Inspired Church Tours

St. John Catholic Cathedral

Even though Cleveland boasts a lakefront where you’ll find space exploration and rock and roll side-by-side, it’s just as easy to steep yourself and your group in the century-old traditions, history and architecture of the city’s houses of worship, many of which offer guided tours for breathtaking and intimate views of their intricate majesty.

Downtown’s iconic Old Stone Church boasts not only four Louis C. Tiffany stained-glass creations overlooking Public Square, but a gorgeous 18-foot window created by another famed glass artisan, John La Farge.

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral’s gothic limestone exterior has been a landmark on historic Euclid Avenue since 1907, and a visit to the 114-year-old Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus in Slavic Village will inspire awe not just at its stunning sanctuary, but at its resilience and role in shaping Cleveland’s Polish-American community.

The Temple-Tifereth Israel’s Temple at University Circle houses a nationally-renowned Museum of Religious Art with more than 1,000 pieces of Judaica and Jewish art, representing one of the nation’s most comprehensive collections.

And, with so many churches to consider, if scheduling your own visits feels overwhelming, there’s also the option of letting the popular Trolley Tours of Cleveland handle the driving. Lolly the Trolley offers a day-long “Steeples and Spires” group tour of a half-dozen Cleveland churches, including the 13-domed St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the 157-year-old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. – Submitted by guest blogger John Booth

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