June 5, 2014
Siracusa
(Syracuse) is a window into the ancient history
of the Mediterranean and Europe. Its vast archeological site, on the
edge of the modern city, is a rare treasure of temples, amphitheatres
and an
ancient castle. The island of Ortygia is a labyrinth of charming ancient
and medieval streets. This was a center of Greek,
Byzantine and Judaic civilization. Siracusa is built on an ancient Greek settlement founded by
Corinthians in 734 BC.
Its older residential quarter is an island, Ortigia (or
Ortygia), from the Greek for quail, probably named for that bird's
abundance in this area. Ortygia is known for, among many other things,
the freshwater Spring of Arethusa . In Greek mythology, when Artemis changed Arethusa into a
spring of water to escape the river god Alpheus and it was here that the transformed
maiden emerged. On a more factual note, Syracuse was the city of Archimedes, (whose plays are still performed in the huge amphitheatre) and
Pindar. Plato also spent several years here. It was the most important
city in Magna Graecia, the Greeks' America, and for a long time rivaled Athens as the most
important city of the Greek world.
Saint Paul visited Syracuse around AD 59, and
probably preached in the Giudecca (Jewish Quarter) where medieval Saint John the Baptist Church now stands. He landed near the current spring of Arethusa.
* * * * *
While Michael finished doing interviews, I went with two of the sorelle (sisters) and a senior couple to see the place where Paul landed in Siracusa. We visited with a sympatizante (investigator) and a member of the church along the way. We also handed out a few pass-a-long cards to people we met along the way.
After returning to the church, I helped the sorelle teach a lesson about the word of wisdom to a young teenage girl they are currently teaching.
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| Greek Ruins |
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| Fountain of Archimedes - he was born in Ortigia |
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| Duomo |
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| Area where Paul landed |
