Savannah

I'm off to visit Savannah, GA soon.  I passed through there once at Christmastime ten years ago, but really didn't get to see much of the city.  I'm looking forward to being there again. 

The one thing I do remember about Savannah is the Cathedral.  It's one of the most stunning churches I've seen outside of Europe.  Of course, I happen to be a sucker for Gothic in church architecture, so *I* think it's beautiful.  (The Cathedral in Pittsburgh, PA is gorgeous, too, but that's for another time.)

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist -- Savannah, GA 

Take a look at that pipe organ.  Wouldn't that look *perfect* in St. Mary's choir loft?  I'm sure they'd notice if I tried to take it home with me, though. 

Virtual Tours of the Cathedral

Although there's no photo, this church has the most incredibly detailed nativity scene at Christmas.  Honestly, it's one of those arrangements that must take *days* to set up.  It's amazing.  Has anyone here seen it? 

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I've been to Mass in a number of interesting places, and heard it said in a few different languages.  Even if I don't know exactly what's being spoken or sung, it's pretty easy to know just where we are in the Mass at all times.  It's always fun for me to see how different we can be, while at the same time, we're celebrating the same Mass.

One of the funniest (yes, funniest) Masses I've ever attended was in Puerto Rico.  It was pretty steamy there, and the church building itself actually had two sides open to the outside, in order to catch as many breezes as possible.  Now, this read as an open invitation to the neighborhood chickens.  They walked & clucked their way right through the aisles.  Nobody paid any attention.  I suppose if your church is missing a wall or two, then you get used to distractions pretty quickly. 

Then it began to rain, in that sudden and torrential way that it can rain in the tropics.  A dog came in out of the rain, and promptly shook himself off enthusiastically all over the people in the front pew.  Then... he noticed the chickens.  Believe it or not, Mass went on as usual, in spite of the chasing, barking, and squawking.  I had to bite my tongue to keep from giggling.  

What are some of the most beautiful (or unusual!) churches you've visited?  I'd love to hear about them.