St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

1432 SW 13th Avenue

(Side Door)

St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish
Portland, Oregon

"St. Stephen's Chapel was the second Episcopal church established in the growing city of Portland.  It was finance and built on what is ow the site of the City Hall by the Reverend Thomas Fielding Scott nine years after he was elected Bishop of the Missionary District of Oregon and Washington and arrived in the Oregon Country. 

"St. Stephen's opened its doors for services in 1863 with just a few families.  Separate Episcopal Schools (now the Oregon Episcopal School) were opened for boys and girls (St. Helen's Hall) adjacent to the church.  Needing room to expand, St. Stephen's was moved in 1870. 

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

(Link .)

"St. Stephen's grew and prospered.  A newly built chapel and school were consecrated by Bishop Benjamin Wistar Morris in June, 1882 with the mission to:
       "Aid in the culture of the spirit of the true reverence in both young and old....and carry on the blessed work preaching the Gospel and gathering the wander and stranger ito the fold of Christ."

"In 1890, St. Stephen's Chapel was moved again to its present location at the corner of 13th and Clay to allow growth for the school which now had 132 pupils.  By 1915, St. Stephen the Protomartyr Cathedral had 421 communicants and had established issions, outreach to the city's poor, suport of the city's Chinese  immigrants and a mission for African-American Episcopalians.

"Arson fire in 1024 destroyed the pro-cathedral and parish house.  Only the historic Lady Chapel and the Sacristy from St. Stephen's pioneer days were spared.  St. Stephen's was rebuilt in 1925 as a temporary structure that included installation of the Lady Chapel and a new organ.

"Over the years, various plans have been put forward to expand, improve or replace the "temporary" building supportive of St. Stephen's urban mission and ministry.

St Stephen the Protomartry Icon

"The icon is painted in the Eastern Christian manner as a young beardless man with a tonsure, wearing a deacon's vestments and holding a censer and incense container in the shape of a miniature church building reflecting his caretaking responsibilities....It was painted cy Australian artists, Olga Lukjanenko...and dedicated on ST. Stephen's Feast Day December 2009." (REF.)

"St. Stephen's was known as the "Bishop's Church" becoming the Pro-
Cathedral in 1906 and then the Cathedral until 1973.  St. Stephen's Cathedral standing was transferred, first  to St. John the Baptist Church, and affiliate of St. Stephen's, and in 1994 to Trinity Cathedral.

"St. Stephen's has a rich history of sacrament and service-actively sharing Episcopal tradition, experiences, faith and aid with our many diverse congregations of Portland's urban settlers, builders, leaders, children and families, individuals  and those in need for 150 years.

Altar with Sanctuary Cross

"Our historic sanctuary is graced with a dramatic wood center cross suspended from the vaulted ceiling.  The cross was carved in native bul myrtle by Oregon master sculptor LeRoy Setziol."  (REF.)

Madonna del Ghisallo Portland Bicycle Shrine

"Since November, 2009, the Portland Bicycle Shrine as been a place of reflection and meditation which honors the Madonna del Ghisallo, the patron saint of cyclists.  The shrine is a place to celebrate the joy of bicycling, a place to tray for the safety of everyone on the road, a memorial to those who have fallen in bicycle accidents, a place of quiet contemplation for all and a sanctuary of solace for those who are grieving lost friends and family.  If you are a rider, you may ask that you and your bike be blessed in the Madonna's name." (Reference.)

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Note:Suzanne and Alan Wilson attended Sunday worship St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Portland during their May 2017 trip there to meet the woman who was the maid of honor at their wedding-50 years ago.  While at the church service they received a blessing from the priest in honor of their Golden Wedding Anniversary.

Reference: St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish Directory, 2012.
Link: https://ststephenspdx.org/cathedral/

(See Blog Post 8/13/17 for  more on the Madonna del Ghisallo Portland Bicycle Shrine located in the sanctuary of the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church."

Wendolinsskapelle

Wendolinskapelle Chapel
Mohlin, Switzerland

"Obermoshlin, Wendolinsgasse, at the junction Landstrasse-Zeiningerstrasse. 

"Möhlin is located on the railway line Basel-Zurich. From the station to the chapel, it is about 2 km along Bahnhofstrasse. Bus drivers use the line station Möhlin-Wegenstetten to the stop Obermatt. 

Original Key  Stone on Entrance

 with Date of Current Building

"The Wendelinskapelle is located near three historical guest houses and a former ford through the Möhlinbach. Here, at the old junction of the Landstrasse through the Rhine valley and the road to Zeiningen-Wegenstetten, from where once a road crossed the Jura into the Aare valley. As early as 1478, a small church was mentioned here. The current date dates back to 1688. The fact that it already had a clock at that time underlined its prominent location on this busy road. Until the construction of today's Landstrasse in the 19th century, the road passed the chapel (Wendolinsgasse). 

"A picture cycle to the life of St. Wendelin covers a large part of the ship's walls. It is a 1920/23 early work of Basel artist Hans Stocker (1896-1983). Stocker is regarded as a pioneer of modern Swiss glass painting and as a renewer of ecclesiastical art in Switzerland. His pictures in Möhlin suffered an inglorious destiny. During renovation work in the years 1949/50 they were damaged by limestone spatter. Their elimination caused even greater damage, so that the murals were ultimately overshadowed with a white color. With the support of the monument preservation, the excavation took place in 1987/88. 

