"All of which is a long way of saying that, to construct a new church of anatomical horror and to do so out of stone, as Al-Mehdari seems to be suggesting, is a fascinating idea. " - Body Baroque
posted by Artw on Sep 23, 2009 - 24 comments

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), is the largest church in the world¹. Completed in 1990 for about $300 million by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny - with profits skimmed from the slave labor best cocoa (chocolate) industry - in the small rural town of his birth, it sits today in the bush a vast empty palace of marble and crystal gawked at by the occasional backpacker. Among other trappings it has the only airport big enough in Africa to take the Concorde, a presidential palace with a lake stocked with scores of Sacred Caymans (crocodiles,) and a mansion next to the Basilica reserved exclusively for the Pope on visits from Rome (used once). The President enjoyed his complex for less than 3 years before dieing in 1993.
posted by stbalbach on Jan 27, 2008 - 66 comments

Virtual Reality Tours of Seven European Churches Beautiful quicktime panoramas taken inside and outside of the churches. Navigate using maps or image hotspots. I really like the Sant' Andrea Mantova, built by Alberti between 1470 and 1476.
posted by carter on Feb 26, 2005 - 4 comments

The Churchmouse: Ecclesiastical Architecture, Stained Glass, Church Monuments and other Funerary Monuments such as Cast Iron Grave Markers.
posted by monju_bosatsu on Jun 17, 2004 - 3 comments

La Catedral de Girona - visit this Gothic masterpiece on the Costa Brava through a flash exhibition that affords a fascinating exploration of internal and external architectural details, stained glass, artwork, sepulchres, and more. Be sure to take the visit and don't miss the famous Tapestry of Creation.
(found at MeFi member Zootoon's wonderful blog by the same name - lots of great treasures there too!)
posted by madamjujujive on Feb 25, 2003 - 14 comments

The Ossuary in Sedlec in the Czech Republic is a chapel, built around 1511, decorated in 1870 by a local woodcutter. His material? Human bones.
posted by fidelity on Apr 19, 2002 - 13 comments

Amy Hughes spent a lot of time building a church. For her cat. Out of legos.
posted by donkeysuck on Apr 18, 2002 - 52 comments