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On today's EJC Exploration we go Exploring The Basilica Of Saint Lawrence (Asheville, NC)
Completed in 1909, the Basilica of St. Lawrence D.M. is one of Asheville's architectural treasures and spiritual anchors. Designed by Rafael Gustavino and Richard Sharpe Smith, renowned architects on the Biltmore House, this Catholic church has the largest freestanding elliptical dome in the country. Located at 97 Haywood Street in downtown Asheville, it is open daily from 7:30 AM to 5 PM on weekdays for visits. Take a self guided tour (printed below) or schedule a complimentary guided tour in advance via a form on their website. It's just around the corner from the Grove Arcade!
The style, chosen by the architect, is Spanish Renaissance. The central figure on the main façade is that of St. Lawrence holding in one hand a palm frond and in the other a gridiron, the instrument of his torture. On the left of St. Lawrence is the statue of St.Stephen, the first martyr, and like St. Lawrence, a deacon; while to the right is the statue of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a native of Spain as was St. Lawrence. The lunette over the main entrance is in polychrome terra cotta and represents Christ giving Peter the keys and appointing him head of the church. Immediately below this lunette is a stained glass window displaying the Basilica of St. Lawrence Coat of Arms.

The massive stone foundations and the solid brick super structure give silent testimony to the architect’s desire to build an edifice that would endure for generations. There are not beams of wood or steel in the entire structure; all walls, floors, ceilings and pillars are of tile or other masonry materials. The roof is of tile with a copper covering.
Entering the vestibule, which is separated from the church proper by screens of leather and stained glass, one notes the solidity of the structure; the very steps to the organ left are without wood or nails. The vestibule window to the right is Bishop Haid’s coat of arms; the one to the left is the coat of arms of Pope St. Pius X.

From the foot of the main aisle, inside the church proper, one can realize the beauty of the ellipse and the wonder of the dome. It has a clear span of 58 x 82 feet and is reputed to be the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America.

The four statues in the wall niches are from the Daprato Statuary Company, Italy. On the left, St. Cecilia and St. Peter; on the right, St. Ro
The large stained glass window is St. Mary of the Sea; the small one above is St. Raphael, the archangel. The ornately carved door to the sacristy is of Spanish design and is dominated by the theme of the Good Shepard; on the scroll is the Latin, Pastor Bonus. Above the door is a 17th century painting of the Visitation. The artist is thought to be Massimo Stanzione (1585-1656).
On the walls of the chapel are icons of the Blessed Lady as: Our Lady of Czestochowa, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, and the Annunciation.
At the rear of the chapel is the crypt of the architect, Signor Rafael Guastavino. The door is of lustre-glazed tiles framed in bronze. The lustre-glaze process was discovered by Rafael Guastavino, Jr. during ceramic experiments conducted at the Guastavino tile factory in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Eurcharistic Adoration Chapel
To the right of the main altar is the chapel originally called St. Joseph’s. but it is now referred to as the Eucharistic.
Adoration Chapel. Above the altar is a stained glass window of the Nativity. The large window on the east wall depicts the death of St. Joseph in the arms of Jesus and Mary.Both windows were taken from the old wooden church formerly on this site. The smaller window above on the right is of St. Lawrence.

The altar and part of the apse wall are a mosaic of broken bits of tile assembled and inlaid by Fathers Peter and Patrick Marion priests in residence during the construction of the church.

The Windows
An appreciation of the windows and the full effect of the dome can best be viewed from the center aisle, immediately in front of the sanctuary, facing the rear of the church.
read more at: https://www.romanticasheville.com/bas...