The small details, such the Flamboyant Gothic bell tower, to the lettering on a cornerstone, Christ Church Cathedral is a fascinating structure. Below, when the bell tower was built in the Early Twentieth Century, a window was blocked up, below. And in the most exciting discovery, I realized that the church architect had originally intended…

One of the oldest churches in the city, Christ Church Cathedral is a nice example of Gothic Revival. As is blatant in the front portals and tower, there were later, early Twentieth Century additions, creating one of the few errors in Compton and Dry: a tall, pointed spire that was never built but speculatively and…

I’m consistently impressed with the quality of sculpture in St. Louis churches.  Sadly, when churches are abandoned, these beautiful stone works of art are usually the first to be targeted by vandals.  In isolated cases, people of integrity are able to get ahold of these sculptures and preserve them, either in their original form or…

The Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Mike Kinman, generously invited me for a tour of the cathedral, pointing out many of the interesting aspects of the church.  First of all, while it’s a Gothic Revival church, the nave’s ceiling does not have a groin vault, but rather an intricate wood frame design. The apse, however,…

One of the oldest surviving churches in St. Louis, the Episcopalian Christ Church Cathedral occupies a quiet corner of downtown across the street from the newly restored Central Library.  It was constructed between 1859 and 1867 and designed by Leopold Eidlitz in the Gothic Revival style.  Perhaps what is most notable about its exterior is…

I feel like Christ Church Cathedral sometimes is overlooked compared to the other cathedrals in town, but it is really a great English Gothic church. On a recent morning, I was able to photograph it in the morning light, which is rare because I am seldom downtown this early in the day. Not surprisingly for…