Two Churches from Mainz

This first church is architecture at its highest on the outside, and it doesn't seem to stop once you're inside. This is the church from the back. It is immense. And I think they kept wood carvers and stone masons busy for centuries. The pictures from the inside are poor. I've got a lot to learn about taking pictures in the dark!! The church is sooooo large that its immensity is filled by these floor to ceiling carvings, which were awesome and absolutely monstrous. So, inside we go... This is the pulpit from which the priest gives his sermons. They seem to wander from the front of the chapel (where the sacrament is given, etc.,) to these beautiful pulpits. Above the pulpit is an ornately carved "umbrella" of sorts that sort of covers the priest. This doesn't do it justice, as the wood was gold-leafed and so very ornate.

A typical doorway.

More gold leaf, more priests, more angels.
Same thing from a distance. I wish I knew high how high the ceilings were, but this is only about a third of the way up, (maybe halfway).

More carving...

I found this interesting. It's the entrance to the crypts. I sort of chose not to go down. I understand they re-use the "caskets," and they are often in the process of making a change!

This is the church from the front. It has been burned down several times and always rebuilt. I kind of ask myself how something made of stone could burn, but it's easy to understand how all the carvings inside are destroyed.
This church was a good, long walk from the one above, much smaller, but so interesting.

From the outside, this church won't make anyone hold their breath, although it is beautiful, but it is famous for its stained glass windows, created by Marc Chagall. You've probably heard about them. They are sooooo remarkable. My pictures don't begin to do them justice, but if you'd take a minute to Google "Chagall" on the Internet, you'd be glad. His works are so unlike any other stained glass I've seen. You just want to sit down in the church and gaze at them, especially as we had a superbly sunny day and they were highlighted as they should be.

I'll just let you browse...

The end. Get on the Internet and learn about Chagall's windows. He's Russian-born. I'd like to learn about his life.