CHURCH OF ST. PETER
Antakya, Turkey The Church of St. Peter in Antioch, or Antakya, may very well be the world’s oldest place of Christian worship still in active use. Built into the side of a slope on Mount Starius, it was the seat of the first patriarchate established outside of the Holy Land. According to tradition, it stands on the spot where Peter the Apostle delivered the first sermon … [Read more...]
HOLY GROTTO OF THE REVELATION
Patmos, Greece The Isle of Patmos in the Dodeconese Islands between Greece and Turkey has the honor of being the setting for the very last book of the Bible. It was here, sometime towards the end of the 1st century AD, that John the Evangelist received the supreme vision of the apocalyptic end of the world and the final triumph of God’s eternal kingdom. The Book of … [Read more...]
BASILICA OF ST. THOMAS
Chennai, Tamil Nadu The Basilica of St. Thomas in India is one of the most important churches in Asia and yet one of Christanity’s least well-known major shrines. This is due in large part to geography, as it is strange to think that a small Christian enclave thousands of miles to the east of the Holy Land and Europe is in possession of one of only a handful of known … [Read more...]
CATHEDRAL OF SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Santiago De Compostela, Spain The city of Santiago de Compostela is one of only a handful of cathedrals generally recognized to be the site of an apostolic tomb: that of James the Greater. According to a somewhat confusing tradition, the remains of James were brought here following his martyrdom at the hands of King Herod around the year 44 AD. The first cathedral was … [Read more...]
MONASTERY OF ST. THADDEUS
Maku, Iran This quiet, isolated monstary located in the wilderness hinterlands of ancient Armenia is believed to stand on the site of the martyrdom and/or burial of the Apostle Thaddeus, or Jude. It is revered by both the Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian Orthodox Churches, especially members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. For the last three decades, the monastery has been … [Read more...]
ST. PETER’S BASILICA
Vatican City St. Peter’s Basilica is the great cathedral of the Vatican, the world’s smallest sovereign state, and the last surviving remnant of an immense Christian Empire that once spread to every corner of Europe. In the aftermath of the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem in the 7th century, the site of Peter’s martyrdom and burial became the most popular, or at least the … [Read more...]
