Friday, August 30, 2013

THE 30 MOST BEAUTIFUL COLLEGE 

1. Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Indiana

3. Basilica of the Sacred Heart
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is the campus cathedral for the University of Notre Dame. Built reflecting neo-gothic elements, the high tower pokes over 215 feet into the sky. Joseph Gregory Dwenger, a bishop for the Catholic Church, completed the cathedral in 1870. It has over 40 windows, which permit natural light to flow into the sanctuary and it has many more paintings, statues, murals, and other decorative features. The university conducts a mass at Basilica of the Sacred Heart every Sunday. The chapel is available to rent for what must be, incredible weddings.

2. Church of Saint Yves at La Sapienza, Rome, Italy

1. Church of Saint Yves at La Sapienza
The Church of Saint Yves is classy example of detailed Baroque architecture. Francesco Borromini built the 85 by 89 foot church throughout the mid-17th Century, finishing in 1660. The dome has a lantern that permits natural sunlight to pour into the sanctuary. The interior of the cathedral contrasts the effects of geometrical shapes, as some corners are smooth while other parts of the rotunda are rough and exhibit triangular artwork. A large courtyard wraps around the “palace” of the cathedral, making the overall layout of the cathedral campus resemble the Star of David. This architectural masterpiece is located on the campus of the University of Rome, which is also called La Sapienza Università di Roma or more simply La Sapienza.

3. Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain

2. Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is located right off of the campus of La Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, which is one of Spain’s most praised universities. Having been completed in 1211, the cathedral uses dark Romanesque styles, along with Baroque and even Gothic styles. The location is the supposed resting place of the apostle St. James, and according to church legend, this location was one of the stops he made while touring Europe. Consequently, millions of people have made pilgrimages here over the past 800 years. The building may be one of the most elaborate ever made. It includes bell towers, clock towers, side doors, and the infamous Façade do Obradoiro. Spanish motifs over the centuries have modeled this cathedral into a church like none other.

4. Battell Chapel, New Haven, Connecticut

4. Battell Chapel
The Battell Chapel was built to commemorate the fallen troops in the Civil War. After its construction in 1876, Yale college students started using it for their daily chapel services (which were mandatory at that time.) Russell Sturgis, Jr. designed the chapel with a Victorian Gothic style in mind. Using a rustic sandstone, he created a complex color scheme of the cathedral’s interior that emphasized brown. The cathedral has been expanded over the years; for example, the addition of an apse in 1947 served to enlarge the building. Other memorials were erected to honor the veterans of other wars. Today, services are still conducted every week by Yale faculty and students.

5. Chapelle de la Sorbonne, Paris, France

5. Chapelle de la Sorbonne
A well-known French cardinal named Richelieu built the Chapella de la Sorbonne in the early 1600′s. Overlooking the campus of the esteemed Sorbonne University, the chapel has become one of the premier cathedrals in all of France. The exterior uses collegiate Gothic designs, while the interior features a cenotaph of marble stone. Sculptures of the Cardinal Richelieu display some of the most detailed and painstaking artwork from the 17th Century. Eventually, Richelieu was buried inside of the cathedral and his tomb was celebrated with a fantastic, 20-foot sculpture made of marble.

6. Toledo Cathedral, Toledo, Spain

6. Toledo Cathedral
The Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo is one of the few High Gothic cathedrals in all of Spain. Erected in 1226 by the commission of Ferdinand III, it incorporates elements of the Mudejar style. Considered to be priceless by the Catholic Church and the country of Spain, the site has been deemed a “World Heritage Site” and is now a popular spot for tourists and history buffs. Nonetheless, the cathedral is still considered to be associated with the Royal University of Toledo despite the fact that the cathedral’s construction preceded the existence of the university.


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