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

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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.

WHERE TO GET THE BEST TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS TREATS

December 6, 2020 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

WHERE TO GET THE BEST TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS TREATS

The Holiday season in general, and Christmas in particular, is a time of many things: faith, festivities, traditions, movies, music, decorations, gifts and much more. But the thing that ties it all together?  The food! With roots that trace in part back to ancient pagan Solstice festivals, which were marked the world over by great feasts, the holiday season is in some ways … [Read more...]

HISTORIC WORKSHOPS WHERE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE MADE

November 30, 2020 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

HISTORIC WORKSHOPS WHERE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE MADE

There are few things as evocative of the holiday season as the endless variety of Christmas decorations that festoon virtually every structure in the western world during the month of December.  Strings of lights, which originated at Thomas Edison’s workshops in New Jersey in the late 19th century, are a mainstay. But what about everything else?  What about the ornaments, … [Read more...]

THANKSGIVING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM – 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAYFLOWER VOYAGE

November 15, 2020 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

THANKSGIVING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM – 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MAYFLOWER VOYAGE

Thanksgiving is almost upon us, with this year marking the 399th anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.  2020 will mark four centuries of the American experience, at least as counted since the founding of the Plymouth colony.  In anticipation of this, major events are being planned for next year across the United States, … [Read more...]

GRAVESITES OF AMERICA’S GREAT THEOLOGIANS

November 8, 2020 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

GRAVESITES OF AMERICA’S GREAT THEOLOGIANS

The American colonies were home to a vibrant Christian culture that gave birth to a religious diversity that still thrives in the United States today.  Much of modern American faith can be traced to early religious leaders who, from the humble Puritan beginnings of the Pilgrims, went on to establish a great Reformed tradition.  This was manifested in the Presbyterian and other … [Read more...]

CHURCHES OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

October 12, 2020 By Howard Kramer 1 Comment

CHURCHES OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT

Frank Lloyd Wright, arguably the greatest architect in American history and one of the pivotal figures of the modern architecture movement, made his impact on modern church design as much as he impacted everything else.  Over the course of his career Wright designed over a dozen churches and other religious structures, some of which were so ground breaking that they set the … [Read more...]

SHANGHAI JEWISH REFUGEES MUSEUM AND SHANGHAI JEWISH GHETTO

September 15, 2020 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

SHANGHAI JEWISH REFUGEES MUSEUM AND SHANGHAI JEWISH GHETTO

The Jewish Diaspora, in which the ancient inhabitants of Israel slowly spread to the four corners of the Earth, is one of the great epic stories of world history. From the most humble beginning of a tiny enclave in ancient Canaan, the Jews spread across the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East; thence to Europe and Central Asia; and finally across the globe.  Of all the … [Read more...]

OLDEST SYNAGOGUES ON EARTH

September 9, 2020 By Howard Kramer 6 Comments

OLDEST SYNAGOGUES ON EARTH

Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world (among the major active religions it is only predated by Hinduism). Despite this, little if anything remains of Jewish religious sites prior to the Middle Ages.  Thousands of years of wars and persecutions have left little in the way of ancient synagogues.  The world’s last intact Roman-era synagogue was sadly destroyed when a … [Read more...]

TOP TEN MUST-SEE SYNAGOGUES IN THE UNITED STATES

September 6, 2020 By Howard Kramer 2 Comments

TOP TEN MUST-SEE SYNAGOGUES IN THE UNITED STATES

Over the last few years, The Complete Pilgrim has featured stories about synagogues all over the United States, looking at the most historic by region. Today The Complete Pilgrim is narrowing it down to a highly subjective top ten list of America’s must-see synagogues, which would be difficult in just New York (which I just realized I have never done a list for!).  Actually, I … [Read more...]

RELIGIOUS SITES OF NEW YORK CITY – PART TWO – MIDTOWN MANHATTAN

August 21, 2020 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

RELIGIOUS SITES OF NEW YORK CITY – PART TWO – MIDTOWN MANHATTAN

New York City has what is arguably the greatest collection of must-see churches and religious sites in the United States.  And ground zero for church hopping here is the island of Manhattan.  Many of the most historic churches, such as Trinity Church, are packed into the downtown area, which we looked at in Part One.  However, for New York’s most famous and visited churches, … [Read more...]

HISTORIC CHURCHES AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP IN WASHINGTON DC

August 11, 2020 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

HISTORIC CHURCHES AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP IN WASHINGTON DC

Washington DC, the capital of the United States, receives millions of visitors every year.  People come from all over the world to see the historic government district, with its immense, stately buildings, museums and monuments.  What most visitors to Washington do not often see are its equally magnificent religious buildings.  This is due in large part to the fact that there … [Read more...]

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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

 

 

 

 

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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.

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