Here is the Church: Part One

In my travels, I have photographed many churches. This has not been out of any religious proclivity but, rather, that churches, rich in relics and ornamentation, simply make lovely things to photograph. If nothing else, we at least have organized religion to thank for producing centuries of beautiful art and architecture. A selection of some of my favorite photographs is to follow.

Stateside

The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine is located in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights neighborhood, not far from a small apartment in Harlem that I called home for a short time. This Gothic Revival landmark, though notoriously unfinished, still manages to hold the titles of world’s largest cathedral and fifth-largest Christian church. The interesting Peace Fountain flanks the southwest side of the behemoth in a fun but confounding tangle of bronze giraffes, giant crab, and double helix of DNA that are meant to symbolize the victory of good over evil.

Two states over and nearly three centuries earlier, the foundation was lain for the First Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island. The present-day steepled church was erected in 1775 and is the oldest Baptist church congregation in America. Nestled among the spic and span Federal-style and Georgian homes of the historical Benefit Street and wider College Hill area, it is quintessentially New England.

The Church(es) of England

Across the pond in Merry Old England, St Helen’s Bishopsgate has several of its own designations, including largest surviving parish in the City of London and home to the second largest collection of monuments of any church in Greater London (Westminster Abbey takes the cake there). The low medieval stone façade lies in the shadow of the sleek and modern glass of the Gherkin, a contrast between the old and new that is prevalent throughout the skyscraper-studded City of London district.

Located alongside Regent’s Canal, the Neo-Gothic St Mary Magdalene rises over the tower blocks of the Warwick Estate in Paddington. From my flat in St John’s Wood, I would often walk along the canals of neighboring Little Venice and Maida Vale, the St Mary Magdalene a familiar landmark along my journey. Ever the tranquil spot, the sun on this particular November morning illuminated soft emerald through the stained glass of the clerestory windows.

An hour’s train ride outside of London, I captured these images of the Canterbury Cathedral shrouded in a thick mist that lasted the day. Though the fog obscures, I delight in its cover. It bestows a sense of the mysterious and the surreal on its subject that softens it and stirs intrigue within the viewer for its unglimpsed form. It has the simultaneous and converse effect of sharpening whatever is in the foreground, bringing it into focus, suspending and illuminating it there, while the rest of the scene gradually fades into nebulous haze.

While we’re on the line of contrasting forms, another of my favorite juxtapositions: the interplay of light and dark, illumination and shadow. The Salisbury Cathedral is absolute gold for this, with its bounty of lancet windows that allow the sunlight to stream in at every height and angle.

This haunting scene, entitled “Shadows of the Wanderer” by Brazilian artist Ana Maria Pacheco, was part of the 2017 “Dispersing the Night” exhibition displayed in the cathedral. The cruciform-shaped baptismal pool is meanwhile a resident feature of the cathedral nave, the vaulted arcade reflected in its black depths.

Wild Beauty

Northward, a moody romance of weathered stone and rugged terrain is conjured at a remote church on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. [Insert bad religious pun about the Good Shepherd and his flock.]

Farther south in the Highlands, the Church St Mary and St Finnan stands watch over the Loch Shiel in Glenfinnan. The stone cut façade of the Gothic structure stands in harmony with the rock-strewn mountains in the background. Nestled amongst the trees on an incline, the church affords a fine vantage point to take in the picturesque panorama of the Highlands landscape.

When traveling throughout Iceland, I was reminded of the Scottish Highlands, both of which share a wild, desolate beauty alongside livestock-studded green hills. That the livestock of choice in Iceland is overwhelmingly of the equine variety, made the landscape all the more enchanting for me. One such specimen steals the spotlight here, with Mosfellskirkja in the background. The church, located in Mosfellsdal just outside of Reykjavík, was built in 1965 in a sleek and angular Modernist style that is prevalent throughout the Icelandic countryside.  

Overlooking the sheer cliffs and black sands of Reynisfjara Beach, this shot of Reyniskirkja in Vik is a favorite of mine. The church is perched on a hill surrounded by a parking lot the same glassy grey color as the ocean beyond, creating the illusion that they are one body, divided by a thin band of earth. The basalt columns rising out of the Atlantic, known as Reynisdrangar, add to the dramatic and slightly alien quality of the landscape. For all you Game of Thrones nerds out there, these rock formations featured in season 7 of the series (a fact which I learned only after my visit).

A Mediterranean Tour

Continuing our global journey to the more rugged and remote locales, we see the 16th century Church of Our Lady of Remedy presiding over the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. This vantage is about halfway up the Ladder of Kotor, a winding, rocky hike that leads from the Old Town up to the medieval Castle of San Giovanni. Yes, that is a (small) cruise ship in the bay, and yes, that was my means of transportation on this particular journey.

Back on more solid footing, the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon dominates a large square in the Old Town. The original structure dates to 1166 and is just one example of the beautifully maintained medieval architecture that has earned Kotor a designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the town of Mali Lošinj, Croatia, another stop on the aforementioned cruise, the Parish Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary occupies a black-and-white-tiled piazza overlooking the village. Framed between church and cross, colorful stucco buildings cling to the opposite tree-lined hillside.

We now trade the lively color of the Croatian port towns for the iconic whitewash of the Cyclades. A church in Mykonos pictured here is a typical example of the region’s simple and clean architectural style. The cat, too, is representative, as the towns here are full of feline figures on streets, on stoops, on doorsteps. Church bell towers and blue domes are also ubiquitous features across the islands. Below they dot the cliffside village of Oia on Santorini.

Up the western coastline of Greece, the Ionian Islands have their own fair share of churches. Here, eager tourists (myself included) snap pictures as a plane flies low over the Vlacherna Monastery. Built in the 17^th century as a nunnery, the diminutive structure is surrounded by serene water on a small islet off the island of Corfu.

Confession

In writing this and combing through my photographs, I have found myself in a situation similar to that of the Cyclades – with an overabundance of churches. Too many, certainly, for one post. Hence this one’s gonna be a double feature, folks. Stay tuned for part two with even more churches from around the globe, including France, Italy, Belgium, Morocco, and Japan.