• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ANTIOCHIAN VILLAGE CAMP

April 12, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Ligonier, Pennsylvania

Of the many branches of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the two most prevalent in America by far are the Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox.  However, one of the most popular Eastern Orthodox saints in America belonged to neither of these, but rather the fairly uncommon Antiochan Orthodox Church: Father Raphael of Brooklyn.  Honored by all of the Orthodox churches, Father Raphael was the first Orthodox bishop to be consecrated on American soil, and he was instrumental in spreading the faith in the northeast.  Although forever associated with New York City, his remains now rest at the Antiochian Village Camp in Pennsylvania, a retreat and pilgrimage site of the Orthodox Church.

History

Father Raphael was born Raphael Hawaweeny in Lebanon in 1860.  His family belonged to the Antioch Orthodox Church, of one of the smallest but also one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox churches.  In adulthood he commited his life to the Church, and studied at some of the oldest and most important Christian schools in the Middle East and the world.

Through his studies he became well acquainted with the other churches in the Eastern Orthodox communion, most notably the Russian as he also studied for many years in Kiev.  In the 1890s, he became known to the royal family, and Tsar Nicholas II himself requested Raphael’s appointment to serve the small but growing Greek and Russian churchs in America.

Raphael served in the United States for twenty years, mostly in and around New York City.  He ultimately made his base in the borough of Brooklyn, with which he was later associated after his canonization.  In 1904, Archbishop Tikhon of Moscow traveled to the United States and personally installed Raphael Hawaweeny as bishop, the first Eastern Orthodox priest to be so honored on American soil.

Father Raphael served as Bishop of Brooklyn for the last decade of his life, during which time he established numerous churches and congregations throughout the New York City area.  He is credited as the founder of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.  He died in 1915 and was buried in Brooklyn.  In 1989 his remains were removed to a religious retreat in Pennslvania. He was canonized in 2000.

Visiting

The Antiochian Village in Ligonier is a religious retreat which services the various churches of the Eastern Orthodox Communion.  A modern example of such a religious community retreat facility, it hosts both religious events as well as a Summer camp.  In 1994 it hosted the Ligonier Meeting, a semi-informal conference of Eastern Orthodox leaders.

During the 1980s and 1990s a number of relics were relocated to the village, turning it into a pilgrimage destination.  The St. Ignatius Chapel reliquary is home to bits of St. Herman amd St. Moses the Ethiopian.  Sr. Raphael of Brooklyn is buried on the grounds in a well-marked and highly visited grave.

The Antiochian Village is located outside of Ligonier, approximately forty miles east of Pittsburgh.  Technically an open site, the facility is open seasonally and access may be restricted at certain times.  There is no cost of admission to see the pilgrimage sites.  No other visitor information was available as of this writing.  Web: www.antiochianvillage.org (official website).

Other Sites

Western Pennsylvania is home to numerous Eastern Orthodox communities, and several institutions of interest, including the Christ the Saviour Carpatho-Russian Seminary in nearby Johnstown.

Filed Under: Eastern Orthodox, Gravesite Tagged With: US-Mid Atlantic

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.