Shrine of the Holy Relics (Part 1 The Altar)

I had another great outing today, taking pictures at the Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein. What started out as a quick outing turned into an all afternoon affair. I took over 250 pictures, not all keepers but I did get quite a few good pictures. With so much to cover, Heritage Museum, Statue Garden, Main Sanctuary, Church in the woods, Shrine of the Holy Relics and more, it will take more than one post to cover it all. I am starting the first post with the Altar of the Shrine itself. The following is from their pamphlet.

"Founded in 1875, the National Marian Shrine of Holy Relics, with 1,000 authenticated relics on display, is the second largest collection of its type in the United States.

The primary display of relics is in an altar hand-carved especially for this purpose. Five beautiful stained-glass windows imported from Munich, Germany and hand-carved woodwork adorn the Relic Chapel.

Since 1846 the Sisters of the Precious Blood have been at Maria Stein praying with and for the many guests who bring their petitions and hopes. The reality of the Communion of Saints touches all who come to this holy place of peace and hospitality."

There is not much space to move around in when it comes to taking pictures, so I had to pretty much use my wide angle lens for most of the altar shots. There is also quite a bit of glare on the glass from the stained glass windows making some shots difficult. With all the pictures I took, I some how missed getting a close up of the two side carved statues on the main altar. Another good excuse for a return trip.

On my first visit I used Black and White film. On this trip I used digital. Look for more post in the near future for more pictures.