King Louis IX of France was kind, fair, popular, and the only French king ever to be made a saint.
This weekend the Syrian National Excavation Expedition uncovered a mosaic design at the Tal al-Kasara archeological site in northeastern Syria. The mosaic measures 44 meters and includes geometric shapes and fish. The site, originally discovered in 1849, was a strategic location between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires. Find out more about the discovery, and see a photo, in the article by Ruaa AL-Jazaeri at the Global Arab Network.
In 1998, a fire destroyed the interior of St. Brandon's Church in Brancepeth, near Durham City -- and revealed tombstones that had been hidden in the walls for centuries. The tombstones, known as cross slabs, date to the Middle Ages and may have been deliberately hidden by a Bishop of Durham. This collection of cross slabs is the biggest in the northern counties of England and includes varieties that span two centuries. Now that the church has been refurbished, 20 of the stones have been mounted on the walls. Find out more in the article at BBC News.
All Graeme Mackenzie wanted to do was drain some land so that he could grow potatoes next year. In the process he found what appears to be an anchor. Measuring four by four feet, the anchor could be as much as 1,000 years old and is possibly of Viking origin. If that is the case, it could be evidence that Norse raiders settled on Skye. Find out more in the article at BBC News.
When planning one of the frescoes in the Vatican, Raphael sketched out the face of a woman he planned to paint as a muse. In an auction at Christie's this week, an anonymous telephone bidder paid £29.2 million for Head of a Muse. This is the second-highest amount ever paid for an old master painting or drawing, the highest price any work by Raphael has ever fetched, and a world record price for any work on paper.
Find out more about the sketch and the sale in the feature by Louise Jury at the London Evening Standard (which includes a photo), or the item from Reuters at the Star.
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