Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Dec 2013: An amazing cathedral with the night sky as the roof

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Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. I always used to think that the only piece relating to Westminster Abbey, so this was something that I checked out.

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the facade is an amazing one, very good.

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the bell tower is quite an interesting one…built with brick.

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a little marble basin…i wonder what this is for?

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the entire building is built on a Byzantine model…you can see these fresco’s and mosaics all over the place.

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a pile of candles, waiting for their purpose in life to be completed.

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faith in action.

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a lovely little chapel, lovely frescos on top

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Interestingly only archbishops are buried within the church, I am guessing this is one of the worthies. Why is the right hand placed in that way? blessing?

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this is a little shrine to the Catholic Soldiers who fell in the Great War. Very austere and very solemn. 

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another beautiful chapel with lovely sculptures and marble panels.

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this was a most exquisite mosaic..beautiful

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its shocking when you see people flying planes into buildings and suicide bombers…you rightly hate them, yes? here’s some more people who died for their faith….they build churches to them.

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another very nice chapel. St Joseph’s Chapel.

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this clearly shows what really surprised me, the top part of the church is very dark, not painted or illuminated, looks very strange.

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the entire cathedral is a bit gloomy.

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another great mosaic.

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Another effigy and tomb of a Cardinal and Archbishop

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tried very hard to get the structure of the roof in place….

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another lovely chapel and its altar.

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very lovely curves.

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the dark ceiling and this floating feel around the main altar.

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a lovely blue panel.

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with a view up on the cross.

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very dark and gloomy place…

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this part of the chapel looks very nice, why didnt they put in some more lights on the ceiling?

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the panel is beautiful.

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see what i mean? weird lighting…

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Another exquisite chapel with the most wonderful paintings on the wall. 

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And then this glorious golden grotto…

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Even I have heard of the man…

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the lights float in the middle of the night…

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A beautiful statue of St. Christopher.

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This was a lovely lovely statue…quite extraordinary

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wut?

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see what I mean? looks like the cathedral has no roof, and it just under a cloudless night sky.

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the toe has seen some traffic I am guessing.

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I then go up the bell tower.  photo 139-IMG_6006_zps8jsm1eiy.jpg 

reach the top and enter into the little balcony. there are four of them, around the square room.

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Graffiti on the walls.

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views from one set of windows.

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inside the top floor, there are these lovely architectural drawings.

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more views over London from another window.

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more views

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looking towards the rear of the church…the top of the domes look like Star wars domes :)

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I come back out and take a few photos of the facade and the bell tower, what an extraordinary building.