STARK CHURCHES appeal to me. The ones with the simple wooden cross, the white clapboard siding, the time-worn pews settled upon plain plank floors.
But the ornate houses of worship likewise snag my soul with crosses of gold, walls of brick and gleaming, carved pews.
One of the many ornate carvings at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Melrose.
I am most comfortable with, most accustomed to, the unadorned churches of the Lutherans, my religious heritage. We keep things simple. No cluster of burning candles. No wafting incense. No pools of holy water. Minimal, if any, gold.
Perhaps for that reason, when I step into an historic Catholic church, I feel like I’ve entered a foreign land. I am often awed by the opulence, by the details that visually overwhelm me.
The side aisle on the left leads to an ornate altar in St. Mary's which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
That’s exactly how I felt upon entering St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Melrose, featured here in an earlier post. Overwhelmed. But good overwhelmed. Because I could not possibly present all of the images I wanted to share with you in a single post, here are the remainder.
No matter your religious affiliation, you simply have to appreciate a place like St. Mary’s. What beauty. What art. What history. What heavenly splendor.
This was the top or bottom of something. Can't recall what. But it sure is stunning.
Look at this gorgeous, carved door, will you?
Golden statues. Beautiful.
Just look at this detailed side altar. I could have spent hours in St. Mary's.
And then I discovered these collection baskets hanging from a rack. We Lutherans don't have wicker baskets with long handles. These contrast so sharply with the the ornateness in the church and that is why I so appreciated this grouping.
St. Mary's Catholic Church stands strong as a fortress in Melrose, next to the turkey plant, its towering steeples visible from nearby Interstate 94 in west central Minnesota.
© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Awesome pics.
Thank you kindly.
The side altar looks very much like that at St. Felix in Wabasha.
I often notice similarities in altar, stained glass and other designs, leading me to believe that the same artists/craftsmen did work for numerous Minnesota churches. I have not been to St. Felix in Wabasha.