The exterior of old First United Presbyterian Church is shown Thursday, July 22, 2021, in Braddock, Pa. Although the original stained glass, pipe organ and chandelier are striking, what is even more interesting about the building is its unique style of architecture. It was built in the Akron-auditorium plan style, […]
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Closed churches’ statues headline redevelopment
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A century-old, cast iron statue of the Virgin Mary that once provided inspiration to Roman Catholic worshipers at Immaculate Conception Church now stands as the artistic and spiritual centerpiece of the newly christened Piazza Maria, just a few blocks away from her former home in Johnstown’s […]
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A pandemic Christmas: Churches shut, borders complicated
ROME – Curfews, quarantines and even border closings complicated Christmas celebrations Friday for countless people around the globe, but ingenuity, determination and imagination helped keep the day special for many. In Beijing, official churches abruptly cancelled Mass on Christmas Day in a last-minute move, after China’s capital was put on […]
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Britain’s parish churches need a miracle
Covid can’t stop it. This year, as every year, the magic will descend, as people make a sometimes unfamiliar way to church, or at least pause to remember the point of it all: the birth of a baby around 2020 years ago. Although congregations won’t be allowed to belt out […]
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Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh fear their medieval churches will be destroyed
The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral was damaged earlier this year during fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images A six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region in the South Caucasus, ended on Nov. 9 after Russia brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Under the deal, several ethnically […]