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Impressive cathedrals and churches

tones said:
The Stiftskirche (abbey church) of St. Gallen in NE Swizzieland is a favourite of mine:

Kuppelraum.jpg


Not, I hasten to add, because of the Irish connection (the original monastic settlement was founded by an Irish monk, Gallus, in the 9th century). The wonderful richness of baroque decoration is offset by pure white walls. The Stiftsbibliothek (abbey library) is equally stunning:

Bibliothek-in-der-Stiftskirche-St.-Gallen.jpg


Yes, they'll let you walk on that floor - but only after you've donned felt overshoes. The library is one of the great treasuries of mediaeval and pre-mediaeval literature, going all the way back to the writings of those Irish monks over a millennium ago.
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Some of the most outrageous rococo churches I've seen are in Munich.
 
Beautiful subject. When I retired I had a vision of a Betjemanesque pilgrmage around the country, notebook and camera in hand, visiting all the churches whose architecture/glass/history made a visit worthwhile. And a quiet moment in each, to boot.

In my rucksac, was always Simon Jenkin's 'Englands thousand best churches'. It's a must...quite astonishing what's right on your doorstep! :)

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/106079/england-s-thousand-best-churches/
 
You have to go to get the vibe, but the chapel in Buckfast Abbey has the most beautiful stained glass window. The whole place is gorgeous actually.
 
Yes... and talking of stained glass Bourges in central France has spectacular very old windows around the east end. Well worth a stop if you’re passing and Bourges has a nice old centre too.

Must visit Lincoln and Chichester some time.
We got to the door at Ely but balked at the very high entry fee. Maybe that was a mistake.
 
Le Corbusier’s chapel Notre Dame du Haut at Ronchamp was very good. It looked a bit scruffy when we saw it a few years ago but has some brilliant details, light and forms. A lovely place to be for a while.
 
Saint-Chapelle in Paris has wonderful stained glass. Chartres deserves its reputation. Durham viewed from the station as you arrive by train is just mind-blowing.
 
My favourites are mostly gothic and romanesque:
In Britain: York, Westminster, Winchester (interior), Chester and Durham. Salisbury has a phenomenal spire, but I don't like the front porch (too wide and angular).
France: an abundance of riches, but in particular
- Amiens: soaring interior
- Paris: Notre Dame (not the biggest or highest, but perfectly formed and proportioned), and Sainte-Chapelle
- Chartres for the stain-glass windows, preserved for 800 years
- Caen: Abbaye aux Hommes (St-Etienne)
CaenAH02.JPG
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and Abbaye aux Dames (Trinité):
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finest examples of Norman style circa 1070, commissioned by William the Conqueror and his wife to square their marriage with the pope (they were cousins). Actually, anything built by Lanfranc is usually very fine. In the same town, the late Gothic St-Pierre is beautiful:
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The spire was brought down in 1944 by a single 16" shell from HMS Rodney, firing from about 15 miles away. The rest of the real estate suffered a bit too:
dday_caenbombardements.jpg

- Reims, where the kings of France were usually crowned, was heavily shelled during WW1 but has been well rebuilt, partly with US financing (Rockefeller family in particular).
- Albi, already mentioned upthread, is wonderfully weird and has a wild polychrome interior:
albi-cathedral-interior-albi-france-dxmn0e.jpg


Favourite in Italy: Siena
toscana-Siena-duomo.jpg


In Germany: Mainz, Cologne (but 19th century spire), Ulm (ditto and seems a bit out of proportion with the rest of the building).
 
PsB.

i am gaining good evidence to support my assumptions about you ;-)

btw -- i will reply to your brilliant conjectures about me (vis-a-vis russia/america) -- have just been too busy wasting time on other threads to do it justice.
 
Favourite in Italy: Siena
toscana-Siena-duomo.jpg


In Germany: Mainz, Cologne (but 19th century spire), Ulm (ditto and seems a bit out of proportion with the rest of the building).[/QUOTE]

Hats off to that. What were those green and white stripey mints from the 80s called?
 
Currently in Venice so where to start?

I also love the stark simplicity of the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, the “Matisse Chapel”.
 
What an excellent thread.
My favourites especially for the acoustics are St.-Paulus-Dom in Munster which has an exceptionally fine organ
Ely mainly because I auditioned there to become a chorister and was totally blown away by building and the experience
Durham I always popped in there when business sent me up north.
 
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