The Cathedral Basilica of St.Louis

Recently I had a three day excursion to St. Louis, with best girlfriend to her old stompin' grounds. St. Louis is a beautiful city, and I look forward to going back. There were many things we didn't get to go see and "do" due to the heat. Ick! It was 101 the first day and the heat index was 109- 111 per the local news. We found things to do that involved airconditioning. The first place she took me was to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis .

After finding a nice shady spot to park next to the Basilica we were ready to explore! Since it was still just after 8am. the morning shadows kept us cool as we walked around the outside and admired the architecture of bygone days. The limestone (which I later found out was brought in from Italy) was standing firm, and the detail was impressive considering the time in which it was cut and molded into the beautiful building we can enjoy today. At the top we could see the large green tile dome of the cathedral.
Tours are free, and at designated times of the day. Since we were too early for a tour, we wandered around and marveled at the massive mosaics on the ceilings and walls. We were told that there are over 41,500,000 pieces in more than 8,000 shades of color. The information man at the front told us that on  May 1, 1907 the Archbishop Glennon broke ground for the great cathedral.
The quiet atmosphere and peace that envelopes a person walking around this big beautiful testament to the life of Jesus and the Catholic faith is well worth taking time out of your schedule when touring St. Louis. It was nice and comfortable, and history just leaped out at us through the pictures. There are public bathrooms there and a great museum downstairs that tells the history. The gift shop is full of treasures from artists around the world. They welcome photography - just mind the folks that are there worshipping. There were a few there to pray down front when we first got there, but before I made it through the first right corner of the building, they were leaving. This gave us more places to photograph. Most of the time you don't need a flash, but I did use it on occasion. I took many pictures, but will include a few below for you to give you an idea.