SkyscraperPage Forum - Badass Churches

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This thread is inspired by SkyscrapersOfNewYork's contribution to the tallest churches thread.

Use this thread to post images of churches that put the fear of God into all that lay eyes on them. :ahhh:

For ease of downloading, let's stick to one church per post. Here are a few for starters.

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/...1_7a0b1cdb.jpg
St Nicholas, Burnage, Geograph, S Parish, some rights reserved http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1584661

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/...58e8d5a9_b.jpg
Pilgrimage Church, Neviges
Seier and Seier, Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/seier/3165564453/ Some rights reserved.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/77/16...f3583dff05.jpg
Christchurch Spitalfields, MSH* Mark Barker, Flickr Some Rights Reserved http://www.flickr.com/photos/69108241@N00/3051490374/

And the granddaddy of badass churches, Cologne Cathedral:

http://www.thoschi.net/uploads/2008/04/domturm_web.jpg
Thoschi, thoschi.net, some rights reserved, http://www.thoschi.net/gotham-city-p...ral-of-cologne

Fantastic selection! That Columbian one is insane.

This one may be "badass" according to a different definition...

Arlington Methodist, Arlington, VA:
http://beyonddc.com/features/god/_sh...pa100_5302.jpg

Look closely. That's a gas station under it.

St. Peters in Chicago. Located in the loop, it's situated between two skyscrapers. The rendering of Jesus on the front of the building always strikes me when I pass it. I can't walk to work without giving it a glance.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/...10610429_b.jpg
St. Peter's Church - Chicago by bachnin, on Flickr

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/...78c89937_o.jpg
St. Peter's Catholic Church, Chicago Loop, Chicago, IL by catholicsanctuaries, on Flickr

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bedhead (Post 5203906)

Fantastic selection! That Columbian one is insane.

err... ColOmbian :tup:

Heh. Hearing "badass church" makes me think of 'Monsignor Martinez' on King of the Hill. :jester:

• Video Link

^That is really strange looking. The ceiling looks animated.

One of my favorite buildings

St. Basil's Cathedral says "Never mind stone or concrete colored churches, if you have any color paint it'll go somewhere."

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpa...sSouthSide.jpg
(richard-seaman.com)

There's also the intimidating but probably false tale that Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who ordered the church, blinded the architect so he could never create something more beautiful.

Another, perhaps true, story is from the days when the Soviet Union was plowing huge avenues through old Moscow. City party boss Lazar Kaganovich was showing Stalin a model of the city, and took out the church to see how Red Square would look without it. Stalin immediately exclaimed, "Lazar, put it back!"

When Stalin wants to save a church, you know it's one badass church.

(I also associate it with this famous painting by Vasily Surikov, Morning of the Execution of the Streltsy, which is both a poignant image of Russia's often brutal history, and a vivid depiction of the severe consequences of crossing Peter the Great.)

http://paintingspy.com/wp-content/ga...ikov/543-1.jpg
(paintingspy.com)

That Brasilia Cathedral looks like Space Mountain.

It's no where near the biggest or baddest church in the world, but I've yet to personally visit a church as awe-inspiring as the upper chapel of the Sainte-Chapelle in central Paris:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/...8b545e07_b.jpg
Claudia

Locally, I like the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak in Metro Detroit:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3635/...cf420b91_z.jpg
Patricia Drury

Also, not necessarily huge, but I have a thing for the gothic and romanesque catholic churches in around downtown Detroit...

Sweetest Heart of Mary

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5253/...4847879e_z.jpg
catholicsanctuaries

St. Josaphat

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/144/3...3b2dad3e_z.jpg
gsgeorge

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2260/...5c60a7ca_z.jpg
markh0421

St. Joseph

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2025/...b964c285_z.jpg
markh0421

Ste-Anne de Detroit

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/...b0c8f9e1_z.jpg
kdlmphoto

St. Mary

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/...6bed97ef_z.jpg
Patricia Drury

St. Florian (Hamtramck)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2360/...aa8ea3d7_o.jpg
Rich-s

Detroit catholics really loved them some red-brick.

Damn! I was gonna post Sagrada Familia!

I think the Hagia Sophia is pretty badass..

http://www.dailyistanbultours.com/im...a_sophia_1.jpg

http://www.sights-and-culture.com/Tu...gia-Sophia.jpg

Not to mention the Pantheon (yes it is a church!):

http://romeitaly.ca/images/pantheon.jpg

http://www.polatkaya.net/PantheonInside.jpg

The National Cathedral in Washington, DC has a number of non-traditional gargoyles. The most famous: Darth Vader.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1372/...85d06ace_z.jpg
source: flickr user smata2

Atlanta's First Church of Christ, Scientist
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Georgia%29.JPG

Annie Pfieffer Chapel at Florida Southern College - Frank Lloyd Wright

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_OLc2TjnHOg...cated+1941.jpg

src: http://lakelandfl.blogspot.com/

So... torn... between... contempt... for... religion... and... love... of... amazing... badass... churches...

[I don't really have contempt for religion, mostly based on the amazing contributions to art, architecture, music and culture in general that they have funded and inspired.)

wonderfull thread. some of the most amazing archutecture has been done on churches.

