st louis cathedral virtual tour

• Video Welcome to St. Louis Cathedral
• Choir Loft View
• Cathedral Gift Shop
• Jackson Square Sunrise
• St. Anthony's Garden (Royal Street)
• The Story of St. Louis IX, King of France

12 Amazing Virtual Tours of the World's Most Spectacular Churches

Christians have been making pilgrimages to holy sites and churches around the world for centuries. Can’t make a pilgrimage? Here’s the next best thing!

Some tours are embedded on this page, while others can be found with the link provided.

1) Sistine Chapel – Vatican City

Built in the 15th century and painted in the 16th century, the Sistine Chapel is one of the great artistic masterpieces in the world. Michelangelo painted the ceiling and the Last Judgement fresco, while the frescoes on the other walls were painted by a number of other artists. Among other things, the Sistine Chapel serves as the location for conclaves of Cardinals that elect new popes.

This one can only be viewed on the Vatican website, so click on the picture or on the link to check it out.

Link : Start the tour!

2) Church of the Holy Sepulchre – Jerusalem

Located in Old Jerusalem, the Church of Holy Sepulchre is venerated by Christians for containing within its space what is believed to be the places of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection – which makes it pretty important! The original church was built in the 4th century under Constantine but has endured several rounds of extensive damage and restoration since.

Link : Start the tour!  (here’s another virtual tour of the same place)

3) St. Basil’s Cathedral – Moscow, Russia

Not to be confused with the Kremlin (which is nearby), St. Basil’s Cathedral was built in the 16th century on orders from Ivan the Terrible  and served as a Russian Orthodox cathedral for centuries until it was confiscated and forcibly secularized in the late 1920s by the Soviet Union. It remains property of the Russian government today and is used as a museum.

Link :  Start the tour!  (Note: the virtual tour can take a little bit of time to load.)

4) Basilica of St. Peter – Vatican City

This great wonder of the world was built in the 16th century in the midst of the Protestant reformation, replacing the aging church that had stood on that site since the 4th century . The largest church in the world, it is built on top of what is believed to be the grave of St. Peter, the first pope.

Link :  Start the tour!

5) Church of the Nativity – Bethlehem, West Bank

Church of the Nativity is located on the place that Christians have traditionally believed that Jesus was born. The first church was built in the 4th century under Constantine but was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt in the 6th century. Since then it has gone through numerous restorations, additions, etc. Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic representatives run and maintain the current church.

6) Cathedral of St. Paul, National Shrine of the Apostle Paul – St. Paul, MN

Atop the highest hill in the Twin Cities (with the Minnesota state capital just a bit lower down the street!), the St. Paul Cathedral is everything you’d expect of a beautiful European cathedral – except that it’s in the U.S.! It’s the third largest completed church in the U.S., and the fourth tallest. Built in the early 20th century, it is a co-cathedral with the Basilica of St. Mary (see #6) for the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis.

Start the tour below:

View Larger Map

7) basilica of st. mary – minneapolis, mn.

Built in the early 20th century, the Basilica of St. Mary was the first church designated a basilica in the U.S., and serves as a co-cathedral with the Cathedral of St. Paul for the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis.

8) Canterbury Cathedral – Canterbury, England 

When was Canterbury Cathedral built? That’s a hard question to answer, since different parts of the current structure were built, torn down, rebuilt, added on, etc over nine centuries , from the 10th to the 19th, with the site having been used as a cathedral since the 6th century. During the Protestant reformation in the 16th century, the Church of England took control of the church from the Roman Catholic Church.

9) Exeter Cathedral – Exeter, England

Built from the 12th century to the 15th century, Exeter Cathedral serves as the seat of the Anglican bishop of Exeter. Among its large collection of relics, the church has what is supposedly the Burning Bush , as well as part of a candle used by an angel in Christ’s tomb. Like the Canterbury Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral was originally a Roman Catholic cathedral, but was acquired by the Church of England in the 16th century.

