Oldest House Museum Complex

St. Augustine, FL

February 17, 2022

The Oldest House contains several pieces of St. Augustine's history curated by the St. Augustine Historical Society. Currently, the museum complex contains several exhibits. One collection contains several pieces of work from Richard Twine, a Black photographer known for his documentation of life in Lincolnville. The room with that exhibit also contains a collection of maps of the area over time. In the Tovar House, visitors can explore St. Augustine's history and culture around surfing, Marineland's history, and work from local artists. 

Oldest House Museum Complex

Artifact 1: Richard Twine's camera

This glass-plate camera belonged to Richard Twine. The Historical Society came into possession of it after someone found it discarded and decided to rescue the artifact and all the negatives along with it.

Artifact 2: Surfboard shaped by David Farina

This surfboard is one of many in the Surf Culture Museum. The museum contains unique oral histories from local surfers. From community involvement to the history of competitions to the rivalries between surfers and fishers, the Surf Culture Museum gives an intimate look at St. Augustine surfing.

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

Image in Conversation 1

This image is a historical photo of the Winchester Mystery House or Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California. The house was built by Sarah Winchester from 1886 to 1922. The house has a reputation due to its strange features and extensive construction period. Many believe Sarah constructed the house this way to ward off the ghosts of those killed with Winchester rifles. The house's features remind me of the old photos of the Oldest House from when it was built in the Victorian style. The array of rooms and architecture reminds me of the way the Oldest House has bene modified so that every room displays a different era. 

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Image in Conversation 2

This image captures the Henry Moore's statue "King and Queen," located in the Hirshhorn Museum's statue garden. The statue takes the old concept of Egyptian statues and puts them in a modern style. All the statues in the garden are modern or abstract in nature, which sets the tone and expectations for what's inside the museum even if visitors don't enter. The statues in the Oldest House's garden do the same; they demonstrate the house's Victorian style and create the atmosphere of living in the past.

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Literature in Conversation

"Nothing in my room could be salvaged whole. Pieces of books survived."

- Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

This passage refers to how the main character cannot salvage anything sentimental from her childhood home after it's burned down in an attack on her neighborhood. This passage reflects how preservation always involves destruction. Lauren (the main character) must choose what aspects of her life to preserve, but the only choices she can make are the aspects that will help her survive. Historians have to choose what to preserve, which means that some things will be lost and destroyed.

Creative Component

Indigo - For Professor Mongiovi's exhibit on indigo plantations

Brick - For the Victorian section of the house and the pathways

Spain - For the massive Spanish influence on the house and the city

Surf - For the Surf Culture Museum

Victorian - For my favorite period of architecture the house went through

Citrus - For Professor Mongiovi's exhibit on citrus plantations

Negatives - For Twine's photography

Gardens - For the gardens within the complex's walls

Brazier - For the brazier in the First Spanish Period section of the house

St. Photios Greek Orthodox Shrine

St. Augustine, FL
February 10, 2022

This shrine is the first national shrine of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in the United States, named for St. Photios, who is revered for his scholarship. It commemorates the history of Greeks arriving in the New World, beginning in 1768. The shrine is housed in the reconstructed Avero house, which was originally built in 1702. The house had been a place of refuge for Greeks fleeing the New Smyrna colony, and in 1777, they were received here in St. Augustine by Governor Tonyn. The shrine's website lists several important events in modern history, including the shrine's consecration.

St. Photios Greek Orthodox Shrine

Artifact 1: Vestments gifted by Archbishop Iakovos

The vestments worn by Greek Orthodox Bishops draw inspiration from garments worn by the Byzantine Emperor. Each piece of the vestments has a distinct meaning, and must be put on in the correct order:

First, the tunic, a full-length robe that fastens at the neck and wrists. Second, the stole, which represents priestly power. Third, maniples, which are cuffs that fasten at the wrists. Fourth, genual, which goes on the right side, representing the purse of alms. Fifth, the imperial robe, which is the outer garment. Sixth, the omoforion, the symbol of the office of the bishop. Seventh, the cross. Eighth, the engolpion, the symbol of Mary. Ninth, the mitre, the crown that represents how Christian bishops became civil leaders after the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Finally, the staff, which represents his role as the shepherd of the flock.

Artifact 2: The St. Photios Shrine Cross

During the excavation of the Avero house, archaeologists unearthed a small wooden cross. It had three loops at the bottom, which is a unique feature of that particular artifact. Those holes represent the Holy Trinity. Archbishop Iakovos designated it as the St. Photios Shrine Cross in 1971.

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

Image in Conversation 1

This image features Archbishop Elpidophoros during the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral's Epiphany Celebration. The Cathedral is in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and has one of the largest Epiphany Celebrations in the West. The celebration begins with a public church service, then moves outside to Spring Bayou where young men from the church dive for the cross. This image reminds me of the St. Photios Shrine because it's a large, public display of Greek culture and the Greek Orthodox religion that brings people together and educates them. 

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Image in Conversation 2

This image is of the Sistine Chapel, a chapel in Vatican City. The Sistine Chapel is best known for the intricate frescoes crafted by Michelangelo. These frescoes were commissioned by Pope Julius II and feature scenes from The Book of Genesis, along with Biblical figures. The most famous image of the Sistine Chapel is God reaching for Adam in the Creation of Man. This image reminds me of the iconography in the St. Photios Shrine because it's intricate and sets the tone for the space. Iconography in religious spaces is key in showing those who enter what the space's values are.

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Literature in Conversation

"We perceive and attend God.

We learn from God.

With forethought and work,

We shape God."

- The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

This passage comes from the novel's main character, Lauren, as she begins to develop her religious ideology. This passage reminds me of the St. Photios Shrine because of the iconography. While we can study history and know about the human figures in the Bible, we are responsible for shaping our images of God and angels. Every sect of Christianity has its own interpretation of the Bible, yet common images of Biblical stories emerge. Humans shape their images of God based on their perceptions of his work and the world.

Creative Component

Minorcan - In honor of those who survived the tragedy at New Smyrna and made their way to St. Augustine

Averos - The namesake of the house

Archaeology - The site is important both as a shrine and a historical site

Relic - For the relic housed in the shrine

Iakovos - For Archbishop Iakovos and his contributions to the shrine

Candles - For the offering stations

Gold - For the gold in the iconography

Saint - For the shrine's namesake