The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg

http://www.peopleandplaces.us/ge5/blood06.jpg
(peopleandplaces.us)

http://www.petersburg-lodging.com/st...d_Blood_01.jpg
(petersburg-lodging.com)

How did it get its name? The church was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated by a suicide bomber in 1881.

http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/967...4875C504EA9D33
(Getty Images)

^ Wow it looks a lot like St. Basil's..
I thought you just changed the name at first, then I noticed you said St. Petersburg.. :P

The new church of the parish of Andreas (Maassluis, Netherlands)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1056/...af3815ff_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1056/...af3815ff_o.jpg

You're absolutely right about St. Louis Cathedral Basilica, words (and pictures) can't describe it, you've just got to see the interior to properly appreciate it.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/...03e3a68bdd.jpg

Not trying to turn this in to a mormon temples thread, but I'm mormon, so its what I'm most familiar with. Plus, there are a lot of them around the world, and they tend generally to have pretty unique architecture. These are a few of my favorites that may qualify as 'badass':

Ogden, Utah:
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/ogde...n_temple11.jpg

Mexico City:
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/mexi...n-temple14.jpg

Portland, OR:
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/port...n_temple17.jpg

Las Vegas, NV:
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/lasv...on-temple9.jpg

Manti, UT:
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/mant...on-temple4.jpg

Cardston, AB:
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/card...on-temple7.jpg

For all of the interesting ones though, there are about 50 around the world that all look exactly the same as this one in Spokane, WA:
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/spok...n-temple24.jpg

(all images via www.ldschurchtemples.com)

Hey I like that Mexico City temple. Very Aztec-y.

Pilgrimage Church, Neviges

Badassness scale:

3 Johnny Mnemonics

http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/image...%20M%20331.JPG
link

A postacpocalyptic concrete monster who will swallow all souls before converting them into delicious god goop. The worst thing to being damned is being saved by this!

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (Liverpool, England)

Badassness scale:

2 Last Temptation of Christs
http://daringrocket.com/images/lasttemptation.jpg
link

It is as if there was an original church built on the site which has partially imploded due to the grace of the great Cthulhu and, out of the ashes, rises the the new central tower where the wizard Saruman preaches the word of the JC to all who will listen.

Las Lajas Sanctuary(Narino, Columbia)

Badassness scale:

8 Jesus Christ Superstars
http://www.austinchronicle.com/binar...iew-39381.jpeg
link

If the Bible was a Grimm Brothers fairy tale THIS is where god and jesus and the elves who spin original sin into salvation would live. All of the bad children would be thrown from the tower into the river where Satan, the ultimate bridge troll, lives ready to devour them.

Hallgrímskirkja( Reykjavík, Iceland)

Badassness scale:

6 (of 7) Seals
http://collider.com/wp-content/image...%20%281%29.jpg
link

Leave it to Iceland to build a phallic church to make the sweet sweet love with the lord. I bet it's powered by the eucharist and geothermal.

LDS Temple, San Diego

Badassness scale:

1 TOS BSG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NR48UcL2XM...tica+-+TOS.jpg
link

Space Mountain! No fastpass.

Hagia Sophia

Baddassness scale:

6 seasons of Supernatural
http://dvrlife.files.wordpress.com/2...pellegrino.jpg
link

Attitude: I'm big, and old, and can jab you with my pointy minarets. I dare you not to revere me, freakin' dare you!

How did the Darth Vader gargoyles come about? Surely they pre-date Star Wars?

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas (Post 5205475)

How did the Darth Vader gargoyles come about? Surely they pre-date Star Wars?

:previous:The National Cathedral wasn't finished until 1990.
Darth Vader was added during the 80's while the west tower was being built.

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/about/darthVader.shtml

Quote:

Originally Posted by arkhitektor (Post 5205483)

:previous:The National Cathedral wasn't finished until 1990.
Darth Vader was added during the 80's while the west tower was being built.

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/about/darthVader.shtml

I had no idea.

I've always liked the Mole Antonelliana in Torino. It was originally constructed as a synagogue. It's been used as a museum since 2000. It's also currently the tallest museum in the world.

Torino, Italy
Mole Antonelliana
(167 m) 548 feet
Built 1863 - 1889

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/2533...ana-Torino.jpg
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/7830d/22926/

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ino-mole01.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Torino-mole01.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas (Post 5205475)

How did the Darth Vader gargoyles come about? Surely they pre-date Star Wars?

IIRC, Darth Vader was selected in a competition to determine a modern-day symbol of evil to complement all the millennia-old ones like the horned devil.

Mormon churches are really badass.

The most badass one in Philadelphia is (I think) Frank Furness' 19th Street Baptist Church down in Point Breeze...it pops out at you like a big green monster!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_X...inal%20013.JPG
(own work)

And here it is on Google Maps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtk1519 (Post 5205622)

SOM's Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, CA...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/...f51ae74c_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emily_gingersnap/

Is that image on the wall a projection of some kind?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trantor (Post 5204230)

church in São Bento do Sul, Santa Catarina state... does anyone else agree that this church is kinda Art Deco??

Heres one that's more than "kinda Art Deco":

Madonna Della Strada Chapel
Loyola University, Chicago

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/...a219908724.jpg
flickr

http://www.elaraengineering.com/imag...MDS_Chapel.jpg
elaraengineering.com

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3657/...a848c0366b.jpg
flickr

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/...383e2f494d.jpg
flickr

http://imgs.ebuild.com/cms/ARCHITECT...80420016L1.jpg
ebuild.com

The arches over the sanctuary actually contain full slit-windows all the way around that create the awesome backlighting effect behind each arch.