10) St. Patrick’s Cathedral – New York City, NY

Directly across the street from Rockefeller Center in the middle of New York City, St. Patrick’s Cathedral was built in the 19th century when midtown wasn’t as populated, and its large size dominated the area. Construction began in 1858, paused during the Civil War, and was finished in 1878. Further work was done in the early 20th century, and it was named a National Historic Site in 1976. It is currently used as the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of New York.

11) Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Chartres – Chartres, France

Built mostly in the 13th century, Chartres Cathedral is the latest of at least five churches that have stood in its location. Amazingly, most of the stained glass in the church is original. Among its many boasts, the church claims to have the Sancta Camisa , the tunic worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary at the birth of Jesus. It is still the seat of the Catholic bishop of Chartres.

12) Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – Washington D.C.

Located on the campus of Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception  “is the largest Catholic church in the United States, the largest church of any kind in the western hemisphere, the eighth largest church building in the world, and the tallest habitable building in Washington, D.C.” Construction began in 1920, but wasn’t completed until 1961 due to the Great Depression and WWII. Even so, significant additions have been made as recently as 2012. In addition to a beautiful array of images of the Blessed Virgin Mary from different cultures, the basilica houses the papal tiara of Pope Paul VI.

Take a Video Tour

The old cathedral tour .

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Our mission is to serve the 50+ traveler who's ready to cross a few items off their bucket list.

7 Beautiful Reasons To Visit The Cathedral Basilica Of St. Louis

Teresa Otto

• Activities and Interests
• Architecture
• Destinations
• History and Culture
• Religious Sites
• United States

St. Louis is home to the Gateway Arch, St. Louis-style ribs, a population that consumes more barbecue sauce than any other in the nation, and two historic Catholic cathedrals. St. Louis was founded by immigrants from France, Ireland, and Germany and named for St. Louis IX of France, a king of great faith. These immigrants brought their faith to their new homeland, and as a result, Catholicism has deep roots in the Gateway City.

The original cathedral, also named for St. Louis but often referred to as “the Old Cathedral,” is located near the Mississippi River and the Gateway Arch. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis is “the New Cathedral.” The groundbreaking took place in 1907. Today, the structure looms large with its distinctive, green-tiled dome rising 217 feet. The building is reminiscent of some of the finest churches around the world: the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul , St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice , and St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City .

The exterior is Romanesque in design, but the interior is Byzantine, with its hallmark domes and mosaics. The floor plan of the church resembles a cross, with the narthex, nave, and sanctuary making up the long part of the cross and the east and west transepts forming the crossbar.

As you open the hand-carved outer doors that are 14 feet high and 8 feet wide, prepare to be amazed. The cathedral’s interior is a work of art in keeping with tradition. In the early days of the Church, many of the faithful were illiterate. Paintings and mosaics depicted Bible stories, the crucifix reminded them of Jesus’s suffering and death, and statues of the saints honored holy men and women of the past and kept their memory alive.

Here are just a few reasons to visit the magnificent Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis .

1. Mosaics, Mosaics, And More Mosaics

The cathedral’s mosaics are without equal in the Western Hemisphere. Twenty different artists used 41.5 million glass tiles in 7,000 colors to cover 83,000 square feet — a project that began in 1912 and wasn’t completed until 1988. Each section of the church has a theme. Some of these include the story of creation, the Holy Trinity, the essential tenets of the Catholic faith, and the history of Catholicism in the Americas and in St. Louis.

The Historic Bay And Dome

After passing through the narthex, which is covered in mosaics depicting St. Louis IX, you’ll enter the historic bay. This section was the last to be finished. The south dome mosaic features the red seal of the Archdiocese of St. Louis against a blue background.

The historic bay is dedicated to American saints, significant events in the Catholic history of St. Louis (including the first Mass and the first baptism), and the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. One mosaic shows Joseph Cardinal Ritter welcoming black and white students to school in 1947. Integration in St. Louis happened seven years before the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in the nation’s schools.

