pierre corneille (30 results)

Etat correct. 11 1cm x 17 1cm x 0 9cm. 1990. broché. 199 pages.

in-octavo, 157 pp., nombreuses illustrations dans le texte, en noir et blanc et en couleur, br Bon état.

Bon état. AUTRES TITRES DISPONIBLES du męme auteur.

Bon état. AUTRES TITRES DISPONIBLES du męme auteur.

Condition: Good. This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside.This book has soft covers. In good all round condition. reprint Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item,250grams, ISBN:

Hardcover. Condition: As New. 1st Edition. L'IMITATION de JESUS-CHRIST Traduite et Paraphasee en Vers Francois par Pierre Corneille, conseiller du Roy.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 49,5 x 64 cm; - Map showing the principalities of Neuchatel and Vallangin in the canton of Neuchatel, Switzerland. Above a description of the county of Neuchatel, a title cartouche with two eagles, a compass rose in Lake Neuchatel and five representations of coats of arms in the country.; History: Since 1848, the Swiss Confederation has been a federal state of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics. The early history of the region is tied to that of Alpine culture. Switzerland was inhabited by Gauls and Raetians, and it came under Roman rule in the 1st century BC. Gallo-Roman culture was amalgamated with Germanic influence during Late Antiquity, with the eastern part of Switzerland becoming Alemannic territory. The area of Switzerland was incorporated into the Frankish Empire in the 6th century. In the high medieval period, the eastern part became part of the Duchy of Swabia within the Holy Roman Empire while the western part was part of Burgundy.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 34 x 44; - Representation of the destruction of Jerusalem of the Romans. In 66 AD, an uprising in Rome's troubled province of Judea resulted in the Jewish-Roman War. It ended in September 70 with the complete destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. - additional information: 1. Edition,one of the finest series of 18th. Century Bible prints, artistically and psychologically.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Perfect condition, size (in cm): 49 x 58 cm; - Map with strong splendid colouring showing the historical Greek Macedonia or Macedonia, western Turkey and a curtain with mileage scale.; History: Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilisation, being the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, Western literature, historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, Western drama and the Olympic Games. From the eighth century B.C., the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states, known as poleis (singular polis), which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea. Philip of Macedon united most of the Greek mainland in the fourth century BC, with his son Alexander the Great rapidly conquering much of the ancient world, from the eastern Mediterranean to India. Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century B.C., becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine Empire, which adopted the Greek language and culture. The Greek Orthodox Church, which emerged in the first century A.D., helped shape modern Greek identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World. After falling under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century, Greece emerged as a modern nation state in 1830 following a war of independence.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 34 x 44; - Representation of the punishment of Cora, Dathan und Abiram.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 33 x 44; - Representation of the 4th biblical plague, mosquitos - additional information: 1. Edition,one of the finest series of 18th. Century Bible prints, artistically and psychologically; History: The ten biblical plagues refer to a series of catastrophes that, according to the biblical narrative, plagued the land of Egypt around the 13th century BC. There is no historical evidence for this story, which has been handed down in the Bible, even though this has been attempted by dating volcanic eruptions, which are assumed by several scientists to have been the original trigger for the plagues.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 34 x 44; - Representation of the 7th biblical plague, the hail - additional information: 1. Edition,one of the finest series of 18th. Century Bible prints, artistically and psychologically.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 34 x 44; - Representation of the deluge myth - additional information: 1. Edition,one of the finest series of 18th. Century Bible prints, artistically and psychologically.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 34 x 44; - Representation of the separation of Abrahma and Lot, from the book Genesis - additional information: 1. Edition,one of the finest series of 18th. Century Bible prints, artistically and psychologically; History: Since both Judaism, Christianity and Islam refer to Abraham as their progenitor, they are also called the three Abrahamic (world) religions. Abram's father, Tharah, leaves his Chaldean hometown of Ur with Abram and his wife, Sarai, and his grandson, Lot, who is from his son, Haran, and so comes to the city of Haran, where they settle. So Abram, later renamed Abraham, moves from Haran to a land promised to him and his descendants, Canaan. Accompanying him are his wife Sarai (later called Sarah) and his family, and his nephew Lot with his family. After a stay in Egypt due to drought, Abram and Lot separate to avoid conflict over grazing grounds. Lot settles in the valley of Sodom.