Time to talk of other things ...

Stunning Byzantine  mosaics and frescoes at Chora Church in Istanbul The Chora Church , also known as Kariye Camii or Kariye Mosque , is an important historical and architectural landmark in Istanbul, Turkey. It was located outside the old city walls of Constantinople, hence the name " Chora ," which means "in the country" or "rural area". Its rich history spans over a millennium and  was initially Stoudios Monastery  from the fifth century ( though the current structure mostly dates back to the 11th century during the reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos who renamed it The Church of the Holy Saviour .   It is, by some accounts, the most important monastic foundation of the Byzantine era in Turkey today, and by divine grace, the Mosaics and Frescoes have survived despite years of Ottoman rule, when it was converted to a mosque. Here you  can experience the rare coexistence of Christian and Islamic cultural heritages. The mosaics and frescoes were commissio...

In the Footsteps of St Paul Mosiac of St Paul in the St Paul Memorial Museum in Tarsus St Paul is often referred to as the Apostle of the Gentiles. Even though he was not one of the twelve hand-picked by Christ and did not know Christ in the flesh, it did not stop him from being one of the most influential figures in all of mankind to spread the Gospel.  Saint Paul is considered by many to be the second most important Apostle in the history of Christianity, second only to Saint Peter.  And many hold him as important as Saint Peter. That's a bold claim albeit not without merit. On our three-week road trip through Antalia in Western Turkey, we were privileged to walk down some of the very same Roman roads as St Paul did over 2000 years earlier in  Antioch (Antakya), Tarsus (Mersin), Iconium (Konya), Ephesus (Epfe), Miletus (modern Balat, Aydın), Laodicea (Eskihisar), Pergamum (Bergama), Sardis (Sard), Smyrna (Izmir), Philadelphia (Alasehir), Priene (Güllübahçe), Miletus (B...