Today I’m sharing my outside shots of Grace Cathedral. I will show my inside shots later.
Grace Cathedral is descended from the historic Grace Church, built in the Gold Rush year of 1849, and the imposing structure on the corner of California and Stockton streets that was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. San Francisco’s Crocker family gave their Nob Hill porperty, destroyed by the fire, for the building of a new cathedral.
Work began on this structure in 1928. Designed in the French Gothic style by Lewis Hobart, it was completed in 1964.
Famed for its Ghiberti doors, labyrinths, stained glass, the cathedral has become an internationally-known place of pilgrimage.
The Doors of Paradise are considered by many to be the first and greatest masterpiece of Italian Renaissance. The magnum opus of Florentine sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378-1455), the doors were made for the Baptistery of Florence Cathedral (the Duomo) and told the story of the Old and New Testaments. Grace Cathedral’s doors were made from the same molds – which were later destroyed – used for the originals.
I was also impressed with several of the other doors into the cathedral and wanted to show you them, too.
One of my special treats the day I visited the Cathedral was a small orchestra practicing for a Christmas concert. It was just so beautiful to walk around the inside of the cathedral being serenaded with beautiful music that inspired me to praise God for all the wonder available to us…
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
36 years to construct—beautiful. All of these doors are so wonderful. The detail in the artistry of the Doors of Paradise is hard to comprehend.
Oh Ellen you are really back( this many posts in one day)!
I enjoyed the look at this amazing church. Can you imagine being there during the 1906 quake?
Good afternoon Ellen B.,
Such intricate details on the Gothic arch surrounding the doors. It must have been truly amazing to wander around to the sound of a small orchestra playing. For some reason music just sounds heavenly in an old church.
well, I’ll take the Queen Annes over the Gothic anyday! but it’s beautiful in it’s own right.
and at least you finally found some church doors that DIDN’T look like coffin lids! 🙂
Thank you for sharing about a cathedral so amazing! The doors are beautiful but really they are better than that!! It would be a gift to hear music in a place like that!! Are they built with heavenly worship in mind?
Wow, it took 36 years to build the cathedral! It’s truly remarkable, isn’t it?
Wow. I love visiting historic churches.
That is a totally spectacular building, Ellen. I loved seeing it.
Stop by my blog when you have a few minutes. I have a couple of awards for you.
Merry Christmas!
Kathy
Hi Ellen ,
I took pictures of the doors at the Duomo in Florence in August. They look very similiar. Amazing detail. Your pictures are great!
I have been to Grace Cathedral to hear my aunt play an organ concert there one year. I don’t remember what year that was. In the 1980’s probably.
Oh, isn’t it just breathtaking? I attended a wedding there probably 15 or so years ago. So neat to see it again, through a different view! You take such beautiful photographs!!
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the cathedral is huge and beautiful. id love to visit this historical site someday with my friends and relatives.
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