Religion Archives - Interesting Ideas

April 24, 2024 Bill Swislow

Tiktin

Tiktin (in Polish, Tykocin) is a small town in eastern Poland, near the city of Bialystok, that seems to have peaked in the early 18th century. It’s also my ancestral village. The main draw today is a synagogue that managed to survive World War II, though of course its congregants — including my relations who had not emigrated — did not. There are a few other sights worth seeing, and all in all it’s a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. Back to Poland index page

April 24, 2024 Bill Swislow

Zakopane Cemetery

This cemetery is well worth the trip to Zakopane, the town’s other virtues aside. It’s not huge, but its mix of folky and modernist memorials — sometimes combined in a single monument — makes it an artistic treasure. Back to Poland index page

April 24, 2024 Bill Swislow

Polish Churches

It’s no surprise that deeply Catholic Poland has churches aplenty. What’s remarkable is the duality of its wooden country churches — many of them UNESCO World Heritage listed — and the splendor of the baroque religious palaces in the cities. More remarkable is that those old country churches, their modest exteriors beautiful enough, often feature some of that baroque splendor inside. Back to Poland index page

Ruth Norman, aka Uriel, the Unarius Society, with flying saucer models

March 5, 2018 Bill Swislow

Review — Jim Shaw: The Hidden World

Jim Shaw: The Hidden World, edited by Marc-Olivier Wahler. Koenig Books, London, 512 pages, 2014. ISBN: 978-3863355845. Hardcover. Jim Shaw’s collection of religious, political and cultural ephemera, published in 2014 as an exhibition catalog, makes for a great book, especially if your collecting interests align with Shaw’s, as mine not coincidentally do.

February 11, 2018 Bill Swislow

Angkor Temples: Highlights

To grasp the impact of the temples around Angkor Wat, think of Chartres. Chartres is wonderful — here you find a dozen-plus Chartres, all within 45 minutes of each other. The Cambodian temples are every bit as spectacular as their reputation would have you believe. Their massive scale, their finely crafted detail, their lovely jungle settings, their ruin and their restoration combine to make this one of the world’s great places. Yes, it is very hot, and many of the sites are crowded with tourists. Some temples were probably over restored. But the architecture is compelling and the sculpture fascinating.