Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

I spent a lovely day with Dali photographing a few of San Francisco’s wonderful Catholic Cathedrals. The first one we visited was this one St. Ignatius. We had shot it a night last month and I wondered then when we might come back and do the inside.
It’s beautiful, light, spacious, and feels welcoming.

For the history buffs:
St. Ignatius Church. This is the 5th such church to be built in San Francisco. This present day church was built in 1912 and dedicated in 1914. It is located on the campus of University of San Francisco.
The present church’s architecture is a mix of Italian Renaissance and Baroque elements, and its floor-plan follows that of ancient Roman basilicas. Though Saint Ignatius Church survived the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake unscathed, it was recently renovated and seismically reinforced. One of the city’s largest churches, its location on a hilltop as well as its twin spires and dome makes it a prominent San Francisco landmark.
~Wikipedia

The Nave & Sanctuary
The general layout of the nave is based on the ancient Roman basilica, or law court building. The focus of the nave is the sanctuary, which here takes the form of a semicircular, semi-domed space, or apse, often seen in the Roman basilica This space is separated from the nave by the chancel arch springing from grouped free-standing columns. The elaborately coffered half-dome ceiling contains a central stained glass panel representing the Holy Spirit descending toward the assembly below, and on either side wall is an elaborately framed plaster relief representing the Madonna and Child. The centerpiece of the sanctuary, the polychromed white oak baldacchino or canopy over the former High Altar, was added in 1949, as was the altar itself, along with the marble floor and communion rail.
~University of San Francisco

Nikon D90| NIkkor 17-35mm @19mm| f8| 3.0sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| On a Tripod