The Bastion of the Pussy-cat No.3 by sandra46
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
This is the last of the triptych on the bastion of the Gatta. The Bastion also surrounds the so-called Giardini della Rotunda (Gardens of the Round Tower), so called because it was planned around the area where a monumental suspended tank with a circular shaped base was built. It is the first water tank to be built in Padua, a prestigious work of engineering dating back to the 1920s. The decision to build the water tank and Codalunga water power plant just on this spot was due to the following events:On 11 November 1916 an Austrian bomb exploded killing 96 inhabitants who had hidden inside the gunners which were considered safe shelters. On 29 October 1919 a bomb, dropped from a plane in 1918 but unexploded until then, went off and destroyed the electric power plant causing serious water supply problems to the city.
The column was erected in the late 19th century.
The death of the cat is a sad one with an happy ending. According to a story the she-cat lived honored for a while, but one of the mercenary captains one day killed her by banging his head again and again against the feline. It looks that this way of killing was a form of sport at the time. Some nights later he was found dead under one of the town street porches, murdered because, according the people's voice, he had killed the cat. This is the happy end.
A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall (termed curtain), facilitating active defense against assaulting troops. It allows the defenders of the fort to cover adjacent bastions and curtains with defensive fire. The bastion was designed to offer a full range on which to attack oncoming troops. Previous fortifications were of little use within a certain range. The bastion solved this problem. By using a cannon to cover the curtain side of the wall, the forward cannon could concentrate on oncoming targets. It's important to know that the current bastion of the Gatta, as the rest of the Venetian walls, was not directly involved in the siege of 1509, but was built some years immediately following the siege. The current bastion was built slightly farther south than the initial position. Begun in 1510, the work was completed in 1514 according to the design of Bartolomeo D'Alviano. Only in 1523 the arms of Leonardo Emo mayor and captain Francesco Donato were affixed. The tower had 54 gunboats now buried by filling the pit, but you can still see the two "cats" inserted in the wall, one of them with shield and lion and the other with a mouse between her paws. Originally these sculptures were not visible as close as today, as the bastion was surrounded by a wide and deep moat, filled in mid-nineteenth century for the construction of the driveway. Most of the structure of the bastion is therefore buried today.
Thank you for your kind comments.
Comments (39)
flora-crassella
wonderful picture and history!!!!! Fantastic!!!!
MrsLubner
Well documented in a finely composed shot - great history lesson as well.
magnus073
This one is wonderful Sandra and the image is really brought to life by the amazingly detailed stories. I really enjoyed the stories and your detailed explanation of what a bastion is
mgtcs
wonderful shot, excellent photo, amazing narrative!
jocko500
wonderful history this is. a wonderful photo too
bmac62
These triptychs that you've done lately are the sharpest, clearest, best images in your gallery. Way to go my friend!!! I really appreciate sharpness...something I don't always do myself:)
frieder
Excellently composed shot! A pleasure to view!
bebert
merci pour cette leçon d'architecture. Belle photo .
drifterlee
Cool shot!!!!!
DarkStormCrow
Very cool capture, well done...
claude19
SPLENDID shot through Space and Time ! Good presentation !!!
MagikUnicorn
Lovely collage
artistheat
Very Cool Image:)
frankie96
Enjoy the history...and the image...
MOSKETON
HAY ALGO IRREAL EN ESTA IMAGEN.
jeroni
Beautiful composition. excellent work
flaviok
Obrigada por esta maravilhosa narrativa e excelente imagem minha amiga, aplausos (5)
wysiwig
Another excellent history lesson. I majored in Renaissance history in college but we never heard these stories. I like the expression on the middle soldier, as if he is saying, "You, with the camera, what are you looking at?" But my favorite, with complete unconcern with the affairs of men, are the pigeons at the back of the wall, calmly looking for their lunch.
myrrhluz
Excellent detail and composition. Wonderful expressions on the soldiers. Very interesting information, and satisfying happy ending. Beautiful image!
Faemike55
Wonderful pictures and great history lesson! Thank you for both!
1358
bright colours,chrome helmets... a very warm image!
Radar_rad-dude
Totally superb photo and narrative!
Hubba1
Awesome job :)
bimm3d
Excellently composed photo!!!!
bazza
Super image and history Sandra, very nice work on these three images..
Hendesse
Fantastic and very interesting shot. Thanks for the informations too.
carlx
Excellent collage!!!
densa
outstanding shot
amota99517
Totally fantastic work.
durleybeachbum
A fascinating set of work!