The photos below are what we saw.
We saw
plenty of nice cars while hiking around the city, but this was
the only Rolls Royce.
Even
from a block away, the church was imposing, so a tourist photo
was indicated.
From
across the street the full scale of the entry becomes visible.
Queen
Victoria.
Photos
were prohibited, so I had to be clandestine; I will surely
be smoldering in hell for these acts. Note the intricate
details on the ceiling.
The
smaller alcoves had the same level of detail.
The main
dome was actually several nested domes.
Note the
inlaid marble on the floor of the nave.
The
detail in the ceiling was breathtaking.
St.
Paul's, like ever other proper cathedral, has a massive
organ. I feel a joke coming here....
The
narrative audio guide repeatedly stated that St. Paul's is a
"living church", so the presence of modern art should not have
surprised me. But it did. I felt this was rather out
of place given the context. Not bad, just out of place.
The
altar and stained glass windows were inspiring.
With the
sun behind me, the colors and details of the inlaid ceiling
become more visible.
There
was gold leaf on the cast iron railings and wood panels.
Note the
spiral columns.
Bright
colors on the walls highlighted the roof.
One of
the side chapels.
Truly
stunning.
Another
contextually non-congruent display. This was live video
representing earth, wind, fire and water. We watched the
whole cycle and it was somewhere between interesting and
disturbing.
Most
cathedrals have crypts, so this was not a surprise.
A very
nice statue.
Another
memorial.
The
detailed marble work was impressive.
We
climbed the spiral stairs to the "Whispering Gallery" and
encountered this graffiti carved into the stone wall. Note
the dates.
From the
gallery, we could see the entire nave, but it was too vast for
my 24mm lens.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2015, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.