Art in The Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, Utah

First of all, it was a surprise discovery that Salt Lake City holds one Cathedral. The Cathedral of Madeleine was completed in 1909 under the command of the first bishop of Salt Lake City, Lawrence Scanlan. The architecture is extraordinary, both outside and inside contains several aspects from Romanesque and Gothic architecture, as we can see in the image below.

The main salon is extensive, and I could recall that reference to romanesque architecture. At the same time, stained glass is a classic representation of gothic architecture. The large glass windows are impressive. The light can pass through their illumination and create an incredible feeling while observing the pictures.

Also, the three main windows section represents Christianism and tells history from the pictures. The interior is stunning, and the octagonal baptism font also has symbolism. It explains that the baptists believe that the number 8 represents the eight days of something. The interior is full of pictures and symbolism overall. For example, I could observe some pictures of mosaics as we observed in Hagia Sophia, also saying that they are part of the renaissance period.

Also, the term pilgrimage refers to a journey undertaken for a religious motive. I observed the Catholics making journeys like that, but I had never understood the reasons. Now I know that they were transporting their relics. The Cathedral of the Madeleine pursues a relic on the top of the bishop’s tomb, which recalls me like a gothic castle. The relic itself is beautiful, and it has fleur-de-lis as a well-known symbol been used over centuries.

I could identify several characteristics of gothic architecture in the Cathedral of the Madelaine. For instance, the main three stained glass windows, the pointed arches, vaulted ceilings, and ornate decoration. Overall, my experience visiting this place was fantastic, and it makes me feel more interested in this kind of architecture that fascinates me.