"Three baroque statues look from the choir wall. The nearly life-size Wendelin from the time around 1720/30 is attributed to the sculptor Hans Freitag from Rheinfelder. The bishops, Martin and Eligius, show two smaller, handsome figures. The latter is depicted with a horse and is the patron of the horses and drivers - suitable for the chapel on a traffic axis. 

"Three angels hover on the ceiling. The left holds a stone column as a sign of the stability of the church (= Ecclesia). In the middle figure of the angel with the cross is the word Fides (= loyalty, faith), in the right with the bishop's rod Apostolatus (= mission, order). 

Cross at Entrance

"Before the chapel entrance is a expressive trail cross from the time around 1600. On the renewed pedestal, next to a donor inscription is a Jakobsmuschel with staff (sign of the pilgrims). Whether it is referring to our earthly patronage, a pilgrimage of the founder to Compostela, or the pilgrims coming here, is open. It is known, That many Alsace pilgrims on their way to Einsiedeln Möhlin passed into the 19th century. 

One of the Pillars of the Cross

"There it is, the old road cross at the crossroads of the country road at the village exit to Zeiningen. For more than 400 years, it has been showing pilgrim sticks and a mussel as a signpost for pilgrims on the Way of St. James. The Christ figures depicted from the Buntsandstein anatomically very fine were signs of blessing for the people on the way. In the Wendelinskapelle they found refuge from rain and heat, a moment of rest with God on their way to Santiago. Historically it has been proved that a well-known group of Jakobspilgern from Switzerland did not take the route over Geneva, but ran across Basel through Alsace and Burgundy to Santiago in the far Galicia. 

"Many modern people are now discovering the old Way of St. James as an opportunity to give their life a new direction. Deceleration, praying with the feet, confiding in the providence of God, encounters in many ways, and much more is the fascination of the Way of St. James. (Link 1.)

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Photos: Taken with an iPhone in May 2017 by Richard Wilson  while living and working in Basel, Switzerland.
Link 1: http://www.aargauerkapellen.ch/kapellen/WendelinskapelleMoehlin/Index.php (translation)


                                                              Prayer

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

Church of the Medonna-2017

Church of the Medonna
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy

Church of Medonna-2018

"Montalcino is a hill town and comune in Tuscany, Italy. It is famous for its Brunello di Montalcino wine.

"The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is 42 kilometres (26 mi) from Siena, 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Florence and 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Pisa. The Monte Amiata is located nearby."(Link 2.)

Sanctuary

"The church of the Madonna del Soccorso in Montalcino was built in 1330 on the remains of the medieval little church of Porta al Corniolo, where it is believed that an age-old panel depicted the Virgin Mary was once displayed for local veneration. The building underwent radical expansion from 1478 to 1480, and was finished as late as 1609. The facade, work on which started in 1794 based on designs by Francesco Paccagnini, was completed in 1829. 

 Sanctuary Window

The interior is home to Baroque altars with works attributed to the Sienese Stefano Volpi (Holy Family) and Francesco Vanni (Crucifixion)." (Link 1.)

Church of the Medonna

Eroica Montalcino Balloon Celebration

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Photos: Taken in May 2017  and 2018 by Richard Wilson with his iPhone while participating in the 2017 and 2018 Eroica Montalcino. (See Link 3.)
Link 1: http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/site/en/highlights/Church-of-the-Madonna-del-Soccorso-Montalcino/
Link 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montalcino
Link 3: http://www.tuscanbike.it/corsa/vacanze-19-Eroica-Montalcino--7-Maggio-2017?lang=en&

                                                              Prayer

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

Santa Maria di Loppia Church

Santa Maria di Loppia Church 

Bellagio, Italy

"Bellagio  is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is located on Lake Como,...Bellagio is situated upon the cape of the land mass that divides Lake Como in two. (Link 3.) Bellagio is located in the extreme north of Italy, near the border with Switzerland.

"This small church is found in the hamlet of Loppia in the private park of the Villa Gerli. Loppia is found at the end of the garden of the Villa Melzi or if you are travelling on foot from Bellagio it would take you about 15 minutes by the road. The church is built in the Romanesque style with a bell tower crowned by small arches. Entry is closed to the public." (Link 1.)

Santa Maria di Loppia Church
(Side View)

"The church of St. Maria of Loppia has features  of remarkable antiquity; the shape of the windows and of the apse, the absence of decorations and the material of execution make suppose that the building was made at the end of the X century.

"Originally it was built by an irregular trapezium aisle with semicircular apse.  

"The lateral windows are long, double splay, disposed with irregular intervals, four towards South and three towards North.  The windows of the apse are instead wider.  A small cross shap window on the facade has its pendant to the back.

"The church became a property of the Benedictine nuns who modified it by ceiling the aisle and by building a small convent to the church.

"The church became in 1775 a property of the Venini family, who had to knock down the convent for the building of the wide path of Villa Giulia." (Link 2.)

Fenced Church Grounds

Photos: Taken in  April 2017 on iPhone by RW while  living and working
                in Basel Switzerland.
Link1:

            http://wheretogowhattosee.com/italy/lakeComo/bellagio.php#museumofnavigationinstruments   
Link2:http://www.bellagiopoint.com/index.php?lang=en&page=18 (translation)
Link 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellagio,_Lombardy

                                                              Prayer

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