The Past is Already Written

“There are few people whom I really love and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Chocolate (JTBC, 2019-2020) 💕

[thepastisalreadywritten]

•

📸 Bureau of the Royal Household

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[thepastisalreadywritten]

•

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Hemiunu, Architect of the Great Pyramid

Who was the architect of the Pyramids of Egypt?

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt is the largest pyramid in the entire world. It is clearly one of the most impressive structures that mankind has ever made.

This being the case, it is worth asking who was responsible for the construction of the pyramid.

While Pharaoh Khufu was the monarch in whose reign it was constructed, there is no reason to assume that he personally designed it. So, who did?

• The discovery of Hemiunu, Architect of the Great Pyramid

In the vicinity of the Great Pyramid of Giza, there are several large cemeteries. Some of these contain the tombs of members of Khufu’s extended family. Others contain tombs of important court officials.

In one of the cemeteries to the west of the Great Pyramid of Giza, there is a particularly large tomb called a mastaba.

This is a large, rectangular building with a flat roof and inward-sloping sides. It is much larger than all the other tombs in that particular cemetery.

In this large tomb, or mastaba, archaeologists discovered that it was the tomb of an individual who was quite important to the construction of the Great Pyramid.

The name of this court official was Hemiunu. The archaeologists found an impressive statue depicting Hemiunu in this tomb with unusual lifelike realism.

• What do we know about Hemiunu?

The discovery of Hemiunu’s tomb revealed some important information.

For one thing, his tomb revealed that he was the vizier of Egypt. The vizier was the second most powerful person in Egypt after the king.

Additionally, the inscriptions in this tomb refer to him as the ‘seal-bearer’ of the king. This means that he had the king’s royal seal and was able to grant official approval.

This reinforces the fact that Hemiunu exerted considerable power over the country.

The inscriptions in the tomb also give him a variety of titles in which he is called the priest of various gods.

However, some scholars believe these may merely be honorific and don’t actually refer to real functions he performed.

From a comparison with inscriptions from other sites, historians have concluded that Hemiunu was the son of a prince named Nefermaat.

This prince, in turn, was the son of King Sneferu. In other words, Hemiunu was actually the nephew of Pharaoh Khufu in whose reign Hemiunu was vizier.

• Hemiunu as the architect of the Great Pyramid

With these facts in mind, what is the basis for the conclusion that Hemiunu was the architect of the Great Pyramid of Giza?

Ultimately, this conclusion comes from one of his titles that we see in his tomb. Scholars generally translate this title as “Overseer of All Construction Projects of the King.”

We know that Khufu was the king who got his people to construct the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Hence, it stands to reason that Hemiunu, being the Overseer of All Construction Projects of the King, would have overseen the construction of that pyramid.

In reality, this does not necessarily mean that he was an architect in the sense that we understand that role today.

Did he sit at a table and plan out the design of the pyramid in a drawing? Or did he have a role more similar to a manager, overseeing the work of a team of architects?

Simply put, we do not know what exactly his role entailed. Nonetheless, it is clear he was the one who was generally responsible for the pyramid’s construction.

Therefore, it does make sense that he participated in planning its design.

—

📷 Seated statue of the architect Hemiunu, who is credited with the construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Great Pyramid of Giza)

Old Kingdom 4th Dynasty, 2570 BC (GEM)

—

[thepastisalreadywritten]

•

—

Pierre-François Bouchard (29 April 1771 – 5 August 1822) was a French Army officer and engineer.

He is most famous for discovering the Rosetta Stone, an important archaeological find that allowed Ancient Egyptian writing to be understood for the first time in over a millennium.

—

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[thepastisalreadywritten]

•

📷 @cinemaanow / X

•

•

•

Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (14 September 1947 – 13 July 2026) was a New Zealand actor and businessman.

Known as a leading man in film and television, he received nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours for services as an actor.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (July 15)

Today marks the feast day of St. Bonaventure who is called “The Seraphic Doctor of the Church.”

St. Bonaventure is known for his leadership of the Franciscans and his great intellectual contributions to theology and philosophy.

St. Bonaventure was born in Bagnorea in Tuscany, Italy.

He is widely believed to have been born in the year 1221, although some accounts say 1217.

Sources recount that in his youth, St. Bonaventure was cured of a dangerous illness by the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi.

He went on to join the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor in 1243. After making his vows, he was sent to complete his studies in Paris.

He was taught first by Alexander of Hales, an English doctor and Franciscan, and later by John of Rochelle.

While in Paris, he became good friends with St. Thomas Aquinas, with whom he received the degree of Doctor. He also developed a friendship with St. Louis, king of France.

In 1257, St. Bonaventure was chosen to serve as the superior of the Friars Minor. In this position, which he filled for 17 years, he brought peace and order.

His impact was so great that he is sometimes referred to as the second founder of the Franciscans.

Taking on the position after a period of extraordinary expansion for the Order, St. Bonaventure worked to preserve a spirit of unity.

He calmed the threat of internal dissension that arose over differences in interpreting the message of St. Francis of Assisi.

