RELIGION

Why Do Fire Departments Have Chaplains?

What does a fire department chaplain do? It all depends on where they work—here’s how they help out.

Rosary Beads Belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots Were Just Stolen As Part of a $1.4 Million Heist at Arundel Castle

Is the culprit Elizabeth I’s ghost, trying to make sure every last symbol of her cousin’s Catholic faith gets destroyed, once and for all?

5 Precariously Placed Monasteries

Medieval monks picked some very isolated places to build their monasteries.

A portion of the skull wall at Huei Tzompantli.

Archaeologists Uncover a Wall Made of 119 Skulls at Mexico City’s Huei Tzompantli

Aztec peoples considered human sacrifice an integral, life-sustaining ritual, and the sacrificial skulls were prominently displayed.

This wasn't actually the original spire.

Notre-Dame Cathedral’s New Spire Will Be an Exact Replica of the Old One

Architects had previously suggested replacing Notre-Dame Cathedral's famed spire with a rooftop pool, a greenhouse, or a giant sculpture of golden flames.

There's no law requiring you to spend every other holiday with your in-laws.

Why Do We Call Our Spouse's Relatives 'In-Laws'?

It all started as a reminder about which relatives the Catholic Church prohibited you from marrying.

When People Held 'Plague Weddings' in Cemeteries to Try to Ward Off Disease

One obscure ritual for fighting pandemics before coronavirus involved holding massive weddings in graveyards.

Graves in potter's fields are sometimes marked with blank headstones or crosses.

Why Are Common Graves Called Potter’s Fields?

After a remorseful Judas returned his payment for betraying Jesus, the high priests used it to buy the very first potter’s field.

For the First Time Ever, You Can Watch the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge via Livestream

After telling tourists to stay away from Stonehenge on the summer solstice, English Heritage has announced it will be livestreaming the event for the first time in the landmark's history.

William Thomas Cain/Stringer/Getty Images

Drive-Thru Coronavirus Testing Site in Pennsylvania Amish Country Accommodates Horses and Buggies

Belleville, Pennsylvania, has a large Amish and Mennonite population, and a new coronavirus testing drive-thru is accommodating horses and buggies.

Stained-glass windows showing Saints Victor and Corona in Redeemer Church in Trentino, Italy.

Is St. Corona Really the Patron Saint of Pandemics, Epidemics, or Plagues?

The coincidence that Corona happens to be the patron saint of epidemics or infectious diseases seems a little fishy.

Where Do Churches Get the Ashes for Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday's surprisingly eco-friendly ash stash comes from another Christian observance known as Palm Sunday.

The World’s Oldest Christmas Carol Is One You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

The Catholic Church chose its first Christmas song before it even chose a day to celebrate the holiday on.

Tennessee School Bans Harry Potter Books Because the Spells Could ‘Conjure Evil Spirits’

The Harry Potter series frequently tops lists of banned books, but not always for such a literal reason.

Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory: New Exhibition Exploring the Afterlife to Open at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery

This spring, visitors to the Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery can see art and artifacts inspired by Catholic beliefs about the afterlife.

Ohio Man Honors 17th-Century Monks by Consuming Only Beer During Lent

Del Hall, an employee at Fifty West Brewing Company in Cincinnati, is taking a cue from Bavarian monks and consuming only beer for Lent this year.

7 Things You Might Not Know About Ash Wednesday

Christians around the world will observe Ash Wednesday on February 17, 2021. From unusual traditions to new practices, here's what you should know about the first day of Lent.

The Pope's Swiss Guards Are Now Outfitted in 3D-Printed Helmets

The Vatican's Swiss Guard has worn the same metal helmets since the 1500s. Now, after centuries of neck pain and burns from the Sun, they've switched to 3D-printed plastic.

Joan of Arc as painted by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

The Medieval Woman Who Made a Living Pretending to be Joan of Arc

Claude des Armoises earned cash and gifts while fooling the King of France himself—until it all came crashing down.

Galileo Galilei in an oil painting by an Italian painter, 18th (?) century.

15 Fascinating Facts About Galileo

Galileo Galilei, the father of modern astronomy, probably never dropped anything off the leaning tower of Pisa, and he didn't actually invent the telescope. But he did change history with his discoveries about the cosmos.

Benjamin Franklin, whose ghost was said to have contributed some of the instructions for the New Motive Power

When 19th-Century Spiritualists Believed a "God Machine" Would Save Humanity

John Murray Spear said the spirits told him how to create a perpetual motion machine. But things didn't go quite according to plan.

Inside Our Lady of the Airways Chapel at Boston Logan International Airport

Why Do So Many Airports Have Chapels?

They weren't created for nervous fliers. They weren't really created for fliers at all.

Basilica of St. John Lateran, where the Cadaver Synod was held

The Time the Church Put a Pope's Corpse on Trial

It's been called "one of the grisliest events in papal history"—for good reason.

It’s a fish-filled Christmas Eve tradition.

7 Facts About the Feast of the Seven Fishes

The Feast of the Seven Fishes, or 'Festa dei Sette Pesci,' is a delectable blend of the sacred and secular, the old world and the new.

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