the magnificent Wat Angkor, which directly entered the list of new world wonders in the Far East, the Forbidden City in China opened in 1420, the Great Wall of China, huge Buddha statues, Tibetan temples… Samarkand in Central Asia, within the borders of Uzbekistan, Madrasahs in cities such as Bukhara, especially the Uluğ Bey Madrasa in Samarkand dating back to 1417…
The regions that left their mark on the world in the Middle Ages also leave their mark on the museums that are the subject of our article. Europe, Asia Minor, Middle East, Far East almost constitute the most important parts. To this should be added the Inca of South America and the Aztecs of Central America, who partially captured the Middle Ages; The pyramids and temples left behind from these civilizations still fascinate us today.
Well, the rest of the places, especially what is left of North America, which is important for our article, there are leather clothing, tents, hunting items… There is no rest. But as I said, I am a liar of museums, I told what I saw there.
These are the traces left on me by my museum visits in Manhattan. If you have time, I recommend you to visit these museums. Let's see, what traces will it leave on you?
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