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Upper and lower centerfold perfectly restored, size (in cm): 44 x 49 cm; - Map shows the course of the river Po in the Italian Piedmont and Monferrato with the towns of Santhiŕ, Crescentino, Turin, Chivasso, Vallarsa/Aste, Alba, Alessandria, Tortona and much more. (Montferrat was a margraviate in Piedmont.); History: In ancient times, in northern Italy, unlike in southern Italy, there was hardly any Greek colonization. For the Roman Empire, Northern Italy was initially Gallia cisalpina. Since the Middle Ages, northern Italy has been characterized by remarkable trading cities, which, starting from the Veronese Confederation, united in the Lombardenbund against Emperor Barbarossa. At that time, some basics of business administration and banking, such as double-entry bookkeeping, were created in northern Italy. In pre-Roman centuries it was inhabited by different peoples among whom the Ligures, the ancient Veneti, who prospered through their trade in amber and breeding of horses, the Etruscans, who colonized Northern Italy from Tuscany, founded the city of Bologna and spread the use of writing; later, starting from the 5th century BC, the area was invaded by Celtic ? Gallic tribes. These people founded several cities like Turin and Milan and extended their rule from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. Their development was halted by the Roman expansion in the Po Valley from the 3rd century BC onwards. After centuries of struggle, in 194 BC the entire area of what is now Northern Italy became a Roman province with the name of Gallia Cisalpina ("Gaul on the inner side (with respect to Rome) of the Alps"). The Roman culture and language overwhelmed the former civilization in the following years, and Northern Italy became one of the most developed and rich areas of the western half of the empire with the construction of a wide array of roads and the development of agriculture and trade. After the fall of the Western Empire, Northern Italy suffered heavily from destruction brought about by migration from Germanic peoples and from the Gothic War. In the 10th century Northern Italy was formally under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire but was in fact divided in a multiplicity of small, autonomous city-states, the medieval communes and maritime republic. The 11th century marked a significant boom in Northern Italy's economy, due to improved trading and agricultural innovations, culture flourished as well with many universities founded, among them the University of Bologna, the oldest university in Europe. In the end a balance of power was reached in 1454 with the Peace of Lodi and Northern Italy ended up divided between a small number of regional states, the most powerful were the Duchies of Savoy, Milan, Mantua, Ferrara and the Republics of Genoa and Venice, which had begun to extend its influence in the mainland from the 14th century onwards. In the 15th century Northern Italy became one of the centres of the Renaissance whose culture and works of art were highly regarded. After the French Revolution in the late 18th century Northern Italy was conquered by the French armies, many client republics were created by Napoleon and in 1805 a new Kingdom of Italy, made of all of Northern Italy but Piedmont that was annexed to France, was established with Milan as capital and Napoleon as head of state. In the congress of Vienna, the Kingdom of Sardinia was restored, and furthermore enlarged by annexing the Republic of Genoa to strengthen it as a barrier against France. The rest of Northern Italy was under Austrian rule, either direct like in the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom or indirect like in the Duchies of Parma and Modena. Bologna and Romagna were given to the Papal State.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 34 x 44; - Representation of the last judgement from Matthew 24 and 25 - additional information: 1. Edition,one of the finest series of 18th. Century Bible prints, artistically and psychologically.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 34 x 44; - Representation of the announcement of the birth of Jesus thru an angel. Annunciation" often also means the proclamation of Jesus' conception to Mary by the archangel Gabriel, as described in the Gospel of Luke. In Christianity, proclamation is the spreading of the Word of God, the Gospel (literally "Good News") of Jesus Christ, focusing on His life, the love of God, the redemption through His death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. - additional information: 1. Edition,one of the finest series of 18th. Century Bible prints, artistically and psychologically.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 34 x 44; - Represetation of Adam when he named the animals. - additional information: 1. Edition,one of the finest series of 18th. Century Bible prints, artistically and psychologically; History: According to the biblical account in Genesis (chapters 2 to 5), Adam and Eve were the first human couple and thus the progenitors of all human beings. According to this, God formed Adam from earth and breathed into him the breath of life. Subsequently, Adam gave names to the animals, but found no partner counterpart. Thereupon God let Adam fall into a deep sleep, took from him a rib and created from this his counterpart Eve. While in the narration up to this point always of "the man" (Adam) one speaks, Adam recognizes now in the meeting with the new being itself as man and opposite him Eve as woman. Adam is also mentioned in the Koran, the holy scripture of Islam. The biblical account of creation says: "And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; and he created them male and female." Adam and Eve first live in the Garden of Eden. There Eve is persuaded by the serpent to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, despite God's prohibition. The turning away from God's commandments expressed in eating the forbidden fruit is considered disobedience to God in both the Jewish and Christian religions. Christianity speaks of the fall of man. As a result of the rebellion, the Bible describes Adam and Eve realizing their nakedness, whereupon they make themselves an apron of fig leaves. God confronts them, whereupon Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the serpent. Both are expelled from the Garden of Eden, but God makes them fur clothing as protection. Eve must henceforth bear children in pain, and Adam is given the hard and laborious task of farming. The classical words : "For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return" express, according to the Christian interpretation, that death has now entered the world, since men have remained mortal. In the biblical narrative, after the expulsion from Paradise, Adam begets Cain, Abel and Set with Eve.