St. Peter in Chains cathedral

Wednesday 8 July
A largely indoor day today, other than going swimming in the afternoon. In the evening we went to a choral concert at St. Peter in Chains cathedral, featuring Tenebrae, the renowned London-based professional vocal ensemble, founded and directed by former King’s Singer Nigel Short. They have been described as “phenomenal” by the Times, and “devastatingly beautiful “ by Gramophone magazine. Their voices blend perfectly, they have a terrific dynamic range and their control is wonderful. They also make the most of the space, splitting into separate groups sometimes, spaced about in different areas of the cathedral, which like many English cathedrals has wonderful acoustics. We had heard them once before, in pre-Covid days, so it was great to hear them again.
The building, as you can see is beautiful, though somewhat unusual for a Catholic cathedral, with its Greek revival architecture.The church’s cornerstone was laid on May 20 1841, and was formally dedicated on November 2, 1845 as the first large church west of the Allegheny mountains. The striking single spire, made of pure white limestone, rises 224 feet above street level, which made the church the tallest man-made structure in the city for many decades. The interior is distinctly unique among Roman Catholic cathedrals in America, with its Greek-themed stations of the cross, it’s ornate Corinthian columns and it’s massive bronze doors. Unfortunately, by the late 1930s St. Peter in Chains had become somewhat dilapidated, and its signature limestone covered in soot. Finally in the 1950s it underwent significant restoration and expansion, to the state which we see today.
Step count: 7,625