Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption: Concrete Crown

Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption: San Francisco's Concrete Crown ⛪✨ 🌌 Space-Age Sacred Architecture This 1971 modernist marvel defies tradition with: A 198-foot hyperbolic paraboloid roof (resembling a nun's habit) 4,680 triangular glass panels flooding the nave with kaleidoscopic light No interior columns—creating a floating sanctuary effect 🎨 Divine Design Highlights 1️⃣ The Baldacchino Bronze canopy weighing 7 tons, suspended over the altar Designed to mimic God's hand blessing the congregation ✋ 2️⃣ Pipe Organ 4,500 pipes including 32-foot bass notes (shake your bones!) 🎶 3️⃣ Crypt Chapel Houses archbishops' tombs behind glowing alabaster walls 🌁 Controversy & Triumph Replaced the 1906 earthquake-ruined cathedral Critics initially called it "the washing machine agitator" Now a landmark of 20th-century religious architecture Visitor Tips: 3PM sunlight transforms the ceiling into a geometric light show Free concerts every Thursday noon (Gregorian chant to jazz) #Cathedral of Saint Mary #SF