The Cathedral of Saint Benito Front of the Church: Since I was four years old, I have had an immense emotional connection with the church of Grace Cathedral. My school was connected to Grace Cathedral and from kindergarten all the way to eighth grade, I would attend services in the chapel twice a week. There, I shared sentiments of great happiness with my school and great sadness. During these times, I could observe the beauty and architecture of the cathedral. It amazed me how enormous the Church was and just by looking at the ceiling, I could see the intricate architectural features that supported the ceiling. When I started this project, it was obvious that I would use Grace Cathedral to base my own cathedral off of. The church also has …show more content…
features that resemble that of famous San Francisco landmarks such as The Golden Gate Bridge, The Bay Bridge, The Transamerica Pyramid, and Coit Tower . Since Grace Cathedral is modeled after Gothic architecture, I decided to incorporate features to my cathedral such as stained glass, columns, a bell tower, and other various Gothic designs. The two bell towers on the front of the Cathedral model the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge. The columns that support the Cathedral resemble Coit Tower which has supported the city of San Francisco for a long time. The stained glass windows depict the Transamerica Pyramid which stresses its importance similar to how the Transamerica Pyramid in general stresses the importance of the city. Significant Architectural Feature: Columns have been an integral part of the architecture of ancient civilization and are still used in modern architecture. They have been used for over 5,000 years because of their usefulness and aesthetic appeal. They eliminate the need for big walls to support the ceiling of a building and allow light into the building. They symbolize strength and stability and have been used by a plethora of cultures such as the Greek, Romans, Persians, Egyptians, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Corinthians, and Ephesians. Ancient uses of columns can be seen in the bull-man columns of Persepolis and the Caryatids of the Erechtheion in Athens. Astounding use of free columns can be observed in the Ionic Naxian Sphinx column at Delphi and Trajan’s Column in Rome. In the early 12th Century, slim Gothic columns were used inside the Cathedral to support the pointed arch like walls which allowed the Church to be built taller. Columns were also used in Romanesque architecture, but were more bulky causing the church to ultimately become more darker. They were designed to be huge in order to support the cathedral’s thick walls and ceilings. The columns of Saint Benito resemble Coit Tower and can further serve as an attraction that would draw locals and tourists into the cathedral. Guests can further gaze in awe of the strength and stability of the columns. They support the foundations of the Cathedral and are an integral part of its structure. Significant Religious Feature: The Cathedral of Saint Benito a massive stained glass window on the front of the Church and various others along the side.
Stained glass was used in Gothic Cathedrals to depict images from scripture in order to help educate the majority of the population that was illiterate. Stained glass windows served as an important source of education until books became more available due to the invention of the printing press. The new rib vaulted ceilings allowed for stained glass windows to become more spread out and elongated. The main stained glass window at the Cathedral of Saint Benito depicts the Transamerica Pyramid which is a landmark of San Francisco. It also has various other stained glass windows and many of them also depict landmarks of San Francisco. People that visit the cathedral can observe and appreciate these works of art. By viewing the stained glass windows within Saint Benito, tourists can learn much of the city's history and can get a good understanding of the what San Francisco represents. Locals can also appreciate the stained glass windows as the windows represent the city that they live …show more content…
in. Relation to San Francisco: I enjoyed implementing landmarks of San Francisco into my Cathedral. Some were obvious and easy to implement, while others required more creativity. Furthermore, many of the landmarks are near Grace Cathedral because when I went to my old school, I could see these landmarks from a distance, while seeing the Cathedral upfront. In the front, the two towers were inspired by Grace Cathedral derived from the towers of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. When looking at the original picture of Grace Cathedral, it is obvious that the two towers represent the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. However, I feel like both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge represent San Francisco so I modeled a single tower after each bridge. I tried to make my stained depict San Francisco’s history by creating a main stained glass window that depicted the Transamerica Pyramid. I decided to make the columns of the Cathedral resemble Coit Tower because they both represent strength and their designs are also very simple, yet beautiful. I also tried to incorporate a lot of color into my cathedral to resemble the diversity and uniqueness of San Francisco. Influences: Front: Grace Cathedral: This photo was taken by me from across the Cathedral at Huntington Park. This Cathedral is Gothic in style and many tourists visit it. I chose to influence my Saint Benito off of this Cathedral because my school was connected to this Cathedral and I remember attending services there. The Bay Bridge: The Bay Bridge is another landmark of San Francisco. It connect San Francisco to the East Bay and serves as a commute route for those that live in Oakland, but work in San Francisco. It is important to San Francisco’s economy and makes travelling a lot easier. The Golden Gate Bridge: The Golden Gate Bridge is probably San Francisco's most famous landmarks and is recognized by many worldwide as a symbol of San Francisco.
