Anyone got any photos and information about the churches and cathedrals they attend or of their favourite church building? Just thought it might be an interesting thread. I'll start it off with a picture of my cathedral, Lichfield cathedral, which is incidentally my favourite church building! I believe it's the only three spired cathedral in the UK nowadays. It's patron saints are Our Lady and St Chad of Mercia, whose relics were housed here until the reformation (they're now located in the RC Birmingham cathedral). My parish priest is also a prebendary here which means I visit there fairly frequently for different occasions, which is nice.
I never bothered to look at it before, but that blows me away. Splendid! Among all Cathedrals, the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia is my favourite, hands down, with nothing else even coming close, but among Anglican cathedrals I think I its a complete tie between York Minster, St. Paul’s, the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Westminster, and Gloucester Cathedral. St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia:
Mission San José. San Antonio, Texas, United States. The pictured structure dates to 1768, when the location was still Mexican territory. The right portion of the photo, where open arches are seen, was once a convent. This is the main entrance to the nave. This is a section of the exterior wall where the original manner of painting Mexican churches of this period can be faintly seen. I always took great joy in visiting this church and I sometimes prayed the Stations of the Cross in it. I never attended a Mass though. At the time I lived in Texas, all the services were conducted in Spanish. I would be surprised if that has changed.
Lovely, gorgeous, and fantastic, but is that a cathedral? Not wanting to nitpick, rather I thought we were limited to cathedrals in this thread, otherwise there are a number of parishes I would have mentioned. I thought parishes and basillicas might go in a separate thread. Although, oh snap, I just realized Westminster Abbey is not technically a cathedral either, so in lieu of it I am substituting St. John the Divine in New York City.
It is not the Cathedral although, interestingly, it is the church that the Archdiocese of San Antonio uses as a background on their website. And the high altar is the equal of that in the Cathedral.
Fair enough. It sounds like a pro-cathedral or the sort of parish where in the Assyrian church one would find a Chorepiscopus. Would you perhaps humour me and, in the interests of more pretty pictures in this thread, share with us a full cathedral you rather like?
Diocese of Truro, Cornwall. Church of St Protus and St Hyacinth in the village of Blisland on the edge of Bodmin Moor. Church of Norman origins, present layout dates from 15th century, restored in the late 19th century.
No not Medieval, it was installed in the latter part of the 19th century. There are a few surviving Medieval screens in Cornish churches and several in Devon.
The original thread started like this: "........information about the churches and cathedrals they attend or of their favourite church building?" To me that means that it does not have to be a cathedral.
There are not many churches or cathedrals that I don't like, but my favourite is St. Leonards in Newland, near Malvern. It was built in1863-4.
A couple that have played a part in my history: This is St. Michael's in Mathews, North Carolina. It was originally built by the ACC and at some point came into the APA, which currently has jurisdiction. Though I am not in the APA, my jurisdiction has a good relationship with them and they have given us use of the place on occasion. I was ordained to the diaconate here on the feast day of St. Cronan of Roscrea (April 28). This church has some of the best stained glass you will see in a continuing church. (The picture is not of my ordination; this was taken at the episcopal consecration of Bp. Haines.) The next is a sad story. It was a Roman church on the grounds of an orphanage. The orphanage closed and the church fell into disuse. Somehow, a priest in my jurisdiction had come into a very modest lease on the location for Sunday services and occasional diocesan events. To my knowledge, the last service of Holy Communion conducted in this church was my ordination service on the Feast day of Blessed William Tyndale (October 6). The owners of the property try to market the location as a destination wedding chapel for the greater Richmond area.
The Cathedral in Lincoln, which was, until the main spire collapsed, the tallest building in the world (replacing the Pyramid of Giza which held the title for nearly 4,000 years). It also helps that it's not stuffed full of tourists like Durham and York.
"It also helps that it's not stuffed full of tourists like Durham and York" That's the same with Lichfield Cathedral. It certainly helps with the atmosphere, although these huge old English cathedrals require an immense amount of money to maintain, so tourism, in one regard, is quite beneficial.
This is true. I went to Durham Cathedral at the weekend and the staff told me it needs £150,000 a week just for maintenance.
Cathedral Church of the BVM, Truro, Cornwall. Late 19th century Gothic Revival. Incorporates an aisle of the former parish church now known as St Mary's Aisle. Has a Hanging Pyx for reservation of the Blessed Sacrament. Very fine 4 manual Father Willis organ and a 2 manual English Baroque organ by Renatus Harris in St Mary's Aisle. The Diocese of Truro was carved out of the expansive Diocese of Exeter. Several sites were considered for use as the Cathedral Church including the Priory of St Germanus at St Germans in East Cornwall which was the site of the Old Cornish See until the mid 11th century. St Germanus is itself a very fine Norman building with twin towers set in beautiful grounds.
I went to Lichfield Cathedral and very long time ago but I do remember thinking it was a lovely cathedral. I am struggling to find myself able to say which is my favourite church. There are a few I can nominate and I am very nostalgic for my former parish church which has been closed and is just being left to rot I do have to say I really like Ripon Cathedral for two reasons. Although it is not particularly outstanding in terms of its architecture I always real very welcome when I go there. The other reason is I do not get the feeling that their main interest is the contents of my wallet, which, I am afraid, is an almost too common occurrence in many cathedrals. In fact, that is why I have never been back to Chester. I was disgusted in the way I had to queue for a pay booth which reminded me very much of the not too far away zoo.
Having grown up in Canterbury and sung as part of my school choir there a few times, it's only right I include Canterbury Cathedral as one of my favourites. The Christchurch Gate with the new (1990) statue of Christ; the original was destroyed in 1643