Tolomato Cemetery

 St. Augustine, Florida 

Thursday, February 24, 2022

    Tolomato Cemetery (Catholic cemetery) located on Cordova Street, right off Orange Street, was an in-use cemetery from the eighteenth century until 1884. This place is the resting place of 1,000 Augustinians, including many others of importance to the history of Florida.  There are many legends and tales, which also reveal real stories of real people, among being haunted. Burials here "include those of people from Spain, Cuba, Ireland, Minorca, Italy, Greece, Africa, Haiti, France, and the American South and Northeast - as well as the graves of soldiers from both sides of the Civil War, . . ." The Cathedral parish and the Diocese of St. Augustine still own, maintain and protect the cemetery. 

http://www.tolomatocemetery.com/history.html

Exterior Photo 1

Exterior Photo 2

Artifact Photo 1

    Juan Francisco Ruiz Del Canto was a Revolutionary War Patriot born December 13, 1730, in St. Augustine Florida. He acted as a Spanish agent sent to the Yuchi Indians in 1779 and 1780 to British Florida to secure their support for Governor Bernardo de Galvez. He later captured a British Captain and took him to Cuba for questioning, providing intelligence that aided the Spanish in the planning of the successful Seige of Pensacola by General Bernardo de Galvez. Juan was also responsible for the supervision of the Castillo de San Marcos, and when the Spanish left St. Augustine in 1763, he was appointed by the Governor as one of the groups of three Spanish citizens who oversaw the mapping, sale, and settlement of Spanish properties with the incoming British. 

Artifact Photo 2

    Bishop Augustin Verot was born May 1805 in Le Puy-en-Velay, France, and died June 1876 in St. Augustine, Florida. He was a French-American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Savannah and the first bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine. He studied at St-Sulpice, Paris, was ordained priest, and joined the Society of Saint-Sulpice, and in 1830 came to Baltimore to teach science, philosophy, and theology at St. Mary's College. He served as pastor of Saint Paul Catholic Church in Maryland. In 1857, he was declared bishop in the Baltimore Cathedral. Verot sailed for France in 1859 after returning to his home country for the first time in nearly three decades. Augustin Verot was also Vicar Apostolic of Florida and the third Bishop of Savannah. He had a prominent role in the Civil War which lead to him becoming the first Bishop of St. Augustine in 1870. 

Image in Conversation #1

https://nylandmarks.org/what-we-do/success-story/prospect-cemetery-and-chapel-of-the-sisters/ 

    The cemetery presented above is Prospect Cemetery located in the Jamaica section of the New York City borough of the Queens. It was established in 1668 and is generally known as the Presbyterian burial ground and is one of the few remaining Colonial cemeteries in Queens. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated the cemetery as the oldest cemetery in New York. The cemetery includes approximately 240 family plots containing 2,100 burials and dates from the founding of the cemetery to the late 20th century. Two researchers from the Rufus King Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution discovered the names of 54 individuals who served as soldiers during the Revolutionary War, who were buried in this cemetery. After the 1980s and before, plans were made by individuals to properly maintain and preserve Prospect Cemetery. 

    Visiting Tolomato Cemetery made me think of other cemeteries near my hometown which brought up the idea of New York City into my mind. Walking around St. Augustine and seeing the graves of soldiers, I knew there would be some buried in New York as well. Both of the cemeteries are extremely old, but still being preserved today. 

Image in Conversation #2

    

https://wtop.com/arlington/2020/10/jfks-gravesite-at-arlington-national-cemetery-to-reopen-oct-3/

    Pictured above is the burial site for former President John F. Kennedy. He was born May 29, 1917, and passed away November 22, 1963. He was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination near the end of his third year in office. He served at the height of the Cold War. Kennedy had also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He also presided over the establishment of the Peace Corps, Alliance for Progress with Latin America, and the continuation of the Apollo program with the goal of landing a man on the moon before 1970. 

    This cemetery reminded me of who I remembered who left an imprint on the United States and the first person who came to mind was John F. Kennedy because he was one of the Presidents that I learned most about. His death also came as a shock because he was assassinated as most of us know. His burial site is very different than those in Tolomato Cemetery which is why I also was drawn to the differences in the way the places look. 

