150 Churches in Paris and elsewhere

This chapel in Bastia, Corsica, is named for the Immaculate Conception. Not to be confused with the virgin birth, the immaculate conception is the idea that the mother of Jesus, since she was to give birth to God, had to be one hell of a lot more virtuous than the rest of us, and so must have been born, unlike every other bugger, without the stain of original sin, inherited from Adam and Eve. This idea was debated for a thousand years or more before being officially approved and   validtaed by the Pope in the mid nineteenth century. Most protestants ain’t having it. The church, built in the sixteenth century, has a great pulpit with hidden staircase, and a lovely gilded baroque ceiling. On the notice board is an advert for the Immaculate Conception gang (or confrerie), which was founded in 1590.

  I was so excited to visit Chicago and learn all about the history of working class struggle with the Haymarket Martyrs and loads of other stuff, but, of course, churches, too. This is the USA so everything looks so new compared with Notre Dame. Holy Name is a Catholic cathedral. You were immediately reminded   you were in the States, with a big TV screen showing rolling holy advertisements in front of the main door,   and a sign on the door telling you to leave your gun outside. There was also a machine inside the cathedral allowing you to validate your parking ticket. Is this like « Ten Hail Mary’s give you an hour’s free parking » ? Beautiful Gothic Revival volumes, a stunning modern lectern (with all the evangelists, made by Eugenio de Courten) , massive bronze doors and fine stained glass. The cathedral was opened in 1875, after a previous   church had been destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 (which was not in fact started   by...