The Cathedral of St Paul

My husband and I recently decided to tour the Cathedral of St Paul as our neighbor had told us how beautiful it was.

We entered through a side door — fewer steps to climb.

I took a picture of one of the stained glass windows from the outside …

This is that same glass window on the inside.

The ceiling is very very high — cathedral ceilings for sure.

I believe the seating capacity in this church is approximately 3000.

Below is a picture of the altar that’s in the front of the church.

Here are a few more pictures I took while walking around.  Photography is allowed although there are people who come here to pray so flash photography is discouraged.

I love stained glass windows … especially when the sun is shining through them — as it leaves me with a sense of awe.

Here’s another beautiful stained glass window. I’m sure each one has a story to tell — hmmm … I’ll have to check into that.

The picture below shows “confessionals” where a priest resides during certain hours and you enter and confess your sins.  Although I was raised a Catholic, I never understood the need to confess my sins to a priest — only to God.

Here are a few more pictures I took while walking around.

There were a few side altars. My guess is that you light a candle and pray to the saint that’s depicted.

Another side altar …

Here’s a picture of the organ that’s behind the main altar. When we first entered the church the choir was practicing and the music sounded incredible.

Although raised a Catholic, I never have understood why we have to pay to light a candle to pray to a saint — or for that matter why people pray to saints.

Here’s a picture of the side hallway.

As a teenage girl, I met and became friends with a priest who had an “open” mind. There were many things I did not understand about the traditions of the Catholic Church and my priest friend would never hinder me from asking him questions.

Although I did not remain a Catholic, he and I remain good friends.