The museum, owned and maintained by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is simply beautiful. The artifacts are breath-taking, but my favorite part was the building itself and the park surrounding the area. Fort Tryon Park is one of the jewels of Manhattan, in my opinion.

After viewing the stone effigies in the chamber, we wandered throughout the halls to admire the stunning architecture and ancient art. As I mentioned in Part 1, the building is an amalgam of several original buildings from France, dating back to the 13th century. Most of the artifacts date about that time, as well. All art during this period was religious, as medieval society was governed largely by the Catholic Church.

This Polyptych Nativity is beautiful. Because so few could read, artists depicted Bible events in images. And, of course, the Catholic Church regales images as objects of worship (icons). This piece was crafted by Belgian Rogier van der Weyden in the mid 15th century.

Other works were crude imitations of their more delicate Italian counterparts. This “Pieta” is carved from lindenwood, a common material for many of the artifacts of this period.

Here is another striking carving, of St. Margaret and made of pine.

When perusing a museum’s artifacts, I gravitate toward the “everyday” objects, such as dishes, clothing, tools and such. Some of these pieces are spectacular. This is the Valencia Brasero, a Spanish earthenware dish glazed with copper and tin. I can definitely deyttect the Middle Eastern/African styles in the Spanish art.

Here is a Nasrid tile. Definitely Moorish.

This is a very unusual reliquary case from Switzerland or France. It’s made of leather and iron.

The Cloisters has many types of reliquary cases, some extremely ornate. This one was one bedecked with beautiful jewels (since taken). A reliquary case held relics, religious objects of worship. This unusual arm-shaped reliquary case held the arm bones of an old saint. The bishop or priest would slip this case over his arm, similar to the “We’re Number One” foam hands seen at sports stadiums today, and wave it before the people. This was supposed to bless the people. Don’t ask me where on earth they got all these rituals…

Here’s something incredibly interesting– a liturgical comb! What is a liturgical comb, you ask? I have no idea! If you have a clue, please let me know. I’m very curious. Was it to comb hair shirts? The beards of the priests?

Some were made of bone, others of ivory. The carvings are exquisite. Are those griffins carved on this comb?

This next object was my favorite piece. It’s the Manuscript of the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation), made of vellum. It was made in 1330 in Normandy, probably for a noblewoman who was unusually devout. Oh, it’s so lovely.

I’ll end our journey here, for now. Come back for Part 3, with many more photos and quirky stories! Thanks for reading.

It’s been a long-time goal to see this fabulous museum. As a student of medieval history and art, visiting this museum — one of North America’s most extensive collection of medieval art and manuscripts — was one of my big travel goals.

The Cloisters is an extension of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, situated on four lovely acres in Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan’s beautiful Washington Heights area. There are several footpaths, paved and unpaved, that afford splendid views of the beautiful gardens and magnificent Hudson River.

It’s a popular area for joggers, parents with children and couples to enjoy a little greenery amidst the “concrete jungles” of Manhattan Island. The park is so beautiful and elegant.

As for the building, The Cloisters is constructed of a handful of European abbeys, including the Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Bonnefont-en-Comminges, Trie-en-Bigorre, and Froville. These building were meticulously disassembled piece by piece and rebuilt on location from 1934 and 1938.

The architecture is simply… words fail me. I love medieval architecture so I was reveling in the glory of it all. And despite the muggy heat outside, the building was marvelously cool.

Visitors are allowed to wander on self-guided tours. You can rent a small audio device that offers pre-recorded narrative of the building and its contents.

The Cloisters has an interesting history. The artifacts and works of art were once the private collection of an American sculptor and medieval art fanatic, George Grey Barnard. After World War I, Barnard opened his collection for public viewing in his Washington Heights home. Barnard sold his collection to Manhattan tycoon John D. Rockefeller, who then donated the art to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rockefeller purchased several thousands of acres of land in New York and New Jersey for the construction of a building to house the art, as well as for a park. His land purchases in New Jersey ensured that the extravagant views cross the Hudson would forever remain unspoiled.

The Cloisters currently maintains over five thousand European medieval works and manuscripts, most of the items dating from the 12th to 14th centuries. The museum itself is also an ancient work of art, too!

We wandered throughout the museum haphazardly. I felt a little lost navigating the museum, as the halls are rather labyrinthine and the rooms were glutted with crowds of visitors. We pushed our way through two enormous wooden doors with fantastic iron work. This was the entrance to the chapel.

Up atop one of the columns I perceived two heads, sculpted in an unusually clear and recognizable form. Was this King Henry and Queen Eleanor?

All the art in the museum is religious. Medieval Europe in the 12th century was very Catholic, although from what I have read, religious duties were largely left to popes and bishops and priests, while the laity did as they pleased.

