Christ the Redeemer

Name : Christ the Redeemer

Location : Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is located at the peak of the 710-m Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park, overlooking the city.

Description : With arms spread wide -- as if to embrace the whole city of Rio de Janeiro sprawling below in spectacular disorder -- the Cristo Redentor statue can be seen from all over town.

For a pedestal, the statue has the 2,310-foot mountain called Corcovado. The Christ figure on top rises another 100 feet, its arms extending nearly 92 feet from fingertip to fingertip, with a weight of some 700 tons.

French sculptor Paul Landowski and his team of artisans erected the impressive statue to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of Brazil's 1822 independence from Portugal. Due to budget constraints, however, the centennial artwork was finished nearly a decade later in 1931, and then only with help from the Vatican. Sleekly contemporary in appearance, the statue was fashioned of soapstone and concrete.

The Cristo Redentor figure vies with Sugarloaf Mountain as the emblem of the city of the cariocas. And its site offers a view over Rio that is even more spectacular than Sugarloaf's, taking in the famous beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema, tree-lined residential neighborhoods, the bay, and a blue lagoon called Rodrigo de Freitas. Corcovado itself is enveloped within a tropical reserve where waterfalls tumble and butterflies flit through thick forests.

Local residents like to go up to see the statue by riding on a 2.3-mile cog railway whose tracks for cogwheel steam engines were laid up the mountainside in 1885. During the 20-minute ride, the train passes through leafy green tunnels of trees and provides views of Brazil's city of pleasure and poverty, carnival and beaches, far below.

In the evening, powerful spotlights illuminate the statue of Christ, making it glow and appear almost to levitate above the darkened peak. By day or night, no matter where you may go in the city of Rio, the statue has the presence of an icon.

Website : http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/christ-the-redeemer-statue-landmark.htm

St-Martin-du-Canigou

Name : St-Martin-du-Canigou or St-Martin-du-Canigou and also St. Martin's Abbey

Location : Languedoc state, Roussillon province, France

Description :
Faith - Christianity
Denomination - Catholic
Order - Benedictine (originally; now Community of the Beatitudes)
Dedication - St. Martin

Boasting a spectacular location in the Pyrenees mountains of southern France, the abbey church of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou is a Romanesque treasure from the early 11th century. In addition to its ancient architecture, it is notable for its collection of original 13th-century capitals depicting a variety of imaginative subjects.

Construction on the Abbey of Saint Martin probably began in 1005, the year it was founded by Count Guifre de Cerdanya. The elder brother of Oliba, who was abbot of the nearby Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, the count eventually became a monk himself in Saint-Martin-du-Canigou. The completion date for the abbey church is usually given as 1009 - one thousand years ago. Benedictine monks were invited to take up residence in the new abbey.

The abbey remained active until it was dissolved in 1783. Thereafter it was abandoned, lying neglected and forgotten throughout the 1800s. Many of the abbey buildings fell into ruin, but happily the church and its tower remained standing in 1902, when restoration work began. The restoration project was led by Mgr de Carsalade du Pont, Bishop of Perpignan. Today, the abbey is active once again, as home to the Community of the Beatitudes.

The abbey is located at about 3,500 feet above sea level in the richly forested Pyrenees mountains. Accessible only by a scenic paved path that winds through the woods, it offers a unique atmosphere along with its rich history and art. Upon arrival at the abbey, head to the visitor's center to purchase a ticket for the next guided tour. A resident monk or nun will lead the tour in French, with translations in several other languages provided as handouts.

Visitors approach the abbey from the east side, which provides a view of the handsome chevet from below. Like many early Romanesque churches, it has a central apse flanked by two smaller apses decorated with Lombard bands, and a triangular pediment above. Another apse extends to the south, as part of a small chapel. The bell tower is attached to the north side of the church. It is built in the distinctive Roussillon style, with a stout square shape, multiple tiers of round-headed openings, and a crenellated top.

