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$Instead of shelling out beaucoup bucks for a bells-and-whistles amusement park, try a regular park instead. Try visiting a state or national park for a fraction of the price.$

Some vacations suggestions for shoestring budgets

By • Catholic Online • 6/20/2011

Summer is here, and you and your family want to take advantage of the sunny weather for some quality vacation time. Times are tough, and there isn't a lot of money for trips and recreation this year - but that doesn't mean you have to stay housebound. Here are four suggestions to stretch ...

St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria, Egypt, has a colorful history dipped in intrigue from Christendom's earliest days. The cathedral is the seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Egypt has colorful past

By • Catholic Online • 6/16/2011

St. Mark's Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria, Egypt, has a colorful history dipped in intrigue from Christendom's earliest days. The cathedral is the seat of the Pope of Alexandria, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The cathedral is reputed to stand on ...

The most interesting of all this decoration is the huge mural of The Last Judgment that covers both sides of the rounded west wall of the nave. Painted between 1474 and 1484 by unknown Franco-Flemish artists, it is considered one of the most important works of art of the Late Middle Ages.

Cath�drale Ste-C�cile of Albi is largest brick building in the world

By • Catholic Online • 6/15/2011

The largest brick building in the world, the Cath�drale Ste-C�cile of Albi was built in the 13th century in the heart of Cathar country. Perched high on a hill above the River Tarn in France, its severe exterior makes it looks like a fortress, which in fact it originally was. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

The Temple of Zeus overlooks the spacious Oval Plaza. Surrounded by a colonnade of 1st-century Ionic columns, it had two altars in the middle that were replaced with a fountain in the 7th century AD.

Jerash ruins show artistic influence of Christians, Muslims

By • Catholic Online • 6/9/2011

Called the "Pompeii of the East," Jerash, in the nation of Jordan is a beautiful Greco-Roman ruin located 80 miles north of Amman. The preserved ruins of Jerash include places of worship and other buildings from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim periods. Long disused, ...

The 'Seven Sleepers' were seven young men who had been walled up in a cave during the persecutions under Decius around 250 AD. They fell asleep, miraculously waking up around 435 AD, in the time of Theodosius II.

Cave of the Seven Sleepers popular pilgrimage site in Turkey

By • Catholic Online • 6/4/2011

A well-paved road, heading east of the Vedius Gymnasium in Turkey leads to the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, about half a mile away. According to legend, the "Seven Sleepers" were seven young men who had been walled up in a cave during the persecutions under Decius around 250 AD. They fell asleep, ...

The vault of the oratory features a lovely mosaic of a starry night sky. The stars, more than 800 of them are arranged in concentric circles around a golden Latin cross, with the symbols of the Four Evangelists on the spandrels.

Beautiful mosaics highlight of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

By • Catholic Online • 6/1/2011

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, located in the backyard of San Vitale, is best known for its ancient and breathtaking mosaics. The small brick structure dates from around 430 AD, making it one of the oldest monuments in Ravenna. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - More amazing is the ...

A collection of Roman textiles and medieval church vestments, original Early Gothic statues from the Liebfrauenkirche, as well as the creations of sculptors, ivory carvers, and goldsmiths over the centuries are all part of the museum's the exhibits.

Bishop's Museum in Germany houses early examples of Christian art

By • Catholic Online • 5/25/2011

The Bischofliches Museum, or Bishop's Museum is housed in a 19th-century building near Trier Cathedral in Trier, Germany. Once a Prussian prison, the building now houses the art collection of the Diocese of Trier, including much early Christian art. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - An excellent ...

A view across Abbey Green, or Great Court, to the abbey church.

Fountains Abbey offers enchanting country vistas

By • Catholic Online • 5/20/2011

Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, is a holy site in a beautiful natural setting. The abbey can make for a very pleasant few hours of wandering. Founded by Cistercian monks in 1132, it is the largest monastic ruin in Britain. In 1987, it was awarded World Heritage status. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

Vatican Partnership Encourages Pilgrimages to Rome

Catholic Online • 5/20/2011

Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi works to accompany pilgrims on journeys around the world with adequate spiritual assistance and logistical organization. It promotes pilgrimages to important destinations that have a spiritual and cultural interest. While they have developed many itineraries to ...

For visitors to Trier, the cathedral's central attraction is the Holy Robe (Der Heilige Rock) of Christ. The relic is enshrined in a reliquary housed in the specially-built baroque Chapel of the Holy Robe, located behind the altar.

German cathedral bears robe Christ wore during crucifixion

By • Catholic Online • 5/13/2011

Trier Cathedral, the oldest acting church in Germany today, houses an impressive collection of artworks, architecture and holy relics. The site remains a working Catholic cathedral and an important Catholic shrine that still receives pilgrims. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Christianity first ...