Go and visit! St. Louis Cathedral Basilica!
Churches were meant to tell a story and for people to visit…. so go and visit!
In days past not everyone read. Mosaics and frescos in churches were meant to tell the story of salvation to everyday people. And they were to reflect the glory of God.
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis houses the largest collection of mosaic art in the western hemisphere (half the world).
Created between 1912 and 1988, the interior features roughly 41.5 million glass and stone pieces in over 7,000 colors, covering 83,000 square feet of walls and domes. The massive display uses 38 different shades of gold alone, reflecting light to create a luminous, textured Byzantine style.
Honestly, the Basilica has a golden hue that makes it almost shimmer. I read that visiting the crypt is worth it because when you step back into the sanctuary you see the shimmer effect! Try it.
Tiffany Studios was involved in the design! There are three main themes depicted in the basilica: Biblical narratives from the Old and New Testaments, the life of King Louis IX, and local St. Louis Catholic history.
I have stopped here many times to just walk around. I went to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis and Margery attended St. Louis University School of Nursing (not far from the Basilica). The Basilica is incredible. and very much worth a stop.
The cathedral is built in the Byzantine tradition, with domes, soffits, arches, pendentives (a curved, triangle-shaped piece of vaulting) and lunettes (a crescent-shaped or semicircular space, object, or architectural feature) paved with mosaics. Margery loves architectural terms. There are about 83,000 square feet of mosaic art covers the cathedral interior. The cathedral was built beginning in 1907. The artwork took about 75 years to complete.
Pope Paul VI once called the cathedral the most beautiful in “all of the Americas.” The lower level of the cathedral is home to a museum of mosaics. It also houses the crypt where two cardinals and an archbishop were laid to rest.
And of course I put the drone up. I can’t resist a good straight down shot of a large cross shaped building.
