The Lamb of God

The Lamb of God, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota

History of Old St. Mary's Church in San Francisco

The Cathedrals of California is one of my favorite blogs, offering history and architecture. The latest post is about Old St. Mary's Church in Chinatown. The stories feature some of the great personalities of San Francisco, particularly the bishops, who built and rebuilt places of worship. I attended noon Mass there often when I worked downtown some years ago.

On the morning of April 18, 1906 an enormous earthquake shook the city. This singular event in California history wold destroy much of the city; what had not crumbled in the first temblor was likely destroyed by fires that raged throughout the city for four days. At Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, there was little damage; the cross and pediment fell from the tower, some finials fell inside, some buttresses were damaged. As a precaution, the sacred vessels, vestments and some furnishings were sent to residences on Nob Hill for safekeeping; a move that was to prove a mistake. About noon that day the flames begin to approach Old St. Mary’s. For several hours the faithful fought flames, but eventually they ran out of water and could only watch as the venerable church burned. Only the brick walls remained; the stained glass was melted and the marble high altar had turned to dust.

A Cathedral Blog

Here's a bit of trivia as well as an introduction to a beautiful blog I found recently. Take a look.

World’s Largest Cathedrals
Rank Church Square Feet Length
1. Cathedral of Mary of the Chair, Seville 128,570 601
2. Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York 121,000 601
3. Cathedral of the Nativity of Mary, Milan 107,000 500
4. Christ Cathedral, Liverpool 104,275 619
5. Cathedral of St. Peter, Cologne 91,464 511
6. Washington National Cathedral, Washington 75,000 534
7. Notre Dame Cathedral, Amiens 71,208 521
8. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (now a museum) 70,000 350
9. Notre Dame Cathedral, Chartres 68,260 507
10. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles 65,000 333
11. Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris 64,108 390
12. York Minster, York 63,300 486
13. St. Paul’s Cathedral, London 59,700 460
14. St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York 57,768 332

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American Jesuit Martyrs Rose Window

Mary's Rose Window, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Cathedral of St. Paul. "The American Jesuit Martyrs window, on the north side, commemorates the eight American martyrs."

St. Francis

St. Francis, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Cathedral of St. Paul

Queen of Heaven and the Jesuit Martyrs

Queen of Heaven and Saints, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Cathedral of St. Paul

Queen of Heaven

Queen of Heaven, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Cathedral of St. Paul

Apostles

Apostles, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Sts. James, Bartholomew, Simon and John. Cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota. See the full window.

The Lamb of God

The Lamb of God, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota

St. John Vianney

St. John Vianney, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Cathedral of St. Paul, MN

Holy Family

Holy Family, originally uploaded by *clairity*.

Cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota

Pieta

IMG_7984, originally uploaded by Chez VH.

Blessed Sacrament Parish, Springfield, IL

Adoration of the Shepherds Cathedral of Epiphany

Adoration of the Shepherds Cathedral of Epiphany, originally uploaded by Edith OSB.

Sioux City, Iowa