Old Saint Mary's Cathedral

Old St. Mary's Historical Marker

I have a thing for old churches. I think that they are so beautiful. I think that I started my appreciation of them started many years ago when my confirmation sponsor took me to Old St.Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco over 25 years ago. I guess he was hoping that some sense would come into me from walking in there. Since then, every time I see an old church, I feel that I must walk in:

From across the street-Old St. Mary's Cathedral

Located in the heart of what is now San Francisco's Chinatown, the original Old St.Mary's was built in 1854 and was the first Cathedral built for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. It served as that until 1891 and then became a parish church. It remains a very active parish church to the present day. The original church survived the 1906 earthquake but was gutted the next day in the fires that broke out around San Francisco after the quake. The church was rebuilt by 1909 and underwent major renovations in 2011-2012:

Inside St.Mary's

The Altar

The stained glass above the altar

One of the many stained glass windows

Love the details in the stained glass windows

A view from the altar

Old St.Mary's is a beautiful church located in one of the most bustling parts of the city. It is always a place of calm and serenity.