The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Takeaway. Another Uniquely St. Louis Treasure. Appreciated by adults, not by kids. I stopped going to these kinds of museums after being dragged around by my parents. If you're like me and my buddies, you've driven past here hundreds of times and never gone in.
Go in.
It takes thirty minutes to walk around. It's an over-the-top, Trumpian display of ridiculous papal wealth, but it's pretty cool. Make sure to head to the basement for a quick tour of the Mosaic Museum to see how they built the Cathedral's ceilings.
You can stop by between 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. ith a lot in the pack and plenty of street parking.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Summary
I read up on the Cathedral Basilica before heading over before lunch on a Friday.
I had driven and walked past the Basilica tens of times in my travels around the city, but never stopped. You just have to walk up the steps to the giant doors and open them. They keep the Cathedral open basically all the time, from 7 am to 5 pm.
Adults will appreciate the entire experience much more than children, at least in my sample of one. I hated these kinds of museums when I was a kid, but you get it as soon as you step into the dome as an adult. There's an unfathomable amount of time, money, and energy behind the decoration inside this behemoth of a building.
The entire ceiling is a giant mosaic. They assembled each tiny piece of glass on the ground in small puzzles, which were brought up to the ceiling in chunks.
The entire thing is amazing. But I also feel like in 2024, we should somehow use all this pent-up amazingness and value for the greater good of the city.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Things To Do
Taking from the marketing material, I pieced together all the parts of the Cathedral. I don't know if I took pictures of all of them, but the bingo card for exhibits includes:
- Main Dome
- Blessed Sacrament Chapel Easter
- Blessed Sacrament Altar
- Front Entrance
- Altar Statues
- Main Altar
- Baldachino
Entrance
Domes
Alter
Chapels
Pews
Mosaics
Pieta Replica
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis has a limited-time exhibition of a life-sized bronze replica of Michelangelo's Pietà. Located in the vestibule at the base of the stairs leading to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, this masterful artwork offers visitors a chance to witness the sublime expression of Michelangelo's genius.
Mosaic Museum
Tucked in the basement next to the bathrooms, the Mosiac Museum adds context to the entire Cathedral. It might actually be a better idea to visit the Mosiac Museum before going back upstairs to the main dome.
The museum provides background on how they made the building and the ceiling. It has models of the Cathedral and examples of how the workers put together the mosaics.
Archectiture
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Details And Info
The Cathedral Basilica is open from 7 am to 5 pm every day. It's available to the general public when they do not have mass. It's possible to schedule a tour, and I'm pretty sure I saw one taking place while I was there.
Mass Schedule
Daily Masses are celebrated Monday - Friday at 7:00 am, 8:00 am, and 12:05 pm and Saturday at 8:00 a.m.
Sunday Masses are celebrated at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m., with a vigil Mass at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Parking At The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
You can either park on the street or in a dedicated lot in the back of the building. I haven't been on a busy Sunday for mass, but there's infinite street parking on a normal day.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Receipt
