Church of the Transfiguration
Church of the Transfiguration | ||
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Year consecrated June 1924 | | |
Location | ||
Location | Mount Tabor | |
Country | Israel | |
Architecture | ||
Architect(s) | Antonio Barluzzi | |
Completed | 1924 |
The Church of the Transfiguration (
History
The current church, part of a Franciscan
Architecture
The church contains three
)".The Grotto of Christ is in the eastern part of the church. Steps lead down to a lower level containing a sanctuary roofed with a modern vault.
There is a chapel in each of the two towers at the western end of the church. The Chapel of Elijah is located in the south tower; the north tower holds the Chapel of Moses.
In the upper part of the church there is a mosaic on a gold ground representing the Transfiguration.[3] On August 6, which is the "day of the Transfiguration" in some church calendars, the sun strikes a glass plate set into the floor so that the golden mosaic is briefly illuminated.
Barluzzi created a roof built of alabaster panels, meant to let in as much light as possible in accordance to the biblical event celebrated here. However, the alabaster roof could not be made watertight and had to be covered over with a common, non-translucent roof.
The Transfiguration
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus is transfigured upon a mountain (Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36). Jesus becomes radiant, speaks with Moses and Elijah, and is called "Son" by God. The transfiguration put Jesus above Moses and Elijah, the two preeminent figures of Judaism.
Several mountains have been identified as the site of the Transfiguration; for example, Mount Hermon. Mount Tabor is closer to the center of Jesus's activities, and therefore the Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem wrote in the year 348 that he preferred Mount Tabor to Mount Hermon. Thus Mount Tabor was accepted as the site of the transfiguration of Christ.[1]
Gallery
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Exterior view
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Aerial view
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The facade
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Church interior
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The Mosaic
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Chapel beneath the Mosaic
References
- ^ a b "Mount Tabor". sacred-destinations.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ^ The Churches of Antonio Barluzzi[permanent dead link], Canon Peter C Nicholson, McCabe Educational Trust, accessed April 2010
- ^ a b "Mount Tabor – Church of the Transfiguration". planetware.com. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
External links
- Photos of the Church of the Transfiguration at the Manar al-Athar photo archive