Stepping into a church when I’m not going to Sunday mass was stupid…..till I remodeled a bathroom. Suddenly the appreciation of tiles, construction and putting pieces together to make “pretty” made sense and I gained a new appreciation to all buildings. Well not the DMV.
If you are in San Francisco and like visiting churches (and even if you don’t), visit Grace Cathedral.
Grace Cathedral is a super wow. From its architecture, to its beauty to its (holy crap how much did that cost) GOLD front door, this Episcopal church, rightly named, Grace Cathedral, stands out like a thumb at the top of Knob Hill. (Doable in twenty minutes, but if you plan properly for a few jaw dropping moments, better to push that time to thirty.)
Why?
Three reasons:
- The Obvious: You gotta love a church with the word ‘Grace’ in it?
- The Art: Grace Cathedral’s stained glass windows will blow your mind. Detailed and intricate they are unlike any stained glass you’ll ever see anywhere. The paintings on the walls depict scenes from San Francisco history that are so large and colorful, you’ll think they were painted while history was happening.
- The Aids Memorial: If you didn’t know what type of church Grace Cathedral was, visiting Grace Cathedral’s Aids Memorial room will immediate remind you that “believe what you want…we all got but one God.” On the walls are symbols for all the religions we know of today….making this church a “Hero” church. Shouldn’t all churches be as welcoming to different religions? This room also has a book to register each member’s individual soul when someone with Aids has fallen