We made our way to (I think) the Langon Chapel, a semi-circular room with several stone effigies. Oh this was so rich with history!

Here lies young Jean d’Alluye in mail, a lion guarding his feet. His sword in in its scabbard and the shield rests at his side. Young people were often portrayed at rest in a position of prayer.

This is the head of an “effigy of a lady,” presumed by many to be the resting place of Margaret of Gloucester, wife of Robert II who was baron of Neubourg. The detail of her face and clothing were stunning.

There was much, much more to see! I’ll show you more in the next post. Thanks for reading!

New visitors are strongly urged to visit the visitor’s hall and view a movie about the fort. Even though we are very familiar with Fort Ticonderoga history and importance in battles, we sat and enjoyed the video. I was especially intrigued with the history of its restoration. You can read about that in my previous post, A Visit to Fort Ticonderoga, Part 2.

There is SO much to see inside the buildings that I cannot possibly do it justice here. I only highlight what I found interesting, and even then I must condense it. I highly recommend that you visit the Fort, there’s something for everyone there.

Both stories of the buildings are loaded with fort memorabilia and quite a number of breathtaking archaeological finds. I was awed by this: one of the old metal armor breastplates presumably made by the first French soldiers here in the 1750s. The plaque card says the armor was discovered in 1941, built into the wall. Because of its unusual position in the wall construction, archaeologists believe the armor is a votive offering by the French masons, for “good luck.”

There were many such artifacts to be seen:

This blew me away. A piece of her wedding dress?!

A watch key was a small metal device. With it, the watch owner could wind the watch. Amazing!

George Washington had good ol’ snuff. Well, at least the snuff BOX.

I loved this.

There were many, many such engraved powder horns like this. Even Ethan Allen and Philip Schuyler had scrawled on theirs! This is one of Schuyler’s horns given to him from Paul Revere. The engraving is a verse from Proverbs.

Here is Ethan Allen’s powder horn. Ethan Allen is the famed hero of Fort Ticonderoga. He easily took the fort from the British in 1775, confiscating the stores of ammunition for the needy American army.

This is Ethan Allen’s sword. Click the image to go to the Flickr site. From there, you can view larger images.

Ethan Allen’s gun, engraved with his name.

There were quite a few personal artifacts from the Schuyler family. Alexander Hamilton married Eliza Schuyler, daughter of the great general Philip Schuyler from nearby Albany, NY. This is a four-leafed clover in a locket that had belonged to Angelica Schuyler Church, Eliza’s sister and Alexander Hamilton’s good friend.

Angelica’s wax seal. The town “Angelica, NY” in western New York State is named for Angelica Schuyler Church.

Alexander Hamilton’s sword is here!

Rosary beads, probably dating before the British and American ownership of the fort. The Brits and Americans were definitely and overwhelmingly Protestant, so the beads probably belonged to a French occupant.

This is an imposing display. Looks to be a Mohawk Indian. Mohawks were the fiercest of the Iroquois Indian tribes, probably as fierce as the Canadian Hurons.

Interesting chair. Looks to me to be something from the 1890s, perhaps.

Cool bull’s eye glass.

All in all, it was a terrific visit. I really recommend this place, just go see it!

After soaking in the glorious sights and enjoying a musket drill, we entered the interior ring of the fort that once housed the soldiers, their families, and the stuff that made it all tick: ammunition.

The structures that stand here are not original to the colonial and Revolutionary days. After serving faithfully for about 30 years in which it had seen nearly half a dozen attacks and had passed through the hands of France, Britain, and the United States, the fort was abandoned after the American Revolution. Its stones and metal were stripped by local residents for the building of houses and businesses in the local small towns. A renewed interest of the Revolutionary War in the late 19th century brought curious onlookers to the site, but the old fort was merely a ghostly shadow of its former glory.

A wealthy importer from New York City, William Ferris Pell, purchased the land and constructed a summer home nearby, naming it The Pavilion. The elegant house still stands but is in terrible disrepair. The home was abandoned by William Ferris Pell after a tragic accident that killed his eldest son. The story is taken from the official Fort Ticonderoga website:

It was customary for the cannon at The Pavilion to be fired in honor of Pell’s return to The Pavilion at the beginning of spring. In 1839, Pell’s eldest son, 35 year-old Archibald, was killed when the cannon exploded while he fired it to honor his father’s return to Ticonderoga. Pell was so devastated by his son’s death that he never returned to The Pavilion and, according to family legend, died from a broken heart the following year.

The gardens of the house are still beautifully maintained, but the house is in poor shape. The Fort Ticonderoga association hopes to restore the home in the future. We wandered the grounds; I’ll have more about the history of The Pavilion and our visit in another post.

