Cathedral of the Madeleine

Today we took our boys to the Cathedral of the Madeleine in downtown Salt Lake. The church was built in the late 1800s and completed in 1909. It's a beautiful Gothic building adorned with gargoyles on the towers and amazing architectural design. The building is dedicated to Mary Magdalene.

We liked seeing the gargoyles watching over the church.

You can go in the Cathedral pretty much anytime when services aren't being held. Huge stained glass windows depict the life of Jesus across on one. On the other Mary's experiences from the Annunciation through the birth of Jesus are shown. There is also a huge organ that rivals the organ in the Mormon Tabernacle at Temple Square.

Our boys were in awe of this massive building and the beauty of the ceiling and the windows. They'd never seen anything like it, and it was so different from their church experiences. They were thrilled when the bell tower chimed 11 o'clock as we were leaving. Our 7 year-old was asking questions about Catholicism all day and even including a "thank you for letting us see the beautiful old church" in his prayer tonight.

If you're in downtown Salt Lake City, stop by the Cathedral of the Madeleine. If you happen to go on a Tuesday afternoon, they offer tours at 1:00 pm.

This carving is above the door of the cathedral.

The architecture is beautiful inside.

We were amazed at the beauty and number of stained glass windows.