Religion

"Raphael in Berlin" at the Gemäldegalerie

Raphael's Madonnas Come Together in Berlin Exhibition

Seven artworks on display at the Gemäldegalerie museum highlight the unique sensibilities Raphael brought to an iconic devotional scene

In 2010, researchers excavating this young woman's grave discovered a waxy cone atop her head.

Ancient Egyptian Head Cones Were Real, Grave Excavations Suggest

Once relegated to wall paintings, the curious headpieces have finally been found in physical form, but archaeologists remain unsure of their purpose

Left, Giovanni Maria de Agostini, a peripatetic Italian monk who was banished from Brazil, reached northern New Mexico on foot in 1863. He holed up on a mountain that would become known as Hermit Peak, today the object of an annual pilgrimage. Right, view of Hermit Peak.

The Inspiring Monk Who Lived in a New Mexico Cave

The mountaintop home of an Italian hermit who lived in the U.S. in the 1860s still attracts a handful of pilgrims

In the 1600s, the Arakan empire's capital, Mrauk U, had 160,000 inhabitants. The 200-foot spire of Ratanabon temple attests to eclipsed glories.

The Hidden City of Myanmar

The ancient kingdom of Mrauk U welcomed Buddhists and Muslims. Now efforts to uncover its mysteries are threatened by ethnic hostilities

Detail of the Korean Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Gwaneum bosal) crafted in the Goryeo period, ca. 1220 to 1285.

Rare, Centuries-Old Korean Buddhist Masterpiece Goes on View

Sealed and hidden within the sculpture were sacred texts and symbolic objects

A William Blake illustration depicting the fall of Adam and Eve

Student Discovers Secret Acrostic in Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’

A Tufts University undergraduate spotted three interlocking instances of the word “FALL” in Book 9 of the epic poem

A rooftop view with gargoyles on the left and other statuary, circa 1860.

A Hymn to Notre-Dame

In which the renowned author of thrillers and mysteries praises the Gothic beauty, damaged by fire but destined to inspire again

Unique Salt Coating Helped Preserve 25-Foot-Long Dead Sea Scroll

Analysis shows that the unique processing of the Temple Scroll's parchment kept it intact

Wat Phra Dhammakaya

Six of Thailand’s Most Magnificent Temples

It should come as no surprise that Thailand is a country of temples, given the significant role that Buddhism plays in its culture

Hebrew Inscription Emerges From Ruins of the Great Synagogue of Vilna

Other finds from a recent excavation include a prayer book and 200 gold coins

The dormant Santa Margarida Volcano in Spain is home to a chapel.

There’s a Chapel Located Inside a Volcano in Spain

The site has been a place of worship since the Middle Ages, but its exact origins remain a mystery

Fear of Foreign Food May Have Led to the Death of This Crusader King

A new analysis shows France's Louis IX and much of his army suffered from advanced scurvy during the Eighth Crusade in Tunisia

The hand-tooled leather cover

A Bible Owned by Lincoln, Unknown to Historians for 150 Years, Goes on Display

The relic offers a new opportunity to reflect on Lincoln’s religious beliefs

This detail of The Apotheosis of Washington, a fresco painted in the 19th century by Constantino Brumidi in the eye of the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building, depicts George Washington rising to the heavens, flanked by the Roman goddesses of liberty (left) and victory (right).

Why No One Can Agree on What George Washington Thought About the Relationship Between Church and State

The first president wanted to unite citizens of all religions without alienating Catholics, freethinkers and Jews

Father Karel Stautemas raising a glass of Grimbergen beer

A Belgian Abbey Is Using Centuries-Old Recipes to Revive Its Brewery

Grimbergen Abbey in Belgium will produce its first beers in more than 200 years

The Bible is similar to one brought to North America by Pilgrims traveling aboard the Mayflower

17th-Century Bible Stolen From Pittsburgh Library Recovered in the Netherlands

The 404-year-old religious text was one of more than 300 artifacts stolen from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Library over a two-decade period

St. Anthony's Shrine photographed the day after multiple deadly explosions targeted churches and hotels across Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan Government Pledges to Rebuild 175-Year-Old Church Damaged in Deadly Easter Bombings

St. Anthony’s Shrine has long served as a symbol of unity and religious tolerance

Jews being led for deportation in the Warsaw Ghetto, during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.

100 Jewish Families to Celebrate Passover Seder at Site of Warsaw Ghetto

Traveling from Israel, Europe and the United States, the families will come together on the 76th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

Palestinians gather to perform the Friday prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem

A Small Fire Broke Out at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque as Flames Ravaged Notre-Dame

The blaze left the Islamic holy site largely untouched, damaging a single mobile guard booth

Smoke and flames rise from Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15, 2019.

Last Night, I Watched Notre-Dame Burn

Our own travel writer, in Paris yesterday, recounts her experience witnessing the devastating fire at the cathedral

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