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Holy Girdle
The Holy Girdle, also known as the Girdle of Thomas, Holy Girdle of Mary, Holy ''Zoonoro'', (or) ''Zunoro'', and Holy Belt of Saint Mary the mother of Jesus, is a relic of the Blessed Virgin Mary which is one of the important relics of Syriac Orthodox Church and venerated by Oriental Orthodox communion. The word ''Zunoro'' is also translated as "belt", "sash" or "girdle". It is the Oriental Orthodox equivalent of the Girdle of Thomas in the Catholic Church, and the Cincture of the Theotokos in the Eastern Orthodox Church, now located at Mount Athos. Tradition According to Orthodox tradition, the Virgin Mary was taken (assumed) into heaven in the presence of all apostles except Thomas, who was in India. He returned to Jerusalem and travelled on the sky by the help of Holy Spirit to attend the assumption of Mary. He was late to arrive and visualised that Mary's body had been taken by angels. Suffering from doubts at that time, Thomas requested Mary to give him a sign in her m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Girdle Of Thomas
The Girdle of Thomas, Virgin's Girdle, Holy Belt, or Sacra Cintola in modern Italian, is a Christian relic in the form of a "girdle" or knotted textile cord used as a belt, that according to a medieval legend was dropped by the Virgin Mary from the sky to Saint Thomas the Apostle at or around the time of the Assumption of Mary to heaven. The supposed original girdle is a relic belonging to Prato Cathedral in Tuscany, Italy and its veneration has been regarded as especially helpful for pregnant women. The story was frequently depicted in the art of Florence and the whole of Tuscany, and the keeping and display of the relic at Prato generated commissions for several important artists of the early Italian Renaissance. The Prato relic has outlasted several rivals in Catholic hands, and is the Catholic equivalent of the various relics held by Eastern Christianity: the Cincture of the Theotokos of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Holy Girdle of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Legend Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saint Mary Church Of The Holy Belt
Saint Mary of the Holy Belt (Um Al Zennar) Cathedral (, shortened to ; ') is a historical Syriac Orthodox cathedral in Homs, Syria. It is the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Homs and Hama. The present structure dates from the mid-nineteenth century, but the site over which the church is built is claimed to have been one of Christian worship since 59 AD. According to Ross Burns, the church may rest on Byzantine foundations. According to Joseph Nasrallah, the existence of a church dedicated to Mary in Homs is attested as early as 478. The church contains a venerated Holy Girdle that is supposed to be a section of the belt of Mary, mother of Jesus. The church was damaged during confrontations between the armed opposition and the security forces in the 2011–2012 Syrian unrest. In 2012, reportedly confrontations caused extensive damage to the exterior of the church. The church was rebuilt by an extensive effort of the faithful and the Divine Liturgy was celebrated. Othe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the peninsula have been governed as the monastic community of Mount Athos, an autonomous region within the Hellenic Republic, ecclesiastically under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, while the remainder of the peninsula forms part of the Aristotelis municipality. Mount Athos has been inhabited since ancient times and is known for its long Christian presence and historical monastic traditions, which date back to at least AD 800 and the Byzantine era. Because of its long history of religious importance, the well-preserved agrarian architecture within the monasteries, and the preservation of the flora and fauna around the mountain, Mount Athos was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. In modern Greek, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manarcad Church
St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Cathedral, Manarcad, is cathedral located in Manarcad, about 9 km from the town of Kottayam in Kerala, India. It is a destination for people on annual pilgrimages for the uncanonical 8 Day Lent of the Virgin Mary. There are more than 5000 families in this parish. The church architecture resembles that of the Orvieto Cathedral. The church administers various spiritual organisations, schools and a hospital. It is the home to the one of the holiest relics among the Malankara churches, that is a small piece of Mother Mary's belt, called the Holy Soonoro. Church history The inscription on the stones in the Haikalah of the church is in an ancient script-nanum monum, written about 600 years ago. The information it contains authenticates that the church was established more than 1000 years ago. First made of bamboo and mats of bamboo, it was renovated in different phases. In the 16th century, it was reconstructed in the Portuguese fashion. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malankara Church
The Malankara Church, also known as ''Puthenkur'' and more popularly as Jacobite Syrians, is the historic unified body of West Syriac Saint Thomas Christian denominations which claim ultimate origins from the missions of Thomas the Apostle. This community, under the leadership of Thoma I, opposed the ''Padroado'' Jesuits as well as the ''Propaganda'' Carmelites of the Latin Church, following the historical Coonan Cross Oath of 1653. The Malankara Church's modern-day descendants include the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church, the Malabar Independent Syrian Church, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and the Saint Thomas Anglicans of the Church of South India. Early history of Christianity in India Ecclesiastical Communion Historically, Malabar traded frequently with the nations of the Middle East, and traders from Egypt, Persia, and the Levant frequently visited Malabar for spices. These groups inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garshuni
