Faith · Observations · Society
The Vatican has issued yet another document of little consequence; or rather, it has endorsed an international report aimed at resolving the external debt crisis in developing countries. The document, entitled the “Jubilee Report”, was presented on 20 June 2025 by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Among its authors
Faith · Art · Museums
The Nativity of John the Baptist, Russian icon of the late fifteenth to early sixteenth century. The Gospel tells us that in the reign of King Herod an angel appeared to the aged priest Zacharias and said: “Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall
Faith · Observations · Society · Saint Petersburg
It is indeed odd that the event is called the "Petersburg International Economic Forum" rather than the "Saint Petersburg" one. Even in English it is St. Petersburg. "Saint", after all, is not even a prefix but part of the name, pointing to the city&
NB! · Faith
Archive · Faith · Observations · Saint Petersburg
This is how it ought to be in the largest Orthodox country in the world, and not twice a year on feast days
Faith · The East · Art
Khidr and Alexander the Great Watch a Spring of Living Water Restore a Salted Fish to Life. According to legend, Khidr, the great preacher who travelled over water standing on a fish, helped the great Emperor Dhul-Qarnayn find the magical spring of life-giving water somewhere in Central Asia.
Faith · Society · Rome
And do you know, it is quite an enviable plot of land, 430 hectares in extent, ten times the size of the Vatican itself, which covers 44 hectares. The visit of Leo XIV, together with officials of the Dicastery for Communication and the office of the Governorate of Vatican City
Archive · Faith · Ethnography
Abyssinian Orthodox clergy at Easter in the courtyard of the Russian hospital in Addis Ababa, 1900s. In Ethiopia there is a tradition of going from house to house and singing religious chants on religious holidays. In the background are the fence and gates of the Russian compound. Psalmists and singers
Faith · Ethnography
The centaurs descend from the first of men to kill a kinsman, namely King Ixion, who did not wish to pay his father-in-law the bride-price for his beautiful daughter and pushed him into a fire pit covered over with planks. For this dreadful crime Ixion was punished
Faith
When a man walks in a peaceful frame of mind, he is as if scooping up spiritual gifts with a spoon (lzhitsa). The holy fathers, having a peaceful disposition and being overshadowed by the grace of God, lived long lives. Saint Seraphim of Sarov
NB! · Archaeology · Faith · Museums
The Etruscan deity of the rising sun, Cavatha, depicted on a bronze chariot plaque. One of the most powerful figures in the Etruscan pantheon, to whom 80 sacrifices were offered each year
Faith · Art · Museums · Heritage
An incredible medieval crucifix of copper alloy by the craftsmen of Limoges, which returned a couple of years ago to York, where it was long kept in St Mary's Abbey, now no more. The Yorkshire Museum bought the figure at auction for 8,500 euros. For more than