What’s the first thing that you relate to architecture? The four walls? The interiors? If you have strained your neck to look up at how a monument has been crowned, then here is a treat for your eyes. From things as conventional as wood, to something as unconventional as beetles, they sure have left no stone unturned to create these ceilings that are archaeological wonders.
See for yourself.
1. Castello Di Sammezzano, Italy
The ceiling of this abandoned Italian palazzo was inspired by Peacocks. Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona’s life work attracts people from all over the world today.
2. Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
At the central octagonal tower hangs a timber lantern that looks like a five pointed star. This feat, achieved in the year 1334, stands out as one of the grandest of the medieval age.
3. Solna Centrum Metro Sation, Stockholm
The exposed bedrock of the ceiling of this underground station, has been painted a beautiful shade of night time red. It remains one of their most enticing attractions since 1975.
4. Grand Central Station, New York
This ceiling is based on the medieval astronomical maps. It was largely invisible till 1998, due to accumulation of generations of nicotine. Made using gold leaf on a blue-green backdrop, it invokes the feeling of springtime skies.
5. Shah Mosque, Isfahan
There was an underlying fear that the walls of the mosque would turn out dull, as the only available material was baked mud brick. Techniques in firing coloured mosaic tiles helped with the ceiling of this place.
6.Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club House, South Korea
The roof of the lobby of this country club is made of timber. On a hot and humid day, this place is a lot cooler to sleep in than pillows and sheets.
7. San Pantalon, Venice
This ceiling has the biggest canvas painting in the entire world. It creates an illusion that the roof is unreachable, with choirs of angels everywhere.
8.Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, Beijing
Built when the Ming dynasty held power over the region, this three-tiered monument represent the hours, days, months and seasons of the year. The 125 ft building does not hold a single nail and the colours on it evoke good fortune, joy and prosperity.
9. St Stephen Walbrook, London
Modest on the outside, and an architectural marvel of the late seventeenth century from the inside, this structure has held many spellbound.
10. The Palace of Mysore, Karnataka
Located in the heart of the city, the palace is richly carved, intricate and an architectural marvel. The roads in the city seem to be making their way out of the palace.
11. Royal Palace, Brussels
Gilded woodwork and canvases are mainstream, here is a castle that has one million six hundred thousand jewel scarab wing cases as its ceiling. They are insects, by the way.
12. Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, Rome
Andrea Pozzo, a master of optical illusion in the seventeenth century was the mastermind behind this ceiling. The ceiling is not a dome at all, as you will notice when you look closely.
13. City Palace, Jaipur
The intricate paintings on the ceilings will give you a peek into how the royals of India lived.
14.Palau de la Música Catalana, Spain
This place has been listed in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage sites. It’s not even a palace, but a music concert hall, that’s an architectural marvel. Watch out for the stained glass ceiling.