Close to 100 years old, St. Matthews Catholic Church can be recognized for being an architectural gem, at the very least. I visited the church and grounds as part of the the city-wide Art Walk this month and was surprised to see how pretty the inside of this church is. The church building alone is a work of art, from the columns and sculptures to the stained glass and curved ceilings, it is one of the most beautiful buildings downtown.
I'm not into any sort of religion, however, I did go to Catholic school as a child and was able to recognize the various saints and religious elements that are depicted in this church. The staff that was there helping to organize the church's participation in our city's Art Walk were not overbearing and seemed very friendly and encouraged people to hang out, enjoy the art on display, look around the church and listen to the impromptu violin recital going on. By the way, the violinists were excellent! Along with the art display and music, they had a small reception going on for everyone attending. Again, no pressure to join or learn more about the church, but they were willing to answer any questions if anyone had them.
If I wanted information on the church, they had some, including activities and a pamphlet detailing the history of the church, from its formation and earliest congregation to its architect and the construction of the building. From the information provided, it appears the church was constructed from elements hauled overseas from Europe and the church was then built in its current location. Wow.
They seem like they're the newest participants in Art Walk. I had always been curious about this church and had no idea what it looked like other than from an exterior appearance, so it was nice to see it for a change.
I guess since I did attend Catholic school in my youth, that made me feel a bit more at home in visiting this church because I was more familiar with the tenets of Catholicism than other religions, although I don't consider myself a religious person, but I did feel comfortable hanging out here during Art Walk and will probably go back for another Art Walk reception just to see what they're up to. read more