Mtskheta, Georgia In the earliest centuries of Christianity, the Caucusus region represented the northeasternmost frontier of Christian missionary efforts. The Eastern Orthodox Church did not grow much beyond the Black Sea, that expansion being largely undertaken by the Oriental and Assyrian churches. Mtskheta, the capital of the region throughout most of the Roman period, … [Read more...]
HAGIA SOFIA OF ISTANBUL
Istanbul, Turkey Of the original five great patriarchates of Christianity, that of Byzantium was the last to form and, for many years, was the least important. This situation changed dramatically in the 4th century when Constantine not only legalized Christianity but also moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantium. Almost overnight Byzantium became the most … [Read more...]
ST. CATHERINE’S MONASTERY
Feran, Egypt St. Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt is one of Christianity’s greatest ancient treasures. Officially known as The Sacred and Imperial Monastery of the God-Trodden Mount of Sinai, it is home to one of the oldest Christian churches still in use: the Chapel of the Burning Bush. It is also home to one of Christianity’s most venerable library … [Read more...]
CAVE OF ST. THECLA
Maloula, Syria The Cave of Thecla is an ancient Christian site, dating perhaps as far back as the mid-1st century. Thecla, an early Church convert, did not appear in the New Testament but was an important figure of Apocryphal Christian literature. According to the Acts of Paul and Thecla, she may have been one of the first, or possibly even the first woman martyred for the … [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...]
HOUSE OF THE VIRGIN MARY
Ephesus, Turkey The city of Ephesus in western Asia Minor, one of the great metropolises of the Roman Empire, witnessed the final events of the lives of not one but two of the New Testament’s most pivotal figures: Mary, the Mother of Jesus; and John the Evangelist. Little is known about the last days of these two most prominent Biblical personages, but their presence in … [Read more...]
CHURCH OF AGIOS LAZAROS
Larnaka, Cyprus As Christianity began to spread across the Mediterranean world in the 1st century, the island of Cyprus became a natural stepping stone for early Christian missionary efforts. It was the first place Paul visited outside of the Levant, and one of the first places outside of Judea or Syria to receive the Gospel. Its reputation as an important Christian … [Read more...]
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
Jerusalem, Israel Jerusalem was the heart of Judaism for more than a thousand years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth and the arrival of Christianity. It was perhaps inevitable that when he challenged the authority of the Jewish priests and the Roman governor, the central battleground would be in Jerusalem. It was here that Jesus spoke against the commercialization of … [Read more...]
CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
Bethlehem, Palestine The Church of the Nativity stands on the traditional site of the birthplace of Jesus Christ, and is the second holiest site in Christendom after the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The current structure dates in part to the 6th century AD and is one of the oldest Christian churches still in use in the Holy Land. The Church of the Nativity is part of a … [Read more...]
CHURCHES OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
Oak Park, Illinois; Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin 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 (homes, commercial buildings, hotels and so on). Over the course of his career Wright … [Read more...]
