Cathedral of Syracuse/Duomo di Siracusa

Cathedral of Syracuse/Duomo di Siracusa

Syracusa, Sicily, Italy

Cattedrale metropolitana della Natività di Maria Santissima
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Basic information
Geographic coordinates	37°03′35″N 15°17′36″ECoordinates: 37°03′35″N 15°17′36″E
Region	Sicily
Country	Italy
Architectural description
Architectural type	Cathedral
Architectural style	Sicilian Baroque
UNESCO World Heritage site
Part of	Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica
Criteria	Cultural: (ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)
Reference	1200-003
Inscription	2005 (29th Session)

carved Acanthus leaves in the baroque façade (Link 1)

"The Cathedral of Syracuse (Duomo di Siracusa), formally the Cattedrale metropolitana della Natività di Maria Santissima, is an ancient Catholic church in Syracuse, Sicily, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Siracusa. Its structure is originally a Greek doric temple, and for this reason it is included in a UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 2005.^[1] The cathedral stands in the city's historic core on Ortygia Island." (Link 1)

Duomo Frontal Statue

"The present cathedral was constructed by Saint Bishop Zosimo of Syracuse in the 7th century. The battered Doric columns of the original temple were incorporated in the walls of the current church. They can be seen inside and out.^[3] The building was converted into a mosque in 878, then converted back when Norman Roger I of Sicily retook the city in 1085. The roof of the nave is of Norman origin, as well as the mosaics in the apses.

"As part of the increased building activity after the 1693 Sicily earthquake, the cathedral was rebuilt and the façade redesigned by architect Andrea Palma in 1725–1753. The style is classified as High Sicilian Baroque, a relatively late example. The double order of Corinthian columns on the facade provide a classic example of carved Acanthus leaves in the capitals. Sculptor Ignazio Marabitti contributed the full-length statues on the facade.

"The interior of the church, a nave and two aisles, combine rustic walls and Baroque details. Features include a font with marble basin dating from the 12th or 13th century, a ciborium (an altar canopy) designed by architect Luigi Vanvitelli, and a statue of the Madonna della Neve ("Madonna of the Snow", 1512) by Antonello Gagini."(Link 1.)

Duomo Pillar Detail

Duomo fountain

Ortigia (/ɔːrˈtɪdʒiə/; Italian: Ortigia; Greek: Ὀρτυγία) is a small iss from the Ancient Greek ortyx (ὄρτυξ), which means "Quail". (Link 2,)landwhich is the historical centre of the city of Syracuse, Sicily. The island, also known as Città Vecchia (Old City), contains many historical landmarks. The name originate

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Photos: Taken in Sept. 2018 by RW while travelling to Italy for the L'Eroica Classic Bike Race.
Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Syracuse
Link 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortygia

                                                                          Prayer

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

Church in Lecchi in Chianti, Sienna, Tuscany, Italy

Church in Lecchi in Chianti 
Sienna, Tuscany, Italy

"South of Radda, Lecchi in Chianti lies at the foot of a hill surmounted by the tumbledown castle of Monteluco. The quaint hamlet is lined along the main road which rises upto Ama. With its distinctive stone houses and dignified church, this backwater looks much as it did in medieval times. It was then an area of great estates linked to landowners such as the Ricasoli wine barons. Crowning the hill is Monteluco castle, which dates back to 1176. The castle was a Sienese bastion but battered in attacks in the 15th and 16th centuries. The fortifications feature a ruined hilltop fort surveying the Massellone valley, backed by a limestone watchtower below. Local walks link Lecchi to the lovely hamlet of San Sano, complete with home-cooking in a quiet inn. Trails through vineyards fan out from Lecchi, including a walk to Localita Molinaccio for a summer swim in river pools." (Link 1.)

Church Shrine

Church Plaque

Notes by RW:  This town, about 35 miles from Florence, was where Florence sent its undesirables to be exiled.  Specifically they sent them to what was called the Marlboro Ghetto.  The Malborghetto is now a well known restaurant.  The church, now seemingly in active, was the church of the exiled undesirables.

Poster at Malborghetto Restaurant:  "The Restaurant's name, Malboroghetto, comes from the Renaissance Period where the word was used to indicate border outposts where evil doers and politicians too famous to be killed were sent. ...."

