Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul

Seat of Philly's Archdiocese

Description

The head church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which serves one of the largest Catholic communities in America, numbering some 1.4 million Philadelphians. The imposing cathedral was built over a period of 18 years from 1846-1864 by John Notman and Napoleon Le Brun in a Roman-Corinthian architectural style, and is as ornate as can be. The cathedral's most impressive feature, its dome, was painted by Constantino Brumidi, who is also the artist that decorated the dome of the US Capitol building. Interestingly, there are no side windows on the cathedral due to fears that they would be destroyed as anti-Catholic, Know Nothing sentiment raged in the mid-19th century at the time of construction.