Beauties of the Church: The Blue Church

[Beauties of the Church #10 ~ Apologies for letting this series go dormant lately ... again ... well, it's back!]

St. Elisabeth Parish - The "Blue Church" - in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Ph/t: Nathaniel Peters and Matt Alderman. 

Photo 1 by Eebrierly, Photo 2 by David Overton, more photos here.

BotC: Mocking of Christ with the Virgin and Saint Dominic

[Beauties of the Church #9 ~ Apologies for letting this series go dormant lately ... it's back!]

Mocking of Christ with the Virgin and Saint Dominic by Fra Angelico and Workshop at the Museo di San Marco

Photo by Dennis Marsico/CORBIS

BotC: Nativity Scene by Robert Campin

[Beauties of the Church #8]

Nativty Scene by Robert Campin, 1375 }{ Photo by Flickr user Daijahv

BotC: Carpaccio's Birth of the Virgin

[Beauties of the Church #7]

Birth of the Virgin by Vittorio Carpaccio }{ Photo by Flickr user Circa 1440

Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation for U.S. Catholics.

It's also the third anniversary of my registering www.AmericanPapist.com. :-)

BotC: Madonna of the Health Stained Glass

[Beauties of the Church #6]

Madonna of the Health Stained Glass in Milan ][ Photo by Flickr user shotbart

BotC: St. Bridget's, New Jersey

[Beauties of the Church #5]

St. Bridget's in New Jersey ][ Photo by Flickr user mudpig

BotC: Sainte Chapelle

[Beauties of the Church #4]

Interior of Sante Chapelle in France ][ Photo by Flickr user R. Duran

BotC: Paoay Church in the Philippines

[Beauties of the Church #3]

Paoay Church in the Philippines ][ Photo by Flickr user Storm Crypt

History:

Paoay is probably one of the best known churches in the Philippines. The walls are more than 1 meter thick -- made of coral stones. The design of the church is a mixture of Gothic, Oriental and Baroque influence. History has it that the parish of Paoay church was founded by Augustinian Missionaries in 1593 -- which is why this church is in Paoay, and where its cornerstone was laid only in 1704 -- is called St. Augustine Catholic Church.

The church was damaged by an earthquake in 1706 and 1927. Its construction primarily was intended to withstand earthquakes. The huge belltower was used as an observation post for Katipuneros during the revolution in the late 1800s, and was later used by local resistance forces during the second world war when the Philippines was occupied by Japan.

BotC: Last Judgement Florence Mosaic

[Beauties of the Church #2]

Last Judgement Florence Mosaic ][ Photo by Flickr user Oar Square

I was able to see this in person when I visited Florence in 2003. My picture did not turn out as well.

BotC: San Giovanni Battista

Two regular features on AmP, the Papist Picture of the Day and the Photo Caption Call, have proven to be very popular. I'd like to now add a third: "Beauties of the Church", where I will showcase stunning/uplifting/beautiful photos depicting Catholic culture throughout the ages.

You can never have too much beauty, or too many reminders of the Beauty of God, I think.

"San Giovanni Battista" (1619-1675). Photo by Flickr user Ben.