Tag: Religion

A portrait of Pope Sylvester II

The Phantom Time Hypothesis

There are dark corners of the internet where I've found mentions of "The Phantom Time Hypothesis". This suggests that the years between 614 AD and 911 AD didn't exist. But how can that be? How can human history have misplaced 300 years of history?
A photo of the Abbey de la Sainte Trinite - Vendôme, France

The Abbey in Vendome

Legends underpin so many historical stories it's hard to tell what is fact and what is fiction. I've found a factual explanation for the legend behind the foundation of the Holy Trinity Abbey in Vendôme, France.
A photo of St Stephen's Rotunda - Prague, Czechia

St Stephen’s missing rotunda

The Rotunda of St Stephen in Prague, was part of the Christianization effort in Bohemia. Constructed in the Benedictine-owned village of Na Rybničku, the rotunda was later owned by Teutonic Knights who reconsecrated it to St Longinus in the 15th century.
A photo of the tiled eastern facade of the Igreja do Carmo - Porto, Portugal

Harry Potter and Porto’s Hidden House

In Porto, in between the Igreja do Carmo and Igreja dos Carmelitas, there exists a hidden, narrow three-storey house called Casa Escondida. Some claim this house inspired J.K. Rowling, but did it?
A photo of Barbastro today

The siege of Barbastro – the pre-crusade

In the 11th century, Musim-controlled Spain was under attack from Roman Catholic Europe. One key siege was a turning point in how the church viewed war as a tool of foreign policy. This article explores the impact of the siege, and how it influenced the Crusades.
A photo of Jan Kefer and his wife

The occult plot to kill Hitler

Before World War II, Czechoslovak occultists tried to use black magic to kill Hitler. It sounds like the plot to a Hollywood B-movie, and in some ways it is. But it also is 100% true.
A photo of the Nibbia Chapel of Bones - Valletta, Malta

The Maltese chapel of bones

I’ve written about Czech ossuaries before, and I’ve visited the one in Paris, but few know there is a Maltese chapel of bones. Well, there used to be one anyway.