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| "The 3 Bells of Fira" - Church of The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Santorini, Greece Copyright Andy Richards 2017 - All Rights Reserved |
OUR TRAVELS around the world have been pretty strongly weighted toward Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean region. There are a few areas we have briefly visited in parts of Eastern Europe and Asia. because we have spent a fair amount of time there, I showcased the shrines and temples of Japan in part II of this series. We have frankly not - yet - spent enough time in the other areas though, where many of the churches that are Greek, Moorish and/ or, Turkish influenced. Thankfully, there will be more opportunities, as we currently make plans to visit Egypt and the Nile River in March of 2027, and several days traveling Greece (again) in 2028. In the meantime, this post features a few I have seen and plus a couple of the more unique churches and photographed. Not only do these mosques present architectural and artistic touches that are unique, but the very direction they face is influenced heavily by their religious symbolism. Likewise, there are churches that are heavily influenced by the religion and culture of the Baltic and Eastern European countries.
Alexander Nevsky (Eastern Orthodox) Cathedral - Tallinn, Estonia
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved
THERE ARE also some churches around the world that are unique in their own right, like the near-ultramodern Knock Shrine in the Republic of Ireland, shown below. Probably the only example I have, this shrine which was built in the mid-1970's (though a parish has been at the site since 1828.
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| Hagia Sophia - Istanbul, Turkey Copyright Andy Richards 2013 |
MY TRAVELS have only taken me briefly into countries where Mosques are common. In 2013, when our Royal Princess Cruise ship stopped in Istanbul. But during that stop, we spent what probably has been the longest shore day-excursion of our more than 15 years of cruising experience and covered a lot of territory. Our stops included two of what are probably the several most famous "churches" in the history of western civilization. The Hagia Sophia, above, was originally built during the reign of Emperor Justinian during the Byzantine period, as a Christian Eastern Orthodox Church. Intended to be the world's most grand structure and monument to not only Christianity, but the reign of Roman civilization, it was (is) massive and architecturally impressive. The church was built in 537 AD, and stood until the mid-15th century when the Ottoman Turks conquered what was then Constantinople. Thereafter, the Sultan Mehmed II converted it to a Mosque, adding minarets to the exterior and a number of touches to the interior. Whether church or mosque, it is difficult not to marvel at centuries old architecture and engineering of the time.
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| The Blue Mosque - Istanbul Turkey Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved |
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| Knock Basillica - Knock Shrine - Knock, Ireland Copyright Andy Richards |
ONE OF the most unique churches I have photographed is in Porto, Portugal. Very near our hotel, on the Rua , is yet another Baroque church: The Chapel of Souls (Capela das Almas). This 18th century church is most unique for its nearly completely covered facade of blue tiles, depicting biblical scenes, added to the centuries old church in 1929.
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| Chapel of Souls - Porto, Portugal Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved THERE ARE a very few churches around the world that are no longer routinely used for their original purpose of regular worship. The Ardcroney Church originally in Tipperary, Ireland, is a stone church built in the late 1800s. In 1995, the Gothic Style church was dismantled, stone by stone, moved and rebuilt on the site of Bunratty Folk Park, where it is one of a number of exhibits depicting life in the Irish countryside back in the 1800s. |
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| Ardcroney Church - Bunratty Folk Park - Ireland Copyright Andy Richards 20 - All Rights Reserved |
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