02Knights Templar - Julian Emperor

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SAINTS religious function for a varied number of faith groups over a very long period of time. The earliest known use of this site for religious purposes dates from the Aramean period when a temple of Hadad was built there. During the pre-Christian Roman period it became the site of a temple dedicated to Jupiter. Its function was to change again in the Byzantine era when Christianity was the dominant religion of the Eastern Roman Empire and a church was built there, importantly one that was dedicated to St John the Baptist. Following the loss of Damascus to Muslim forces in 636 AD, during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, the church built on the site was left unharmed. In fact, it was jointly used by Christians and Muslims, although eventually an extension made of mud brick was erected against the south wall of the church where Muslims could pray. This situation continued until around 706 AD when, under the rule of the Caliph Al-Walid I of the Umayyad dynasty, it was destroyed and the mosque that exists today was built in its place. It is said that the Caliph symbolically began the task of taking down the church by striking it with a golden spike. When preparations were being made for the building of the mosque, a team of workmen supposedly discovered the head of St John the Baptist. Following this great discovery, a shrine was subsequently built to house this most precious religious relic. Interestingly, Caliph Al-Walid I was aided in building the mosque by the Byzantine <strong>Emperor</strong> Justinian II who despatched a skilled team of craftsmen, large quantities of gold and materials such as mosaic tesserae to him for the purpose. Like many other mosques (and Islamic architecture in general) it consequently displays strong Byzantine influence. The Ummayad Mosque was intended for a number of functions, not only incorporating religious activities but also serv- •64•
SAINTS AND OTHER WORLD RELIGIONS ing as a site for the dispensation of law. It was intended to reflect the design of the house of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina which had also combined religious and social purposes. At the time, it was one of the largest buildings in the world and its interior is similar to that of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It also contained the largest golden mosaic in existence.The Ummayad Mosque is also significant in that it was the first mosque to have a prayer hall which contained three aisles that allowed worshippers to view the mihrab.This is an alcove that indicates to Muslims the way they must pray in order to be facing Mecca, the most significant religious site in the Islamic world. In addition, the Ummayad Mosque is notable for containing the tomb of the legendary Muslim leader Saladin. Reflecting the importance of the figure of St John the Baptist to Muslims and Christians alike, Pope John Paul II visited his shrine at the Ummayad Mosque in 2001. However, the Ummayad Mosque is not the only shrine to claim to hold the surviving relics of St John the Baptist. According to a number of historians from the ancient world including Nicephorus, Josephus and Symeon Metaphrastes, King Herod ordered that the head of the saint be buried at Machaerus within the fortress. Probably the earliest place to be associated with holding his remains is a shrine at Sebaste in Samaria. According to the Roman historian Rufinus, the shrine was attacked by the pagan emperor <strong>Julian</strong> the Apostate in 362 AD. Apparently the saint’s bones were burned but some of his remains were retrieved.They were then taken to Alexandria in Egypt and placed in a basilica on 27 May 395 AD.As is the case with many other saints, there are numerous locations that claim to hold some portion of John’s relics, including Amiens Cathedral in France and San Silvestro in Capite in the city of Rome. •65•
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Other Pocket Essentials by Giles Mo
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This edition published in 2008 by P
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Contents Introduction 9 Early Chris
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SAINTS they had led particularly pi
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SAINTS pared to die as martyrs for
Page 14 and 15: SAINTS text of a strongly patriarch
Page 16 and 17: SAINTS Initially, he plans to break
Page 18 and 19: SAINTS Muslims because she was the
Page 20 and 21: SAINTS keeper has often been invoke
Page 22 and 23: SAINTS place at Tarrium in Persia a
Page 24 and 25: SAINTS India and Armenia. The circu
Page 26 and 27: SAINTS teachings of Jesus Christ hi
Page 28 and 29: SAINTS valuable link to the history
Page 30 and 31: SAINTS acceptable as a means of pro
Page 32 and 33: SAINTS hagiographies that relate hi
Page 34 and 35: SAINTS is said to have changed the
Page 36 and 37: SAINTS mit of whom he had heard cal
Page 38 and 39: SAINTS variously guilty of bribery,
Page 40 and 41: SAINTS Constantinople convened in 3
Page 42 and 43: SAINTS St John Chrysostom Born at A
Page 45 and 46: Celtic and Early English Saints Chr
Page 47 and 48: CELTIC AND EARLY ENGLISH SAINTS Chr
Page 49 and 50: CELTIC AND EARLY ENGLISH SAINTS num
Page 51 and 52: CELTIC AND EARLY ENGLISH SAINTS The
Page 53 and 54: CELTIC AND EARLY ENGLISH SAINTS 672
Page 55 and 56: CELTIC AND EARLY ENGLISH SAINTS mon
Page 57 and 58: CELTIC AND EARLY ENGLISH SAINTS a r
Page 59 and 60: Saints and OtherWorld Religions Whi
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Page 69 and 70: SAINTS AND OTHER WORLD RELIGIONS tr
Page 71 and 72: Saints in the Middle Ages In many w
Page 73 and 74: SAINTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES St Franci
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Page 77 and 78: SAINTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES of auster
Page 79 and 80: SAINTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES elation t
Page 81 and 82: SAINTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES Other imp
Page 83 and 84: SAINTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES Erasmus i
Page 85 and 86: SAINTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES St Sebast
Page 87 and 88: SAINTS IN THE MIDDLE AGES Knights T
Page 89 and 90: Saints During the Reformation The P
Page 91 and 92: SAINTS DURING THE REFORMATION calle
Page 93 and 94: SAINTS DURING THE REFORMATION Howev
Page 95 and 96: SAINTS DURING THE REFORMATION the O
Page 97 and 98: SAINTS DURING THE REFORMATION sente
Page 99 and 100: SAINTS DURING THE REFORMATION phlet
Page 101 and 102: Saints in the Modern Era Saints hav
Page 103 and 104: SAINTS IN THE MODERN ERA Church of
Page 105 and 106: SAINTS IN THE MODERN ERA Congregati
Page 107 and 108: SAINTS IN THE MODERN ERA ian work a
Page 109 and 110: SAINTS IN THE MODERN ERA St Nichola
Page 111 and 112: SAINTS IN THE MODERN ERA properties
Page 113 and 114: SAINTS IN THE MODERN ERA dates name
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SAINTS IN THE MODERN ERA other impo
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Appendices A Calendar of Saints’
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APPENDICES February 15 St Sigfrid F
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APPENDICES April 18 St Aya April 19
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APPENDICES June 17 St Rainerius of
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APPENDICES August 11 St Clare Augus
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APPENDICES October 9 St Denis Octob
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APPENDICES December 1 St Edmund Cam
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APPENDICES Patron Saints of Occupat
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APPENDICES Students St Thomas Aquin
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APPENDICES St Anne Red robe, doorwa
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APPENDICES St Raphael Fish St Rock
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APPENDICES St Osmund Salisbury,Wilt
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APPENDICES Greece St Paul Holland S
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APPENDICES Saints and Health Proble
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Web Pages www.catholic.org/saints w
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Jenkins, Simon, Englan
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Abda al-Qadir al-Jilani, 68 Act of
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Domitian, 21 dragons, 21, 49, 79, 8
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Magdalene, Mary, 18-19 Mahatma, 11
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society, 9, 14, 57, 68, 71, 76, 91-
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02Knights Templar - Julian Emperor

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