Faith · The East · Art · Books · Ethnography

“The Hindus call the bull father, and the cow mother

“The Hindus call the bull father, and the cow mother. On their dung they bake bread and cook their dishes.” Dmitry Butorin. Illustration to Afanasy Nikitin’s Journey Beyond Three Seas. 1960

Architecture · Faith · Cinema · Moscow · Observations

Kofemania founder Igor Zhuravlev and the Church of St Blaise in Old Konyushennaya Sloboda

From a new film about Kofemania I learned that its founder, Igor Zhuravlev, who attended the Church of the Hieromartyr Blaise in the Old Stable Settlement, considers the rector of that church, Archpriest Alexei Novikov, the man who determined his fate. Hence the actual icons that hang in all of

Architecture · Faith · Monarchies · Observations · Heritage

History of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery near Moscow from its founding in 1398 to today

Not far from Moscow stands one of the foremost Orthodox monasteries, Savvino-Storozhevsky, founded in 1398 by the Venerable Sabbas, the Wonderworker of Zvenigorod. Sabbas was one of the first disciples of the Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. Prince Yury Dmitrievich revered the Venerable Sabbas and extended his patronage to the

Stone statuette of a veiled woman holding a book, seated on the edge of a tomb with Gothic niches.

Faith · Observations · Humour

Stone figure of a veiled woman reading a book on a tomb

The Nun of Guisch Abbey Keeps on Reading Even After Death. If you happen to know one, do forward her this post

NB! · Faith · The East · Art

The Virgin Mary in the Japanese Pictorial Tradition

Archaeology · Architecture · Faith · Heritage · Paris

After the 2019 fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) was permitted to carry out excavations on an unprecedented scale

After the 2019 fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, France's National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap) was permitted to carry out excavations on an unprecedented scale. The discoveries made in the course of the dig will undoubtedly expand considerably our knowledge of Notre-Dame de Paris and

Architecture · Faith · Monarchies · Heritage

Tower clock from Smolensk given to the Savvino monastery by Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich

The dial that adorns the belfry of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery today was installed in 1983, after yet another restoration. The very first dial dates from the time of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich, who presented the Monastery of Saint Savva with a tower clock brought from Smolensk. Unfortunately, neither the clockwork

Faith · Society · Paris · People

Serbian judoka Nemanja Majdov, who crossed himself before a bout at the Paris Olympics, has been suspended for five months by the Judo Federation

Such is the effect of the Life-Giving Cross upon the unclean! It is officially declared that he violated the religious code of the Olympic Games, the offence being construed precisely "in the context of observing the rules and norms of the competition". Even before this, Majdov had

Architecture · Faith · Art · Heritage

Scrovegni Chapel in Padua with Giotto’s frescoes nearly demolished in the 19th century

The Scrovegni Chapel, Padua. Consecrated on the feast of the Annunciation in 1303 and dedicated to the Virgin. The frescoes are by Giotto. Now a world-famous masterpiece of proto-Renaissance church decoration, the Scrovegni Chapel, built for the private use of a single family, became extraordinarily popular for its

NB! · Architecture · Faith · Heritage

The Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir 💒💞

Fragment of an old fresco showing Christ in a round medallion, with a second medallion below containing a faint image.

Faith · Art · Heritage

The Book of Wisdom of Solomon on the souls of the righteous in God's hand

Andrei Rublev's Frescoes in the Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir. But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster,

Faith · Society

Pope Francis speaks out against abortion:

“To have an abortion is to kill a human being. Whether you like the word or not, it is murder... The Catholic Church does not permit abortion, because it is murder. It is murder. And we must understand this clearly.”