Literature in Conversation

    In the excerpt from Lukao, [you] had said "I was talking to my dad, who passed away when I was eleven. I felt like I was in a different space, here but not here. I kept thinking about people who I had lost, and I felt them around me," (Perez). This quote resonates with this site visit because we had the experience of visiting a cemetery. At the point where it references the people lost and feeling them around is how I feel when I lose someone I love. When someone dies, their spirit and energy are still surrounding you and allow you to feel in touch with them even though they aren't physically here. They are present within your mind and your heart which is all that matters. 

Creative Component 

medium: computer paper and colored pencils

The Oldest House Complex

 St. Augustine, Florida 

Thursday, February 17, 2022

    The Oldest House Complex is quite special seeing that it is the oldest surviving Spanish Colonial house in Florida. It is located across from the National Guard at 14 St. Francis Street. It is operated by the St. Augustine Historical Society and includes a guided tour, a detailed history museum, gardens, a rotating exhibit gallery, a surf museum, and the Marineland history exhibit. On the bottom level of the Tovar House, lies the surf museum which tells the story of the surf community, tracing the legacy of riding waved throughout the years. The complex is open to the public to learn about specific aspects of St. Augustine. 

https://staughs.com/oldest-house-museum-complex/

Exterior Photo 1

Exterior Photo 2

Artifact Photo 1

    The first map of the North American Coast was created by Henry Wellge. He was a lithographer in the United States which means he applies inks, gels, or photographic emulsions to a plate to create a final piece. He had an office situated in Wisconsin which is where he produced his panoramic maps. In this map, he had constructed, he shared a bird's eye view of St. Augustine including multiple sights such as churches, shops, and restaurants. 

Artifact Photo 2

    Located only eight miles south of St. Augustine's historic district, Butler Beach is tucked between St. Augustine Beach and Crescent Beach. In the early 1900s, Frank B. Butler, a young black man, moved to St. Augustine. He had settled in Lincolnville, the dominant African-American area. At the time of 1927, Butler had become so annoyed by the injustice faced that beaches were "white only". He decided to begin purchasing oceanfront property on Anastasia Island and eventually acquired a region that stretched from the Atlantic to the Matanzas River. This region became known as Butler Beach and was opened to African-Americans so that they were allowed to enjoy the sand and the sea. 

Image in Conversation #1 

https://visualizingnyc.org/essays/john-bachmanns-new-york/

    The image above is Bachmann's first American bird's-eye view of Union Square, New York, as well as the first full-scale bird's-eye image of the city, made in 1849. John Bachmann was a German-speaking Swiss printmaker who arrived in New York in 1848, having fled the upheavals of revolution in Europe. He had produced a number of low-views in Paris and Switzerland. Bachmann's prints exemplify an American reinterpretation of the bird's-eye view at the moment when American cities, particularly New York, were defining their modern civic identity. This view of New York correlates with the map of St. Augustine because it also portrays special places and is the first made view. 

Image in Conversation #2 

https://www.surfer.com/features/gigi-lucas-is-trying-to-make-the-ocean-a-more-inclusive-space/

    On the right shows Gigi Lucas and her siblings, on the left are their parents. Gigi Lucas is a black woman who is a walking historian about black people and their issues with the ocean. She is the founder and executive director of SurfearNEGRA, a nonprofit that seeks to diversify the sport of surfing. Lucas had grown up on the water although she had not taken surfing lessons until she was in her early 30s. She has said, "I grew up seeing people surf, but I never saw anyone doing it who looked like me" (Shaw). Being a black female, there were multiple barriers that kept her from enjoying certain activities like surfing. 

    This is image ties into my artifact 2 image because Butler Beach was a location primarily for people of color. Lots of black individuals weren't given the chance to pursue certain activities due to their lack of rights. Gigi's main goal was to have diversity among the sport of surfing so she created SurfearNEGRA to have that opportunity. Lucas is making a change in the world one surfer at a time. 

Literature in Conversation

    In Lukao, there were a couple sections that were crossed out but this one stuck out most to me "U.S. Naval orders mandated that the placenta and umbilical cord must be burned because they were considered hazardous waste> . . . " (Perez). The crossing out meant what was getting erased when the U.S. came into the picture. The culture of their family was becoming left out of history and being forgotten. Inequality is presented in the whole Lukao reading because it demonstrates some people being oppressed and not getting the same rights as others. This correlates also with Gigi Lucas and Butler beach with the imbalance of certain races. 

