Travis Simpkins: Vatican City

Showing posts with label Vatican City. Show all posts

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Barbara Frale, Author of "Notturno Veneziano." by Travis Simpkins

Barbara Frale. Vatican Secret Archives. Knights Templar. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Dr. Barbara Frale

Historian & Paleographer at the

Vatican Secret Archives

by Travis Simpkins

Dr. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

For more info, please visit:

www.archiviosegretovaticano.va

Barbara Frale. by Travis Simpkins. Notturno Veneziano

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Barbara Frale. Paleographer at the Vatican Secret Archives. Knights Templar. by Travis Simpkins

Barbara Frale. Vatican Secret Archives. Knights Templar Historian. by Travis Simpkins

Portrait Sketch of

Dr. Barbara Frale

Historian & Paleographer at the

Vatican Secret Archives

by Travis Simpkins

Dr. Barbara Frale: The Shroud of Turin

For more info, please visit:

www.archiviosegretovaticano.va

Barbara Frale. Historian. Vatican Secret Archives. by Travis Simpkins. The Vatican

Sunday, January 14, 2018

"The Second Messiah" by Glenn Meade

The Second Messiah

by Glenn Meade

Simon & Schuster, 2011

Notes by Travis Simpkins

Fast-paced and hard to put down, The Second Messiah by Glenn Meade has all the checkmarks of a great Thriller. The story concerns archaeologist Jack Cane, who is thrown into a dangerous business when he discovers an ancient parchment at Qumran detailing the existence of two messiahs in the 1st Century A.D. This unsettling find, sure to cause problems for the Church, leads to the death of a professor and the theft of the parchment. Cane is forced on a desperate journey to reveal the truth which leads him from Jerusalem to Rome and back again. Vatican officials and the newly elected Pope mix with black market antiquities smugglers in a disturbing web of lies that stretches back into Cane's past and uncovers a tragic revelation. With wonderfully described settings that range from desert caves and an underground Roman necropolis to the glorious Sistine Chapel and a monastery in Syria, the action is enhanced by the intriguing locales. Well constructed characters and many surprises along the way make for entertaining reading throughout. The book makes for a quick read, contrary to what it's hefty 554 pages would suggest.

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Jerusalem

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Vatican City

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Sistine Chapel

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Qumran caves

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Dead Sea Scrolls

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Qumran cave

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: monastery in Syria

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Rome

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Vatican Secret Archives

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Rome

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Vatican Secret Archives

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: L'Eau Vive restaurant

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Vatican Necropolis, Rome

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Trevi Fountain, Rome

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Sistine Chapel

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Vatican City

The Second Messiah. Glenn Meade: Sistine Chapel

Sunday, June 11, 2017

"The Last Templar" by Raymond Khoury

The Last Templar

by Raymond Khoury

Penguin Books, 2005

Notes by Travis Simpkins

Fast paced and gripping, The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury expertly utilizes the winning formula of having ancient mysteries play out in a modern setting… it is instantly relatable and altogether intriguing. Perhaps intentionally, the book has a cinematic feel to it's scenes and indeed, a TV mini-series adaption of the novel has since been released. The text is well-written and Raymond Khoury's genuine interest in history and his knowledge of the novel's geographical sites creates an air of believability in a genre often populated by far-fetched scenarios.

The plot begins when four horsemen, dressed at Knights Templar, raid the opening of an exhibition of Vatican treasures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Leaving bloodshed in their wake, they abscond with a curious geared encoding device. The subsequent investigation finds an archaeologist teamed up with an FBI Agent as they chase after those responsible, delving frighteningly deep into an ancient mystery while traveling across the globe in search of the lost secret of the Templars. Flashbacks to 1291 and the harrowing ordeals that the Templars faced in a desperate effort to protect their secret offer respite from the modern chaos. The present-day journey takes the reader on a journey from New York City to the mountains of Turkey, from Vatican City to the small island of Yialos in Symi. Well worth the cover price, the 500+ page storyline moves rapidly and stays interesting throughout.

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Fall of Acre, 1291

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Great Hall. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: The Knights Templar

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Jewel Encrusted Cross

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: King Solomon's Temple, Jerusalem

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Jacques De Molay. Knights Templar

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Temple Mount, Jerusalem

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: The Knights Templar

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Burned Church, New York

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Mountains of Turkey

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Reservoir, Turkey

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Vatican City

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: St. Peter's Basilica

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Ship Figurehead

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Yialos, Symi

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Ancient Codex

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Yialos, Symi

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury

The Last Templar. Raymond Khoury: Movie Version

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Angels & Demons (2009): Tom Hanks, Robert Langdon and the Illuminati

Directed by Ron Howard, with a screenplay co-written by Akiva Goldsman, Angels & Demons (2009) was based on the acclaimed novel by Dan Brown… but takes drastic liberties with some elements of storyline set down in the book. The basic tenets of the plot remain intact: Harvard University Professor and Symbologist Robert Langdon is called by the Vatican to lend his expertise in the investigation of the abduction of four Preferiti during Conclave after the death of the Pope. A centuries-old secret society called the Illuminati, seeking retribution in the war of Science and Religion, plans to brand and murder the Cardinals and implode Vatican City by detonating a volatile canister of Antimatter stolen from the CERN laboratories. Robert Langdon must seek out information in the works of Galileo and Bernini in the Vatican Secret Archives, follow a secret path of art markers through the street-maze of Rome and find the antimatter before it is too late. Much of the characterization that worked so well in the book is lost… whole individuals are missing, other interrelations between sets are muddled… particularly in regard to Vittoria, Langdon and the Hassassin. Otherwise, the film offers a great deal of visual splendor and Baroque artwork displayed against the intriguing paradox of modern Rome and Vatican City. From St. Peter's Square to the Pantheon, the story is fast-paced and exciting. Tom Hanks is great as Robert Langdon. Ayelet Zurer is lovely as Vittoria Vetra. Ewan McGregor does a fine job as the Camerlengo. The rest of the cast is good as well, including Stellan Skarsgard, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Armin Mueller-Stahl.