TravelswithCharie

Georgia-Russia Friendship Monument This colorful stone and tile monument was built in 1983 to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the Treaty of Georgievsk signed in 1783 between the Russian Empire and the Kartli-Kakheti Kingdom of eastern Georgia. Under this treaty, the kingdom became a protectorate of Russia while maintaining territorial boundaries and the recognition of its reigning Bagrationi dynasty. In return, the Georgian kingdom had to swear allegiance to Russia and to support it in times of war.  Reality Check The Friendship Monument is a popular destination and there were a lot of visitors during my visit in May. It was impossible to get good pictures with the overwhelming number of tourists blocking the scenery. I’ve had to erase some people from the photo above to have a better appreciation of this monument. This cylindrical monument was designed by Zurab Tsereteli (the sculptor and designer of the Chronicle of Georgia*) and the architect of the project was Georg...

Nave of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Holy Cross in Jerusalem) We had an extra day in Rome and decided to see one of the seven pilgrim churches. Santa Croce was our fourth pilgrim church after we visited Santa Maria Maggiore, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter’s. We chose Santa Croce for the simple reason that it was not too far from our hotel. The other three which we sadly missed were St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Lawrence Outside the Walls and St. Sebastian Outside the Walls. Main Altar Santa Croce in Gerusalemme is so called because when St. Helena came back to Rome after her trip to Jerusalem, she brought with her some soil from Mount Calvary where Jesus was crucified. This soil was spread under Santa Croce when she was building a chapel to house the Holy Relics, hence “in Gerusalemme”. St. Helena is the  mother of Emperor Constantine (306-337) who was the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity. He issued the Edict of Milan which granted his people the right to practice thei...

Ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral (Cathedral of the Angels) Zvartnots Cathedral was a three-storey circular structure built in the 7th century by Nerses III on the very spot where St. Gregory the Illuminator converted King Tiridates III of Armenia to Christianity.  Its beauty captivated the Byzantine Emperor, Constantine III, so much so, that he brought the builder with him to Constantinople to create a similar structure there. Unfortunately, the builder died along the way.  Zvartnots stood for nearly 300 years. By the 10th century, it was in ruins. It is not certain how it was destroyed. A strong earthquake may have caused its collapse or it may also have been due to continued Arab raids. There’s a debate among scholars on the reason why a building constructed to last a millenia only lived a third of its “warranty”.   The Zvartnots archaeological site also includes the Catholicos Palace ruins. The complex together with Etchmiadzin Cathedral were inscribed as a UNESCO World He...

View of the domes and belltower of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore  from the  terrace of Suore di Santa Elisabetta  Rome in August is hot and crowded. This is even more so now since 2025 has been designated a Jubilee year by the Vatican which means the Eternal City will receive a deluge of tourists and pilgrims. By some estimates, between 30 to 35 million visitors will descend on Rome in 2025. Imagine trying to find a hotel at the last minute. We were lucky enough to secure a reservation at Santa Elisabetta on the same day we needed a room for a few days at a place where I had wanted to stay in the first place. Several days before it was fully booked when I was doing my search. But thankfully we got a room! Moral of the story: never give up.  This convent is well located, practically next door to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of five designated churches for the Jubilee Year 2025. It’s also a short walk from Termini Sation where we got off after our t...