Do you like the smell of a Catholic Church?

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Most of the time I like the smell, but there is one church I have been into that smelt like a swimming pool! No idea why!!
 
The Cathedral I have been going to was full of lilies all through June (I think it had something to do with St. Anthony of Padua’s feast): lilies have a really strong smell (you could even smell them on the outside through the thick Cathedral walls!), and I can’t say I particularly like it… but, you get used to it, and I have associated the smell of lilies with church ever since.

Other than that, it always seemed to smell pretty neutral to me.
 
I love the unique smell of Catholic Churches. They just smell so different. As for the incense, it makes my throat clog and my eyes water.
 
andyklein said:
I love the unique smell of Catholic Churches. They just smell so different. As for the incense, it makes my throat clog and my eyes water.
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I have to ask, does the Priest always use the censor in front of you when he uses it? Happens(ed) to me every time incense is used. I love the smell of incense, but not when it’s close up! :o
 
M1Garand said:
I don’t know why but all Catholic Churches old and new(even ones in other countries) all smell good to me. It is a warm comforting smell like my home or my parents home smells. The strange thing is that I have been in Churches of all kinds of denominations including one Greek Orthodox Church and they don’t have that warm Catholic Church smell.

I know its a crazy questions but I am just wondering if others experience this as well.
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I’ve been to a Methodist and Presbyterian churches for a funerals and weddings. It felt like a funeral home chapel or an auditorium or a city council chambers or any other gathering place. Protestant churches lack the smells that Catholic Churches do…the old smell of years and years of wax and incense that lingers.
 
PacoG said:
I’ve been to a Methodist and Presbyterian churches for a funerals and weddings. It felt like a funeral home chapel or an auditorium or a city council chambers or any other gathering place. Protestant churches lack the smells that Catholic Churches do…the old smell of years and years of wax and incense that lingers.
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The church I usually go/went to doesn’t even use incense…
And mind you, that is not the closest Catholic church, it’s already a second option (the closer church looks like a Protestant auditorium, no sculptures, no decent crucifix, no nothing).

So the state of the church in my vicinity is pretty sad.

My next option is to travel to the nearest city, 10 km further (I don’t have a car, so if it rains , which it tends to do here in Belgium, that’s quite the distance to ride by bike), to a church that is at least somewhat more traditional/conservative in their rituals.
 
I love the smell of a Catholic Church. After all it is the House of God.
 
My church doesn’t smell like anything.

I must have a bad nose. I’ll go around sniffing the pews and the altar tomorrow morning.
 
I love the smell of my church. When I walk in and inhale it’s like breathing in the scent of God.
 
A historical note: I read in a book somewhere that the “smells and bells” that we associate with church originally came from the court trappings of the Byzantine Emperor. Because that was the model of splendor for the early medieval world, presumably.
 
I love the smell of old stone churches, with the incense and candles. You really get a feeling that this place has endured from ancient times, which is something I can never get enough of.

We get a lot of that here in Europe. 🙂
 
M1Garand said:
I don’t know why but all Catholic Churches old and new(even ones in other countries) all smell good to me. It is a warm comforting smell like my home or my parents home smells. The strange thing is that I have been in Churches of all kinds of denominations including one Greek Orthodox Church and they don’t have that warm Catholic Church smell.

I know its a crazy questions but I am just wondering if others experience this as well.
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I love it to. Part of being Catholic.
 
I love the smell of a Catholic Church!🙂
The feeling I get when I walk in the local basilica is the same as when I walk into a small and humble parish. I have been to Protestant churches but I feel nothing when I enter. It’s like walking into a Home Depot.
 
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