Church Wall and Steeple

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Photos: Taken in Sept. 2018 by RW while travelling to Italy for the L'Eroica Classic Bike Race.
Link 1: https://www.to-tuscany.com/travel-guide/towns-villages/central-tuscany/lecchi-in-chianti/
Link 2: https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g616196-d1490967-Reviews-Ristorante_Malborghetto-

                                                                          Prayer

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

Chiesa San Filippo Apostolo

Chiesa San Filippo Apostolo
Siracusa, Sicily, Italy

Church Sign

"This church offers splendid guided tours of what lies underneath - and is not to be missed, in my humble opinion. First you descend to the crypt, Further down are what appear to be miles of passageways extending in all directions, in which thousands of people took refuge during World War 2 bombings. At bottom is the piece de resistance: a mikvah (Jewish ritual bath) dating from the era when Siracusa had a sizable Jewish population. This unprepossessing small church is one of the highlights of Ortigia."(Link 1.)

Sanctuary

Altar

Relic

"This church offers splendid guided tours of what lies underneath - and is not to be missed, in my humble opinion. First you descend to the crypt, Further down are what appear to be miles of passageways extending in all directions, in which thousands of people took refuge during World War 2 bombings. At bottom is the piece de resistance: a mikvah (Jewish ritual bath) dating from the era when Siracusa had a sizable Jewish population. This unprepossessing small church is one of the highlights of Ortigia."(Link 1.)

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Photos: Taken in october 2018 with an Iphone by RW while visiting Italy.

Link  11:https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g187891-d6738036-Reviews-Chiesa_di_San_Filippo_Apostolo-Syracuse_P
Link  2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse,_Sicily
Link 3:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortygia
                                                                         Prayer

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

San Giovanni Battista

Chiesa, San Giovainni Batista
Syracusa, Sicily

"The basilica of "San Giovanni Battista" (called in the jargon of San Giovannello ) is located in Piazza del Precursore, in the Giudecca district of Ortigia in Syracuse . It was built on another early Christian basilica of the fourth century , built on the order of the bishop Germano.

"Because of its age, the parish church of San Giovanni Battista has always been uninterrupted until today called "first post episcopalem", "first after the Cathedral Church" as officially attested, among others, by Msgr. A. Casaccio, vicar general, in 1781.

"The current aspect is of 1380 . It has a beautiful fifteenth-century portal, a rose window and the top of the façade that are not aligned with each other and this because of the tampering suffered by the church over the centuries, not least that of the eighteenth century. It also has two bell cells on the left of the building, today without a roof. The interior has a Latin cross, with three naves, separated by columns alternating with pointed arches.

"Research carried out in the parish archives shows that the main altar was dedicated to the Precursor while the side altars were dedicated to Santa Maria della Speranza, to San Bartolomeo Apostolo, to Saint Anthony of Padua and to the Holy Family. The paintings of Saint Anthony of Padua and of the Holy Family can be found today in the nearby church of San Filippo Apostolo. The panel of the Madonna della Speranza, now housed in the Bellomo, is present in the church through a faithful photographic reproduction placed in what was once its altar. No news, unfortunately, of the paintings of San Giovanni Battista and San Bartolomeo Apostolo. The canvas of Saint Bartholomew the Apostleit had been moved from the nearby church of San Bartolomeo in relatively recent times following the deconsecration and contextual closure to the public cult of the church of the same name. The 16th century painting by San Bartolomeo had taken the place - in the church of San Giovanni Battista - of the painting of San Giuseppe, a work of little value, transferred to the sacristy and now preserved in the sacristy of the church of San Filippo Apostolo.

"The two bells, present until a century ago in the bell cells still present, were relatively recent: sec. XIX the largest and sec. XX the smallest. There is no more news of both.

"Today the basilica , a rectory of the Parish of St. John the Baptist at the Immaculate, is still a consecrated church open to divine worship. Mass is celebrated every Saturday, in the summer months, at 18.00 (months of July and August at 18.30) and on special occasions such as on 23rd and 24th June, solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist , titular of the church." (Link 2.)

Church Sign

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Photos: Taken in October 2018 with I phone by RW while visiting in Sicily from his home in Switzerland.

Link 1: https://www.google.ca/search?q=Chiesa.%20San%20Giovanni%20Battista%20Italy&rlz=1C1KYPB_enCA770CA

Link 2: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_San_Giovannello

                                                                             Prayer

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

Kirche Hongg

(with vineyard)

Kirche Hongg,
Zurich, Switzerland

Church Plaque

"

The Reformed church (Alte Kirche Höngg) (Link 1.)

