Religion

Pentecost: the day when we celebrate the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church

Pentecost: the day when we celebrate the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church

Pentecost is perhaps, after Easter, one of the most important festivities of the Catholic Church. It’s the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Most Holy Trinity, after the Resurrection of Jesus and, in a sense, the very birth…

5 questions and 5 answers to the altar wine

5 questions and 5 answers to the altar wine

During the Last Supper, Jesus offered his disciples bread and wine, celebrating therefore the first Eucharist. Bread becomes body, wine becomes blood, in a solemn ritual that transcends every human understanding, but which has been renewed every day for thousands of years, throughout the world,…

Combine elegance and faith: Discovering the Holyart Jewelery

Combine elegance and faith: Discovering the Holyart Jewelery

Who said that you can’t combine beauty, elegance and faith into a single, perfect combination? Holyart has tried to do so with its collection of exclusive jewels handmade by Italian jewelery masters, beautiful to wear and unique. These are jewels made of gold, silver, hard…

Here are some gift ideas for your wedding day

Here are some gift ideas for your wedding day

The wedding day is a very important, precious, and unique moment. It definitely is so for those who get married and see their dream of love coming to life with the person they chose to be their companion or partner for life. It is also…

Veneration of sacred images

Veneration of sacred images

The Catholic Church has always used sacred images and statues for the practice of worship. Naturally it doesn’t come to mind that the first Christians were forced to hide their faith and to lead their worshipping in secret places, where, at most, they could use…

The cult of Divine Mercy

The cult of Divine Mercy

The cult of Divine Mercy started rather late. It was a cult started by Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. A member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Virgin Mary of Mercy, Sister Faustina showed…

Christian symbols and their meanings

Christian symbols and their meanings

The main idea of Christian religious symbolism was born from the desire to idolize banned images in early Christianity and the need to hide this worship. The early Christians had to resort to symbolic representations, signs, abstract forms like the cross, the stylized fish, in…

The origins of Easter

The origins of Easter

Easter is perhaps the most important of Christian holidays. Present in all practices, it reminds and celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus. Its origins are lost in time and its reminiscences and rites remind not only of the Jewish Easter, but also of ancient pagan cults.…

Tapestry: What is it and how it’s made

Tapestry: What is it and how it’s made

Tapestry is an extremely ancient art form which has been present in all cultures in the world for millennia. The oldest tapestries date back to ancient Egypt, and some were also found in pre-Columbian America and the enduring remnants of the ancient Asian empires. The…

The great tradition of holy Romanian icons

The great tradition of holy Romanian icons

Sacred Romanian icons are derived from ancient Byzantine tradition. It is a way of interpreting the sacred representation closer to western sensitivity compared to other forms of art of the same kind. Used colours are generally warm and intense, the outlines of a mobile and…

The dove in Christian iconography

The dove in Christian iconography

Even before the birth of Jesus, the dove was considered an animal with a strong symbolic value. For the Greeks was a symbol of love and a messenger of the goddess Aphrodite. In Egypt, it was used as a shipping bird, to send messages. Among…

Pope Francis’s tips for Lent

Pope Francis’s tips for Lent

Lent is the liturgical period preceding Easter and, in a sense, it allows the faithful to prepare for its celebrations. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, and is characterised by fasting and penance, prayer and charity, in a path of purification…

How to pray the rosary – 10 important steps

How to pray the rosary – 10 important steps

The crown of the rosary is formed by grains held together by a wire or a cord. Each bead of the rosary symbolises an invocation and a Christian prayer. It is therefore a valuable tool to accompany and articulate the prayers of the faithful, and…

10 tips for organising a First Communion

10 tips for organising a First Communion

First Communion is a very important and valuable moment in the life of the young faithful and for their family. In fact, this is the first time that the child is permitted to receive the Eucharist, after a long process of catechesis. First Communion can…

Give voice to your faith with prayer rings

Give voice to your faith with prayer rings

Prayer is a moment of absolute intimacy that every believer experiences in a unique and personal way. It comes from a movement of the soul, a need of the heart, and marks the day alongside and intertwined with commitments, thoughts, and daily vicissitudes. The hectic…

The symbology of the orthodox cross

The symbology of the orthodox cross

The Orthodox cross is a particular version of the cross, characterised by some symbolic elements that make it unique to its kind. It is divided into a vertical line crossed by three diagonal bars. In a stylised way, these bars represent the crucifixion of Jesus:…

Russian painted eggs: symbol of the Resurrection of Christ

Russian painted eggs: symbol of the Resurrection of Christ

The egg is always, in every culture, a symbol of life. The tradition of giving real eggs painted or made of various materials, is both religious and secular in all countries. It has origins in paganism: the egg as a symbol of rebirth and fertility,…

Religious marble statues in Christian tradition

Religious marble statues in Christian tradition

The production of religious marble statues belongs to the artistic tradition of Christianity dating back to the antiquity. Particularly in Italy, the influence of firstly Greek then Roman sculpture decisively influenced the evolution of religious art. The models and the classical pagan and Roman sculpture…