Garshuni or Karshuni ( Syriac alphabet: , Arabic alphabet: ) are Arabic writings using the Syriac alphabet. The word "Garshuni", derived from the word "grasha" which literally translates as "pulling", was used by George Kiraz to coin the term "garshunography", denoting the writing of one language in the script of another. History Garshuni originated in the seventh century, when Arabic was becoming the dominant spoken language in the Fertile Crescent, but the Arabic alphabet was not yet fully developed. There is evidence that writing Arabic in Garshuni influenced the style of modern Arabic script. After this initial period, Garshuni writing has continued to the present day among some Syriac Christian communities in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Levant and Mesopotamia, who commonly use the Sertâ script. Characteristics The Syriac alphabet has three principal varieties: * Estrangelâ (the Classical Syriac script), * Madnhâyâ (the Eastern Syriac script, often called "Assyrian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patriarch Of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in Pauline Christianity from its earliest period. This diocese is one of the few for which the names of its bishops from the apostolic beginnings have been preserved. Today five churches use the title of patriarch of Antioch: one Oriental Orthodox (the Syriac Orthodox Church); three Eastern Catholic (the Maronite, Syriac Catholic, and Melkite Greek Catholic Churches); and one Eastern Orthodox (the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch). According to the pre-congregation church tradition, this ancient patriarchate was founded by the Apostle Saint Peter. The patriarchal succession was disputed at the time of the Meletian schism in 362 and again after the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when ther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urfa
Urfa, officially known as Şanlıurfa () and in ancient times as Edessa, is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features extremely hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. About northeast of the city is the famous Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe, the world's oldest known temple, which was founded in the 10th millennium BC. The area was part of a network of the first human settlements where the agricultural revolution took place. Because of its association with Jewish, Christian, and Islamic history, and a legend according to which it was the hometown of Abraham, Urfa is nicknamed the "City of Prophets." Religion is important in Urfa. The city "has become a center of fundamentalist Islamic beliefs" and "is considered one of the most devoutly religious cities in Turkey". The city is located 30 miles from the Atatürk Dam, at the heart of the Southeast Ana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mylapore
Mylapore, also spelt Mayilapur, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. It is also called Tirumayilai. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil philosopher Valluvar, and the Hindu saint and philosopher, Peyalvar. Mylapore is known for its tree-lined avenues, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Katcheri seasons, and Ramakrishna Matha among many others. St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Chennai which is believed to house the tomb of Thomas the Apostle, is in Mylapore. Etymology The word ''Mylapore'' is the anglicized form of the Dravidian word ''Mayilāppūr''. It is derived from the Tamil phrase "மயில் ஆர்ப்பரிக்கும் ஊர்" (''Mayil ārparikkum oor''), which means "Land of the peacock scream".Saints, Goddesses and Kings By Susan Bayly Historically, peacocks have been known to thrive in the area, which is evident from the several statues in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
8 Day Lent
Ettu Nombu (Malayalam: എട്ടു നോമ്പ്) or the Eight Day Lent of Mary, mother of Jesus is a solemn remembrance of Mother Mary for Saint Thomas Christians in Kerala, India. The custom is observed in the Oriental Orthodox ( Jacobite and Indian Orthodox) and Eastern Catholic ( Syro-Malabar and Syro Malankara Catholic) churches in Kerala. Believers participate in fasting and praying for the eight days. During this time churches celebrate the feast in remembrance of the birth of St. Mary (Nativity of Mary) and the eight days of lent is rigorously observed from the 1st day to 8th day of September with charitable activities, evangelical conventions and special prayers to honor St. Mary. For Catholics, praying the rosary in groups is an important custom during these days. The eight days of lent is not a canonical one for the Church but is observed by the Syrian Christians of India and also in Arabian countries. Origin stories It appears that this practice origi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chariot
A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000 BCE. The critical invention that allowed the construction of light, horse-drawn chariots was the spoked wheel. The chariot was a fast, light, open, two-wheeled conveyance drawn by two or more horses that were hitched side by side, and was little more than a floor with a waist-high guard at the front and sides. It was initially used for ancient warfare during the Bronze and Iron Ages, but after its military capabilities had been superseded by light and heavy cavalries, chariots continued to be used for travel and transport, in processions, for games, and in races. Etymology The word "chariot" comes from the Latin term ''carrus'', a loanword from Gaulish. In ancient Rome and some other ancient Mediterranean civilizations, a ''biga'' re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assumption Of Mary
The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by God that the immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever virgin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven. The declaration was built upon the 1854 dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which declared that Mary was conceived free from original sin, and both have their foundation in the concept of Mary as the Mother of God. It leaves open the question of whether Mary died or whether she was raised to eternal life without bodily death. The equivalent belief (but not held as dogma) in the Eastern Orthodox Church is the Dormition of the Mother of God or the "Falling Asleep of the Mother of God". The word 'assumption' derives from the Latin word ''assūmptiō'' meaning "taking up". T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
