Something Beautiful

Cathedral, Lyon

I've been thinking for a while of having an StB 'greatest hits' category, just to collect together those posts and sites which seem to have the most impact, at least to me.   One entry would definitely be the Cathedral of Lyon, France.   Sometimes just remembering it makes me feel all better inside.  I hope it can have the same effect on others.  

Basilica of St. Denis

The Basilica of St. Denis is one of my favorite French churches.   It has at least three claims to fame:
(1)  It was the first church to have been built in the Gothic style.
(2)  It was the place where the coronations of most French monarchs took place.
(3)  It is the burial site of nearly all French kings, and of many other French royals and nobles. 

Peace (more)

Here are two more church panoramas, in the name of inner peace.   They take us to the interior of the Church of St. Martin, in Chablis, France: 

* Nave near altar;
* Nave at midpoint  

These are both from the wonderful Mapping Gothic France site. That site has a set of several pages  devoted to St. Martin's. Apart from the panoramas, there are a brief history and nearly 100 additional images of the interior and the exterior of the church.

The Church of St. Martin is located in Chablis, a village in the Burgundy region of France, southeast of Paris.

xPeace

This type of image gives me an almost-immediate sense of inner peace.  It's the interior of the cathedral in Lyon, France.   (from the Mapping Gothic France site)

Gothic France

Mapping Gothic France is a graphically rich site full of French churches and cathedrals. 

New cathedrals & churches site

The Gotik-Romanik.de site is brand new to me. I've only just begun exploring it, but so far it looks amazing.

Sainte Chapelle, Paris

Here's a 360-degree view of the Sainte Chapelle. So beautiful!

Note: Be sure to use the full-screen version. And don't forget that you can zoom into specific details.

Duomo, Firenze

Here is a marvelous page on the Cathedral of Florence, Italy. Full of information and explanations and extraordinary photos.

Church of Christ the Saviour

This is just tremendous -- the Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, at Arounder.com. (Be sure to use the Full-screen version!)

Chapels and more

Here's a remarkable page with photos of beautiful chapels, and a few churches, in both Europe and North America. You'll probably notice, as I did, that as you move down the page, it just gets better and better.

Here's a list of the houses of worship listed:

France

Palatine Chapel, Aachen / Aix
Sainte Chappelle, Paris
Chapelle de Rosaire de Vence (Matisse Chapel) 

Great Britain

King's College chapel, Cambridge
Queen's Chapel, London
St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Slipper Chapel

Roslyn Chapel, Scotland
St. Salvator's Chapel, St. Andrew's University
Llandaff Oratory

Italy

Brancacci Chapel, Florence
Magi Chapel, Florence
Medici Chapels, Florence
Sassetti Chapel [Florence?
Monza Cathedral, near Milan
Cappella Palatina, Palermo
Contravelli Chapel, Rome
Niccoline Chapel
Sistine Chapel, Rome

United States

Belvidere Chapel, Belvidere, Illinois
Duke Chapel, North Carolina
Heinz Memorial Chapel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Lee Chapel
Naval Academy Chapel, Anapolis, Maryland
Rothko Chapel, Houston, Texas
St. Joan of Arc Chapel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Thorncrown Chapel, Arkansas

Antarctica 

St. Ivan Rilski Chapel