Central to this work was his understanding that the study of philosophy and theology did not oppose the call to poverty that was so central to Franciscan spirituality.

St. Bonaventure proposed a unified and collected text regulating the daily life of the Friars Minor.

The text was accepted and ratified in 1260 by the General Chapter of the Order in Narbonne.

Wishing to present an authentic image of the life and teaching of their founder, he zealously collected documents about St. Francis of Assisi and heard testimonies of those who had actually known him.

From this information, he compiled a biography of the saint that was adopted as his official biography by the General Chapter of the Friars Minor in 1263.

St. Bonaventure also wrote numerous mystical and ascetical treatises, most famously, “The Soul's Journey into God.”

In 1273, he was appointed by Pope Gregory X as Cardinal and Bishop of Albano.

The Pope also asked him to help prepare the Second Ecumenical Council of Lyons, an ecclesial event aimed at re-establishing communion between the Latin and Greek Churches.

St. Bonaventure worked to prepare the Ecumenical Council but never saw its completion. He died on 15 July 1274, while the council was still in session.

He was canonized by Pope Sixtus IV on 14 April 1482. Bonaventure is the patron saint of intestinal disease. It is believed that he almost died from intestinal issues as a child.

In his General Audience on 3 March 2010, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the life of St. Bonaventure.

He called to mind the great works of literature, art, philosophy, and theology that were inspired by the Christian faith during the time period in which the saint lived.

“Among the great Christian figures who contributed to the composition of this harmony between faith and culture Bonaventure stands out, a man of action and contemplation, of profound piety and prudent government,” Pope Benedict said.

The Pope called on the faithful to take note of “the central role that Christ always played in Bonaventure's life and teaching and to imitate the way in which the whole of his thinking was profoundly Christocentric.”

—

"Meditation on Christ in His humanity is corporeal in deed, in fact, but spiritual in mind. . . . By adopting this habit, you will steady your mind, be trained to virtues, and receive strength of soul.

Let meditation of Christ's life be your one and only aim, your rest, your food, your desire, your study."

—  St. Bonaventure

[thepastisalreadywritten]

•

[thepastisalreadywritten]

•

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[thepastisalreadywritten]

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Princess Anne and her husband Tim Laurence talk with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during their meeting at the Presidential Blue House on 14 July 2026 in Seoul, South Korea.

📸 Jeon Heon-Kyun - Pool / Getty Images

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (July 14)

On July 14, the U.S. Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Camillus de Lellis, who turned from his life as a soldier and gambler to become the founder of an order dedicated to caring for the sick.

Camillus was born on 25 May 1550 in the Abruzzo region of Naples in present-day Italy.

His mother died during his infancy, and he lost his father, a former army officer, six years later.

The young man took after his late father professionally, serving in the armies of Venice and Naples until 1574.

During his military service, Camillus developed a severe gambling problem.

He repented of the habit in 1575, when he found himself impoverished and forced to do menial work for a group of Franciscans.

In February of that year, he resolved to change his life and soon sought to join the Order.

A wound in one of his legs, however, was seen as incurable and kept him from becoming a Franciscan. After this rejection, he traveled to Rome and worked for four years in a hospice.

Committed to a life of prayer and penance, he wore a hair shirt and received spiritual direction from St. Philip Neri.

Grieved by the quality of service given to the sick, Camillus decided to form an association of Catholics who would provide them with both physical and spiritual care.

He studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1584.

Members of his Order worked in hospitals, prisons, and in the homes of those afflicted by disease.

The Order's original name, the “Fathers of a Good Death,” reflected the desire to aid in their spiritual salvation and prepare the dying to receive their last rites.

Later known as the Order of the Ministers of the Sick, or simply as the “Camillians,” the group received papal approval in 1586 and was confirmed as a religious order in 1591.

In addition to the traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, they took a vow of unfailing service to the sick.

Camillus himself suffered physical ailments throughout his life. His leg wound failed to heal over the course of almost five decades, in addition to which he suffered from sores and severe kidney trouble.

But he is said to have spent time with the sick even while unable to walk by crawling from bed to bed.

The founder of the Ministers of the Sick lived to assist at a general chapter of his Order in Rome during 1613 and to make a last visitation of many of their hospitals.

Learning that he himself was incurably ill, Camillus responded:

“I rejoice in what has been told me. We shall go into the house of the Lord.”

Receiving the Eucharist for the last time, he declared:

“O Lord, I confess I am the most wretched of sinners, most undeserving of your favor; but save me by your infinite goodness. My hope is placed in your divine mercy through your precious blood.”

After giving his last instructions to his fellow Ministers of the Sick, Camillus de Lellis died on 14 July 1614.

Pope Benedict XIV beatified him in 1742 and canonized in 1746.

He is the patron saint of the sick, hospitals, nurses, doctors, and healthcare workers. Additionally, because of his own severe struggles with addiction in his youth, he is invoked against the vice of gambling.

He was later named – along with Saint John of God – as one of the two main co-patrons of nurses and nursing associations in 1930.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

•

[thepastisalreadywritten]

•