I am definitely on a mission to see as many of the beautiful churches, cathedrals, and basilica in the world as I possibly can! So, having come to Baltimore to see the Walters museum I had to carve out an extra half day to visit this very famous basilica. It is the first cathedral built in America.

And I was surprised by the architecture.

Just about every cathedral in the world is designed and built in the Gothic style. And for good reason. The gothic style is profoundly beautiful and intimately tied together with the Catholic church. So many of it's churches and cathedrals are built in the gothic style regardless of the time period they actually were built in.

It was built between 1806 and 1821 and it is in the neo classical style. And do you get the feeling that it has a similar feel to the White House in Washington DC? You feeling is warranted because the designer of this basilica was Benjamin Henry Latrobe who was the primary architect of the U.S. capitol under Thomas Jefferson.

I spent a bit of time talking with the volunteer docent of this beautiful cathedral and he was very insightful. He also took me downstairs to the undercroft of the building. And I was blown away. There is something almost magical about the undercroft that lies beneath this cathedral. It's right out of a movie. I have a picture or two of that for you. But first we take a look at the outside and the inside.

The Undercroft

1. The Walters Museum - which included a whole bunch of wonderful things including the illuminated manuscripts, a 17 century Flemish chamber of wonders, and a great exhibition of Medieval arms and armor.

2. The Edgar Allan Poe House (And his grave site) -

3. The famous Graffiti Alley - This was an unexpected surprise for me.

4. Overview of my trip to Baltimore - Includes lots of pictures, observations and my opinion on the city

5. The Peabody Library - They do not build libraries like this anymore.

6. Overview of Baltimore and my stay there -