Sant'Agata Cathedral

Sant'Agata Cathedral

Catania, Sicily, Italy

Cathedral Sign  with Description and Diagrams

Sant'Agata at Night

Sant'Agata at Night

"No visit to Catania is complete without seeing the cathedral dedicated to the city's patron saint, Sant'Agata. The virgin-martyr was killed in 351 for refusing the lecherous advances of a Roman lord. Her mortal remains are in reliquaries in the cathedral.

Plazza del Duomo Elephant Statue

"The frosted facade is a cake-like beauty that sets off the Piazza del Duomo, studded with icing-like statues, balustrades and adornments along the roofline. It is a lovely cathedral, though the current version dates to mid-1700s. The first church was built here in the Norman era, between 1086 and 1094. It was expanded and adorned over the years, and the Benedictine monastery was added next door. The church utilized some columns, friezes and capitals recycled from ancient Roman ruins. Then the 1693 earthquake dismantled many parts of the original structure, including the bell tower, which fell and demolished some of the church below it. The cathedral was rebuilt, giving it the style you see today, while retaining the portions of the Norman structure that had been left intact, most notably the apse. The interior is a soaring space, with beautiful elements and artwork, and in impressive pipe organ." (Link 1.)

*******

Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy.  

                                                           

Link 1: https://www.summerinitaly.com/guide/cathedral-and-badia-of-sant-agata

Link 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_of_Sicily

                                                                         Prayer

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

palm springs

CONTENTS

-Blog Header

-Procedure

-Map

-Blog Posts-arranged by City

            Cathedral City

            Indio

            La Quinta

            Palm Desert

            Palm Springs

-Blog Posts by Denomination

            Catholic

            Church of the Nazarene

            Community

            Episcopal

            Lutheran

            Presbyterian

-Blog Posts arranged by date of Publication

            Palm Desert-Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church, 4/17/11.

            La Quinta-St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7/10/11.

            Cathedral City-Glory to God Ministries, 10/2/11.

            Cathedral City-St. Louis Catholic Church, 10/9/11.

            Palm Desert-St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, 10/16/11.

            Palm Desert-Peace Lutheran Church of Palm Desert, 10/23/11.

            Palm Springs-Palm Springs Baptist Church, 11/13/11.

            Indio-Trinity Lutheran Church, 4/20/14.

            Indio-St. John's Episcopal Church, 4/27/14.

            Palm Desert-St. John's Lutheran Church, 5/4/14.

            Indio-Las Palmas Communityy Church, "A Nazarene Church of

                         Coachella Valley," 5/11/14.

-Business Cards and Addresses

Cover: Peace Lutheran Church of Palm Desert

74200 Country Club Dr 

                                                         Palm Desert, California

Blog Post 10/23/11

       Palm Springs Area Churches

                                      by Denomination



                                               Catholic

Cathedral City-St. Louis Catholic Church,  10/9/11.


La Quinta-St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7/10/11.






                                                  Church of the Nazarene

Indio-Las Palmas Community Church "A Nazarene Church of the Coachella                    Valley", 5/11/14.


                                                                 Community


Cathedral City-Glory to God Ministries, 10/2/11.




                                                                    Episcopal

Indio-Saint John's Episcopal Church, 4/27/14.

Palm Desert-St. Margaret's Episcopal Church,  10/16/11.





                                                                    Lutheran

Indio-Trinity Lutheran Church, 4/20/14.

Palm Desert-Peace Lutheran Church of Palm Desert, 10/23/11.

Palm Desert-St. John's Lutheran Church, 5/4/14.   

Palm Springs-Palm Springs Baptist Church, 11/13/11.    


                                                               Presbyterian



Palm Desert-Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church, 4/17/11.

                    Palm Springs Area Churches

                                             by City

                                                          Cathedral City

Cathedral City-Glory to God Ministries, 10/2/11.


Cathedral City-St. Louis Catholic Church,  10/9/11.

                                              Indio

Indio-Saint John's Episcopal Church, 4/27/14.

Indio-Trinity Lutheran Church, 4/20/14.



Indio-Las Palmas Community Church "A Nazarene Church of the Coachella 


       Valley", 5/11/14.


                                         La Quinta

La Quinta-St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7/10/11.














                                   Cover: Peace Lutheran Church of Palm Desert

          74200 Country Club Dr., Palm Desert


Blog Post 10/23/11















Telephone: 760-323-8297
221 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Email: pshistoricalsociety@gmail.com



















































































Att:  Renee Brown, Associate Curator

Palm Springs Historical Society

221 South Palm Canyon Drive 

Palm Springs, California 92262

February  17, 2016




Dear Renee,




Enclosed is a copy of the booklet "Palm Springs Area Churches" for donation to the Palm Springs Historical Society.  The booklet is a compilation of blog posts from my blog Churches On Sundays. It includes photos of churches taken in 2011 and 2014 while I was visiting Palm Springs.  Accompanying the photos is some description of the church architecture and history.




Thank you for accepting this booklet for your library.




Suzanne Wilson

939 Shavington St.

North Vancouver, B.C. Canada V7L 1K6

604-988-6283

suzcanada@shaw.ca

Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime

Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime

Syracusa, Sicily, Italy

Basilica Santuario Madona Delle Lacrime

"The basilica Madonna delle Lacrime sanctuary is a minor basilica and Marian shrine erected in memory of the miraculous tearing of a plaster effigy depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary , placed at the bedside of the Iannuso spouses at their humble home in via degli Orti in Syracuse , in 1953 .