Scenic Viewpoint : For a fine view of the abbey from above, head south from the gathering area below the church and up a small trail marked by signs warning about danger. The danger is due to the lack of any fence around the small platform, which looks out over a steep cliff. But the platform is mostly smooth and roomy enough for a few adults to enjoy the view without taking any excessive risks, and the view is exceptional. Just be careful not to trip over a rock!

Hours : Accessible only on guided tours (in French).
Closed in month of January.

Website : http://stmartinducanigou.org/

Barlaam Monastery - Greece

Name : Varlaam (Barlaam) Monastery

Location : Meteora, Thessaly, Greece

Legend : Varlaam Monastery, one of the monasteries of the Meteora, is named for the monk who first built a tiny chapel on this rocky promontory in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, two brothers from the monastery at Ioannina enlarged the chapel and founded the monastery. According to legend, they had to drive away the monster who lived in a cave on the summit before they could move in.

Description : Entry to the Varlaam (Barlaam) Monastery is quite easy. Safe, wide steps have been cut into the rock and it's not as far to climb as the steps to the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Meteora. If you're not especially fit, then this is a good monastery to choose. Entry is by ticket; it cost us 2 Euros each at the door.

Women have to wear a skirt and cover bare arms. Trousers and short sleeved T-shirts not allowed. Skirts to below the knee seem to be preferred dress for women, Peasant style. Appropriate dress code for men is long trousers and a long sleeved shirt.

Entry for tourists is restricted to the church, a 2 room museum, and gift shop. The small museum has several historic treasures on display. There is a small collection of hand-written illuminated religious books, a cabinet of beautifully crafted and gold and silver communion goblets, heavily embroidered robes for special occasions, lecterns inlaid with ivory and mother of pearl, plus other religious items.

The adjoining bookshop sells a small selection of books in various common languages, about the history of Meteora, the Byzantine monasteries and the Orthodox faith.

The mountain range to the east and north of Meteora experiences baking heat in summer and severe cold in winter with heavy snowfalls.

Website : http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/meteora-varlaam-monastery.htm

Temple of Hephaestus and Athena Ergane

Name : The Temple of Hephaestus and Athena Ergane also known as the Hephaisteion or Theseion,

Location : It located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill

Legend : Hephaestus was the patron-god of metal working. Athena Ergane was the patron-goddess of pottery and crafts in general. There were numerous potter shops and metal working factories in the vicinity of the temple, justifying the dedication of the temple to these two deities.

Description : This is the best preserved ancient Greek temple. It is a Doric order peripteral temple. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of St. George Akamates.

Construction : After the battle of Plataea, the Greeks swore never to rebuild their sanctuaries, destroyed by the Persians during their invasion of Greece, but to leave them in ruins, as a perpetual reminder of barbarian ferocity. The Athenians directed their funds towards rebuilding their economy and strengthening their influence in the Delian League. When Pericles came to power, he envisioned a grand plan for transforming Athens into the centre of Greek power and culture. The temple of Hephaestus in the Agora was meant to embody the richest evidence of Athenian tradition, conservatively in the Doric order and the full complement of carved metopes that had long been Athens’ pride on its conspicuous Treasury at Delphi.

Construction started in 449 BC, but the temple was not completed until 415 BC, presumably because emphasis shifted towards the monumental construction on the Acropolis, with funds and workers being redirected towards the Parthenon. The temple was officially inaugurated in 416-415 BC

The architect was one of the ones who helped on the Parthenon, Ictinus. The material used is Pentelic marble with the exception of the lowest step of the crepidoma which is from limestone and the decorative sculptures for which the more expensive Parian marble was chosen.

The building has a pronaos, a main room housing the cult images of the deities, namely a cella, and an opisthodomos. The alignment of the antae of the pronaos with the third flank columns of the peristyle is a unique feature of temple building at the middle of the 5th century BCE.

In the 3rd century BCE trees and shrubs (pomegranates, myrtle and laurel) were planted around the temple, creating a small garden.

In the 7th century CE, the temple was turned into a Christian church, dedicated to Saint George, and under this capacity it was used as a burial place for non-Orthodox Europeans.