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Upper and lower centerfold and lower right corner perfectly restored, size (in cm): 49,5 x 60,5; - Decorative map of the southern part of Africa.The map includes extensive commentary on peoples, regions, rivers and other geographic features.; History: Some of the world's oldest paleoanthropological fossils have been unearthed in South Africa. After these pre-humans, various species of the Homo genus such as Homo habilis, Homo naledi, Homo erectus and finally modern man, Homo sapiens, lived here. The beginning of modern historiography in South Africa is set on April 6, 1652, when the Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck built a supply station on the Cape of Good Hope on behalf of the Dutch East India Company (Dutch Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC). Due to its strategically favorable location, it was supposed to be a rest stop for merchant ships traveling between Europe and Southeast Asia. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the settlement, which slowly but steadily expanded, was owned by the Netherlands. The settlers initially spread to the western Cape region, which at that time was a retreat for the Khoisan. Several hundred French Huguenots, after being persecuted in France from 1686, came into the country via the Netherlands from 1688 and brought the viticulture culture with them. The French-speaking names of wineries and fruit-growing farms in the western Cape can be traced back to them. After reaching the Bantu settlement border eastwards in 1770, they waged a series of wars - the border wars - against the Xhosa people. The Cape Dutch brought numerous slaves into the country from Indonesia, Madagascar and India.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Perfect condition, size (in cm): 49 x 58 cm; - Map shows Hungary, Transilvania, Southpoland (a historical region Galizien), Croatia, partly Bosnia, Sebia, Bulgaria, Walachia and Moldavia.; History: In the historical sense, Eastern Europe refers to Ukraine, the European part of Russia, Belarus and the Republic of Moldova. Occasionally, the Caucasian countries of Georgia, Armenia and, conditionally, Azerbaijan are also seen as part of Eastern Europe. By Christian Giordano and other scholars, one of the six historical regions of Europe is called "Eastern Europe." The Eastern European countries are historically and culturally largely influenced by the Orthodox Church (Islamic Azerbaijan excepted) and were - in contrast to the Ottoman-dominated Balkans - under the rule of the Russian Empire. Like the Balkan countries, the countries of Eastern Europe were for a long time backward agricultural states (cf.: Intermediate Europe) and had no or only a limited share in the social developments of the Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment of the Western world.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Perfect condition, size (in cm): 47,5 x 58 cm; - Map shows the whole of South America with a magnificent title cartouche.; History: One of the earliest known South American civilizations was at Norte Chico, on the central Peruvian coast. Though a pre-ceramic culture, the monumental architecture of Norte Chico is contemporaneous with the pyramids of Ancient Egypt. In 1494, Portugal and Spain, the two great maritime European powers of that time, on the expectation of new lands being discovered in the west, signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, by which they agreed, with the support of the Pope, that all the land outside Europe should be an exclusive duopoly between the two countries. Beginning in the 1530s, the people and natural resources of South America were repeatedly exploited by foreign conquistadors, first from Spain and later from Portugal. These competing colonial nations claimed the land and resources as their own and divided it in colonies. The Spaniards were committed to convert their native subjects to Christianity and were quick to purge any native cultural practices that hindered this end; however, many initial attempts at this were only partially successful, as native groups simply blended Catholicism with their established beliefs and practices. Furthermore, the Spaniards brought their language to the degree they did with their religion, although the Roman Catholic Church's evangelization in Quechua, Aymara, and Guaraní actually contributed to the continuous use of these native languages albeit only in the oral form. Guyana was first a Dutch, and then a British colony, though there was a brief period during the Napoleonic Wars when it was colonized by the French. The country was once partitioned into three parts, each being controlled by one of the colonial powers until the country was finally taken over fully by the British. The first South American country to abolish slavery was Chile in 1823, Uruguay in 1830, Bolivia in 1831, Colombia and Ecuador in 1851, Argentina in 1853, Peru and Venezuela in 1854, Paraguay in 1869, and in 1888 Brazil was the last South American nation and the last country in western world to abolish slavery.