The church is lovely, high above the beach. The beach is gorgeous white sand. Crystal clear water, Gentle surf - a sunbather's delight. Car park just nearby, or you can walk down from the town (but the return walk will test your stamina!). At the end of April, 2014 this site was closed to the public for ongoing work. It appears that the exterior of the church has been overly restored, inviting comparisons with a Lego building. Older photographs show a much more charming, slightly ruined building.
Tropea is a municipality located within the province of Vibo Valentia, in Calabria (southern Italy). The town is a famous bathing place, situated on a reef, in the gulf of St. Euphemia connected with the mainland by a narrow strip in the Tyrrhenian Sea, toward the south with respect to Vibo Valentia and northward with respect to Ricadi and Capo Vaticano.
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Mellifont Abbey located in County Louth, was the first Cistercian abbey to be built in Ireland. Founded in 1142 on the orders of Saint Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, Mellifont Abbey sits on the banks of the River Mattock, some ten km (6 miles) north-west of Drogheda. By 1170, Mellifont had one hundred monks and three hundred lay brothers. The Abbey became the model for other Cistercian abbeys built in Ireland, with its formal style of architecture imported from the abbeys of the same order in France; it was the main abbey in Ireland until it was closed in 1539, when it became a fortified house.
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Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Its formal title is the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ at Canterbury.
Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt from 1070 to 1077. The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the twelfth century, and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174, with significant eastward extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170. The Norman nave and transepts survived until the late fourteenth century, when they were demolished to make way for the present structures. The cathedral library has a collection of about 30,000 books and pamphlets printed before the 20th century and about 20,000 later books and serials. Many of the earlier books were acquired as part of donated collections. It is rich in church history, older theology, British history (including local history), travel, science and medicine, and the anti-slavery movement. The library's holdings are included in the online catalogue of the library of the University of Kent.

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The cathedrals of the Middle Ages were massive structures which architecturally expressed a great age of faith. Based on the pointed Gothic arch, these magnificent cathedrals were constructed in a symmetrical style with repetitive elements. The same influence is visible in the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel. Designed by architect, E. Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings of Fayetteville, AR, the chapel is constructed around 15 main arches towering 50 feet high. Within each of the 15 arches are three or four Gothic arches. The Gothic style was chosen for its enduring quality, a quality which is as awe inspiring today as it was in Fourteenth Century Europe. The individuality of the chapel lies not in its links with the past but in its departure from the materials used in those ancient structures.
Glass and steel are the building blocks which exemplify modern man. Thirty-one tons of steel join 4,460 square feet of glass to create its aura of strength, yet weightlessness. Positioned on a wooded hilltop overlooking Lake Norwood, the Chapel is encompassed by towering pines and stately oaks. Because the Chapel's structure is transparent, patterns of light and shadow create an ever changing interior influenced by nature's season at hand. Visitors are invited to experience the peace and serenity of the Chapel, which offers an extraordinary setting for meditation, personal reflection or a place to just relax and enjoy. Special ceremonies such as marriages, renewal of vows, concerts, cultural events, baptisms and memorial services are welcomed. But whether you are touring the Chapel or attending a special service, you will leave the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel with a unique sense of renewed spirit.
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