Tour of Cathedrals

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Tour of Cathedrals

Many countries around the world have cathedrals.
Cathedrals are often great feats of architecture
and art work. People from all different cultures
and interests are often drawn to exploring
cathedrals. Here, you will have the opportunity
to be introduced to a few of the most famous
cathedrals in the world. Once you enter the
Tour of Cathedrals, choose a destination and
you will be paired up will a personal tour guide!
Enter the Tour of Cathedrals
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Choose your destination
USA
Russia
Italy
England
France
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Welcome to France. Adrien will be your guide.
Commencez (begin)
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Welcome to Italy.Ficuccio will be your guide.
Cominci (begin)
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Welcome to London, England. Edmund will be your
guide.
begin
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Welcome to Russia.Aleksei will be your guide.
Hayhnte (begin)
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Welcome to NY, USA.Uncle Sam will be your guide.
begin
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St. Basil
Welcome to St. Basils Cathedral, Moscow! St.
Basils Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the
Terrible in the mid 1500s. It is rumored that
Ivan the Terrible had the architect blinded after
construction so that the architect may never
build something that rivaled St. Basils beauty.
St. Basils actually consists of nine individual
chapels. Each chapel has a unique domed top.
Eight of the chapels are formed around the ninth
chapel to form a symbolic eight point star. The
star denotes the eight day, Christs
resurrection, on the ancient Jewish calendar.
The inside of the Cathedral is less impressive
than the outside. There is not a lot of open
room inside. Rather, there are many walls and
stairwells. In the past, worshippers have
gathered outside of the Cathedral when they could
not fit inside. There have been several attempts
to destroy St. Basils. Its location amidst the
Red Square has caused some leaders to find that
the Cathedral interferes with parades. It is
also rumored that Napoleon tried to destroy St.
Basils because he was jealous of its beauty.
Obviously, all attempts at destruction have
failed.
I would like to see more about this Cathedral.
Aleksei asks What would you like to do next?
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I would like to return to the home page.
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St. Basil Interior Shots
I would like to view references and other cool
links.
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Westminster Abbey
An architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th
centuries, Westminster Abbey also presents a
unique pageant of British history the shrine of
St Edward the Confessor, the tombs of kings and
queens, and countless memorials to the famous and
the great. It has been the setting for every
Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other
royal occasions. Today it is still a church
dedicated to regular worship and to the
celebration of great events in the life of the
nation. Neither a cathedral nor a parish church,
Westminster Abbey is a Royal Peculiar under the
jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only
to the Sovereign (Westminster 2005). King
Edward commissioned Westminster Abbey in the
1040s. In the 13th Century, the Abbey was
rebuilt under commission of King Henry the III to
reflect the new gothic style of architecture.
William the Conqueror was coronate in the
Cathedral on Christmas day, 1066. Every monarch
since William the Conqueror has been crowned
there.
Welcome to Westminster Abbey, London!
I would like to see more about this Cathedral.
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Westminster Abbey Interior Shots
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links.
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St. Peters, Rome
Welcome to St. Peters Basilica, Rome! Emperor
Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome,
ordered to build a basilica on Vatican Hill. The
location was symbolic this was the place where
Saint Peter, the chief apostle, was buried in 64
A.D. A small shrine already existed on the site
but it was now replaced by a new building church
was completed around 349 A.D. (Basilica
2005). St. Peters Basilica is the largest church
in the world. It is located in Vatican State,
which is surrounded by Rome. Michelangelo
designed the dome in the 1500s. Inside, there
are 45 altars. Famous artists including
Michelangelo, Bernini, and Canova designed many
of the interior elements. Swiss guards have been
covering the entrance to St. Peters and guarding
the pope since 1506. St. Peters Cathedral is
regularly visited for free, although there is a
cost to view the dome.
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• St. Peters, Rome
• Gallery of pictures

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links.
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Notre Dame, Paris
Notre-Dame Cathedral is located in Paris.
Construction began in 1163, and the Cathedral was
completed around 1345. Notre-Dame was pillaged
during the French revolution. Many statues and
other treasures were destroyed. only the great
bells avoided being melted down (Notre 2005).
Napoleon crowned himself emperor in Notre-Dame.
He then crowned his wife as emperess. The job
would normally have been done by an archbishop.
Pope Pius VII, there for the occasion, raised no
objections (Notre 2005). During the 1800s, the
cathedral was restored, repairing damage from the
French Revolution. The cathedral received new
windows and statues. Houses that cluttered the
view were torn down. Excavations under the
parvis have revealed traces of Notre-Dame's
history from Gallo-Roman times to the 19th
century. Vestiges of Roman ramparts, rooms heated
by hypocaust (an ancient system with underground
furnaces and tile flues), medieval cellars, and
the foundations of a foundling hospital are
displayed, as are several fascinating photographs
of the surrounding neighborhood before Baron
Haussmann's renovations (Notre 2005).
Welcome to Notre-Dame, Paris
I would like to see more about this Cathedral.
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Notre Dame Interior Shots
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links.
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St. Patricks, NY
Welcome to St. Patricks Cathedral, New
York! Saint Patricks Cathedral began to be built
in 1858 by Amercan architects, James Renwick and
Charles Mathew. Construction went on hold
throughout the years of the Civil War. The doors
finally opened in 1879. The Windows were made
by renowned artists in Chartres, France
Birmingham, England and Boston Massachusetts. The
great rose window is acknowledged to be the
finest work designed by Charles Connick, the 20th
century genius in stained glass window design
(Archdiocese 2005). Two of the altars were
designed by Tiffany and Company. The
Archbishops of New York are buried in a crypt
under the high altar. Their honorary hats, called
galeros, hang from the ceiling over their tombs
(Archdiocese 2005). The Stations of the Cross
featured in Saint Patricks Cathedral won first
prize at the 1893 Worlds Fair in Chicago. The
Cathedral is big enough to hold over 2,000
people, and over 3 million people visit each
year.
I would like to see more about this Cathedral.
Uncle Sam asks What would you like to do next?
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St. Patricks Interior Shots
I would like to view references and other cool
links.
Uncle Sam asks What would you like to do next?
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References
Archdiocese of New York About Saint Patricks
Cathedral Accessed 2005 http//www.ny-archdiocese.
org/pastoral/cathedral_about.html St. Basils
Cathedral in Moscow, Russia Accessed
2005 http//www.moscow-taxi.com/churches/st-basils
-cathedral.html Westminster Abbey Accessed
2005 http//www.westminster-abbey.org Basilica
di San Pietro Accessed 2005 http//www.aviewonciti
es.com/rome/sanpietro.htm Notre-Dame
Cathedral Accessed 2005 http//www.discoverfrance.
net/France/Cathedrals/Paris/Notre-Dame.shtml
Other websites of interest
This is a really cool site that lets you
translate anything from one language to
another http//Babelfish.altavista.com
Click here for Site Map
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Site Map
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Russia 2
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References
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