The Pell family, seeing an influx of tourists thanks to the Erie Canal and railroads, decided to restore the old “Stonehenge Ruins of Ticonderoga” into a replica of the fort as it was during the American Revolution. Construction began in 1909. This was one of the first such historic restoration projects in the United States. Its grand opening was attended by President William Howard Taft on the 300th anniversary of the European discovery of Lake Champlain.

Some of the old stonework remains, although we did see some areas blocked off for repairs. I loved wandering the grounds, there were many nooks and crannies to explore.

Ethan Allen wannabees:

“Soldiers” posing for a photo.

After all this exploring, we had yet to venture inside the buildings! SO much to explore! We saw a DVD about the history of the fort, and wandered the halls for over an hour, peering at all the amazing historical artifacts and displays. I’ll have our story about that in the next post A Visit to Fort Ticonderoga, Part 3.

We’d visited the Fort Ti grounds once before, sneaking in after the place had closed for the season. We walked the leaf-strewn trails and peeked over the stone walls. We didn’t see any of the interiors of the fort or the buildings, as the places were locked and we didn’t dare intrude that far. We had gotten a healthy taste of the incredible landscape, however, to taunt us for a return visit. Which, I am happy to report, we did this autumn.

After walking through the admission area and gift shop (which is loaded with stuff and I spent a bundle of money in it), you walk down a small hill that faces the south side of the fort, toward the bottom of Lake Champlain and the top of Lake George. The views are simply staggering.

Brigades of cannons line the perimeter of the fort’s stone walls. It’s like strolling through a castle. Actually, in the United States, stone forts are as close as we can get to a castle!

Fort Ticonderoga has the largest collection of cannons in the country. The older ones are very ornate, with inscribed dates, decorations, and sometimes a motto or phrase or the name of the king under whose reign the cannon was built.

The American flag flies here, but the site has seen the French fleur-de-lis and the British Union Jack fly overhead, as well.

A few plaques hint at the history of the fort as we meandered the perimeter of its walls.

Our wonderment was interrupted by a crowd gathering in the green. Two finely dressed soldiers marched to the center and called for attention. A musket drill!

The gentlemen talked about the typical life of the soldier of the fort (for most, musket drills were about as exciting as it got) and a little of the history of the fort. When we got home, the husband did a little more digging into the history of the fort:

During our most recent trip to Fort Ticonderoga, I was struck to learn these facts of it’s history:

This fort was originally built and occupied by the French in 1755, during the French and Indian War*. They called it Fort Carillon. In 1759, it was successfully captured by the British, after their previously failed attempt in 1758. They re-named it Fort Ticonderoga. Being occupied by the British, it was then captured by American revolutionaries in 1775. Then, just over 2 years later in 1777, it was successfully re-captured by the British.

“Wow, this was a busy place,” I thought. It intrigued me as to why this place would warrant such attention, so that it would change hands 3 times it in the first 22 years of it’s existence. Doing a little research, it gradually sunk in that the reason for it’s popularity owed to the 3 major selling points of all real estate: Location, location, location.

The fort is situated at the southern end of Lake Champlain, on it’s western shore. Lake Champlain, a long, narrow, north-south oriented lake, together with Lake George and the Hudson River, forms an important travel route which runs from New York Harbor (under British control at the onset of the French and Indian War) to the St. Lawrence River (then controlled by the French). This route was familiar to, and used by, Native American Indians even before European explorers discovered it during the early-to-mid 1600′s. It is relatively free from obstacles and includes only a few portages**, of which Ticonderoga is one.

The name, “Ticonderoga,” itself gives us some local geographical information. The word is derived from what the Iroquois called this area, and which means, “(the) land between two waters.” The two waters are Lake Champlain and Lake George, and the land between was the portage. Despite there being a river connecting the two lakes, the winding 3.5 mile long La Chute, knowledgeable travelers chose to make a portage here because the La Chute was full of dangerous white-water rapids. It was safer and more practical to cross on foot at a point where about 1.25 miles of dry land lay between the lakes instead. The French therefore, chose to build the fort here to control the southern end of Lake Champlain, up which any British invasion would have to come.

It would seem the ability to control travel along this major inland water route from New York Harbor to the St. Lawrence River depended heavily upon being able to control this small area here at “the land between two waters.”

* the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763.
** a portage is a point in a water route where boats and/or cargo need to be carried across land to avoid obstacles, or to get from one body of water to another.

So Fort Ti was obviously a very strategic geographic point, as it controlled the waterway.

I’ll continue more about our adventure here with Fort Ticonderoga, Part 2 in the near future. This time, we got to go INSIDE the buildings and see some very amazing artifacts!