Doors will be unlocked this Saturday, and visitors will be given a rare glimpse into some of the very special places at St. Andrew Church in Pasadena, California as part of the church’s 125th Anniversary Year Celebration special event Art and Architecture Tour series.
The 140-foot bell tower of St. Andrew is a soaring landmark situated at the gateway to Old Pasadena. The Pasadena church completed in 1927 was modeled after two Roman basilicas built in the 5th and 6th centuries, Saint Mary in Cosmedin and Saint Sabina at the Aventine. Even today, the street-side approach to the church lends an Italian setting to the building.
The exterior borrowed inspiration from the Basilica di Santa Maria, and features a colonade entrance and ornate wrought-iron gates. The warm terra-cotta hued finish of the outer walls was achieved by applying baking soda in the finish stucco.
Inside, twenty-four marble scagliola columns line the nave in the style of the Basilica di Santa Sabina leading to the altar and spectaular murals of Carlo Wostry.
The docent-led tours will include two stops typically not open to the general public — a visit to the choir loft for a birds-eye view of the church’s interior, as well as a look into the church Baptisty. Considered the most important area in the church after the main altar, the baptistry features a native marble fountain and ornate symbolic murals under a golden dome.
Tours will be held Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 3pm. St. Andrew Catholic Church is located at 311 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena 91103.
