This is a mural inside of Bilbo Baggins, a small pub and restaurant in Alexandria, VA. Expensive, but yummy!
These are a few of the beautiful things we saw at the Franciscan Monastery. I hear the gardens are beautiful, too, but we didn't have time to visit those on this day.
(This is the altar in the Purgatory Chapel, and photos just don't do it justice. It's beautiful!)
(That's a copy of Saint Cecelia's tomb, with a statue of her body; St. Cecelia was the first incorruptible.)
In addition to replicas of the catacombs, this church also has replicas (exact scale, no less!) of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as well as the Church of the Nativity (the spot where Jesus was born). This is their replica of the spot where Christ was born. The crucifixion scene below is part of the Holy Sepulchre replica, but I forgot to take pictures of the replica of the Tomb. (Silly me!)The reason for the replications was because the founder of the monastery wished for people to be able to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but understood that it was impossible for many. Just as churches in Europe created Stations of the Cross during the Middle Ages for people who could not make a trip to the Holy Land, these friars created this beautiful church for those of us who wish to make a pilgrimage but cannot. If you are ever in the DC area, even if you aren't Catholic, make a point of visiting this beatiful monastery.
These two statues are to the left and right, respectively, of the crucifixion scene below. Each statue was created from a single block of wood.
More pictures to come, including some of the John Paul II Cultural Center, as well as various Smithsonian museums.
4 comments:
Welcome back Chris. Great photos!
Welcome back Chris!
Great pictures, I love seeing different churches and this one looks great.
Let me ask you a question though. I had planned on going to the March for Life with Mom in January, but I think she really doesn't want to go because it would be difficult (ex. dogs and sister home alone most of the day) and expensive. Do you think Washington D.C. is something someone (me!) can do on their own?
Well, the lodging is expensive, and so is the food. However, if you go to the lock-in prayer vigil at the Basilica, you've got lodging for the night, anyway. I am blessed enough that I can take a bus that morning (leaving at 6:30 am!) and get home that night (10 pm). I will be there, possibly with Big Girl. But, yes, someone can do it alone. The area the March is in, and even the Basilica, is very safe. We walked all over the Mall with the girls, and even walked in the darkness from the Smithsonian (east of the Washington Monument) to the Lincoln Memorial. I wasn't afraid at all, and there were bikers and joggers all over the Mall even at that time of night.
If you go, we should try to hook up! LOL!
Well I wanted to go with one of the bus groups but then Mom said she wouldn't go on a bus because you can't move and things like that.
So then we started to devise this plan of going it on our own by taking a train. And the one night I had her pretty locked into going, but now she's backing out of it. I'd still really like to go and since I'm graduating and don't have a job for the time being I don't have any commitments.
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