The Central Dome

Between the historic bay and the sanctuary, the central dome rises 143 feet. Against a background of red tiles, four mosaics span the Old and New Testaments and are the artistic high points of the basilica. The mosaic depicting the Holy Trinity is based on an image from medieval France, the Throne of Grace. It shows God the Father cradling the crucified Christ beneath a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit.

The Great Arches

The four great arches around the central dome feature mosaics representing the essential truths of the Catholic faith: creation, redemption, sanctification, and judgment. The Arch of Sanctification also depicts the Holy Spirit as a dove, and seven angels around him hold seven small doves, representing the virtues the Holy Spirit bestows: wisdom, understanding, right judgment, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

As you face the sanctuary, you’ll notice the mosaics on the Arch of Triumph. These depict Old Testament greats — Noah holding a dove, David with his harp, and Solomon with the architectural plans of the temple he built — as well as 12 saints, including St. Peter, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Patrick.

The Transepts

To the east of the central dome, the mosaic in the half dome depicts Christ’s resurrection. The west half dome depicts the feast of Pentecost, considered the birthday of the Catholic Church. The orange flame of the Holy Spirit engulfs all of the Apostles and Jesus’s mother, Mary.

2. The Sanctuary And Baldacchino

A marble crucifix hangs in the sanctuary flanked by statues of the Blessed Mother and St. John the Evangelist. A canopy, called a baldacchino , is located over the altar and supported by 14 Italian marble columns, each 2 feet in diameter and 20 feet tall. Statues of the Gospel writers — Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — stand around the dome, which is a replica of the exterior central dome of the cathedral.

Mosaics also decorate the dome above the sanctuary. Here the 12 Apostles, each 14 feet high, are set against blue tile. A mosaic over the bishop’s chair, or cathedra , features a crown and a fleur-de-lis. The cathedra makes this church a cathedral, or the official seat of a diocesan bishop. An ombrellino , or umbrella, and tintinnabulum , or bell, are displayed near the altar. These two items signify that the church is a basilica. On April 4, 1997, Pope John Paul II designated the Cathedral of St. Louis a basilica, or an especially significant place of worship. This is why the church is now called the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.

3. The Rose Windows

Located behind the baldacchino and best seen from one of the side aisles is a red rose window featuring a gold cross and crown of thorns. This and the blue rose window on the south end of the cathedral were designed by Tiffany and Company.

4. The Four Chapels

Four intimate chapels are located on the periphery of the cathedral. They each have a special purpose.

To the east of the sanctuary is the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Its bronze doors come from the Austrian Exhibit of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The benefactor of the chapel was the Honorable Richard Kerens, an ambassador to Austria. The chapel was completed in 1917, three days before Austria and the United States cut diplomatic ties before World War I. No photography is permitted in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, which is reserved for private prayer.

West of the sanctuary is the Blessed Virgin’s Chapel, designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany himself. The chapel’s mosaics depict the life of Mary and her role in the Church. A plaque at the chapel’s entrance commemorates Pope John Paul II’s time spent here in private prayer during his visit to the basilica in 1999.

Louis Comfort Tiffany also designed the All Saints Chapel, located west of the historic bay. Mosaics depicting the saints line the walls, but the statue of St. Joseph is the most striking feature of the chapel. Don’t forget to marvel at the elaborate ceiling and floor, too.

The final chapel, east of the historic bay, is the All Souls Chapel. The black marble on the lower half of the chapel symbolizes death, while the white marble above symbolizes eternal life. Several cardinals and an archbishop are buried in the crypt beneath this chapel, including John Cardinal Glennon, who broke ground on the cathedral. The cardinals’ red hats hang from the chapel’s ceiling. A statue of the Risen Christ completes the chapel.

5. The Sacred Heart Shrine

One of the most recent additions to the basilica is the Sacred Heart Shrine in the west transept. It features a mosaic of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a replica of a Spanish painting. The artists used 30 types of marble and onyx to create the mosaic.

6. The Replica Of The Pieta

It’s hard to believe that Michelangelo was only 24 years old when he sculpted the Pieta . A bronze replica of his masterpiece is on loan to the cathedral and is located near the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

7. The Mosaic And Papal Museum

To better understand the art of making mosaics, visit the museum in the cathedral’s crypt, or basement. Paul Heuduck began working on the mosaics in 1912. At the time, his son Arno was six years old. Arno later took over where his father left off. The two men installed 90 percent of the mosaics in the church.

