Culture
The Palestinian village of Ma'lul - Remains of shrines
18. August 2017 - 15:38
12 km to the west of the city of Nazareth, a rugged country road leads us to a hill covered with pine trees. As our vehicle starts to go through this pine forest, we may get the sense of domination and power. But as we ascend towards the top of the hill, 275 meters above sea level to be exact, this forest can`t stop giving us a sad vibe of loneliness. We might get a little disappointed to see that there is no one or anything to welcome us as we step from our vehicle and walk around. Little do we know, that this piece of land was once overcrowded with houses. The origin of the spot where we`re now standing dates back to the times of the Canaanites, and the origin of the hill we are about to explore used to be a village, and for a certain period of time this village was populated with Palestinian residents.
Saint Angelina of Serbia
12. August 2017 - 16:48
Saint Angelina was the daughter of Prince George Skenderbeg of Albania. Her mother’s name is not known, but she raised her daughter in Christian piety and taught her to love God.
Moscow to host “For Life” family values festival
10. August 2017 - 10:16
Moscow will host the 8th international “For Life” festival of social technologies in defense of family values August 14-17. The festival is the largest such forum on the territory of the former Soviet Union, with more than 500 participants coming from 186 cities of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia, Lithuania, Italy, and Spain to work out measures aimed at the protection of human life from the moment of conception, and overcoming the demographic crisis, reports patriarchia.ru.
Unexpected Discoveries – The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
31. July 2017 - 14:32
The time before a vacation is hectic. Especially if you are going to be away for a while. Before my trip to Israel I was very busy and didn’t get a chance to think or study where we would be going so I left with no expectations. I knew about the Armenian Church in Jerusalem and obviously the birth of Christianity in the Holy Land, but never had a deep appreciation for the area where we were headed. Needless to say, after visiting the region, I am forever changed and awakened.
The town of Sabastya: History, Archaelogy and its relation to St. John the Baptist
31. July 2017 - 8:42
The town of Sabastiya, which is located 12 kilometers northwest of the city of Nablus, may seem just another modest town at first. However, this quickly starts to alter as we approach the ‘Historic Site’ of the town. Just as we draw nearer to the public square, which is located at the heart of the town, a huge ancient building welcomes us from the north. The building has the name of ‘The Mosque of Prophet Yahya’ (Yahya is Arabic for John), but the exterior of this building does not suggest it is a mosque, except for the minaret part, of course. The reason behind this is simple: it was not meant to be one. Originally, the building was one of the largest Cathedrals built in The Holy Land by the Crusaders, second biggest to be exact, after the Cathedral they built for The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The reason behind that may be because it held such a significant meaning, that they had no choice but to prioritize it before other holy sites. In that Church lies the tomb of the greatest among the Prophets, St. John the Baptist.
Moleben on Kiev’s Vladimir Hill and procession to be live broadcast on YouTube
26. July 2017 - 15:05
A live broadcast of a moleben on Vladimir Hill in Kiev and the following cross procession will be shown on the station “Inter” on Thursday, beginning at 1:00 PM Kiev time (6:00 AM Eastern), reports the Information-Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
