Last week we asked for Libraries and Bookstores, and had a wonderful response. If you take a look at the home page for the challenge, you’ll see we’re working on one of those prompts that might be considered cultural venues, but are more specific. This week, we’re looking for ‘Churches.’
My feature photo this week is the St. George Orthodox Church in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. It’s a relatively new church, built in the early days of this century, but it’s the second church following the one my paternal grandfather helped build in the 1920s. I think he would have liked this one.
St John the Baptist Ukrainian ChurchChurch on a narrow street. I couldn’t get a good angleI don’t think it’s the original congregation, but the church lives onBellefield Presbyterian ChurchI couldn’t get far enough away to fit the whole church inCongregational churchThe church I was raised in. In a suburb of PittsburghUnited Methodist Church near Morgantown, West Virginia First Church of ChristI like this church, but I don’t know much about it.This is the United Methodist Church, one of two churches built by the Cheney brothers.Griffith Academy. I’m assuming this was a church at one point.Old St. Paul’s Episcopal church.South side of St. John’s Episcopal ChurchHeinz Chapel as seen from the east entrance of the Cathedral of Learning.North side transept windows at Heinz Chapel
The Dreamer’s Alliance and Rascal Todd Mysteries on “display” on the Gateway Clipper.
If any of those look interesting, you can find them all here. PS, they are all also available in audiobook format. I used KDP’s Virtual Voice, but I edited each book in its entirety, and I really like the way they turned out. And, as far as audiobooks go, they are a bargain.
I’m glad you like these, Brian. That chapel was a gift from H.J. Heinz to his mother. I recall when I first posted information about the chapel saying that I had gotten my mother flowers.
I love looking at churches. They are all alike in so many ways yet each one remains unique from the others.
The Bellefield Presbyterian Church is a beauty with those vivid red doors. I love church spires and the one on the Heinz chapel is impressive, as are those incredible windows!
Your church reminds me of the church I was married in, a non-denominational church….no fuss, no muss, clean and plain. A very “user friendly” church, unlike the Presbyterian church I was brought up in which was very ornate but “stiff and stuffy”…definitely not ‘user friendly’!
Nice display of churches Dan. Hope today starts you off on a good week.
That’s a good description of the church I grew up in, Ginger. My father’s (and grandmother’s) church had all the ritual, and I did attend services there on occasion, but Sunday School and church service was in that little church. My mother was a member for over 80 years and had been attending services there for over 90. She was baptized and married there, and both her children were baptized there. The reverend of that church presided at her funeral.
I love seeing churches, particularly stone buildings that have survived for a long time.
Churches make a wonderful subject; they tell such stories of people and their commitments. These seems to be mostly city churches, and they have their own special character. Where I grew up was an immigrant magnet, and the churches arose as extensions of The Old Country, whichever country that happened to be. Some of those churches preserved the language, but all of them preserved traditions. I bet some of these churches did the same.
The ones I know still work hard to preserve those traditions. From classes for children to annual food festivals, they still remind us of the heritage they strive to protect and honor. I’ve always lived near a fairly large city. In fact, Hartford is the smallest city I’ve called home. It’s harder to find the “Old Country” churches around here, but you can’t go 10 miles without finding a Congregational Church. That’s the distance at which they started thinking of building a new town and a new church. We did attend a Polish Parish for many years. It was built mostly without permission by a group of people who wanted a church of their own. That church was closed recently and the congregation merged with the Irish church in town.
A Polish-Irish parish?? Now that would be a lively place! But with some limits: pierogi and Guinness? I don’t think so. It’s wonderful that there are still churches that preserve the Old Countries.
Maybe Galumpkis with some Soda Bread on the side. The Polish dinners we attended featured Galumpkis, Kapusta, and Kielbasi. That’s a tough combination to beat.
Excellent photos, Dan. I love this theme of churches wholeheartedly! I struggled to pick a favorite this week for that very reason too.
The featured photo is a stunning church, and the perspective of your photo is superb. I seem to recall, I could be wrong, that you shared an equally stunning photo of this same church, St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Church, with a bridge in the background some time ago.
I love the photo and architecture of “the church you did not know much about”; the lines (including the power lines) of all kinds added great interest to the view of the church. Superb capture~
Heinz Chapel is spectacular. What a gorgeous steeple. I may be imagining things, or maybe it was the architectural style of the day, but the upper facade of Heinz Chapel looks similar in detailing to the portico of the Cathedral of Learning photos you shared. Again, it may just be my overactive imagination…lol!
I appreciate the inside view of the church of your youth. I have been in many churches with that same house-church and family feel that is so welcoming.
Thanks, Dan, for the as always inspiring photos. You are right; some of these churches are difficult to photograph. Yours are most excellent.
You have a sharp eye and a good memory, Suzette. I have shared most of these photos before on Thursday Doors.
Heinz Chapel sits on the large green, directly across from the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh. While the Commons of the Cathedral (the three-story gothic area where the Nationality Rooms are located) was a gift to the university by the Mellon family, Heinz Chapel was a gift given by H. J. Heinz to his mother. It was built to complement the Cathedral.
You are also correct about St John’s. I shared a photo of that church from the other side. At the time, I wasn’t even aware that I had two photos of it.
Churches have such an interesting history, as they always house stories of the people who built them. Your showcasing of churches and cathedrals on Thursdays often brings that spirit out. I always enjoy those posts, and the poetry you pair with them.
Those windows, at 73′ tall, are among the tallest in the world, Teagan. The chapel was designed to complement the Cathedral of Learning. I hope to tour the Chapel at some point. We’ve tried before and either were late for the schedule, stopped by construction or the chapel has been rented for a wedding.
You have some beautiful and very impressive churches, Dan. My goodness! I am going to have to pay more attention to the churches I see both here and in Alabama, but I doubt we have anything like these.
Beautiful churches! The one you grew up in remind me of so many I attended with friends and/or relatives. I grew up in a pretty elaborate old Lutheran church with lots of stained glass, so I have a weakness for that style, but I had some warm and beautiful experiences in “plain” churches. The spirit doesn’t care.
I’ve attended services in elaborate churches and ones smaller than the one I grew up in. When I was in graduate school, I attended services in Heinz Chapel (the building with the stained glass). I have to admit, it was hard to focus on any portion of the program. I’ve been back to the church I grew up in. It brings back many memories.
[…] This week’s topic from Dan Antion for Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge (CFFC) is churches. My pictures are from the Yorkshire Dales in October. In Kettlewell harvest festival had been celebrated the previous Sunday. I am including two photos this time, one of the church and one of an unusual flower arrangement inside it. Dan’s post is here. […]
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