A second part of the museum commemorates Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1999. A special chair and a kneeler with needlepoint upholstery designed and sewn by the cathedral’s parishioners are on display.

What To Know Before You Go

Taking a guided tour is the best way to visit the cathedral. Note that these tours are not available during Masses or other religious services. The cathedral also offers virtual tours .

Allow 1 to 2 hours for a visit. There is a lot to see!

The cathedral is wheelchair accessible.

Planning a visit to St. Louis? See what else the Gateway City has to offer on this page .

Teresa Otto, a retired pediatric anesthesiologist, now photographs and writes about her travels. When she’s not traveling the world, she serves as a waitress and housekeeper for two rescued cats and a dog in The Woodlands, Texas. Follow her travels on Instagram and on her personal website .

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Dolore caecus nulla secundum abigo ad sino huic exerci nostrud augue. Mauris.

• A Message from the Rector
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The current Cathedral building is the third church on this site. It was completed in 1935 and was built using a 15th century Norman Gothic style. The present building replaced a marble church that was built in 1905. Prior to 1905 a converted public school building, which stood on this site, served the parish of St. Agnes. A rented hall on the corner of Observer Street, present day Sunrise Highway, and Village Avenue was used for Sunday Mass from 1890 to 1891 and prior to 1890 a Blacksmith Shop on Centre Avenue was used by a small group of Catholics living in the area.

The Cathedral underwent a major remodeling that began in 1981 and was completed in early 1982.

Beginning in 2015 and completing in 2016, the interior of the Cathedral underwent a major restoration and renovation effort. Chief among the restoration aspects of the project is a renewed emphasis on the presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle. Chief among the changes is a return of the tabernacle to its original position at the center of the sanctuary under a new baldacchino, moving the Bishop’s chair to the left, the ambo to the right side of the sanctuary, lowering of the altar one step and repositioning the Organ Console and Piano to the nave floor. Other changes include moving the Pieta to the side chapel, installing a new altar in the side chapel and new furnishings for the sanctuary.

Additional work was also begun in 2016 on the exterior of the cathedral to repair, reinforce and clean the facade of the builidng.

Today, the Cathedral serves both the people of God in Rockville Centre and is the seat for the Diocese of Rockville Centre encompassing Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island, New York.

“LORD, I love the house where you dwell, the tenting-place of your glory”. Ps. 26:8

The Cathedral Tour is presented in three sections – A tour of the Cathedral building itself, a second tour devoted specifically to the Windows of St. Agnes and a third section for the Holy Cross Chapel located in the Ministries Building. A fourth section is devoted to the San Damiano Crucifix which was installed in the Parish Center in 2009.

Click here to take a tour of the Cathedral Building.

Windows of St. Agnes Cathedral

Click here if you wish to take a tour of the Stained Glass Windows.

Holy Cross Chapel

Click here to tour the Holy Cross Chapel.

Parish Center/San Damiano Crucifix

Click here to view the San Damiano Crucifix.

Sincere thanks goes to parishioners Kieran Maelia and John Kearns, who have supplied many of the pictures found in this tour as well as the photos found throughout this website. These photos have been instrumental in showing the fine detail of many different aspects of the cathedral and their donation of time and talent have greatly enriched our parish website.

Explore the Cathedral Virtual Tour

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Purchase the entire book of photos!

This 8″ x 10″ publication includes 40 full color images of the interior of Saint-Pierre du Beauvais.

• 40 High resolution photos 
• 8 x 10 Inches, Perfect-Bound, 46 Pages
• Great for teaching about Art History and Architecture
• A fantastic addition to any book collection
• The perfect book for coffee tables and waiting areas

Funded by a generous grant from the University of Missouri- Saint Louis Research Board

• Introduction
• Cathedral Image Gallery
• Virtual Tour
• Buy The Book