... that having moved to South Africa to start his missionary work at age 22, Joseph Gérard died at age 83 in Lesotho without ever returning to his home country of France?
... that the Chronicles of Mann claimed William Russell to have been the first Bishop of the Isles consecrated by the pope, even though he was not consecrated by the pope, and even if he had been, he would not have been the first?
... that since the superstructure of Johnstown's Cathedral of St. John Gualbert was laid using nearly 590,000 pounds (270,000 kg) of steel, the roof was able to be completed before the foundation walls?
...that Arnau Mir de Tost is sometimes praised as the "El Cid of the Lands of Lleida" for his foundational role in reestablishing Christian rule in the region to the south of Urgell?
... that French Jesuit missionary and mathematician Guy Tachard was involved in embassies to Siam, which came as responses to embassies sent by the Siamese King Narai to France in order to obtain an alliance against the Dutch?
... that the bronze of Mary atop Mary Star of the Sea, known as the "Fishermen's Church," is lit at night so she can be seen from the Port of Los Angeles harbor?
...that American painter George Cooke'sInterior of St. Peter's Rome (pictured), measuring 17 by 23.5 feet, was the largest oil painting of its time, and still ranks among the world's largest?
Ruins of the Old Church of Banagher, County Londonderry, in 1833
...that legend at Banagher says its church (pictured) was founded by a saint, led there by a stag acting as a lectern and carrying a book on its antlers?
...that the Barasoain Church(pictured) , where three major events in Philippine history took place, became known as the Cradle of Democracy in the East?
...that to save weight while walking 1,000 km along the Camino de Santiago, Canadian fiddler Oliver Schroer packed a sleeping bag and clothes around his violin instead of using a case?
...that Saint Reineldis(pictured) is commonly depicted in art being dragged by the hair by Huns?
...that the veneration of Saints Felinus and Gratian, which has a weak historical foundation, has been alleged to have been created to further the interests of Perugia?
... that Toto's seizure of power in Rome in 767 is one of the first indications that the military aristocracy believed that supreme power in Rome rested with the papal office?
... that the Roman Curia needed eight years to confirm the election of Peter Jarweh as Patriarch of the Syrian Catholic Church because he had received funds from Protestant missionaries to buy a printing press?
... that medieval English bishop Alexander of Lincoln was a patron of the chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth, who dedicated his Prophecies of Merlin to the bishop?
... that the name of the Black Abbey(interior pictured) is based on the fact that the Dominicans were often referred to as Black Friars, because of the black cappa or cloak which they wear over their white habits?
...that the only elements of the Nativity of Jesus in art(example pictured) to span the whole history of its depiction are the baby, the ox and the ass?
... that the medieval chronicler Matthew Paris accused the medieval bishop Hugh of Wells (d. 1235) of being biased against monks, calling him "an untiring persecutor of monks"?
... that Pope John Paul II placed rosary devotions(example pictured) at the very center of Christian spirituality and called them "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation"?
... that the Codex Carolinus is one of very few Gothic fragments of the New Testament on parchment that has survived to the present day?
... that the crypt of St. Paulinskirche(pictured)inTrier allegedly contains the remains of approximately one dozen of the martyred soldiers of the legendary Theban Legion?
... that the beating of a child in a Boston public school sparked the Eliot School rebellion and motivated the creation of a nationwide system of parochial schools?
... that the 19th-century Shrigley HallinCheshire, England, originally a country house, was later a Salesian school with a chapel (exterior pictured) added in 1936, and now is a hotel and country club?
... that one of the oldest churches in Costa Rica, Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Limpia Concepcion (pictured), built in the 1560s in Ujarrás, has been proposed as a World Heritage Site?
... that despite the customary practice of Catholic bishops tendering their resignations when they turn 75, Andrew Pataki's retirement was not accepted by Pope Benedict XVI until after he turned 80?
... that the depictions of the Ascension of Jesus in Christian art(example pictured) are often divided into an upper (heavenly) and lower (earthly) part?
... that when Father Raymond V. Kirk was appointed president of Duquesne University at the age of 38, he was one of the youngest university presidents in the United States?
... that the 75-metre (246 ft) tall towers of St. Florian's Cathedral(pictured)inWarsaw's eastern district of Praga highlight its role as a form of protest against the Russian domination of Poland?
... that Mammotrectus super Bibliam, a guide book to understanding the Bible, was popular in the 15th century, but was criticized in the 16th century?
... that the 4th-century Brescia Casket(pictured) has been called "among the most formidable and enduring enigmas in the study of early Christian art"?
... that Uncial 0321, thought to be the same as Uncial 067 for 164 years, was recently recognized as being a separate manuscript?
... that the neighborhoods of the city of Cholula, Puebla, in Mexico have a complicated system for sponsoring its many religious festivals?
... that police patrolled Incarnation Church during the 2000 funeral of a Hispanic youth killed with a tire iron by Armenian Americans after a retaliatory shooting at a donut shop?