Where in the World?

This statue of Gregory of Nin (Grgur Ninski in Croatian), a medieval bishop from Croatia who strongly opposed the Pope, stands just outside the Golden Gate of Diocletian’s Palace in Split, Croatia. (The palace was built by a Roman emperor in the fourth century.)

Bishop Gregory introduced the national Croatian language into Catholic services in Croatia after the Great Assembly in AD 926, finally making it possible for everyone to know what was being said. Prior to that, services had been held only in Latin, which few people understood. As a result, Christianity grew stronger...

Heaven and Hell. When visitors make their way to the entrance of Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Temple, in Chiang Rai, Thailand, they pass the gruesome sculpture that was the subject of October’s photo (in the photo above, it’s at the far right in a pit beside the path). The hands represent souls in thrall to their cravings and desires burning in hell; to reach the Gate of Heaven, one must eliminate the cravings and cross the Bridge of Rebirth, seen in the temple photo.

Twelve readers sent in the correct answer by the dead- line, and MAUREEN BABULA of...

Sixteen readers sent in the correct answer for July’s picture, the Bahnar communal house at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi. JANET TANNE of Simi Valley, California, won the drawing. 

We thank Jackie Korbholz of Stockton, California, for sending the picture. She tells us, “This spectacular communal house was built in 2003 by 42 villagers from Kon Rbang, Kongum town, Central Highlands.

At a height of 19 meters, this is the dominant construction in the open-air museum. According to the Bahnar, the communal house is a symbol of male power.”