In 2002, John Paul II raised the sanctuary to the dignity of a minor basilicawith the name of "basilica sanctuary Madonna delle Lacrime"

Diagram and Description of Church

"According to tradition, the miraculous event was repeated from 29 August to 1 September 1953 in the general emotion of an immense multitude of faithful, in the house of the Iannuso spouses. Collected the tears were subjected to a scientific analysis according to which they would be human tear liquid. The devotion that followed was of enormous proportions. The small effigy of the Madonna delle Lacrime , first provisionally admitted to the nearby Euripide square from 1953 to 1968, was placed inside the sanctuary , in the current crypt and remained there from 1968 to 1994, before being moved inside the upper temple of the Sanctuary.

Sanctuary

Sanctuary Altar

"The work was designed in 1957 by French architects Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat following an international competition announcement but the structural works are by engineer Riccardo Morandi ^[1] . The construction began in 1966: ...

"The construction was completed after about 28 years and the sanctuary was consecrated, inaugurated and dedicated to the Madonna delle Lacrimeon 6 November 1994 by Pope John Paul II ...

Interior  of Sanctuary Spire

"The structure is subject to various interpretations. The architects set out to structurally implement the concept of the elevation of humanity to God . In fact, the plant with its circularity wants to represent humanity that reaches out to God. Other meanings attributed are those of: beacon, identifiable with Mary that leads to the port that is Jesus; tent, within which the Mother welcomes her children to lead them to the Father; lily turned upside down, finally a tear that comes down from above seen in the dynamics of the impact on the ground." (Link.)

*****

Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy. 

Link:  https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_santuario_Madonna_delle_Lacrime (translation)

                                                                          Prayer

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

Catania Train Station Chapel

Train Station Chapel
Catania, Sicily, Italy

Catania Centrale

Location within Sicily (Link.)

"Catania Centrale is the main railway station of the Italian city of Catania, in Sicily. Along with Palermo Centrale, Messina Centrale and Syracuse it is one of the most important stations of its region. It is managed by the Ferrovie dello Stato, the national rail company of Italy.

Entrance to Train Chapel

"The station was inaugurated on 24 June 1866. One century later it was upgraded and renewed due to the electrification of the Messina-Catania line.

Catania Centrale is located close to the Port of Catania and by the sea. It has a railway depot and a link to the port. The station building has two floors and a portico and is protected by the national cultural heritage.

The station is electrified and served by regional trains, by a metro line and by the Circumetnea railway. For long distance transport there are InterCity and Express trains to Rome, Turin, Milan and Venice, linking it also with Genoa, Naples, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and other cities." (Link.)

********

Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy. 

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catania_Centrale_railway_station

                                                                          Prayer

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

Parrocchia S. Tommaso Al Pantheon

Chiesa Parrocchia  San Tommaso Al Pantheon
Syracusa, Sicily, Italy

"The church of San Tommaso al Pantheon is located in Syracuse , located between the end of the Gelone course, the Syracusan Forum , the Euripides square and the Via Armando Diaz. ....Start of construction, 1919.

Church Announcements

"The church of San Tommaso al Pantheon, commonly called by the Syracusans "the Pantheon", is considered as the main monument to the fallen of the First World War , because inside there are the remains of the Syracusani soldiers who died at the front during the First World War.

"Designed by architect Gaetano Rapisardi , the structure is of modern style, built starting from 1919 , with a circular shape, its section is cylindrical and is characterized by large pillars divided by large windows that support a small terrace comprising some small windows surmounted by crosses of Stone. At the top of the church there is a small bell tower in reinforced concrete. 
The entrance is given by a large bronze portal, on whose side there is a commemorative plaque in memory of the victims of World War I, inside there is the only circular nave of the church, where there are the tombstones and the remains of the Syracusans fallen to the front. The high altar is elegant and next to it there are valuable sacred works of contemporary era " (Link.)

******

Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy. 
Link : https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_San_Tommaso_al_Pantheon
            (Translation)

                                                                          Prayer

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

Sanctuary Altar

Santa Maria Della Concezione
Rome, Italy

Church Announcements

"Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, or Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins, is a church in Rome, Italy, commissioned in 1626 by Pope Urban VIII, whose brother, Antonio Barberini, was a Capuchin friar. It is located at Via Veneto, close to Piazza Barberini.

Front Inner Door

"The crypt, or ossuary, now contains the remains of 4,000 friars buried between 1500 and 1870, during which time the Roman Catholic Church permitted burial in and under churches. The underground crypt is divided into five chapels, lit only by dim natural light seeping in through cracks, and small fluorescent lamps. The crypt walls are decorated with the remains in elaborate fashion, making this crypt a macabre work of art. Some of the skeletons are intact and draped with Franciscan habits, but for the most part, individual bones are used to create elaborate ornamental designs.

 Sanctuary Balcony

"Several renowned authors visited the crypt and left descriptions. The Marquis de Sade, who visited the crypt in 1775, wrote, “I have never seen anything more striking” (Voyage d'Italie, p. 106 of the Maurice Lever edition). Mark Twain visited the crypt in the summer of 1867, and begins Chapter XXVIII of The Innocents Abroad with 5 pages of his observations. Nathaniel Hawthorne describes the crypt in his novel The Marble Faun."(Link )

Painting  Above Altar

********

Photos: Taken in October 2018 by RW  while travelling to Italy. 
Link :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_della_Concezione_dei_Cappuccini

                                                                          Prayer

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