Sunday, August 18, 2013

Religious Destinations Across Seattle

By Marie Clemmons


Seattle's range of religious landmarks reflect the diversity and uniqueness of its citizens. There's actually plenty to amuse across the town, but don't lose out on the lovely and historic locations that are the religious sites in Seattle.

Betsiun Buddhist Temple Seattle

This temple was dedicated in 1941 and is part of the Chinatown Historic District. The temple hosts a Buddhist holiday called Bon Odori every July. The building itself features refined Asian architectural features such as ornate doors and curled roof edges.

The Chapel of St. Ignatius

As among the spiritual landmarks in Seattle, this tiny Catholic chapel has won one or two awards for it's striking modern design. The straightforward light colored steel exterior is supposed to echo the look of historical Roman structures. The inside has windows and angles that play with the contrast of shadows and light, or what St. Ignatius called "consolations and desolations". The building's architect was Steven Holl who designed different parts of the chapel to glow in colored light at various times of the day.

Temple De Hirsch Sinai

The temple has some of the most unusual history of Seattle religious landmarks. In 1971 the Temple De Hirsch and the Temple Sinai were merged. A peculiar fact about the church is that its basement was the site of Jimi Hendrix's first professional gig. The building itself has a 1960's space-age look to its architecture. The building today holds a massive store of Jewish films and books.

St. Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral

The congregation that attended the first service at this cathedral in 1895 was a mix of Greek, Serbian and Russian immigrants. The spiritual site later aided Russian refugees fleeing the Bolshevik revolution. The building itself has striking bright blue domes in the classic onion-shape that stand bold against Seattle's stormy, gray skies. The regular services are held in English but with liturgy done frequently in Slavonic languages also. Today the cathedral is home to a Russian Orthodox church.

The Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism

This is likely one of the brightest religious landmarks in Seattle. The exterior is painted in reds and yellows and inside are a few meditation rooms and statues. The priory is open to the general public for meditation on occasion. The Sakrya Monastery also offer free classes and lectures, for example straightforward Tibetan language courses.




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