cathedral Archives - Memos and Mirth

The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

March 20, 2018

The Baldachin Altar of the National Shrine.

I was in an Uber ride through an unfamiliar part of Washington D.C. one evening when I saw a massive dome in the distance. It definitely wasn’t the U.S. Capitol building or the National Cathedral, and I couldn’t think of any other landmark that was so immense.

A week later, I decided to explore and made my way to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This mouthful of a monument is apparently the largest Catholic Church in the U.S. and the second-largest in North America after the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Life / Museums and Monuments

A quiet start to the year

January 2, 2018

The peace dove at the Washington National Cathedral.

It’s the afternoon of New Year’s Eve and I am among a group of tourists standing near the front entrance of the Washington National Cathedral.

We ignore the Neo-Gothic architecture, altars and stained glass because everyone is transfixed on the bookish tour guide. The middle aged woman who greeted everyone nicely a few minutes ago is now glaring up at the second floor balcony above the cathedral entrance.

“Excuse me,” the guide says, barely below a shout. “Get down from there now. NO — that floor is closed. You need to get down here NOW.”

She repeats herself several times. A tourist in a suit tries to help the guide with awkward hand motions to the second-floor trespassers. I can’t see who is on the balcony but it is obvious that they are lingering to take pictures and the tour guide was having none of it.

“Elevator access is shut down to that floor,” the tour guide says to the nearby suited man. “I don’t understand how they got up there or why it’s not clear to them that the second floor is closed!”

“People are just stupid I guess,” he says in a thick Italian accent.

I quickly turn to the statue of George Washington to avoid laughing.

A statue of George Washington at the Washington National Cathedral.

The front entrance of the Washington National Cathedral, near Georgetown.

Lamps and the vaulted ceiling at the Washington National Cathedral.

A very quiet end to 2017

Minor tourist drama aside, the trip to the cathedral was a pleasant way to end the year. It was also the last trek out that I would make that day.

It became increasingly clear that I was staying in for New Year’s Eve when I still didn’t have any plans by 9 p.m.

2014 Summer / Architecture / art / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures / the details

The Cathedral of St. Paul

September 17, 2014

The Cathedral of Saint Paul is one of my favorite buildings in town.

I spent summers in Germany growing up, and I love having this building so close because it reminds me a lot of Trier.

I haven’t seen many other comparable cathedrals in the U.S. and the building commands my attention anytime that I venture to that side of downtown St. Paul.

An exterior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota.

A long-stance view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota.

An exterior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota.

Interior Shots

The interior of the church is on par with anything that I’ve seen in Germany. My mother recently visited and said that it was impressive as the Kölner Dom.

: An interior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

: An interior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

: An interior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

An exterior view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota.

Exterior Shots

The outside of the cathedral almost looks like a European church, minus the lack of dirt and acid rain stains.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

: An exterior detail view of the Cathedral of St. Paul, in Minnesota. The cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1907 and the first liturgy was held on Palm Sunday, March 28, 1915. The exterior is made out of granite from Saint Cloud.

I’ve never been to the church for a service, but I enjoy It as a free museum (and dog walk restroom.)

2011 Winter / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

The Basilica of St. Mary

December 1, 2011

The Basilica of St. Mary is one of my favorite buildings in Minneapolis, although still haven’t been inside. The amount of streets and highways near the basilica make it difficult it photograph without a traffic light or onramp in the way.

HTC EVO 4G pictures / Minneapolis-St. Paul / pictures

St. Paul Cathedral

August 16, 2011

One of the things I love about the Cathedral of St. Paul is that it is very quiet, aside from the shuffling and coughing tourists.

HTC EVO 4G pictures / Life / Minneapolis-St. Paul

St. Paul

July 2, 2011

Sure, Minneapolis has all of the nightlife, but St. Paul is downright pretty.

the details

Scottish Rite Temple

April 15, 2010

This bloated thing is visible for blocks.

This is in the Lowry Hill/Wedge neighborhood of Minneapolis. The building was erected in 1906 as Fowler Methodist Episcopal Church and is now known as the Scottish Rite Temple. I’m sure the inside is gorgeous.

See also: Kirche, University of Minnesota

0L / Life

St. Paul & Excitement

August 11, 2008

Now there has been more to my week than the random coffee shop crazies. MC took me on a tour St. Paul, which has a ton of beautiful old buildings. I also saw Macalester, where I almost went for undergrad. Hm.

And, gasp, a big honking Cathedral.

And yes those dots by the doors are people.

Ooo and look at the inside of the dome!

The Twin Cities remind me a lot of Germany. Well, of course you don’t have the altstadts or castles here, but there is definitely a richer sense of history in than in Miami or Wichita.

St. Paul feels like mountain country (after living in Miami at least). The Cathedral is on a slope and has a pretty nice view of the Minnesota capital building.

Seeing the Capital made me excited all over again for law school – “In a few years I might work in that building with the cathedral as my daily backdrop.”

I saw myself in a crowd of other lawyers marching up a nearby courthouse’s steps. NBC logo in the corner of the daydream screen.

Hah. Call Nancy!

I haven’t daydreamed about/dwelled on school too much though. I’ve hung out a bit more with the housemates and asked most of the wide-eyed 0L questions. But other than that… nope…

Class starts in three weeks. I can worry about it when my butt’s in the chair.

Until then I have almost a month of playing tourist and coffee-house rat.

And taking pictures of random things I see downtown like: