The beautiful church thread: please post photos / links to beautiful Catholic churches!

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Here’s Saint Mary of the Lake on Chicago’s north side, which I occasionally go to. It’s in the classic basilica style with a Romanesque bell tower:



The campanile



Inside I’m sure some postconciliar changes were made, but the tabernacle is still front and center under a gorgeous ciborium magnum:

http://www.smolchicago.com/galleryimages/12.jpg

And none of the glorious sacred art got whitewashed!

http://www.smolchicago.com/galleryimages/2.jpg

There are ten other photos at the church’s website.
 
Queen of Peace in Ocala, Florida, is Remarkably beautiful.
http://home.catholicweb.com/queenofpeaceocalacom/images/IMG_0026_sm05.jpg

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http://www.johnrbriggs.com/maidabook008-large-crop-0.11-0.08-0.85-0.98.jpg
They have several Large biblical paintings around the church.



I really wish I had more interior shots to show you guys. If you’re ever in the Ocala area, I’d advise you to stop by.
The even the Vestibule is beautiful, they have a Pool where they baptize.
 
Here is the National Shrine of the Little Flower in San Antonio, TX. Although I have yet to visit it, my aunt tells me that it is simply magnificent:

Imgur

I must say that San Antonio has a plethora of beautiful churches.
 
This is the former Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral in Houston Texas. It was built as a parish church in 1911 and dedicated to God’s service on April 14, 1912. In 1959 The Diocese of Galveston became the Diocese of Galveston-Houston and Sacred Heart was named Co-Cathedral along side to St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Galveston. In 2004 Pope John Paul II elevated Galveston-Houston to Archdiocese. Due to the growing population plans for a new Cathedral were in the making. In 2008 the new Cathedral was competed. The Archbishop plans were to demolish the former Sacred Heart to provide parking space and a nice front yard for the new church building, but thanks to nasty emails, calls, and letters from Catholics throughout the Archdiocese the plans of the Archbishop was spoiled.

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Here are some more photos, but some of them have been photoshopped and I don’t have the unedited ones 😦

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St. John’s Lutheran:

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reggieM said:
:nope::hypno::ouch::bighanky:
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If the co-cathedral has designation as a recorded Texas historical landmark, this should not happen. The Texas Historical Commission would be up in arms. Perhaps local historical enthusiasts (including parishioners) can get the ball rolling to get historical designation for the co-cathedral. That would help greatly.

About the only caveat to the pictures that I see of an otherwise beautiful cathedral is the modern “wreckovations” such as the removal of the altar rail and such. It’s sad. What the Galveston hurricanes could not do, someone else wanted to do.

Were these plans made under the previous archbishop or under the current one?
 
Florianus said:
Hello !

I’m not quite sure if this is the right section to post this, but I just wanted to share the marvelous Church of the Sorrowful Mother of God belonging to the Franciscan Monastery Weggental near Rottenburg in south-western Germany. I visited it yesterday for the first time and was just stunned.
It’s very interesting that you have this island of Catholicism in the almost completly protestant state of Wuerttemberg. The reason for this is that Rottenburg and the sorrounding areas did belong to Austria up to the beginning of the 19th century, so they haved stayed Catholic all the time. Rottenburg is also the seat of the bishop of the diocese of Rottenburg/Stuttgart.
You can look at pictures in this album: kloster-weggental.de/bilder/thumbnails.php?album=13

God Bless !
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wow that is stunning! The artwork is amazing, as is the altar.
 
Nevermore22 said:
While not a catholic church, Heinz Chapel is a beautiful building on the grounds of the University of Pittsburgh. The stained glass there is amazing, and they have a full pipe organ!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3547/3302734408_4fd5707ae8.jpg

http://places2explore.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/heinz-chapel-hdr-small.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dowstall.jpg/300px-HeinzChapelWindowstall.jpg

There are four sets of stained glass, each one 72 feet long, the longest anywhere.
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what kind of church is it? It is beautiful.
 
