Historic San Germán, Puerto Rico
Tourists heading to Puerto Rico in search of the island’s history would do well to visit San Germán. Exploring San Germán Everyone knows San Juan is the colonial heart of Puerto Rico. However, in the Read More …
Tag: religion and religious architecture
An introduction to Strängnäs, Sweden
While Stockholm is the largest and most well-known of the towns linked together by Sweden’s Lake Mälaren, travelers would be wise to journey farther along the lake to discover its smaller and less-famous gems. The Read More …
Fantastic figures at Mia Pagoda, Duong Lam, Vietnam
The traditional Vietnamese villages of Duong Lam, Vietnam, have many treasures hidden within their ancient walls, but the largest collection – both in number and physical size — reside within the quiet confines of Mia Read More …
History at the New Arsenal Museum, Vilnius, Lithuania
I love wandering in museums, aimlessly moving from one item to another based more on what intrigues me than on any logical structure. The New Arsenal location of the Lithuanian National Museum was a perfect Read More …
The past is present at Mission San Juan Bautista, California
Time is a shapeshifter at Mission San Juan Bautista. This is a place where the past slips into the present, where both the church building and the religious life conducted within it have continued largely Read More …
A walk through Mission San Juan Capistrano
Among the first California missions to capture the public imagination, Mission San Juan Capistrano (and its swallows) have been immortalized in song and film.
Historic town of San Juan Bautista, California
Spain authorized the establishment of Roman Catholic missions in Alta California with the intent that these missions would become the nucleus for new cities inhabited by loyal Spanish citizens. In many cases cities did grow Read More …
A merger of past and present at Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, California
Mission San Louis Obispo de Tolosa has undergone many physical changes over time, leading to a church where past and present merge in interesting ways today. Past and present merge at Mission San Luis Obispo Read More …
The many churches of Mission Santa Clara de Asis, California
The lovely church of Mission Santa Clara de Asis is the mission’s sixth church and the second at this, the mission’s fifth location.
Inside the Temple of Literature, Hanoi, Vietnam
The Temple of Literature (Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam) in Hanoi is a relic of a quieter, more structured and orderly time. The complex dates back to the early days of Hanoi’s founding, when Van Mieu Read More …
A visit to Mission Santa Clara de Asis, California
Mission Santa Clara de Asis is one of only a small number of California missions to remain active throughout its history. Today it is also the heart of Santa Clara University.
A quiet Saturday in West Concord, Minnesota
I’d expect Saturday to be a busy time in a small town, but that wasn’t the case when we stopped by West Concord, Minnesota, on our way to Rochester from Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. Read More …
Lean on Me, Saint John’s Abbey, Minnesota
If you look south at just the right moment while zipping along I-94 through central Minnesota, you may glimpse a cluster of odd-looking structures off in the distance. Structures might be too strong a word Read More …
Christ Lutheran Cemetery, Cherry Spring, Texas
Cherry Spring, Texas, is one of many unincorporated Hill Country communities settled mostly by German immigrants in the years just before the US Civil War. Although very rural today, there were once quite a number Read More …
The Chapel of Guadalupe, Xcaret, Mexico
Xcaret (located near Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Caribbean coast) emphasizes that it is a cultural park as well as an eco-adventure park. The Chapel of Guadalupe is part of its cultural side. This modern Read More …
Seeking a Church’s Past in Mama, Mexico
The Convent Route runs through the heart of the Mexican Yucatán. One of its highlights is the colonial Church of the Ascension in the village of Mama. Descriptions of the church make it sound fascinating: Read More …
The Remains of the Days of the Dead in Tulum, Mexico
Mexicans take their deceased seriously and, no matter how rich or poor the family is, every effort will be made to ensure their loved ones are honored and remembered long after their passing. The practice Read More …
Visiting Xcaret in the Mexican Yucatán
While in Playa del Carmen in December, my small group spent a day at Xcaret, a self-described “eco-archaeological park where you can experience the natural and cultural richness of Mexico.” I fully expected to discover Read More …