Category: Place

St. Constantine and St. Helena church, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

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The church of St. Constantine and St. Helena is one of the oldest Christian temples of Plovdiv, located on a site that housed a Christian sanctuary already in the early fourth century. It is on the ramparts of the Acropolis, in the center of the old town. The Severian and Memnos martyrs were beheaded in 304 (at the place where the church is) because of their Christian religion. The archaeologists support that the temple was built 30 years after the death of these martyrs and that it had their name. The actual name is due to Emperor Constantine when he was canonized as a saint so they changed its name and that of his mother. Along the years, the temple was built and rebuilt and the one we see today dates from 1832. In 1950, they discovered an ossuary that preserved the bones of tens of generations of inhabitants of Plovdiv during excavations. Today they rest in a pit located beneath a tombstone found in the temple courtyard. This court has a solid stone wall around that reaches 6 to 8 meters in height and is crowned by a massive brick cornice. Some additional buildings in the courtyard gives it the appearance of a monastery. The interior has three naves with a vaulted ceiling of extraordinary richness. There are murals, an iconostasis wooden sculpted, icons and a wooden sculpted pulpit.

Tips

If you visit the church without an organized tour, enjoy to walk in the old town because there are many things to see, beautiful architecture and lots of history.

Basilica of the Transfiguration, Mount Tabor, Galilee, Holy Land, Israel

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The Basilica of the Transfiguration is a Franciscan basilica on Mount Tabor in Galilee in the Holy Land, Israel. It was built with an orientation to the east in 1924 by the Franciscans who had the field since their installation in 1631, where Christian tradition says there was the event of the Transfiguration of Christ alongside Moses and the prophet Elijah, in favor of Pierre, Jacques and Jean. The Basilica is on the ruins of another Christian church that was built between the fourth century and the sixth century but also another church built in the twelfth century by the Crusaders. There is also a Franciscan monastery that was erected with the basilica. In the proximities of this basilica, there are another Greek Orthodox church that was built by evoking the same event of the Transfiguration. The road route for the transportation of materials needed for construction, is used today by pilgrims visiting the basilica. The entrance to the site is by the door of the Wind or Bab el-Hawa, old vestige of the Muslim fortress of the thirteenth century. The sanctuary has three new, large arc between the two towers in its facade and bronze doors. The nave is separated by the side of the vault arches and overlooks a staircase carved into the rock that goes down to the crypt. The scene of the Transfiguration is represented at the bottom in the choir. You can also see the remains of the previous masonry on the walls.

Tips

From the top of the mount, you might enjoy a magnificent view of cultivated fields of the plain of Esdraelon.

St. Francis Xavier Mission, Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada

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In 1667 the St. Francis Xavier Mission was established in La Prairie, 15km from Kahnawake today. The church has magnificent ceiling paintings depicting New Testament scenes and the Catholic tradition, among them, the apotheosis of St Francis Xavier, the author being a painter and Italian glassmaker; Guido Nincheri; dating from 1924 to 1928. King Charles X of France gave two paintings to the mission, the one of the Immaculate Conception and the one of St. Louis, King of France in prayer. There is also another large painting of St Francis Xavier dying, dating back to the early 19th century. The large crucifix hanging was a gift from the residents of Kahnawake in honor to the thirty-five of their number who died in late August 1907 during the collapse of a span of the Quebec Bridge under construction and the statue in wood of the Child Jesus in the world comes from the workshops of the Ursuline Sisters of Quebec (1671-1700). The statue of Kateri is the work of Médard Bourgault of St-Jean-Port-Joli (1941), her tomb is in marble. Kateri was declared venerable in 1943 and blessed in 1980 by Pope John Paul II. There are also other important works.

Tips

Enjoy your visit and see the small museum and discover manuscripts and indigenous ethnic objects as other interesting items.
You can also see the old rectory of origin (1720) and take a walk on the bridge along the old wall of Fort St. Louis (1725), you will have a magnificent view of the St. Lawrence and all Mission complex viewed from the rear.