1. Santa Luca Alla Badia Church

Santa Luca Alla Badia Church
Siracusa, Sicily, Italy

The church of Santa Lucia alla Badia is a church in Syracuse , located in Piazza Duomo and dedicated to the patron saint of Syracuse.

Originally the site of a monastery of the XV century , was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 , and the reconstruction is due to the Mother Superior of the Sisters Cistercians between 1695 and 1703 , the architect Luciano Caracciolo directed the work and from which the project has also arisen.

Church Front Entrance

"The façade , previously on the narrow Via Picherali that leads to the Aretusa spring , and now facing the square, has two overlapping orders separated by the trabeation with a balcony fitted with a wrought iron railing.

"The lower order is characterized by the presence of the baroque portal in the center, framed by spiral columns that support the pediment decorated with symbols of the martyrdom of the Saint, on whose sides there are Spanish royal coats of arms. Pseudo- Ionian style pilasters , are part of the lower order of the façade

"In the higher order, there are still more slender, pseudo- Corinthian pilasters , inspired by the Rococo style .

The façade reaches a total height of about 25 m. On the top there is a jagged girdle with putti heads and the cross, currently removed as being unsafe.

"The interior has a single nave decorated by four Baroque altars of 1705 , in the vault are the frescoes of 1783 representing the Triumph of Saint Lucia . The presbytery has a dome roof on the top of the temple.

"In the apse, behind the high altar , there is the large painting of the "Burial of Saint Lucia" painted in 1608 by Caravaggio , in his Syracusan residence; the painting, originally on the altar of the church of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro , after a series of important restorations, was first exhibited at the Palazzo Bellomo gallery , before being placed in the church of Santa Lucia alla Badia.

Artist	Caravaggio
Year	1608

                               (Link 1.)

"Burial of Saint Lucy is a painting by the Italian artist Caravaggio. It is located in the church of Santa Lucia alla Badia located on the Piazza Duomo in Syracuse, Sicily." (Link 2.)

Artist of "Burial of St. Lucy"

"According to The Golden Legend, Saint Lucy had bestowed her wealth on the poor, in gratitude for the miraculous healing of her mother. Denounced as a Christian, she refused to recant, offered her chastity to Christ, and was sentenced to be dragged to a brothel. Miraculously, nothing could move her from the spot where she stood. She was pierced by a knife in the throat and, where she fell, the church of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro in Syracuse was built. " (Link 1.)

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Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy.  
Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burial_of_St._Lucy_(Caravaggio)
Link 2: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_Santa_Lucia_alla_Badia

                                                          

                                                                        Prayer

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

 Chiesa de Sant' Angelo

Chiesa de  Sant Angelo Roman Catholic Church
Lugano,Milan

"The church of Santa Maria degli Angeli , better known as the church of Sant'Angelo , is a church in the historic center of Milan , a clear example of the Baroque style in the Lombard capital .

"The complex of Santa Maria degli Angeli, consisting of the church of Sant'Angelo and the adjoining convent which is on its right, is today the Milanese seat of the Order of Friars Minor observant of San Francesco , since its foundation on 21 February 1552 ^[1] .

Interior

"
"There are nineteen noble chapels, eight on each side on the main nave, and three on the transept.... . The radiant sun appears in the decoration with the IHS monogram , symbol of Christ diffused by the Franciscan San Bernardino da Siena ....

"The interior of the church has a Latin cross , with a wide single nave along which there are two rows of side chapels.

Interior

Prestinari, San Michele Arcangelo defeats the devil (Link 1.)

"The facade of the church of Sant'Angelo is a salient one . It is subdivided into its bands superimposed by a high cornice supported, in the lower part, by columns with Tuscan capitals ; interspersed with the aforementioned columns, there are three portals , with the central one bigger than the two side ones. The upper fascia of the façade, instead, is decorated by a cornice that recalls a serliana ideally supported by six pilasters with Ionic capitals . Above the central window, within a niche , there is the statue of the Immaculate . At the top of the façade there is a triangular pediment with a wrought iron cross. Statues by Gerolamo Prestinari , sculptor active in the Sacred Mountain of Varese complete the decoration . In particular, we can see:

• at the first order, within niches, four statues of Franciscan saints ; among others, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Francis of Assisi
• above the main portal, high relief with St. Michael the Archangel defeats the devil
• on the balustrade, four statues of saints
• in the gables of the windows, couple of Monks
• crowning, Angels

"The church courtyard is decorated with a bronze statue of St. Francis of Assisi talking to birds , a work by Giannino Castiglioni in 1927 ." (Link 1.)

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Photos: Taken in March 2018 with Iphone by Richard Wilson while traveling to Italy from his home in                      Basel Switzerland where he lives and works.

Link 11: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_Sant%27Angelo_(Milano)

                                                                     Prayer

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

Roman Catholic Church, Nativity of Mary

Roman Catholic Church, Nativity of Mary
Muri, Sins, Switzerland

Muri, Sins, Switzerland

(Link 1.)

"Sins is a municipality in the district of Muri in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland. Sins has an area, as of 2009, of 20.3 square kilometers 7.8 sq mi.... 5.65 sq mi  is used for agricultural purposes, while 1.37 sq mi  is forested...0.75 sq mi... buildings or roads....Sins has a population (as of December 2014) of 4,216.

Railroad Sign for Sins

"From the 2000 census, 2,350 or 71.6% were Roman Catholic, while 415 or 12.6% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church." (Link 1.)

Entrance to Nativity of Mary                "Historical background of the church Nativity of Mary "The parish Sins introduces the Municipal House (originally the seat of the administration of the monastery Engelberg) and the Lower Kaplanei the historic "core" of the civic community represents. Sanctuary and Chancel Central Altar Altar at Right of Chancel Altar at Left of Chancel Pulpit at Lest of Chancel Rear of the Sanctuary Ceiling of the Sanctuary "The parish Sins to be an ancient parish by tales and legends and in 1245 first mentioned. But you suspected rightly that already have a 990 Mary's Church stood on this site. The original parish stretched from Risch (ZG) to Rickenbach (at Merenschwand) and included the towns Auw (incl. Rüstenschwil) Mühlau and Abtwil. "1493 Dedication of a new church by Coadjutor Bishop of Konstanz. From this building is still the tower basement and the tabernacle obtained. 1608 Completion of the expansion and renovation work and dedication 1633 Parish Sins comes into the possession of the monastery Engelberg (Fathers exercised until 1849 as pastor and governor in Sins). 1638 Parish Auw separates from Sins. 1712 Church during the First Villmerger war theater of war and will be damaged heavily. 1748 Parish Abtwil is independently 1753 New inauguration of the church dedicated to "Mary's Birth" by the coadjutor of the diocese Konstanz 1770 Installation of a large organ 1866 Engelberg Abbey omitted "Kollaturrecht" at the parish Sins. 1876 Consecration today six tower bells 1878 Mühlau 1906/07 First total renovation 1964/68 Interior Renovation; in addition, the 7th bell is hung in the tower. 1997/99 Outdoor Renovations "(Link 2.) ****** Sanctuary Statue Sanctuary Statue Holy Water Urn ********** Photos: Taken by RW while living and working in Basel Switzerland Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sins,_Aargau Link 2: http://www.pfarrei-sins.ch/fuer-sie-da/index.htm (translation) Prayer God, be with persecuted Christians throughout the world. Amen (SW.)