5/5 Grease Monkey T. 11 months ago on Google
Majestic
and
iconic
and
one
of
the
most
famous
landmarks
of
San
Francisco,
the
Cathedral
of
St.
Mary
of
the
Assumption
sits
on
the
edge
of
a
steep
hill.
The
horizon
behind
the
cathedral
is
therefore
not
cluttered
by
other
buildings
but
instead
shows
only
the
open
sky.
Especially
on
evenings,
or
when
the
fog
drifts
in
from
the
west,
the
cathedral
seems
to
float
between
earth
and
sky
—
an
appropriate
image
for
Our
Lady
rising
upwards,
assumed
from
Earth
into
Heaven.
Since
the
open
air
parking
lot
that
brackets
the
cathedral
is
sunk
below
ground
level,
as
one
approaches
the
cathedral
from
the
street,
or
having
walked
up
the
wide
stairs
from
the
parking
to
the
street
level,
one
finds
oneself
on
a
broad
plaza
that
functions
as
a
wide
bridge
leading
to
the
cathedral.
The
sunken
parking
lot
functions
almost
like
a
moat
and
gives
the
cathedral
the
appearance
of
an
island.
This
physical
separation
from
its
surroundings,
plus
the
brilliant
white
marble
exterior
and
the
soaring,
unusually
sinuous
roof,
crowned
by
a
55
foot
cross,
clearly
indicate
that
one
is
approaching
a
holy
place.
Traditionally,
cathedrals
have
often
been
described
as
a
“Gateway
to
Heaven”
or
as
a
“Bridge
to
Heaven”
—
but
very
few
cathedrals
have
incorporated
this
image
to
such
a
visual
degree
as
St.
Mary’s
Cathedral.
St.
Mary’s
is
the
third
cathedral
built
in
San
Francisco.
The
first
cathedral
was
commissioned
by
the
first
Archbishop
of
San
Francisco,
Joseph
Alemany.