Relics
The Shrine to St Michael of Monte Gargano
The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano
The Niche of the Pallia, standing right over the actual grave of St Peter.
The bones of St Peter were discovered hidden in a cavity in the right wall,
called the Graffiti Wall.
The bones of St Peter were discovered hidden in a cavity in the right wall,
called the Graffiti Wall.
The right altar encases the remains of Saint Victoria
A view of the renovated Relics Chapel front altars with new lighting installed.
The initial concept was to build a cluster of chapels, one dedicated to each of the saints on whose
feast day the tsar had won a battle, but the construction of a single central tower unifies these spaces
into a single cathedral.......St. Basil's is a delightful array of swirling colors and redbrick towers. Its
design comprises nine individual chapels, each topped with a unique onion dome and each
commemorating a victorious assault on the city of Kazan. In 1588 the ninth chapel was erected to
house the tomb of the church's namesake, Basil the Blessed. The church's design is based on deep
religious symbolism and was meant to be an architectural representation of the New Jerusalem - the
Heavenly Kingdom described in the Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine. The 8 onion
dome-topped towers are positioned around a central, ninth spire, forming an eight-point star. The
number 8 carries great religious significance; it denotes the day of Christ's Resurrection (the 8th day
by the ancient Jewish calendar) and the promised Heavenly Kingdom - the kingdom of the 8th century,
which will begin after the 2nd coming of Christ. The eight-point star itself symbolizes the Christian
Church as a guiding light to mankind, showing us the way to the Heavenly Jerusalem and it represents
the Virgin Mary, depicted in Orthodox iconography with a veil decorated with 3 eight-pointed stars. The
cathedral's star-like plan carries yet more meaning - the star consisting of 2 superimposed squares,
which represent the stability of faith, the 4 corners of the earth, the 4 Evangelists and the 4
equal-sided walls of the Heavenly City.
feast day the tsar had won a battle, but the construction of a single central tower unifies these spaces
into a single cathedral.......St. Basil's is a delightful array of swirling colors and redbrick towers. Its
design comprises nine individual chapels, each topped with a unique onion dome and each
commemorating a victorious assault on the city of Kazan. In 1588 the ninth chapel was erected to
house the tomb of the church's namesake, Basil the Blessed. The church's design is based on deep
religious symbolism and was meant to be an architectural representation of the New Jerusalem - the
Heavenly Kingdom described in the Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine. The 8 onion
dome-topped towers are positioned around a central, ninth spire, forming an eight-point star. The
number 8 carries great religious significance; it denotes the day of Christ's Resurrection (the 8th day
by the ancient Jewish calendar) and the promised Heavenly Kingdom - the kingdom of the 8th century,
which will begin after the 2nd coming of Christ. The eight-point star itself symbolizes the Christian
Church as a guiding light to mankind, showing us the way to the Heavenly Jerusalem and it represents
the Virgin Mary, depicted in Orthodox iconography with a veil decorated with 3 eight-pointed stars. The
cathedral's star-like plan carries yet more meaning - the star consisting of 2 superimposed squares,
which represent the stability of faith, the 4 corners of the earth, the 4 Evangelists and the 4
equal-sided walls of the Heavenly City.
St Basil's Cathedral
Above picture was taken from
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2085272500065714915gNbuMM
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2085272500065714915gNbuMM