Religion

Workers install solar panels on the roof of King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England.

How King's College Added 438 Solar Panels to a 500-Year-Old Chapel

The project sparked debate over how to decrease carbon emissions while preserving the historic structure's architectural beauty

The Crosby-Schøyen Codex is part of the Schøyen collection, one of the largest private manuscript collections in the world.

One of the World's Oldest Surviving Books Is for Sale

The rare early Christian text was written in a monastery in Egypt between 250 and 350 C.E.

“For me, [Hanuman] was also a hero that lost faith in himself,” says director and star Dev Patel. “He didn’t have courage at one point and needed to be reminded of who he was.” 

How the Hindu Deity Hanuman Inspired Dev Patel's 'Monkey Man'

The story of the half-human, half-monkey god mirrors the journey of the protagonist in Patel's directorial debut

The six inmates who filed the lawsuit come from different religious backgrounds but agree that the total solar eclipse is significant to their beliefs.

Six New York Inmates Successfully Sue to Watch the Total Solar Eclipse

The state's prison agency settled a lawsuit with the incarcerated men, allowing them to watch the eclipse on religious grounds. But for now, the rest of New York's correctional facilities will remain locked down on April 8

American video artist Brian Fridge created a five-billboard series in Dallas called View Finder that portrayed a solar eclipse.

The Long History of Art Inspired by Solar Eclipses

For centuries, curious artists have been trying to make sense of the celestial event

Approaching a total eclipse in Queensland, Australia, November 2012

What Indigenous Cultures From Around the World Believe About Eclipses

A Smithsonian folklorist looks back and finds stories that explain how a darkening of daytime skies provokes a foreboding of evil

The marble statue likely depicts the Greek god Apollo and decorated a fountain in Philippi.

Archaeologists Find Ancient Statue of Apollo That Probably Adorned a Magnificent Fountain

The marble bust sheds new light on the layered history of a 2,000-year-old Greek city

The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly, James Hampton's strange and transporting magnum opus.       

In His Garage, an Untrained Artist Created a Work of Sublime Divinity

How deep faith created one of the loveliest—and most curious—sacred objects in the Smithsonian collections

The lead scrolls found onsite resemble Roman "curse tablets," used to write messages to higher powers.

Archaeologists Find 'Remarkable' Roman Villa Full of Coins, Jewelry and 'Curse Tablets'

Discovered at a housing development in England, the complex's buildings may be nearly 2,000 years old

In recent years, three papal bulls have been found near the Polish village of Wysoka Kamieńska.

The Broken Seal of a Pope's 14th-Century Decree Has Been Found in Poland

The metal fragment was once part of a papal bull, an official communication distributed by the Catholic Church

A reveler enjoys a playful and colorful water war in the streets of Jodhpur during the Holi festival.

Celebrate Holi With These 15 Vibrant Photos

Observed around the world, the Hindu Festival of Colors welcomes spring

Discovered by a metal detectorist in the village of Wólka Nieliska, the badge is about an inch wide.

A Medieval Pilgrim May Have Carried This Basilisk Pendant to Guard Against Evil

Found in Poland, the "pilgrim's badge" was likely worn by a Christian traveler hundreds of years ago

Religious lore suggests that God showed Patrick the entrance to purgatory, where the Irish could witness the consequences of not embracing Christianity with their own eyes.

St. Patrick Opened a Portal to Purgatory on This Little-Known Irish Island

Medieval pilgrims flocked to the site for spiritual purification

Completed in 1709, the library has more than 22,000 books.

You Can Spend the Night in the Secret Library Tucked Inside St. Paul's Cathedral

Airbnb is offering two guests the chance to sleep amongst 22,000 books in an area normally off-limits to visitors

Mohammed (seated at left) with Franklin D. Roosevelt (center) and Winston Churchill (right) at a 1943 war conference near Casablanca

The Moroccan Sultan Who Protected His Country's Jews During World War II

Mohammed V defied the collaborationist Vichy regime, saving Morocco's 250,000 Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps

The Great Mosque of Algiers (or the Djamaa El-Djazair) has the world’s tallest minaret at 869 feet.

Algerian Officials Inaugurate the Largest Mosque in Africa

Spanning nearly 70 acres, the $898 million project faced years of delays amid political controversy

Researchers have pieced together a 26-foot-tall statue of Atlas originally built some 2,500 years ago.

A Towering Statue of Atlas Emerges From the Ruins of Sicily's Ancient Temple of Zeus

In the fifth century B.C.E., 38 looming sculptures of the Titan stood guard at the structure

The clay head of the Roman god Mercury is roughly two inches long.

Archaeologists Unearth 'Incredibly Rare' Roman-Era Clay Figurine of the God Mercury

The excavations led to the discovery of a previously unknown ancient Roman settlement in England

The remains of a dog buried next to a baby

These Ancient Celts Were Buried With Their Animals

Some remains found in the 2,000-year-old graves were likely food offerings, but others may have been much-loved companions

A close-up of Sojourner Truth’s face in statue created by Woodrow Nash. An 1883 New York Times obituary described Truth’s “tall, masculine-looking figure” and “deep, guttural, powerful voice.”

The Remarkable Untold Story of Sojourner Truth

Feminist. Preacher. Abolitionist. Civil rights pioneer. Now the full story of the American icon's life and faith is finally coming to light

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