Yet another favorite San Francisco stop, The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption designed by local architects John Michael Lee, Paul A. Ryan, and Angus McSweeney along with internationally known architects Pier Luigi Nervi and Pietro Belluschi.
I’ve seen many photos of the interior, particularly the ceiling, which is understandable and we’ll get to those soon. However, when I stopped by, I think the shots I’m most excited about are this mini-series of exteriors. The morning light on only half of the south facade makes for some dramatic black & whites.
As opposed to the roofline curves above, the angularity of the stairs and structure on the north side was also interesting.
Moving inside. Yes, the ceiling is beautiful, but because I’ve seen many images of this, what struck me initially were the massive columns and the striations in the concrete. Such great texture.
So, I guess I’d consider each of the previous sections their own little mini-series. The rest of the images are of the ceiling and because of the beautiful skylights and colors I couldn’t bring myself to share these in anything but color.
Yes, I’m aware my indecision for which composition I most prefer is completely ridiculous. But, I’ve just accepted defeat in this arena.
This detail, because that gold sculptural element is just pretty.

And, that ceiling shot everyone makes. Well, because it really is beautiful.