Similar to the Bay Bridge, it provides a commute route for workers and is important to the city’s economy. It connects San Francisco to Marin. Architectural Feature: Saint Ignatius Church: I took this picture of Saint Ignatius Church which is on the campus of USF and is affiliated with the Jesuit school. I was interested with its use of columns and it has influenced the use of columns in my cathedral. 2. Coit Tower: Coit Tower is a landmark of San Francisco and was built to beautify the city. It was built in honor of Lillie Hitchcook Coit who helped the early fire department. I chose to model my columns after this building because it vaguely resembles a column and could easily be used as a source of stability. Religious Feature: St. Peter and Paul Church: I took this picture at St. Peter and Paul Church and I was interested in the stained glass windows. I liked these in particular because they were clearly visible from the outside of the church and the color was also clearly visited. Other churches in the area that I visited didn’t have visible stained glass on the outside of the Church. I observed these simple patterns to help me draw stained
glass. Transamerica Pyramid: The Transamerica Pyramid is another landmark of San Francisco. It served as the previous headquarters for the Transamerica Corporation. I decided to put the Transamerica Pyramid on my main stained glass window because it is a very important landmark and I felt like it should be portrayed in a very important way.
The church's architecture over all is simple. It is 24 by 34 square feet and set on a stone wall. It is a frontier style cabin and is made from hand hewn logs, which are notched at each end so that they fit together snugly at the corners. The roof is shingled...
The structural and technical features of the story point towards a religious epiphany. The title of the story, as well as its eventual subject, that of cathedrals, points inevitably towards divinity. Upon first approaching the story, without reading the first word of the first paragraph, one is already forced into thinking about a religious image. In addition, four of the story’s eleven pages (that amounts to one third of the tale) surround the subject of cathedrals.
...nd optimistic" (Watson 114). The few critics who have written specifically about "Cathedral" tend concentrate on that optimism, seen at the end of the story with the narrator’s "esthetic experience [and] realization" (Robinson 35). In concentrating on the final "realization" experienced by the narrator, the literary community has overlooked his deep-rooted misunderstanding of everything consequential in life.
In the short story, Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, the author uses imagery, symbolism and narrates the story in first person point of view. The Cathedral’s main theme is being able to identify the difference between being able to look and/or see and it is portrayed through the main characters role in the story. Carver uses a unique style of writing which gives the short story a simple way for the reader to understand the story’s theme.
This cathedral was built during the Medieval Period for the worshipers of God. To this day pilgrims come to see the pure, Gothic cathedral. The massive cathedral seems to loom overhead as if a symbol of God watching over the worshippers that visit. The earlier church burned in 1194, it was rebuilt and has gained a much more appreciated and admirable character distinction, statuary, and stained glass. The distinct character of the thirteenth century was captured, through the “Age of Faith” period. The architecture is Gothic which was very popular in the 1200s. Gothic architects created a frame of support with columns and arches so that the walls no longer need to support the ceilings, but are freed up to hold windows. The Gothic structure allows for plenty of windows. Chartres has a significant collection of medieval stained glass, with over 150 early thirteenth century windows. The windows allowed sunlight to enter the dark, Gothic cathedral in order to highlight the story of Christ through the stained glass windows told throughout history to pilgrims alike. These windows create a spiritual and promising place for thought and prayer. Stained glass was used to help teach the stories of Christ to people that were illiterate during the medieval times. While most worshippers of that day were illiterate, comprehending the symbolism of the story of Christ in each of the windows was vital and gave meaning towards adversity during the medieval ages, as they struggled through their dark and dreary lives, which were filled with hopefulness, while viewing the story through the stained glass windows. The windows are also...
Ziggy Marley once said, “God is like the sun. When the sun shines, it shines for everyone. God is for everyone.” In the same way, Abbot Suger built the Basilica of St. Denis so that sunlight would flood throughout the building and symbolize the power of God inviting visitors into the cathedral. The Basilica of St. Denis was an artistic response to the rise of the Catholic Church’s power for it was modeled to be a physical representation of heaven, which the church heavily preached upon. (Thesis) As the basilica represented the shift from Romanesque architecture to Gothic, Abbot Suger introduced new techniques that transformed cathedrals to look more spacious and “heavenly”. (Map Statement #1-Art History) By allowing sunlight to come through the large windows, Abbot Suger instilled the Neo-Platonic idea that the sun was the physical representation of God. (Map Statement #2 –Philosophy) Also, at that time, the church was rising in power, so the new structural style of the basilica brought more converts and eventually more power to the church. (Map Statement #3 –Social Institutions) [Insert Literature Map Statement] The Basilica of St. Denis was built so that worshippers would be in awe of the “heaven-like” setting, which would cause more people to declare their faith to God and to the church.
