Grace Cathedral only took up about 15 to 20 minutes of our trip to San Fransisco, but it was one of the most beautiful and special places we visited. Walking into the Episcopal cathedral the first thing you notice are the doors which truly tell a story. They are repilicas of the original Ghiberti doors (Doors of Paradise) from Italy. Each panel tells an Old Testament story...
Once inside the cathedral, there is a prayer chapel to the right where candles are lit and people are praying. It is an interfaith chapel to welcome everyone and is dedicated to those who have died of AIDS.
After the chapel, the first thing you notice is the Labyrinth. It takes up a HUGE area in the back of the cathedral before you reach the pews. There is also a labyrinth outside that I am sorry we missed! It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to anyone who desired to take a "prayer walk" for lack of a better word.
Once inside you are immediately drawn in to by all of the beautiful stain glass windows and the sheer size and grandeur of the room. Here are a few of the pictures I took...
This window depicts "The Canticle of the Sun" and is called the Rose Window
The back window in the CathedralThere were too many to windows to take picture of then all...but I seriously could have!
Also, there was this Nativity Scene right outside of the chapel that is the oldest part of the church. (Wish I had taken a picture of it -BEAUTIFUL!)
We learned that among those who had preached at this Cathedral - Dr. Martin Luther King and the Dalai Lama. Crazy!
It was a great experience and something that I am so glad we took the time to do. Here was our final leaving view...
A funny note about our visit the Grace Cathedral - We walked in thinking we were entering a Catholic cathedral (as most of them are) but then we stared recognizing things and when we saw the prayer book and the same hymnal we use every Sunday, we knew we were in and Episcopal church.
Hope you enjoyed this little tour - there is so much more to see, though, so maybe you should just make the trip sometime in the future. :)
Have a great week - and visit a place that feels sacred to you sometime soon!
I love a good cathedral. This one is gorgeous, the windows especially! Holy moly. Have you ever visited the National Cathedral in D.C.? We take the students there every year on our school trip, and it's taken my breath away every time. You're right...there's something very special about such a beautiful, sacred place. Loved this post, LA!
ReplyDelete*Julie