The Knights of Columbus Museum

Hello class - Saturday, I went to the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven. For those of you who still need to visit a museum, this one is free with free parking and will really put you in the holiday spirit. They are currently offering an exhibition of Nativity scenes from throughout Europe as well as local Connecticut scenes. On the second floor, there is an exhibition of etchings by 18th century printmaker Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778). The etchings are all of Rome, the Eternal City, and they are magnificent. There are 135 views of the city and the etchings took him about 30 years to complete. Next to some of the etchings are photographs of the scenes as they appear today. The detail is absolutely remarkable. I am attaching a few of the etchings here. I invite you all to check out my blog at http://hmcole.blogspot.com/ where I will be attaching some of the nativity scenes. My thanks to Jess Mallory who was so helpful and friendly. He allowed me to take photographs where it was clearly stated "No photography allowed" and he even forgave me when my flash accidentally went off TWICE!

The Knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven by Catholic priest Father McGivney in 1882 to protect Irish immigrant families in the event the primary family provider passed away. The order has since grown to over 1.7 million members and Father McGivney is currently being considered for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church.

On the outside of the building located at 1 State Street in New Haven is a World War II memorial dedicated to the members of the Knights of Columbus who lost their lives. I have included some of the Connecticut names here.

Happy holidays to all!