“The 1,113 scenes depicted in the 15 stained glass windows tell the story of mankind from Genesis through to Christ’s resurrection. Fourteen of the windows, depicting episodes from the bible should be read from left to right, from the bottom upwards.” (“A gem”). The first window shows the images of Genesis and the beginning while the second is the story of Moses who was found by an Egyptian princess after his mother sent him away to save his life. He would later lead the Hebrews out of slavery. The third image is the Book of Numbers which relates the story of Israel’s journey from Mount Sinai to the plains of Moab on the border of Canaan. Deuteronomy is shown on the fourth window. This book contains four sermons that Moses gave to the people before entering the Promised Land. The fifth window shows scenes from Judges, which is the story of how God let the Israelites suffer after worshiping false Gods. Later, God would send them judges to help them lead a righteous life but they would eventually go back to their wicked living style. Eventually God would save his people. The sixth window shows the Book of Isaiah, the tree of Jesse represents the bloodline of Jesus. Jesse, the father of King David is also the ancestor of Christ. The seventh window shows the life of the blessed Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist. Christ in his glory is the eighth window and the ninth shows the story of two very important men: St. John the Baptist and Daniel. John the Baptist was the man who baptized while Daniel was a man who wouldn’t give up his faith and was thrown to the lions. However, he was saved by God as a reward for his faith. On the tenth window are images of the ezekial prophecies. There are three sections, the fall of Jerusalem, peopl...
The stained-glass ceiling was designed and made by Leonard French. What I realize first when the first I came to this room is a light shine through the glass which brings a nice colourful shadow to the floor that looks like a rainbow. Another thing that I realised was the ceiling is held up by a series of slim steel columns, so I assumed that the glass is really heavy because there are a lot of steel columns that support the glass. Then I tried to lie down on one of the round-shape sofa and look up, it reminds me of St. Patrick Cathedral because the cathedral also have this kind of piece but the picture is different. In the Cathedral, the Lord Jesus depicted in the form of glass while in The
Built on an elliptical shape, the shorter axis is the main axis of the church. On the main altar there is a statue of the crucified St. Andrew. It also notes gilded ceiling, stucco cherubs giving the impression flying down from the dome of the church.
My initial thought was that the church was going to be packed however, around 2/3’s of it was filled. I initially was drawn to the interior design. All the windows were stained-glass, painted with multiple colors and each window contained a different Catholic Saint. The ceiling had a painting of god surrounded by angels in the sky, it’s not clear whether god was reaching his hands out to a dove or freeing it. The words “Praise the lord, all the nations, glorify him, all you people!” surrounded behind the painting. The remainder of the time was spent listening, chitchatting with my mom whom I brought
Akers, Tim. "Overview: 'Cathedral'." Short Stories for Students 6 (1999): 1-2. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.
However, it is the small details that reveal its historical significance. On the outside of the church there are several metal placards that reveal the history behind this little church. The interior has a lively yet reverent ambient and the smell of lit candles lingers the air. At the time of my visit the church was crowded mainly with Hispanic families who had attended the Dia de los Muertos celebration at La Placita Olvera. Outside on the courtyard next to the church many people were conversating about their dead relatives and about the celebration itself in a bittersweet manner while they lit candles to place in front of an altar with a dark skinned Christ. Today the average person does not notice the historical value of this church mainly because this church has been rebuilt as a replica of the original church using modern materials, which make it hard to notice its historic
St. Peters Basilica. (2009). Chapel of the Pieta. Retrieved April 15, 2011, from St. Peters
When I was a child I used to be frightened of entering such a place for it seemed so imposing and somewhat dangerous, especially when music was being played. One day, in order to keep a promise I had made, I saw myself forced to enter. It took me quite a while to get the courage to pass through the old oak door, but the moment I stepped in, I realized just how enchanting and breathtaking this building could be. Its fantastic architecture and exquisite frescoes reflect perfectly the unity between this earth and the unseen kingdom of angels in such a manner that one cannot say where one ends and the other begins. The way in which the church was built is also the vivid testimony of a medieval period. Although it is a place that can sometimes be cold and ask for respect it is where prayers are answered and magic is done. An overwhelming feeling of inner harmony takes over you once you enter and God seems much closer. Darkness and light are welded perfectly together creating Redemption’s house. The tower allows you to see the entire town from the smallest river to the biggest building site, offering you its mightiness.
Architecture has long been seen as a work of art. “The art of designing and constructing buildings has generated countless inspiring and commanding structures across the globe.” Among these include St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, The White House, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each of these structures is unique to its location, its surroundings, and its creator. “Architecture conceptualizes space and ensures that a structure is both habitable and in harmony with the surrounding environment” Therefor, it is important that each architect gets the credit they deserve for crafting each piece. Each and every building, home, monument, and establishment has a certain place within our world and contributes to our cultures and lives more than we realize. “Architecture makes a key contribution to human heritage. It identifies culture, space and time and creates the environment in which we spend a good part of our lives.” (Ortega) Because it has such great influence, it should not be overlooked as just the making o...