Tag: Architecture & Symbolism
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Our Lady of Guadalupe at Cemeteries
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe graces the gravestones of many of the departed. Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City in December 1531, and said to him, “Am I not your Mother?”
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Is Grandma a Saint?
The Catholic Church especially remembers the dead in the month of November with All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2. There are many officially “canonized” saints, and multitudes of “un-canonized” saints. Read more about the definition of a saint, the process of canonization and the veneration of saints.
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Campanile, Façade and Tympanum – Prominent Exterior Parts of a Church
Some of the most visible components of the front of a church building such as the campanile, the façade and the tympanum play important roles in identifying the building as a place of worship; and in preparing the entrant for worship.
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Narthex, Nave and Ambo – Interior Parts of a Church
A church building contains architectural elements that are common to all buildings; but also contains features making it identifiable as a church. The columns of a church play a key role in “supporting” the verticality of the structure
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Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, “iL Papa Buono”
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli became Pope John XXIII on October 28, 1958 and convened the Second Vatican Council in October 1962. Vatican II had profound progressive impacts on the Catholic Church.
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Architectural Columns
A church building contains architectural elements that are common to all buildings; but also contains features making it identifiable as a church. The columns of a church play a key role in “supporting” the verticality of the structure
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Memorial of the Church of St. Mary Major (and a summer snowfall!)
August 5th, the Dedication of the Church of St. Mary Major is commemorated each year in part to celebrate the “Miracle of the Snows” when it snowed on the Esquiline Hill in Rome on August 5th, 358.
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What can Architectural Style tell you about the inside(s) of a Church?
When you view the outside of a church building, what do you see? The features on the exterior of the church can help to determine the architectural style of the church…which may tell you something (or a lot) about the inside(s).
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Experiencing Church Virtually
In many parts of the world, the church buildings have been closed for about one-half of 2020; and are now, thankfully, starting to re-open on a limited basis. These closures have felt like a loss in many ways, yet, we have learned that much of the spiritual beauty of the churches and sacred art can…