St. Paul Gem Revisited

If you're ever in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, I highly recommend a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral (a.k.a. The National Shrine of the Apostle Paul),  I'd visited briefly a couple of years ago, but I was happy to return with Kendall last week for a more leisurely tour. Whether or not you are Catholic; it's an architectural wonder.  First of all, it's gigantic; I had a hard time getting photos that were close enough but also fit what I wanted in the shot.

Construction started in 1907 and took about 50 years to complete. I can only imagine how they reached the top, which is 186 feet up and 76 feet in diameter! Can you imagine what a hassle it is to get up there and clean that light fixture?

Check out the ginormousness of this arch.

 Is that still gold leaf, I wonder?

I wonder what it would cost to build St. Paul's Cathedral today.

Random Fact: If you're a member of the parish, you can get married there for a fee of $1000. 

(Non-members pay $2000.) I think it would be beautiful to get married there, and you'd certainly be put in your place, grandiosity-wise, which is as it should be when it comes to weddings vs. the reality of an actual marriage. 

There are twenty-four of these stained glass works of art in the church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, of course.

However, there's only one of these: a Lego model of the cathedral, in the basement, 

practically tucked under the stairs but definitely worthy of a look!

I wonder if it was made by a robot, but it's more fun picturing a handful of monks curled up on the floor in their brown robes, building it themselves. [For the actual story, click here.]

Visitors are welcome at St. Paul's (for mass, certainly, but also just to check it out and take flashless photos), and it costs nothing. For two dollars, though, you can get a brochure for self-guided tours.

If you can't visit but would love to "see" for yourself, check out the amazing, interactive, panoramic experiences here.