The
Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia, sits in the heart of the city and was constructed in the French Gothic style back in 1873. Many of the parishoners came from Haiti and France in the 1700s, so a French influence was natural.
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| St. John the Baptist |
The church was only recently (2020) proclaimed a minor basilica. Churches are given the honorific "minor basilica" for historical and artistic worth as well as being a thriving center of pastoral and liturgical activity.
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| Notification outside |
Visitors walk into the nave and immediately see the baptismal font. Carved from Carrara marble, the four-ton font has panels that mirror the original high altar in the apse.
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| Nave |
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| Baptismal font |
The Stations fo the Cross are wood carved from Munich, Germany.
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| Jesus comforts the women from Jerusalem |
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| Jesus dies on the cross |
The stained glass windows are also amazing. Dating from 1900, they were created in Innsbruck, Austria. The apse windows (over the main altar) depict John the Baptist's life. Other windows depict the life of Jesus and other scenes from the Bible.
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| John the Baptist windows |
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| Resurrection window |
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| Ascension window |
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| Scene from the Book of Revelation |
The cathedral also has many murals.
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| Pentecost |
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| Musical angels |
The main altar was installed in 2000 during renovations. The original high altar is in the back.
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| Main Altar |
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| Pulpit |
The Bishop's Chair is what gives the Cathedral its name. The Latin word for chair is "cathedra." The oak chair was installed in 1898.
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| Bishop's chair |
As a basilica, the church has a tintinnabulum, a small processional bell on a pole, that would lead a papal procession. The umbraculum is a processional umbrella with the papal colors (red and yellow).
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| Tintinnabulum |
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| Umbraculum |
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| View from the main altar |
The right side altar is dedicated to Our Lady, with a pieta, an icon, and the altar.
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| Our Lady's altar |
The left side altar is the tabernacle, where the eucharist is kept.
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| The tabernacle |
Just past the tabernacle is an altar to Saint Joseph which also holds the sacred oils for Anointing of the Sick, anointing catechumens, and the chrism used for Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
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| Saint Joseph Altar |
The confessional is from Pittsburgh. The glass panels depict the barren desert of sin, the prodigal son, and the tree of life.
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| Confessional |
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| View of the ceiling |
The current organ was installed in 1987. Saint Cecelia, patroness of musicians, is in center of the Rose Window behind the organ.
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| The organ |
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