Table of contents:
- 1. Church of the Snows
- 2. Trinity Church
- 3. Catholic Church in the Ice Cave
- 4. Church of St. Francis of Assisi
- 5. Church of St. John of Rylsky
- 6. Chilean Church of St. Mary
- 7. Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary
Video: Seven churches built by people in the homeland of the penguins
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Antarctica is an icy desert in which life seems to freeze. But even in this desolate and harsh place, people find an opportunity to take care of their souls. In our review, there are seven churches of various denominations that today operate in Antarctica, being the southernmost points of religious worship on the planet.
1. Church of the Snows
The history of the Temple of the Snows, located at the American scientific station on Ross Island, is rather sad. Despite the fact that the temple, built in 1956, is located among ice and snow, it burned to the ground twice. The building caught fire for the first time in 1978 due to malfunctions in the heating system. The temple, rebuilt from scratch, burned down again after it was abandoned for several years after a strong storm.
After the second fire, the temple was rebuilt again, decorated with stained glass windows with Antarctic landscapes. In winter, about 200 people work at the station, and in summer the number of visitors reaches 1000. Since the temple is non-confessional, followers of all religions can come here, and Father Michael Smith even performed Buddhist and Bahai rituals.
2. Trinity Church
The building of the Orthodox church was built in Gorno-Altaysk in the 1990s from Siberian pine, and then it was transported on a supply ship to the Russian Antarctic station Bellingshausen, located on King George Island. Initially, two monks from a Russian monastery voluntarily spent a year in the Antarctic church, and since then the monastery annually sends priests-abbots to the Trinity Church.
Despite the destructive force of the polar winds, the 15-meter-high wooden carved structure has stood unshakable for over 10 years. The church can accommodate up to 30 parishioners; employees of the Russian, Chilean, Polish and Korean stations located in Antarctica come here to pray.
3. Catholic Church in the Ice Cave
This ice-walled cave temple is the southernmost religious building in the world. The year-round Catholic Church was built at the Argentine base and research station in 1955 on Coates Island. Day and night in this place last for four months.
4. Church of St. Francis of Assisi
Esperanza Station is one of Argentina's thirteen research bases in Antarctica, and the Argentines themselves consider it the southernmost "city" (although it is more of a hamlet).
In addition to the temple, the research base has a permanent school with teachers, a museum, a bar and a hospital with a department for women in childbirth.
There is a casino next to the church, which also acts as a community center.
5. Church of St. John of Rylsky
The temple, surrounded on all sides by a wall of solid snow, is located at the Bulgarian base of St. Clement of Ohrid, founded in 1988 by four Bulgarians.
Despite the fact that the church looks rather modest, it has a chapel with a bell donated by the ex-Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria, who worked as a doctor at the Bulgarian base in 1993-1994.
6. Chilean Church of St. Mary
This is probably one of the few temples in the world made from shipping containers. This unusual religious building is located in the largest settlement in Antarctica: about 120 people live here permanently in summer and 80 in winter. Chilean military base Villa las Estrella, located on King George Island, is home to several families with children. Religious ceremonies are conducted by a deacon who permanently lives at the base. The town also has a school, dormitory, post office and bank.
7. Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary
In the photo, standing next to a metal Catholic church on an Argentine research base, Father Nicholas Daniel Julian looks like he could use some warmer clothes.
Father Julian helped build a permanent church at the Marambio base, which is considered the most important and equipped Argentina base on the continent.
It is worth noting that Antakrtida is not the only place where people build temples. For example, The chapel of Saint Michael in France is located on the top of the Le Puy-en-Velay cliff … The chapel rises 280 feet above the city, and 268 stone steps lead to its entrance.
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