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Hephaestus

Holy Hill

Name : Holy Hill is other name for The Carmelite Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians

Location : In Hubertus, Wisconsin. It is about a forty-five minute drive NW of Milwaukee.

Description : Situated on 435 acres of rural countryside, it provides the visitor with the opportunity for spiritual enrichment. We often hear visitors remark about the peace, beauty and serenity they find at Holy Hill.

As early as 1903, Holy Hill was declared a Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians. In 2006, the Shrine was raised to the status of Minor Basilica. But as far back as the 1700s and perhaps earlier, the Americans Indians came to Holy Hill because they considered it a sacred place.

Many come to Holy Hill as "tourists", only to find that they have been touched by something deeper than natural beauty or curiosity. We know that God is truly present on this Holy Hill, and we invite you to come and share with us this Presence!

Of special interest to the visitor is the Shrine’s right-hand tower, the so-called “Scenic Tower”. After dropping a couple of dollars in the donation box inside the door, tourists begin the nearly three hundred foot climb up the Scenic Tower, taking the ever-narrowing stairs single file. There is a small platform above and it is perhaps ten feet square. Pairs of tall, narrow lancet windows beneath large rose windows, all crisscrossed with iron grillwork and open to the air, affords an unobstructed view of the spectacular countryside at all four points of the compass.

Website : http://www.holyhill.com/

Sri Pada - SriLanka

Name : Sri Pada ( Footprint of God)

Location: Sri Lanka

Importance : Sri Pada is the only mountain in the world sacred to four major religious groups. Oddly enough, it also happens to be nestled in Sri Lanka, a country ravaged by civil war for the past 20-plus years.

Description : Sri Pada is a modest, cone-shaped peak on an island in the Indian Ocean. At the top of the mountain, you’ll find a 1,600-square-foot platform on which there’s a depression the shape of a human foot—a very large foot, about 1 yard wide and nearly 2 yards long. (See how carefully we avoided measuring the foot in “feet?”)

Buddhists believe the footprint to be Buddha’s.

Hindus celebrate it as Footprint of Shiva.

Christians claim St. Thomas left it there before he ascended into heaven.

Muslims believe Adam made it after he descended from heaven (hence the mountain’s nickname, Adam’s Peak).



The Mountain is second highest in SriLanka. Hundreds of thousands of travelers of all religious stripes make the pilgrimage up the mountain each year. The climb up Sri Pada, which can take three to four hours, is marked by crumbling steps (around 5000), hundreds of colorful butterflies, lots of leeches in the surrounding forests, and tea houses for breaks along the way. In some places, there are iron chains to help out climbers who wish to pull themselves up.

It’s said that Alexander the Great left them behind when he visited the site in 324 BCE. There’s no record regarding who Alexander believed created the footprint, but if we had to take a guess, we think he probably told people that it was his own.

On a full moon day (a Buddhist holy day called “poya”) the climb would take us 6 hours with all of crowd people mulling about. It is beautifull to catch the view of Sunrise from the top of this mountain.

Website : http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/10620


http://www.toddswanderings.com/2008/06/where-butterflies-go-to-die.html

Bountiful Utah Temple

Name : Bountiful Utah Temple

Location : Sitting high above the city among the foothills of Bountiful's east bench, the Bountiful Utah Temple offers a captivating valley view extending to the Great Salt Lake. The temple features a breathtaking circular columned atrium that reaches from the lower parking level to the main parking level and an elegant portico at the entrance with graceful columns and arches. A cascading water feature flows on the east side of the temple underneath the Holiness to the Lord plaque.

Temple Facts : The Bountiful Utah Temple was the eighth temple built in Utah and the first built in Davis County.

The floor plan created for the Bountiful Utah Temple was adapted and used for the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple.

The Bountiful Utah Temple is one of two temples dedicated by President Howard W. Hunter during his brief time as president of the Church. (The other is the Orlando Florida Temple.)

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bountiful Utah Temple, some 7,500 people gathered on the site with another 2,500 viewing the proceedings by remote video. The crowd was so large, some attenders opted to sit on the steep hillside east of the site.

Website : http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/bountiful/