We have left Greece and are now in Israel for today's Architectural August church. This arched door way leads to Helena's Chapel which is part of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. While most people come to Bethlehem to visit the cave beneath this Byzantine Church (considered the traditional site of Jesus' birth), the connections here are really more solidly in line with church history. Jerome came to this 4th century church to translate what became known as the Latin Vulgate (still used by the Catholic Church), but before Jerome, Helena the mother of Constantine and a devout woman in her own right came to the Holy Land in search of significant holy places mentioned in the Bible. She was a dedicated researcher. After interviewing locals, researching the area's history and then lining up what she'd learned with what was recorded in Scripture, she would determine whether or not a site was authentic or not. In many cases she was not too far off base. I am not sure whether she commissioned this small chapel alongside the main sanctuary at Bethlehem or if it was just named in her honor, but it is significant both historically and artistically. You are I are used to seeing classical artists renditions of Jesus and His disciples- but most of them depict Jesus with fairly light skin and brown hair. But Jesus was Jewish. His hair would have been darker, skin more olive-toned and eyes less round and more almond-shaped. There is a beautiful fresco inside Helena's Chapel that depicts Jesus along with Peter, John and James in this way. It's fascinating to see it! An interesting bit of trivia about this church: it is the oldest church in Israel and one of the hardest to get into. Its door was originally quite wide and tall to accommodate the faithful pilgrims coming to worship here. But the wide door made the church vulnerable to plundering. So the wide door was eventually bricked in and now it is so small you must actually bend low when you step inside.
@photographycrazy Thank you Bill! @summerfield Thank you Vikki! @mzbull Thank you Mz! @aikimomm Thank you Phoebe! My! I'm honored to be compared to Richard, but I am nowhere near his level of skill! @basqgirl Thank you Amy! @salza Thank you Sally! @thistle Thank you Joyce! @sdutoit Thank you Sylvia! I am not in Israel now- I took this shot when I was there in 2003. @janetb Thank you Janet! @leananiemand Thank you Leana! I think you would enjoy the blend of cultures throughout Israel. Maybe you'll take your bike there someday. @taffy Thank you Taffy! @pyrrhula Thank you Pyrrhula! @gratefulness Thank you Sandi! @ninaganci Thank you Nina!
@summerfield Thank you Vikki!
@mzbull Thank you Mz!
@aikimomm Thank you Phoebe! My! I'm honored to be compared to Richard, but I am nowhere near his level of skill!
@basqgirl Thank you Amy!
@salza Thank you Sally!
@thistle Thank you Joyce!
@sdutoit Thank you Sylvia! I am not in Israel now- I took this shot when I was there in 2003.
@janetb Thank you Janet!
@leananiemand Thank you Leana! I think you would enjoy the blend of cultures throughout Israel. Maybe you'll take your bike there someday.
@taffy Thank you Taffy!
@pyrrhula Thank you Pyrrhula!
@gratefulness Thank you Sandi!
@ninaganci Thank you Nina!
Thank you Cindy and Sandi for the favs! It was fun to see this one the PP!
Thank you Rick!
Thank you Pam!
Thank you Teresa and thank you so much for the fav!
Thank you Nicole!
Thank you Mike!