Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur,
Paris, France

"Sacre Coeur is a Catholic basilica in Montmartre, Paris. The foundation was laid in 1875. It was finished in 1914. It is named after the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is built in the Romano-byzantine style." (Link 1.)

"The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (French: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, pronounced [sakʁe kœʁ]), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the defeat of France in the 1871 Franco-Prussian War and the socialist Paris Commune of 1871^[1] crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to theSacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ.^[2]

"The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.

"In response to requests from French bishops, Pope Pius IX promulgated the feast of the Sacred Heart in 1856. The basilica itself was consecrated on 16 October 1919.

"Sacré-Cœur is built of travertine stone quarried in Château-Landon (Seine-et-Marne), France. This stone constantly exudes calcite, which ensures that the basilica remains white even with weathering and pollution."( Link 2.)

Interior of the Sacré-Cœur.

( Link 2.)

"A mosaic in the apse, entitled Christ in Majesty, created by Luc-Olivier Merson, is among the largest in the world.

"The basilica is home to a large and very fine pipe organ built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll for a private home in Biarritz... (Link 2.)

Top Photo: Taken in Aug. 2016 by iPhone by RW while attending the World Bike Messenger Championships.

Link 1: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacr%C3%A9-C%C5%93ur
Link 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacr%C3%A9-C%C5%93ur,_Paris

Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

                                                               St. Lambertus Church  

St. Lambertus Church

Kalterherberg, Monschau, Germany

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The town of Monschau is south west of Cologne Germany, near the border with Belgium.

Organ Pipes  Rose Window in Rear Balcony and in Sanctuary

"Monschau, sometimes called the "Pearl of the Eifel", is a small, historic town in the German Eifel. Largely unchanged for over 300 years, the narrow, cobble stoned streets and traditional half-timbered houses have made this charming place one of the main tourist attractions of the region. Set in the beautiful landscapes of the Eifel region, at a stones-throw from the Eifel National Park, it makes an excellent base for hikers and cyclists. While popular in summer, it only becomes truly overrun for its famous Christmas market in winter... former fame as a centre for textile production...nearby cities like Aachen and Cologne.( Link 2.)

Stained Glass Sanctuary Window

The architecture is in the style of New-Romantic. (Link 3.)

Baptismal Font

Bronze Architectural Detail

Photos: Taken on iPhone by RW while living and working in Basel, Switzerland.

Link 1:

 https://www.google.ch/maps/place/Cologne,+Germany/@50.52072,6.2208854,18z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x47bf259169ab2fe5:0x42760fc4a2a77f0?hl=en

Link 2:  https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Monschau

Link 3: http://www.360cities.net/image/monschau-kalterherberg-st-lambertus-eifeldom-eifel

Link 4:

Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

Eisiedeln Church and Monastery

Eisiedeln Church and Monastery
Eisiedeln, Switzerland

Zurich south along Lake Lucerne to Eisiedeln

(one hour by train)
(Google Map)

"Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Einsiedeln in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, the title being derived from the circumstances of its foundation, for the first inhabitant of the region was Saint Meinrad, a hermit. It is a territorial abbey and, therefore, not part of a diocese, subject to a bishop. It has been a major resting point on the Way of St. James for centuries." (Link 1.)

Side entrance to Abbey

Church Exterior Detail

Church Exterior Detail

"In the German language the word einsiedler means hermit, and Switzerland's greatest pilgrimage shrine, the abbey of Einsiedeln, derives its name from being the 'place of the hermits'. While legends indicate the site was sacred in pre-Christian times, its historical fame began in the early 9th century. In 835, Meinrad, a young nobleman who had been a monk in the monastery of Reichenau, left the monastery to live a hermit's life in the deep woods of northeast Switzerland. For 26 years he lived alone in the woods with two crows as his only companions. In 861, two bandits came upon Meinrad in his hermitage and murdered him. Legends tell that Meinrad's two crows followed the bandits, hovering and shrieking in a strange manner, until the bandits were captured in Zurich, 30 miles away.

Lady Fountain in front of Abbey 

(Link 1.)

Church Interior

"When Meinrad had first come to the forest he had brought along one of the mysterious Black Madonna statues, considered by many scholars to be Christianized pagan Dark Goddesses. 

• Black Madonna, Eisiedeln, Switzerland (Google Image)

"After Meinrad's death a small Benedictine cloister was built at the site of his hermitage and this cloister, housing the Black Madonna, soon became a pilgrimage site of great importance. The enormous abbey standing today rose over a period of many centuries and only legends are left regarding the sites sacred use in prehistoric times. Inside the church the primary object of pilgrimage visitation is the Chapel of Grace which houses a mid-15th century Black Madonna icon." (Link 2.)

Abbey Courtyard

Abbey Courtyard Statue

Photos: Taken in 2016 by RW while living in Basel, Switzerland.Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einsiedeln_Abbey
Link 2: http://sacredsites.com/europe/switzerland/einsiedeln.html

Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)

Evangelisch Mehodistische Kirche

Allschwilerplatz 8 
4055 Basel, Switzerland

Evangelisch Methodistische Kirche

Tamil Christian Fellowship

Basel, Switzerland

Church Sign

"The methodist church is located in a dwelling house at Allschwilerplatz just opposite the tramway station. This is a mixed residential and commercial quarter mainly developed in the late 19th and early 20th century. It has mainly apartment buildings and small businesses in the closer area; the only exception is a hospital.

Sign and Doors to Church Sanctuary

"The service area of this church are the quarters west of the city center. It is one of four Methodist churches in Basel.

Church Sanctuary

"The service hours are Sunday at 10:00. There are prayer hours on Wednesday and Sunday at 9:30 as well as additional events. Their web site is not very well maintained, so the only reliable source of information is the display window in front of the church.

Church Chancel

"The building looks like from the early 20th century. There are apartments in the upper floors. I have no idea since when it has been used as a church, but according to the shape of the entrance and the windows it could have been planned this way." (Link .)

Photos: Taken on iPhone by RW while living and working in Basel, Switzerland.

Link: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMBWN5_Evangelisch_Methodistische_Kirche_Allschwilerplatz_Basel_Swi

Prayer

God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)