Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Postcard

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu in Cebu. Construction of the cathedral took long due to frequent interruptions brought about by lack of funds and other unexpected events.

Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Postcard

The architecture of the church is typical with baroque colonial churches in the country -- squat, cruciform, and with thick walls to withstand typhoon and other natural calamities. The trefoil-shaped pediment is decorated with carved relieves of floral motifs, an IHS inscription and a pair of griffins. The Spanish Royal Coat of Arms is emblazoned in low relief above the main entrance owing perhaps to the contribution of the Spanish monarch to its construction.

SOURCE:Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Wikipedia Entry

Cathedral of Our Lady of Atonement Postcards

Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral, better known as Baguio Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral located in Baguio City. The cathedral has a distinct pink facade with a rose window and twin square bell towers with pyramidal roofs.

Baguio Cathedral Postcard 1

The site where the cathedral currently stands was a hill referred to as "Kampo" by the Ibaloi people. In 1907, a Catholic mission was established by Belgian missionaries from the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae, who named the site Mount Mary. Construction on the cathedral itself was began in 1920. The building was completed by 1936, and consecrated that year, dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement.

Baguio Cathedral Postcard 2

The cathedral is accessible to pedestrians from Session Road through a 100-step stone staircase. The Baguio Cathedral is also distinct for probably being the only Cathedral in the world that owns and operates its own shopping center, called Porta Vaga, partially built from donations from church-goers, coyed into thinking they were building a supporting wall for the hillside that collapsed during the earthquake of 16 July 1990.

Baguio Cathedral Postcard 3

Baguio Cathedral Postcard 4

SOURCE:
Baguio Cathedral Wikipedia Entry

Winchester Cathedral Postcard

Winchester Cathedral (which I had the chance to visit in 2005) at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe. It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun.

Winchester Cathedral Postcard

Nowadays the cathedral draws many tourists as a result of its association with Jane Austen (I am a big fan of her), who died in the city and is buried in the cathedral's north aisle of the nave. The cathedral also possesses the only diatonic ring of 14 church bells in the world, with a tenor (heaviest bell) weighing 36 cwt (or approximately 1.83 metric tonnes).

SOURCE:Winchester Cathedral Wikipedia Entry

Basel Münster Postcard

The Basel Münster (Basler Münster) is one of the main landmarks and tourist attractions of the Swiss city of Basel. Originally a Catholic cathedral and today a reformed Protestant church, it was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Gothic styles.

Basel Münster Postcard

The late Romanesque building was destroyed by the 1356 Basel earthquake and rebuilt by Johannes Gmünd. This building was extended from 1421 by Ulrich von Ensingen, architect of the cathedral towers at Ulm and Strasbourg. It adds definition to the cityscape with its red sandstone architecture and coloured roof tiles, its two slim towers and the cross-shaped intersection of the main roof.

SOURCE:
Basel Münster Wikipedia Entry

St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral Postcard

The St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral is located at the Treurenberg hill in Brussels, Belgium. The church patron saints, archangel St. Michael and the martyr St. Gudula, are also the patron saints of the city of Brussels.

St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral Postcard

In 1047, Lambert II, Count of Leuven founded a chapter in this church and organized the transportation of the relics of Saint Gudula, before then housed in Saint Gaugericus Church on Saint Gaugericus Island. The south tower contains a 49-bell carillon by the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry on which Sunday concerts are often given.

SOURCE:
St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral Wikipedia Entry