The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth
Source: Pixabay In the hill town of Nazareth, in the Galilee region of northern Israel, stands the largest church in the Middle East: the Basilica of the Annunciation. For Christians
The Basilica of the Holy House in Loreto
Source: Pixabay In the hill town of Loreto, in Italy’s Marche region near the Adriatic coast, stands one of the most important Marian shrines in the Catholic world. The Basilica
The Belle Époque and the War That Ended It
There is a French phrase that carries within it both a golden glow and a deep sadness: la Belle Époque, “the Beautiful Era.” It refers to the decades just before
The Belvedere: The Baroque Palace a Great General Built for His Glory
Set upon a gentle slope in Vienna, with one palace at the top of a magnificent tiered garden and another at the bottom, the Belvedere is one of the most
The Billionaire Janitor
An unemployed man applied to Microsoft for a janitor’s job. After a short interview and a practical test — cleaning a floor — the Human Resources officer told him: “You’re
The Black Death: The Two Years That Remade England
In the summer of 1348 a ship put in at the little Dorset port of Melcombe, near modern Weymouth, and something stepped ashore with the sailors that would kill perhaps
The Breath of Motivation
When Bobby Fischer was preparing for his world-championship chess match against Boris Spassky, his daily training routine included a stretch of swimming underwater every day. He knew that as chess
The Bulgarian Mound That Became the Master Clock of European Prehistory: The Story of Karanovo
A mound in central Bulgaria records over 3,000 years of continuous village life, and gives its name to the chronology of the Balkans.
The Byzantine Cathedral: Hagia Sophia’s Origins and Architecture
Source: Pixabay Before it was a mosque, Hagia Sophia was the crowning achievement of Byzantine architecture and the spiritual centre of the Eastern Roman Empire. Built in the sixth century
The Cairn of Barnenez: Europe’s Colossal Stone Monument Older Than the Pyramids
On a Breton headland stands the Cairn of Barnenez, a 75-metre stone monument with eleven burial chambers, raised around 4800 BCE — older than the pyramids and one of Europe’s oldest buildings.
