Religion

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

A new study looks at the role “pro-social” religions play in fostering large-scale societies

Which Came First, Vengeful Gods or Complex Civilizations?

A new study pushes back against the hypothesis that moralizing gods were necessary to keep large societies civil

Cave Full of Untouched Maya Artifacts Found at Chichén Itzá

The intact offerings will allow researchers to understand changes over time at the site

Pope Pius XII's archives will be unsealed next year

The Vatican Will Unseal the Archives of Pius XII, the Controversial Holocaust-Era Pope

Some have accused the pope of remaining silent in the face of Nazi persecution, while others say he quietly worked to rescue Jews

Houston's Rothko Chapel Casts a New Light

When the meditative space reopens, a new skylight will filter the right amount of light on the 14 canvasses installed in the artist's octagonal masterpiece

Dugger makes a stylish statement by superimposing vibrant images of women jumping and twirling over photographs of patterned mats common in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, the Veil Is a Fashion Statement

Artist Medina Dugger finds joy in a colorful yet complicated symbol of faith

Young Yoshiko Hide Kishi moved with her family to the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center; "It's important to educated people about what happened," she recently told Smithsonian curators.

The Complex Role Faith Played for Incarcerated Japanese-Americans During World War II

Smithsonian curator of religion Peter Manseau weighs in on a history that must be told

Gary Brannan, archivist, and Professor Sarah Rees Jones examine one of the archbishops' registers.

A Medieval Nun Wanted to Escape Her Convent—so She Faked Her Death

This story and others have come to light during a project to translate and digitize a series of texts about archbishops in York, England

The interior of a former Wanamaker's (now a Macy's location) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, complete with a 1911 World Fair pipe organ

What a Hundred-Year-Old Department Store Can Tell Us About the Overlap of Retail, Religion and Politics

The legacy left behind by the Philadelphia-based retail chain Wanamaker’s is still felt by shoppers today

Mock-up of the statue in place alongside the Segovian aqueduct

Why a Smiling Statue of Satan Is Stirring Up Controversy in Spain

Some Segovian locals say the affable bust is “offensive for Catholics, because it constitutes the glorification of evil”

Coins thrown by tourists into the Trevi Fountain

Rome's Mayor Says Coins Tossed Into Trevi Fountain Will Still Go to Poor

Controversy erupted earlier this week about who was getting the funds from the 18th-century masterpiece

The Vatican’s New Track Team Includes Priests, Nuns and a Scholar

The team dreams of competing in the Olympics, though that might be a ‘long shot,’ says its president

Heavily Abridged ‘Slave Bible’ Removed Passages That Might Encourage Uprisings

The rare artifact is the focus of a new exhibition at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.

In this 2018 photo provided by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH, a skull-like stone carving and a stone trunk depicting the Flayed Lord, a pre-Hispanic fertility god depicted as a skinned human corpse, are stored after being excavated from the Ndachjian–Tehuacan archaeological site in Tehuacan, Puebla state, where archaeologists have discovered the first temple dedicated to the deity.

Archaeologists Find First-Known Temple of ‘Flayed Lord’ in Mexico

While the rituals associated with the site may not be entirely clear, identifying the ruins of a temple to the deity Xipe Tóte is an important discovery

A segment of the 3 million-strong "women's wall" that gathered in the southern Indian state of Kerala on January 1, 2019.

Two Women Make History by Entering One of India’s Holiest Sites

This is the first time that women have been able to enter the Sabarimala temple since India’s Supreme Court overturned a ban that denied them access

Kristi Casteel holds her son Joshua Casteel's dog tags.

The Priest of Abu Ghraib

Inside Iraq's most notorious prison, an Army interrogator came face to face with a shocking truth about the war—and himself

Sister Wendy sought to make some of the world's most renowned artists accessible to her audience.

Remembering Sister Wendy Beckett, Beloved Nun Who Made Art Accessible

A surprising rise to fame catapulted her into television stardom, where she used her platform to share artistic masterpieces with the public

The Goddess in the Margarine Tub Is Just One of 1,267 Treasures Found by the British Public in 2017

A new report reveals the pieces voluntarily recorded with the U.K.'s Portable Antiquities Scheme last year

'Statue of Unity" presently holds the record for world's tallest statue with a towering height of nearly 600 feet.

India Is Building the World’s Tallest Statue—Again

The monument of the Hindu god Ram is expected to stand 725 feet tall, and it plays a role in the country’s complex political landscape

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