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Since the end of the ninth century in many Christian countries in Europe already existed special representatives of the Holy See for the set- tlement of church-political problems, which were resolved according to the rules of canon law and international law. The purpose of these pope delegates, of different degrees of competence (depending on the time and political and social circumstances) is the regulation of relations between the Church and individual states so that the former could effectively ful- fill its mission of evangelization. Whilst the aim of Vatican diplomacy (of various degrees) is to create favorable conditions for the functioning of the local Church, insomuch in relation to the dogmatic and disciplinary issues the decisive vote belongs to the general assembly of bishops under the leadership of the Pope, so the general council. Both the one and the other form of activity is an eloquent manifestation – throughout history – of the renewal of religious and ecclesiastical life, initiated by the Holy See.
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Papal diplomacy has always concentrated on carrying out tasks focused on expanding the space for Roman Christianity. Poland, which has been in the group of Christian countries since the second half of the X century from the beginning became present in the orbit of the Holy See’s interests and had very frequent relations with it. Their point of interest lied in political issues, among which were a few centuries long Polish-Teutonic relations, Turkish threat, a calling to join the Holy League, and the Polish mediation in the aspirations towards a union between Rome and Moscow. After Reformation and crystallization of the permanent papal diplomatic service, it turned out that priorities were aspirations towards reinstating Catholicism in Poland’s neighbouring countries: Sweden, Saxony and continually current hopes for a union with Orthodox Russia. Besides these issues other important matters included internal affairs of the Church in Poland: in middle ages – nominations of bishops, keeping Poland in papal obedience; from 16th century introducing Tridentine reforms and a new vision of bishops’ service.
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Russia proved to be a difficult terrain for the Vatican diplomacy, especially since, due to the partiotions of Poland, crowds of Catholics of both the Latin and Greek rite fell under the reign of the Orthodox ruler. As it was not possible to establish in the Russian Empire regular nunciature, the Holy See, in this period of particular importance, send their ambassadors to the court of Russian tsars. In the years 1783-1804 this function was held by: Giovanni Andrea Archetti (1783-1784), Lorenzo Litta (1797-1799) and Tommaso Arezzo (1803-1804), and each of them had a specific purpose of the mission. Generally, however, it has been about the canonical regulation of the church’s administrative structure, adapted to the political borders of the Russian Empire, and to give people freedom of religious practices and opportunities for contacts with the Holy See.
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Any man addicted to pornography or gambling needs help, as he is a sick person. He needs help and the advice of professionals, because the attempts to dominate the addiction usually end in failure. The centers of assistance and support − governmental and non-governmental, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of addiction that support addicts and their loved ones. Only full cooperation of centers and support groups and involvement of all family members can restore the addict's hope and change lives.
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The present study explores the political journalistic activity conducted by Rector Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae in the confessional journal from Sibiu Telegraful Român (Romanian Telegraph), between the years 1940-1941. Amid particularly tumultuous events, but also of maximum historical resonance occurring in Romania, the Transylvanian theologian builds a passionate journalistic discourse, which designs his own theo-political ideas for the Romanian nation and Orthodoxy. Vehemently protesting against the Communist ideology and Soviet Russia, torn spiritually because of the abusive territorial losses in those years, the Christian journalist Dumitru Stăniloae adheres, at first, the enticing “Christian totalitarianism” manifested by the Legionary Movement, and, then, becomes a fervent supporter of the expansionist policy of Nazi Germany and its ally, the much contested General Ion Antonescu.
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New museum reacts to criticism from religious groups and others, removing offending part and calling this a learning experience.
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Adopted in January, the ban, which prohibits any kind of religiously affiliated clothing, has not deterred students from wearing hijabs until now.
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Konstantinas Kazimieras Bžostovskis, the bishop of Vilnius, funded the Trinitarians’ Church of the Holy Trinity and the Lord’s Transfiguration in Trinapolis, Vilnius, and consecrated it in 1722. Its altars and the pulpit had been erected until then. However, the consistent data on the decorati- ons and items in the church are available only from the early 19th century. In 1832, the Church of Trinapolis was closed and its inventory was distributed until 1837. The further move of all inventory items is not known. It was established that liturgical vessels, clothes and accessories were given to the priests, who went to work in the far regions of Russia. The library went to the Trinitarian’s Monastery in Antakalnis, Vilnius. The church equipment, including furniture, sculptures, most paintings and a part of other items, was distributed to the churches of Vilnius diocese: Pabaiskas, Turgeliai, Vilnius Calvary, Karkažiškiai, Šalčininkai, Sudervė, Čiudeniškiai and Geranainys.The organs, benches and other property of the Trinitarians were lost during the fires in the Chur- ches in Karkažiškiai and Šalčininkai. Since 1914, a bell of the same origin is no longer available in the Church in Geranainys. At the end of the 19th century, the history of the sculpture of St. John of Nepomuk and painting of St. Mary of Barūnai, which were transferred to the Church of Calvary, discontinues too. In the fourth quarter of the 19th – early 20th century, when the altars were erected in the Church in Pabaiskas and the Church in Turgeliai was reconstructed, altars and majority of paintings from the Trinitarians did not survive. However, the picture of the Holy Trinity is still in the Church in Pabaiskas, which is supposedly painted after 1812 by an unknown student of Pranciškus Smuglevičius. Four sculptures in the high altar of the Church in Turgeliai as well as two sculptures transferred to the Church Heritage Museum in Vilnius are the remains of the decorations of the old high altar of the Church of Trinapolis. The wooden baroque sculptures carved until 1720 were preliminary attributed to Friedrich Kwieczor, a craftsman in Vilnius. A pul- pit of the Church of Trinapolis, made by F. Kwieczor, is preserved in the Church in Turgeliai. It is considered that the sculptures of the high altar of the parish Church of Naujieji Trakai should be assigned to him (his workshop).
