Herman Melville's "The Sepulchre"

Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land is an epic poem written in 1876 by American writer Herman Melville. It is the longest poem in American literature. This narrative poem of four major parts and some l50 cantos depicts a young theology student wandering through the Holy Land, first in Jerusalem, then in the Wilderness, then Mar Saba, and finally Bethlehem. The journey is reminiscent of Melville's own wanderings in the Holy Land in the middle 1850's. Clarel is described by Edwin H. Miller as "Melville's poetic restatement of the subject matter of his prose... an unformed youth in search of security in a world which has no security to offer".

Mark Twain's Visit to the Holy Sepulchre

By Mark Twain

(Innocents Abroad, ch. 53)

The population of Jerusalem is composed of Moslems, Jews, Greeks, Latins, Armenians, Syrians, Copts, Abyssinians, Greek Catholics, and a handful of Protestants. One hundred of the latter sect are all that dwell now in this birthplace of Christianity. The nice shades of nationality comprised in the above list, and the languages spoken by them, are altogether too numerous to mention. It seems to me that all the races and colors and tongues of the earth must be represented among the fourteen thousand souls that dwell in Jerusalem. Rags, wretchedness, poverty and dirt, those signs and symbols that indicate the presence of Moslem rule more surely than the crescent-flag itself, abound. Lepers, cripples, the blind, and the idiotic, assail you on every hand, and they know but one word of but one language apparently—the eternal "bucksheesh." To see the numbers of maimed, malformed and diseased humanity that throng the holy places and obstruct the gates, one might suppose that the ancient days had come again, and that the angel of the Lord was expected to descend at any moment to stir the waters of Bethesda. Jerusalem is mournful, and dreary, and lifeless. I would not desire to live here.

What Hans Christian Andersen Said About Greek Easter

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a prolific Danish author and poet, who "introduced the idea of fantasy into children's stories, preparing the climate for Lewis Carroll in the 1860's. And in creating a separate children's world of talking toys and animals, he had a profound effect on later classics of childhood, such as 'The Wind in the Willows' and 'Winnie the Pooh'." (Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller)

Below is an excerpt from Hans Christian Andersen’s travel memoirs A Poet’s Bazaar: A Journey to Greece, Turkey and Up the Danube, about Easter festivities in Greece in the 19th century, specifically the early 1840's.

James Joyce and Orthodox Holy Week

By John Sanidopoulos

James Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century. In a 1922 New York Times profile of Joyce, the following was told of him: "Mr. Joyce has no reverence for organized religion, for conventional morality, for literary style or form. He has no conception of the word obedience, and he bends the knee neither to God nor man." Yet what we find evident from his own testimony and that of his friends is his appreciation of the music and rituals of Orthodox Holy Week services, which he took every opportunity not to miss, whether it be in a Greek or Russian church.

Saint Ardalion the Mime, a Prototype of a Genuine Artist

Holy Martyr Ardalion the Mime (Feast Day - April 14)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Ardalion lived at the end of the third century and practiced the profession of mime, or actor. He was truly a great "talent", which is why his presence in the theater caused crowding. On an official day, when the theater was packed and the Provincial Ruler was present, as well as other State officials, Ardalion "staged" his own show, making reference to Christians by highlighting their explicit courage with which they expressed their faith before the powers of the State, the patience they had during horrific torture, as well as the love they showed even to their executioners. He himself played a Christian, who was tortured hard, and even though he suffered, he remained calm and peaceful. Therefore, he was hung high and showed that he was being tormented and suffering, after allegedly they had torn his flesh and he bled like a river. His depiction was so vivid and amazing, that viewers below began to fervently clap for the skill of the artist, who managed to inspire viewers sympathy and admiration for Christians.