151 Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, USA. Ten Hail Mary’s give you an hour’s free parking, but leave guns outside.

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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 a cow belonging to an Irishwoman). The building got a big internal make-over in the 1960s, and pope  John Paul 2 visited in 1979.




















































 

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