Creative Component

medium: computer paper with colored pencils

        I drew a surfboard because it ties into the surf culture museum. I decided to write the word free in different languages and highlighted the color of the country. For the word 'Free' in English, I wrote it twice to demonstrate that for white individuals the sport is freeing but the other free is crossed out to represent the black community and how certain aspects of life are limited for them. Surfing is a free sport and not everyone was able and is able to enjoy it.

Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine

St. Augustine, Florida 

Thursday, February 10, 2022

    The Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine located off of St. George Street is the first national shrine of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America. The institution is an educational center where individuals of any ancestry can go to honor and remember the Greek heritage. Exhibits illustrating the life of the Greeks and how the Greek Orthodox Church developed as well as the St. Photios Chapel are displayed. 

https://stphotios.org/

Exterior Photo 1

    The Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine resides in the Avero House on St. George Street. It is a two-story house that is one of the 30 remaining houses within the historic district that pre-date 1821. The outside of the building is covered in white stucco to represent a Greek appearance. When the weather is perfect outside with a blue sky, it will feel like you are right in Greece. 

Exterior Photo 2

    The architecture of this building is significant because it was built using coquina stone which is a sedimentary rock formed by the deposition and cementation of organic particles on the floor of oceans. Along with the architecture of the building, the landscape in the courtyard is composed of trees and bushes to make it look welcoming and tropical. 

Artifact Photo 1

    Pictured above is a Greek Orthodox Bishop fully vested. Each item from the outfit is attached to a symbolic effort of the Old Testament. There are ten Vestments for a bishop to wear by placing them on in a specific order. During the Byzantine Empire and still today, bishops are ordained ministers who hold the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders. Bishops are responsible for representing the place of worship. 

Artifact Photo 2

    The artifact above shows the instruments used for Holy Communion also known as Eucharist. During Communion, sacred vessels such as chalice, host, paten, etc are placed on the altar. The items are used in ritual celebrations to hold the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Communion is a sacred time of our fellowship with God, where believers remember how Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross for his people. 

Image in Conversation #1 

https://www.churchofpresentation.org/home/

    Pictured above is the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Ever since I moved to New Jersey at two years old, I grew up being a member of this church. It was founded in 1961 and began with a congregation of 270 families. Since then, it has brought together more than a dozen times that number of families, making it the largest parish in the Archdiocese of Newark. The church had not made any significant renovations to its original design until 2017. 

    This church holds many memories for me such as it is the place I received my baptism, my first communion, and my confirmation. It also holds a place in my heart because this is where my family held the funeral service for my Poppy. Growing up, I was involved in bible study and multiple other activities to happen at church. The most recent that I remember was participating in a homeless retreat where we had slept in boxes on the front lawn and traveled to New York City to deliver food, beverages, and clothing to the homeless. 

    Visiting the Greek Shrine brought me back to my roots and my first thought was 'My Church'. It brought back all of the memories, good and bad times. It reminded me of the multiple services I attended and all the people I had met. It will forever be a place of worship for me. 

Image in Conversation #2 

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/19/leonardo-last-supper-ross-king-review 

    Above displays the origin of the Eucharist in The Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus had taken bread and given it to his disciples telling them to eat it because it was his body and gave them a cup and told them to drink it because it was his blood. 

    The painting of The Last Supper was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. It represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with the Twelve Apostles. The painting is held at the end wall of the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Aria Delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. Leonardo worked on The Last Supper from 1495 to 1498 but did not work on it continuously.

 

Literature in Conversation

    In Ann Browning Masters' writing of "Floridanos, Menorans, Cattle-Whip Crackers Poetry of St. Augustine", she touches upon the history of St. Augustine. When she explains who the different groups are, she says, "In 1777, indentured servants, mostly from the Balearic island of Menorca, Italy, and Greece, walked to St. Augustine from the failed indigo plantation of Scottish Dr. Andrew Turnbell. This group of Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox eventually became known as Menorcans in St. Augustine". As shown, her writing touches upon the creators of the Greek Orthodox Shrine. That the individuals who came over, known as the Menorcan's contributed to the Greek religion captured in the city of St. Augustine. 

Creative Component

    I chose to write the 'Our Father' in Latin because it is the prayer that resonates most with me. Being a Catholic Christian, I wrote it in Latin because in Rome, the Christians adopted Latin and it became the church's language in the fourth century.