Plenty of Nothing

Derelict

Steeple Removal

Church Art by Sylvia Hahn

Mark, Jesus and Michael at the former St. Mark's Anglican, West Toronto. Source.

Last Days of Canadian Martyrs Church

Hofkirche, Innsbruck

The Hofkirche, Innsbruck, contains the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I, plus a couple dozen statues of his illustrious relatives. These three are Albrecht II of Austria (1298-1358), Rudolf I of Habsburg, King of the Romans (1218-1291), and Philip I of Castile (1478-1506). Source.

The Basilica of Constantine

The Basilica of Constantine in Trier was built in the 4th century and spent the Middle Ages as the residence of the Bishop of Trier. It became a Protestant church in the 19th century, and was burnt out in an air raid in 1944. A new organ was installed in 2014. Listen to it.

Alien Gargoyle

Alien gargoyle on Paisley Abbey.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help (1966)

Biting the Holy Wood

    Before the sun is up, the dismissal takes place At the Cross, and those with the energy then go to Sion to pray at the column at which the Lord was scourged, before going on home for a short rest. But it is not long before everyone is assembled for the next service. The bishop's chair is placed on Golgotha Behind the Cross (the cross there now), and he takes his seat. A table is placed before him with a cloth on it, the deacons stand round, and there is brought to him a gold and silver box containing the holy Wood of the Cross. It is opened, and the Wood of the Cross and the Title are taken out and placed on the table.

    As long as the holy Wood is on the table, the bishop sits with his hands resting on either end of it and holds it down, and the deacons round him keep watch over it. They guard it like this because what happens now is that people, catechumens as well as the faithful, come up one by one to the table. They stoop down over it, kiss the Wood, and move on. But on one occasion (I don't know when) one of them bit off a piece of the holy Wood and stole it away, and for this reason the deacons stand round and keep watch in case anyone dares to do the same again.

    --Egeria describing Easter services at Jerusalem c 381-4 AD

    John Wilkinson, Egeria's Travels, pages 136-7.

St Antonios' Wooden Church

The little wooden building that housed the St Antonios Antiochian Orthodox Church, prior to the refurbishment of the St Matthias church across Windsor Street, was torn down last weekend. Source: Google Street View.