SAINT STEVEN’S CATHEDRAL – PICTURE GALLERY
MELK ABBEY CHURCH & LIBRARY – PICTURE GALLERY
ST. FRANCIS CHURCH
Cochin, Kerala The St. Francis Church is not only the oldest Christian church in India, it is also the oldest church built by a European colonial power in Asia. It was from here, even earlier than in Goa, that Christianity and Roman Catholicism began its long spread throughout the Subcontinent. Its history includes brushes with famous European explorers as well as numerous … [Read more...]
BASILICA OF THE HOLY CROSS IN JERUSALEM
Rome, Italy The Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem is one of the great churches of Rome. Home to an assortment of relics related to the Crucifixion of Jesus, it was historically and ironically the least important of the city’s traditional pilgrimage churches. Nevertheless it is one of the seven recognized pilgrimage churches of Rome, despite the fact that it is neither … [Read more...]
OUR LADY OF LEBANON
Harissa, Lebanon In a region completed dominated by non-Christians, the Statue and Basilica of Our Lady of Lebanon stand as a defiant reminder of Lebanon’s Catholic history. Outside of Israel and Palestine, it is probably the most popular Christian shrine between Europe and India. It is also one of the most visually stunning Christian sites in the Middle East. In addition … [Read more...]
RUINS OF ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
Macau, China Although the Catholic Church did not penetrate very far into China, or northeast Asia in general, it did gain a strong foothold in the Portuguese territory of Macau, the first and last European colony in China. Its principal church, the Cathedral of St. Paul, was established by Jesuit Missionaries, and for many years was the largest Christian edifice in the Far … [Read more...]
SANCTUARY OF LAS LAJAS
Narino, Colombia There are hundreds of churches and cathedrals around the world that could viably compete for the title of most beautiful, or most awe-inspiring, and many of these appear on this list. However, when it comes to spectacular settings, almost none can compare with Colombia’s Sanctuary of Las Lajas. Clinging to the verdant side of a multi-bridge spanned gorge, … [Read more...]
ABBEY OF MELK
Melk, Austria Throughout the Middle Ages in the west, monastaries, more than any other institution, were the great repositories of knowledge and learning. Across Christian Europe, monks devoted their lives to the preservation and dissemination of knowledge, creating the forerunners of universities and maintaining great libraries. Few were greater, or more famous, than the … [Read more...]
APOSTOLIC PALACE
Vatican City Although the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican is just one of three official residences of the Pope, it is the one which most pilgrims to Rome are familiar with. Adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica, it is one of Europe’s most magnificent residences, on par with Buckingham Palace in London or the Royal Palace of Madrid. It is also the world’s single greatest … [Read more...]
