Summer Fridays/Weekends 2011 - Sacred Views

I had forgotten how hard it is to shoot pictures inside a vast cathedral - not enough light in some places and a flash washes other things out.

According to the brochure: "Work was started on the Cathedral in the late 1890s, and continued until 1941. Work resumed in 1979, lasting until 1994 when a preservation and improvement initiative was started. In December 2001 a fire broke out and destroyed the North Transept and caused extensive smoke damage. In 2003 cleaning and restoration started, lasting until 2008 when it was rededicated."

We took the general Walking Tour, but honestly were more distracted by ED's antics than to pay attention to all the trivia too much. There are thematic tours, focusing on theology, symbolism, and/or architecture, and a Climbing Tour, which I hope to take later this summer. I can't imagine the views looking down into the building, and then up around the roof-line!

Look at the sculptures, the glass work, the carvings!

Firefighters memorial (above); trompe l'oeil carving in arches (below)

Notes for below: the Poets' Corner salutes America's literary greats; there are 14 themed bays in the nave, honoring different professions and human endeavors. Stained glass windows depict thematic scenes - including one on broadcasting with an inset of a 1925 prototype television; the white gold triptych created by Keith Haring in 1989 in the shape of a Russian icon, the last sculptural piece created by the artist before his death in 1990; Finally, the Cathedral is a working religious site - with the prayer candles reflecting the peacefulness of the place.