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The text regards an artistic culture of a Cistercian abbey in Wistycze. It discusses the history of the abbey including its fate after suppression by the Orthodox Church in 1831 and attempts of revendication in the mid-war period. The author dates the design of the church to ca. 1679–1697 linking it to the Warsaw artistic milieu, possibly Isidore Affaitati or Jan Chrzciciel [Giovanni Battista] Ceroni, while its façade of 1748 has been attributed to Józef Fontana (III). Analysis of the previously unknown photographs from before 1939 which represent i.a. the rococo high altar from about the middle of the 18th c. allows to illustrate its relationship to art objects from regions of Lublin and Podlasie, assigned to the workshop of Johann Elias Hoffman from Puławy. A miraculous image of Mother Mary, an icon from the turn of the 15th and 16th c., was probably commissioned by Jan Juriewicz Zabrzeziński, the founder of the earliest church at Wistycze, at a workshop in Belorussia or Novgorod.
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The confirmation of an agreement for church construction found in the books of the castle court of the Grodno powiat held at the National Historical Archives of the Republic of Belarus is valuable in several respects: it confirms the authorship, introduces a new name in the history of architecture, explains the circumstances of church construction, and provides information about the organisation and development of the construction process and the payments.The owner of the Rudamina manor and chamberlain of Grodno Grzegorz Massalski became the first endower of the Rudamina church (today, Lazdijai district) in 1592. His children inherited the manor after his death, and after the death of the last childless heir, the manor changed hands until it was acquired by the treasurer of the Trakai voivodeship Mikołaj Turczynowicz Suszycki (1727–1755) circa 1740–1745. The new owner of the Rudamina manor began the construction of a new church, as the old one was almost totally deteriorated. At the end of 1749 he made an agreement with an architect Wojciech Józef Krukowski for the construction of a new brick church. According to the agreement, the architect was obliged to build a new church in Rudamina for 19,000 golden coins after his own design and led by his team of builders in five years. The agreement was confirmed at the chancellery of the castle court of the Grodno powiat on 20October 1755. Financial difficulties and a sudden death of Turczynowicz Suszycki in the spring of 1755 disrupted the construction works. Although the executors of his will obliged themselves to finish the church construction, they encountered financial obstacles. The architect Krukowski abandoned the work. In the winter of 1757 a new architect was sought to prepare the drafts of the church façade and towers. It is not known when the construction of the church was finally finished; most probably it was not until the last quarter of the 18th century. The facts show that ultimately the project was not implemented in the way it had been designed in Krukowski’s original project and underwent some changes. In the early 20th century the church was reconstructed, and its volume and plan were modified. During the reconstruction a transept and a presbytery were added, at their intersection point a small belfry was built on the roof, new chapels were erected, and other minor transformations were introduced.The above-mentioned agreement and other relevant sources have provided new information about the history of construction of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Rudamina. Archival documents have revealed who took part in the process of commissioning the works and construction and what transformations the project underwent in the context of personality and historical changes.
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About the exhibition "Šilkas ir auksas. Vilniaus arkivyskupijos XV–XVIII a. liturginė tekstilė“ at the Church Heritage Museum in Vilnius
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This article offers an anthropological analysis of a conflict over the use of a set of healing chains’ and other focal objects kept in the Orthodox Christian monastery of Saints Kosmas and Damian in Kuklen, Bulgaria. In a nutshell, the conflict captures the leading religious imageries propagated by the custodians of the monastery on the one hand, and the spiritual leaders of a new religious movement,so-called Deunovians, on the other. The analysis helps situate some of the signifcant changes currently affecting the religious culture of Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria within a broader social and cultural context.
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The spiritual creation of a famous composer Stanisław Moniuszko (1819–1872) is a wide and little analysed subject. The main object of the article is canticles and writings for the organ created in Vilnius period (1839–1858), which are analysed in the general context of his work and creation. The first part of this publication deals with the composer’s spiritual and organ music created in Vilnius period (in the second part I will analyse choral music and such great compositions as mass, cantata, litanies, etc.). The task of the article – to analyse canticles and writings for the organ created by Moniuszko in Vilnius period and evaluate them not only in his personal creation practice but also in the general context of Polish and Lithuanian music history. The article presents new facts of composer’s creativity and specifies the old ones. By way of Moniuszko creation is analysed referring to the bibliography of Vilnius, Warsaw and Moscow also letters written by Moniuszko and other published sources. The aim of this article is to supplement with new ideas and observations the former studies, made by Polish and Lithuanian musicologists about Moniuszko’s creative work. The methods used in the article – historical, comparative and synthesis.
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