Places of Worship

Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues, Cathedrals, and similar structures used primarily for worship (this category is about the buildings, not the religions)

Pope permits examination of the tomb of St. Paul

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007-07-29 12:12
Pope Benedict has given his permission to open a tomb believed to be that of the apostle Paul. The sarcophagus was rediscovered during excavations of the site in 2002 and 2003.

"Where Heaven and Earth Meet"

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2007-07-27 15:35
“Wo sich Himmel und Erde Begegnen” (Where heaven and earth meet) read posters advertising Stift Klosterneuburg, a 900-year-old monastery near Vienna, Austria, one of the oldest working monasteries in the country. Sarah Wildman of the New York Times visits.

"Lost" coronation abbey unearthed

Submitted by Alaxandr on Mon, 2007-07-23 19:00
The location of the abbey at Moot Hill, the original home of the Stone of Destiny, was forgotten centuries ago, but it has now been identified by experts from Glasgow University who have been surveying the grounds of Scone Palace for the first time.

Historic church to open its doors for charity tour

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-07-07 13:50
St Mary and St Eanswythe Church, built in 1128 in Folkestone, England, will open its doors for a tour to raise money for repairs. Registration is required for the tour which will take place July 9 at 11:00 am.

Hailes Abbey map discovered

Submitted by Milica on Sun, 2007-07-01 11:49
Hailes Abbey, in England's Cotswolds, lies in ruins a victim of Henry VIII's dissolution program. Now the discovery of an Elizabethan map may shed new light on what the 12th century church looked like.

Researcher believes Holy Grail still in Rome

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-06-30 12:17
Italian archaeologist Alfredo Barbagallo believes that the holy cup of Christ never left the city of Rome and is buried beneath the Basilica of San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura.

Where Henry VIII married Catherine Parr

Submitted by Alys Katharine on Wed, 2007-06-20 07:28
Conservation works in Hampton Court's Chapel Royal has revealed the structure of the Royal Pew, hidden behind later paneling, where Henry VIII married his last wife, Catherine Parr.

Danish "Kalkmalerier" available online

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2007-06-04 19:10
Imagine standing beneath a magnificent 14th century church mural and letting your eyes wander along its length. This is what you can experience at the panoramas.dk website which offers fullscreen panoramas of various medieval Danish church ceilings.

Byzantines meet virtual reality

Submitted by Milica on Fri, 2007-06-01 19:12
Understanding what life was like in the historic past will take a giant step soon with the introduction of by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to combine 3-D computer technology with the latest historical evidence. The result: a virtual walk-around of historic buildings.

America's only medieval church

Submitted by Milica on Mon, 2007-04-23 19:25
According to the research of the late historian Alwyn Ruddock, America's only medieval church may have been located in Newfoundland. Now University of Bristol researcher Evan Jones wants to use the notes to find the church purportedly built by an Italian friar in 1498.

Turkey Restores Ancient Armenian Church as Show of Goodwill

Submitted by Vallawulf on Sun, 2007-04-08 19:29
Akdamar Church, also called the Church of Surp Khach, or Holy Cross, an Armenian structure dating back to 921 C.E., is being restored in a US$1.5 million project being undertaken by Turkey as a step towards improving relationships between the two neighboring countries.

Medieval Abbey Undergoing Refurbishment

Submitted by Vallawulf on Sat, 2007-03-31 12:14
The medieval Torre Abbey in Torquay is undergoing the first phase of a UK£6.5 million refurbishment to turn it into an educational facility and tourist attraction.

Medieval priory found beneath Somerset barn

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2007-02-28 12:55
Researchers working on artifacts found beneath a 16th century barn near Dunster, England believe they belong to the Benedictine Priory of Dunster which dates to 1127 CE. Archaeologists have so far discovered two walls, paving and glazed tile fragments.

Stonehenge link to other ancient sites

Submitted by Milica on Thu, 2007-02-01 15:21
Archaeologists Colin Richards of Manchester University and Joshua Pollard of Bristol University have a new theory on Stonehenge: it not isolated but stood as the link between a ritual burial mound and a timber circle.

Thousands of historical treasures found in German mud

Submitted by Milica on Tue, 2007-01-30 17:30
Constructions workers in Cologne, Germany have discovered a 3rd century stone tablet dedicated to the god Jupiter. The tablet is just one of over 10,000 artifacts unearthed from the construction site.

Shakespeare's Church Has Leaky Roof

Submitted by Ursula on Thu, 2007-01-18 08:50
The caretakers of the church where William Shakespeare was baptized and buried want help to fix its leaky roof. Holy Trinity Church in Stratford upon Avon is seeking sponsors to "adopt a gargoyle" and help the church provide the extensive maintenance needed.

Anglo-Saxon Finds in East Sussex Church

Submitted by JaneStockton on Wed, 2007-01-17 19:30
Renovations on St Andrew's Church, at Bishopstone, near Seaford, have revealed Anglo-Saxon features dated back as far as the late 7th Century. This puts the age of the church back 100 years compared to previous datings.

Canterbury Cathedral in crisis

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-01-13 10:32
England's Canterbury Cathedral has launched an international fundraising campaign in a effort to raise more than UK£50m necessary for urgent repairs.

Over 20,000 hope for shot at Winter Solstice in Ireland

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-01-06 19:59
27,000 people applied recently for a chance to celebrate the Winter Solstice in the Stone Age tomb in Newgrange, Ireland. Only 100 won the honor. Andrew Bushe has the story.

Plan of St. Gall online

Submitted by Milica on Sat, 2007-01-06 10:04
A website has been created to showcase the Plan of St. Gall (Codex Sangallensis 1092), "the earliest preserved and most extraordinary visualization of a building complex produced in the Middle Ages."

Snorri Sturluson was wrong

Submitted by Sharikkamur on Sun, 2006-12-31 09:22
A new investigation of the cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, has revealed that Icelandic literary hero Snorri Sturluson had been wrong in his documentation of the cathedral’s history.

Road Workers Discover Tran Dynasty Altar

Submitted by Milica on Wed, 2006-11-29 15:40
Construction workers in Hanoi, Vietnam have discovered what is believed to be an ancient altar from the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) as well as glassware dating to the same period.

SCAdians at fighter practice unhurt after fleeing fire

Submitted by Justin on Tue, 2006-10-24 13:16
No one was hurt, but SCA members at a fighter practice and meeting in a church basement had to flee the building along with everyone else when an altar candle upstairs set the structure ablaze. The Republican has the story.

English Monastery Nominated for World Heritage Status

Submitted by Ursula on Tue, 2006-10-17 10:26
The Venerable Bede's monastic home has been put forward as a possible UNESCO World Heritage Site. If selected, it will gain that status in 2009.