Saturday, March 21, 2015

St. John's Basilica, Des Moines, Iowa

This past week I came across a large Catholic church I did not know existed in Des Moines.  I am not sure how I missed it all these years but somehow I had.

In fact, this is actually a basilica.  There are only 69 basilicas in the United States.  A basilicas is a Catholic church that the Pope has designated as a basilica because of historic or architectural reasons.

 



From the outside this particular basilica looks quite plain, almost drab.  It has a nearly industrial look about it.  However, once inside you see a truly beautiful church.




There are 26 stained glass windows and what is quite special is the ceiling.  Photographs do not do justice to this structure.



Upon looking from the front of the church towards the back you can see the massive pipe organ in the balcony.  An organ this large needs a space this big.  My guess is the organ fills up the space with a most angelic sound.

I have not done a blog post for some time but wanted to share this with anyone who might happen to see this. 

Take care and thanks for stopping by.


7 comments:

Hilary said...

Well imagine my surprise to see you posting a comment on my blog after all this time and imagine my further delighted surprise to see that you posted on your own blog. So good to see you again, my friend. :)

I suspect the reason you've missed seeing this basilica up until now is the drab exterior which you described. I'm glad you found it now though... it's quite lovely. I suspect you've got a lot more up your sleeve and hope that you'll be posting again with increased frequency.

L. D. said...

My wife and I went to a wedding in that building. We were so amazed and fascinated by its extreme decoration.

Marge said...

Nice to see one of your interesting posts again, Russell!

A Lady's Life said...

They sure make some churches beautiful.

A Lady's Life said...

They sure make some churches beautiful.

Unknown said...

I've missed reading your posts. And send my best wishes to you. V from Suffolk, England

Edi said...

Mainkan permainan Samgong dengan lebih mudah dimana bisa dimenangkan dengan bermain menggunakan Aplikasi Hack Judi Samgong.

itu99 Situs Domino Terpercaya
Situs Jedi Casino ituGol
Trik Menang Togel ituGol
LiveChat Agen Sbobet IndoWinBola
Cheat Poker IndoWinBola
Agen Baccarat Terpercaya IndoWinBola
Aplikasi Hack Judi Samgong
Situs Panas
Koin Pulsa