"The Alte Kirche Höngg (old church of Höngg) is a Reformed church in the district 10 of Zürich. Its congregation forms part of the Evangelical "Reformed Church of the Canton of Zürich.

"Based on archeological research, the basement of the church relates to the 8/9th century. Therefore, the vineyard on which this church is on top of is a point for people to pray and meet since over 1200 years.

"Over the last few centuries, the church has been extended in size and structure before getting the shape it has today. However, at the beginning of the Reformation in 1523 a few local inhabitants removed all the statues and pictures from within the church. It was further in 1863 where the tower roof together with the clock face was renewed." (Link 1.)

Kirche Hangg

" The pulpit with the sound coverdates back to the 19th century , and the choir window was designed in 1969 by Franz Karl Opitz . The baptismal font of the church dates from the same year .(Link 2.)

Kirche Hangg

"In 1898, a pneumatic membrane organ was built by Carl Theodor Kuhn, Männedorf. This instrument had 9 registers on 2 manuals and pedal. Already in 1925, the first instrument was replaced by a new, pneumatic Taschenladenorgel by Carl Theodor Kuhn, Männedorf, with 16 sounding registers on two manuals and pedal. Its present organ was given to the church Höngg in the year 1972. It concerns a mechanical Schleifladenorgel, built by organ building Kuhn AG, Männedorf, with 20 registers on 2 manuals and pedal. In 1991, a revision of the instrument by Orgelbau Kuhn AG, Männedorf. " (Link 2.)

Kirche Hangg Gate

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Photos:  Taken with iPhone in Sept. 2018 by RW while living and working in

                Basel, Switzerland.

Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alte_Kirche_
Link2:  H%C3%B6ngghttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirche_H%C3%B6ngg_(Z%C3%BCrich)

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Happy Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend

                                                                            Prayer

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

Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church

Ruga, Latvia

Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church
Riga, Latvia

"Our Lady of Sorrows Church (Latvian: Sāpju Dievmātes Romas katoļu baznīca) is a Roman Catholic church in Riga, the capital of Latvia. The church is situated at the address 5 Pils Street.^[1] It was built in 1785." (Link 1.)

Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church

"The white and blue Our Lady of Sorrows Church was the first stone church built in Riga after the Reformation had reached Livonia (a historic region once encompassing present-day Latvia and Estonia). The idea of constructing the church was especially supported by Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. The Classicism-style building was dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows symbolising the oppressed Catholic Religion in Terra Mariana.

Church Plaque

"Our Lady of Sorrows Church was preceded by a modest and small chapel build under Father Isidor Schmidt and noticed by Emperor Joseph II, who paid a visit to Riga in 1780. Emperor promised to talk to Catherine II in order to get her consent to building a new Catholic church. The construction began after four years and was finished in 1785."According to an order by the Empress of Russia, the church was designed in the Classicism style like the all surrounding buildings on Pils Square. It was dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows as a symbol to the oppressed Catholic Religion in Terra Mariana. The name also applies to the bellfry which was erected rather low and unpretentious.

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Location of  Latvia  (dark green)

"Latvia  ..., officially the Republic of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Republika), is a sovereign state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.^[13] Since its independence, Latvia has been referred to as one of the Baltic states. It is bordered by Estonia in the northern region, Lithuania in the southern, to the east is Russia, and Belarus to the southeast, as well as sharing a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants^[14] and a territory of 64,589 km²(24,938 sq mi).^[15] The country has a temperate seasonal climate."(Link 3.)

Riga Location of Riga in Latvia

"Riga  is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 641,481 inhabitants (2016),^[4] it is also the largest city in the three Baltic states, home to one third of Latvia's population and one tenth of the three Baltic states' combined population.^[9] The city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the Daugava. Riga's territory covers 307.17 km²(118.60 sq mi) and lies 1–10 m (3 ft 3 in–32 ft 10 in) above sea level,^[10] on a flat and sandy plain." (Link 4.)

Photos: Taken  with an iPhone by Richard Wilson in August 2018 while attending 

               the 2018 Cycle Messenger  World Championships.

Link 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Sorrows_Church,_Riga

Link 2: https://www.liveriga.com/en/2968-our-lady-of-sorrows-church

Link 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia

Link 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga

CELEBRATING MY 80TH BIRTHDAY

SUZANNE MARIE (FRANK, MOORE) WILSON

BORN MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

SEPTEMBER 16, 1938