MarineGuy said:
St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, Kentucky:
http://bp3.blogger.com/_W1ueYt1O3xs/R0M-0iwAHQI/AAAAAAAACU0/ivI6THcvBH8/s400/St.+Mary’s,+Cathedral+Basilica+of+the+Assumption,+Covington,+Kentucky.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/3664407834_fe233d5bcc.jpg

Mother of God Church (also in Covington, KY):
Cincinnati News, Sports and Things to Do | Cincinnati Enquirer
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2324/2156629321_5a0ccd7c9a.jpg

Old St. Mary’s Church, Cincinnati, Ohio:
http://www.oldstmarys.org/archives/large photos/reno2.jpg

Chapel of Divine Mercy, South Union, Kentucky (this is a new church, btw):
http://www.fathersofmercy.com/current_events/news/chapel_news/2008/08192008/images/Interior.JPG
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All of these are absolutely awesome!!!
 
benedictgal said:
If the co-cathedral has designation as a recorded Texas historical landmark, this should not happen. The Texas Historical Commission would be up in arms. Perhaps local historical enthusiasts (including parishioners) can get the ball rolling to get historical designation for the co-cathedral. That would help greatly.

About the only caveat to the pictures that I see of an otherwise beautiful cathedral is the modern “wreckovations” such as the removal of the altar rail and such. It’s sad. What the Galveston hurricanes could not do, someone else wanted to do.

Were these plans made under the previous archbishop or under the current one?
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http://www.sacredhearthouston.org/history/images/014.jpg

I believe many groups have tired. However, the way the church sits right now isnt the way it was built in 1912. In 1990 a new Episcopal chair, ambo and in addition, three new mosaics had replace the original high altar which has been lost or discarded. The Archdiocese stands on the ground that since the original high altar has been lost and can’t be reinstalled that the church is not original and has not true historical value. It also doesn’t help that the City of Houston has very weak historic laws.

I don’t even know what “wreckovations” means or how the hurricane came up.

It was the plan of the old Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza. However, Cardinal DiNardo doesn’t seem to show any interest in the old Cathedral. The Old Co-Cathedral stills stands today, but they have started removing 5 major stautes from the church,
*The latest interior renovation of the Co-Cathedral was completed in 1990. The rededication of Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral occurred on March 25, 1990 with the Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza, the seventh bishop, as the presiding celebrant. The sanctuary was renovated, and a new episcopal chair and ambo were added. The depiction of the Last Supper in the present, new altar was preserved from the original high altar. The three new mosaics were designed and made in Italy and installed by Italo Botti of Chicago. The mosaics were a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Corbin Robertson in memory of Monsignor John J. Roach, the sixth pastor.
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The mosaic of Christ the pantocrator above the episcopal chair represents Jesus as the chief shepherd and teacher of the church. The chair on which Jesus sits and the episcopal chair are identical, thus expressing that it is Christ who is the true shepherd and teacher of the diocese. The mosaic over the new tabernacle is a Eucharistic symbol taken from the miracle of the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-15). It is similar to a 4th century mosaic in a church in Capernaum. Above this mosaic image is the Coat of Arms for Pope John Paul II. The tabernacle was a gift from Davis and Estelle Maloney. The mosaic over the new baptismal font depicts a baptismal theme of flowing water from a shell symbolizing our sharing in the death and resurrection of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Above this mosaic image is the Diocesan Seal.*
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sacredhearthouston.org/
 
Actually, because it was built in 1912, that should count as a building of historical importance. It is the exterior that most concerns the Texas Historical Commission, not so much the interior. Although, for those of us who love the older churches, the interior is just as important.

Too bad you don’t have pictures of what it originally looked like back in 1912. Personally speaking, what I mean by wreckovations is the “modern” stuff that has been added. Even with the best of intentions, it manages to remove the beauty of the original. I went to visit St. Mary’s University with some high school students and we went into the old chapel. As a priest friend of mine is wont to say, “the vandals invaded” the space and gutted the interior of an otherwise beautiful structure, yanking out the communion rail, putting in strange looking pews and making it look just awful.

By hurricanes, I was referencing the one that hit Galveston in 1900 and succeeding ones.
 
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