Pictures taken from an inside tour of the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis only a few hours ago. The visit was impressive, the tour guide was nice, knowledgeable and warm. She’s a retired chemist.

The mosaics on the walls and ceilings of the building were nothing short of spectacular, telling stories of the church’s history as well as some key aspects of Christianity as well. There are no painting in the building. None at all. All the drawings on the ceiling and the walls were mosaics all handmade from glass and gold sheets. The St. Louis Cathedral Basilica holds one of the world’s largest collection of mosaic drawings, with over 41 and a half million tiles used for the drawings since the building was completed in 1914. The mosaic drawing was “finished in 1988, uses about 7,000 colors, and covers about 83,000 square feet.” (wiki)

It was only incidental that on this same day, I have got to visit a mosque, and also a synagogue in St. Louis (even participating in a Shabbat service, along with moving songs and readings). More on this later. The experience was worth the journey it took to get there.