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 48,5 x 27; - Titlepage of "Atlas novus"; History: The title page is one of the most important parts of the "front matter" or "preliminaries" of a book, as the data on it and its verso (together known as the "title leaf") are used to establish the "title proper and usually, though not necessarily, the statement of responsibility and the data relating to publication".This determines the way the book is cited in library catalogs and academic references. The title page often shows the title of the work, the person or body responsible for its intellectual content, and the imprint, which contains the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication. Particularly in paperback editions it may contain a shorter title than the cover or lack a descriptive subtitle. Further information about the publication of the book, including its copyright information, is frequently printed on the verso of the title page. The first printed books, or incunabula, did not have title pages: the text simply begins on the first page, and the book is often identified by the initial words?the incipit?of the text proper. Maps were usually published in atlases. And atlases were books with titles. And, again, titles were individual pieces of art. A publisher emphazised the importance of a book he published with a spectacular entrée. Usually the pictures of an atlas title page pertained in general to the subject matter: Measuring instruments, mythologigal, astronomical, religious, scientific, allegorical hints and facts were united in a composition which depicted the pride of progress in knowledge. An atlas title page often is just one superb artistic and jubilant cartouche.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Perfect condition, size (in cm): 49 x 61; - Decorative map of the Black Sea and partly the peninsula Krim. Also showing partly Turkey, Bulgaria, Armania and Romania.; History: The area of today's Turkey has been populated since the Paleolithic. The name of the Turks comes from Central Asia. The immigrants from whom Turkey got its name were the Oghusen and came from the area around the Aral Sea. The Turkish settlement of Anatolia began with the arrival of the Seljuks in the 11th century AD. Around 1299, Osman I, Gazi (1259?1326) founded the Ottoman dynasty named after him, from which the name of the Ottoman Empire (also called the Turkish Empire) ) derives. After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottomans ruled over large parts of the Middle East, North Africa, the Crimea, the Caucasus and the Balkans. After the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into Europe was brought to a standstill near Vienna and the Ottoman army was defeated there on Kahlenberg in 1683, the empire was pushed back further and further from its European territories to the tip west of the Marmara Sea, between Istanbul and Edirne. The national movements that emerged from the 19th century onwards led to a gradual fragmentation of the empire, the occupation of Turkish North Africa by European powers and finally the defeat in the First World War resulted in its ultimate decline.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 46 x 58 cm; - Map shows the whole of Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Pomerania, Silesia, the Czech Republic and Austria with its postal routes.; History: The concept of Germany as a distinct region in central Europe can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul (France), which he had conquered. In the High Middle Ages, the regional dukes, princes and bishops gained power at the expense of the emperors. Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformationagainst the Catholic Church after 1517, as the northern states became Protestant, while the southern states remained Catholic. The two parts of the Holy Roman Empire clashed in the Thirty Years' War (1618?1648). 1648 marked the effective end of the Holy Roman Empire and the beginning of the modern nation-state system, with Germany divided into numerous independent states, such as Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Tears on upper margin perfectly restored, size (in cm): 49 x 58 cm; - Map shows the Bay of Gibraltar with many upstream sailing ships and three partial maps: the Strait of Gibraltar, Gibraltar from a bird's eye view and from the sea with upstream ships.; History: Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet, representing the Grand Alliance, captured the town of Gibraltar on behalf of the Archduke Charles of Austria in his campaign to become King of Spain. The occupation of the town by Alliance forces caused the exodus of the population to the surrounding area of the Campo de Gibraltar.As the Alliance's campaign faltered, the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht was negotiated and ceded control of Gibraltar to Britain to secure Britain's withdrawal from the war. Unsuccessful attempts by Spanish monarchs to regain Gibraltar were made with the siege of 1727 and again with the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779 to 1783), during the American War of Independence. Gibraltar became a key base for the Royal Navy and played an important role prior to the Battle of Trafalgar.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Wide margins, perfect condition, size (in cm): 37 x 48; - Map shows the islands of the Molucces, Ternale, Tidore, Timor, Machian, Bachian, the coast of Dschailolo, a detail map of Bachian and beautiful cartushes.; History: The Maluku Islands are an archipelago within Banda Sea, Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located east of Sulawesi, west of New Guinea, and north and east of Timor. The islands were known as the Spice Islands due to the nutmeg, mace and cloves that were originally exclusively found there, the presence of which sparked colonial interest from Europe in the 16th century. The Maluku Islands formed a single province from Indonesian independence until 1999, when it was split into two provinces. A new province, North Maluku, incorporates the area between Morotai and Sula, with the arc of islands from Buru and Seram to Wetar remaining within the existing Maluku Province.