100 Churches in Paris and elsewhere

  B reathtaking expanses of marble. The 13th to 15th century cathedral, which has the biggest masonry dome ever constructed, is particularly impressive from the outside. Arnolfo Di Cambio designed it, the guy who also did the Santa Croce and the Palazzo Vecchio. When the relics of Saint Zenobius were discovered in 1330, the project gained a new impetus. This time round, I did not have the time to go into the Baptistery   (which has amazing mosaics), and the climb to the top of the Dome looked rather tiring : maybe next time. Inside the cathedral there are the ceiling fresques of The Last Judgement, by Vasari and Zuccari which are a lot of fun – people falling into hell etc. The fifteenth-century clock still works today.

Just round the corner from that impressive gateway thingy in St Louis is the Old catholic Cathedral, which looks almost brand new inside, since its 2015 renovation. Less spectacular than the St Louis new cathedral, but then most of us are. It’s official name is the Basilica of St Louis, King of France. It was built in the 1830s, in Greek Revival style, and was a step up from the tent which earliest Catholic records suggest was used there from 1766, or the log house built in 1770. It was a cathedral from 1847 to 1914, and then handed over to the new cathedral (blog post 120 on this blog). Nicely framed Stations of the Cross, and a fine marble baptismal fount. Shiny communion rail. There is a painting of St Louis venerating the Crown of Thorns, and a copy of a Velazquez.