Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

3 July 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

The shrine of John the Baptist (Prophet Yahya) © Lars Mongs, Arxfoto/cc-by-4.0

The shrine of John the Baptist (Prophet Yahya) © Lars Mongs, Arxfoto/cc-by-4.0

The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports concerning the mosque, and historic events associated with it. Christian and Muslim tradition alike consider it the burial place of John the Baptist‘s head, a tradition originating in the 6th century. Muslim tradition holds that the mosque will be the place Jesus will return before the End of Days. Two shrines inside the premises commemorate the Islamic prophet Muhammad‘s grandson Husayn ibn Ali, whose martyrdom is frequently compared to that of John the Baptist and Jesus.   read more…

HaKirya in Tel Aviv

4 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  9 minutes

Sarona Compound © Doraharon/cc-by-sa-3.0

Sarona Compound © Doraharon/cc-by-sa-3.0

HaKirya, or The Kirya (lit.: The Campus), is an area in central Tel Aviv, consisting of an urban military base north of Kaplan Street, and a civilian area south of it. HaKirya contains the Tel Aviv District‘s government center and the major Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base Camp Rabin, named for Yitzhak Rabin. It was one of the first IDF bases and has served as the IDF’s headquarters since its founding in 1948. Being located in a dense urban environment, the base serves mainly command, administrative, communications, and support functions.   read more…

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels

1 June 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month Reading Time:  7 minutes

The nave © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-4.0

The nave © Diego Delso/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (French: Cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule, Dutch: Kathedraal van Sint-Michiel en Sint-Goedele), usually shortened to the Cathedral of St. Gudula or St. Gudula by locals, is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in central Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, the patron saints of the City of Brussels, and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Brabantine Gothic architecture.   read more…

Cîteaux Abbey in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux

27 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Arnaud 25/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Arnaud 25/cc-by-sa-4.0

Cîteaux Abbey (French: Abbaye de Cîteaux) is a Catholic abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, France. It is notable for being the original house of the Cistercian order. Today, it belongs to the Trappists (also called the Cistercians of the Strict Observance). The abbey has about 35 members. The monks produce a cheese branded under the abbey’s name, as well as caramels and honey-based candies.   read more…

Morimond Abbey in Haute-Marne

21 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Reproduction of a 1789 plan of the abbey © Frédéric BRICE/cc-by-sa-3.0

Reproduction of a 1789 plan of the abbey © Frédéric BRICE/cc-by-sa-3.0

Morimond Abbey is a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Cistercian Order, along with La Ferté to the south, Pontigny to the west and Clairvaux to the north.   read more…

Rila Monastery in Bulgaria

16 May 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Main church 'Nativity of the Virgin Mother' © Daniel Petrov/cc-by-sa-4.0

Main church ‘Nativity of the Virgin Mother’ © Daniel Petrov/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, also known as Rila Monastery “Sveti Ivan Rilski”, is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km (73 mi) south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River (“Rila River”) at an elevation of 1,147 m (3,763 ft) above sea level, inside of Rila Monastery Nature Park. The monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila (876 – 946 AD), and houses around 60 monks.   read more…

Hanging Church in Old Cairo

10 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Radosław Botev/cc-by-3.0-pl

© Radosław Botev/cc-by-3.0-pl

Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church (Church of Mother of God Saint Mary in Egyptian Babylon), also known as the Hanging Church, is one of the oldest churches in Egypt which dates to the third century. It belongs to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.   read more…

Strasbourg Cathedral

8 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

The west front © Claude Truong-Ngoc/cc-by-sa-3.0

The west front © Claude Truong-Ngoc/cc-by-sa-3.0

Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or Cathédrale de Strasbourg, German: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or Straßburger Münster), also known as Strasbourg Minster, is a Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture. Architect Erwin von Steinbach is credited for major contributions from 1277 to his death in 1318, and beyond through his son Johannes von Steinbach, and his grandson Gerlach von Steinbach, who succeeded him as chief architects. The Steinbachs’s plans for the completion of the cathedral were not followed through by the chief architects who took over after them, and instead of the originally envisioned two spires, a single, octagonal tower with an elongated, octagonal crowning was built on the northern side of the west facade by master Ulrich von Ensingen and his successor, Johannes Hültz. The construction of the cathedral, which had started in the year 1015 and had been relaunched in 1190, was finished in 1439.   read more…

Gethsemane in East Jerusalem

7 April 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  < 1 minute

Garden of Gethsemane © Tango7174/cc-by-sa-4.0

Garden of Gethsemane © Tango7174/cc-by-sa-4.0

Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus underwent the agony in the garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. It is a place of great resonance in Christianity. There are several small olive groves in church property, all adjacent to each other and identified with biblical Gethsemane.   read more…

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