The Archiprestal Church of Our Lady of the Angels is Chelva’s most iconic monument and is considered one of the best works of Valencian Baroque. This cathedral-sized church was begun in 1626 and its construction lasted eighty years.
The altarpiece façade, in Mannerist style, is a monumental work of masonry that alternates between the four classical orders (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite).
Juan Bautista Pérez Castiel is credited with the exuberant interior baroque decoration, the large semi-spherical dome and the bell tower, considered the first of the Valencian Baroque. Almost 60 meters high, this tower culminates with an original clock, owned by the municipality, which indicates the hours, days of the week and the month.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.