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Very good, size (in cm): 49 x 61; - Map shows total Ukraine with the peninsula Krim; History: Neanderthal settlement in Ukraine is seen in the Molodova archaeological sites, which include a mammoth bone dwelling. The territory is also considered to be the likely location for the human domestication of the horse. In the mid-14th century, upon the death of Boles_aw Jerzy II of Mazovia, king Casimir III of Poland initiated campaigns (1340?1366) to take Galicia-Volhynia. Meanwhile, the heartland of Rus', including Kiev, became the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, ruled by Gediminas and his successors, after the Battle on the Irpen' River. In 1648, Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Petro Doroshenko led the largest of the Cossack uprisings against the Commonwealth and the Polish king John II Casimir. After Khmelnytsky made an entry into Kiev in 1648, where he was hailed liberator of the people from Polish captivity, he founded the Cossack Hetmanate which existed until 1764. In 1657?1686 came "The Ruin", a devastating 30-year war amongst Russia, Poland, Turks and Cossacks for control of Ukraine. In 1709, Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa (1639?1709) defected to Sweden against Russia in the Great Northern War (1700?1721). Lithuanians and Poles controlled vast estates in Ukraine, and were a law unto themselves. After the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire in 1783, New Russia was settled by Ukrainians and Russians.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Lower margin enlarged, missing part upper margin replaced, size (in cm): 49,5 x 57 cm; - Map shows on 5 inset maps the strait of Gibraltar, bay and coast.; History: Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession, a combined Anglo-Dutch fleet, representing the Grand Alliance, captured the town of Gibraltar on behalf of the Archduke Charles of Austria in his campaign to become King of Spain. The occupation of the town by Alliance forces caused the exodus of the population to the surrounding area of the Campo de Gibraltar.As the Alliance's campaign faltered, the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht was negotiated and ceded control of Gibraltar to Britain to secure Britain's withdrawal from the war. Unsuccessful attempts by Spanish monarchs to regain Gibraltar were made with the siege of 1727 and again with the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779 to 1783), during the American War of Independence. Gibraltar became a key base for the Royal Navy and played an important role prior to the Battle of Trafalgar.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Perfect condition, size (in cm): 40 x 53 cm; - Map shows Terra Sancta, the Holy Land with a magnificent title cartouche and a compass rose. Translated from Latin, the title means "The Kingdom of Solomon or a map organised according to the books of Judges, Kings, Chronicles and Prophets through the twelve districts, soon to be the two kingdoms, author Philip de la Rue".; History: The first archaeologically proven traces of an early or proto-Israelite settlement in the Mashrek region go back to the period between the 12th and 11th centuries BC. BC back. According to biblical tradition, Jerusalem was founded around 1000 BC. Conquered by David from the Jebusites and chosen as the capital of his great empire. The country subsequently became part of the Persian Empire, then the Empire of Alexander the Great, and finally the Empire of the Seleucids. The Maccabees revolt in 165 BC BC brought Israel once more state independence for about 100 years. 63 BC The time of Roman supremacy began. The Romans divided the area into two provinces: Syria in the north, Judea in the south. In the course of the Islamic expansion, the area came under Arab rule in 636. Since then, Palestine has been predominantly inhabited by Arabs. The crusaders ruled from 1099 to 1291 what they called the "Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem". This was followed by the Mamluks from 1291 to 1517 and then the Ottoman rule from 1517 to 1918. None of these authorities had planned their own administration for Palestine or viewed the area as an independent geographical unit. The region was also part of Syria for the Ottomans, probably going back to the Roman name Syria.

Technic: Copper print, colorit: original colored, condition: Some folds perfectly restored, size (in cm): 61 x 62; - Map shows Southease Asia with China, Japan and Southcorea.; History: By the 15th century, Beijing had essentially taken its current shape. The Ming city wall continued to serve until modern times, when it was pulled down and the 2nd Ring Road was built in its place. It is generally believed that Beijing was the largest city in the world for most of the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.The first known church was constructed by Catholics in 1652 at the former site of Matteo Ricci's chapel; the modern Nantang Cathedral was later built upon the same site. The capture of Beijing by Li Zicheng's peasant army in 1644 ended the dynasty, but he and his Shun court abandoned the city without a fight when the Manchu army of Prince Dorgon arrived 40 days later. The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty( the years 1420 to 1912). It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. When Hongwu Emperor's son Zhu Di became the Yongle Emperor, he moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, and construction began in 1406 on what would become the Forbidden City. Construction lasted 14 years and required more than a million workers. It served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years. The palace complex exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. Since 1925 the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.