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Thursday, August 15, 2013

Religious Sights and Destinations in Seattle

By Marie Clemmons


Seattle's range of religious landmarks reflect the variety and uniqueness of its residents. There is actually lots to entertain across the town, but don't lose out on the gorgeous and historic destinations that are the religious sites in Seattle.

Seattle Betsiun Buddhist Temple

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

The Chapel of St. Ignatius

As among the spiritual landmarks in Seattle, this little Catholic chapel has won 1 or 2 awards for it's striking modern design. The simple light coloured steel exterior is meant to echo the look of historical Roman structures. The inside has windows and interesting architectural angles which play with the contrast of light and dark, or what St. Ignatius called "consolations and desolations". The building's architectural designer was Steven Holl who designed different parts of the chapel to glow in coloured light at different 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 temple is that its cellar was the location of Jimi Hendrix's first professional gig. The building itself has a 1960's space-age look to its design. The building today holds a huge store of Jewish books and films.

St. Spiridon Orthodox Cathedral

The congregation that attended the 1st service at this cathedral in 1895 was a mix of Russian, Greek and Serbian immigrants. The religious site later assisted Russian refugees fleeing the Bolshevik revolution. The building itself has striking bright blue domes in the iconic onion-shape that stand bold against Seattle's rainy, grey skies. The regular services are held in English but with liturgy done regularly in Slavonic languages too. 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 outside of the Monastery is painted in reds and yellows and inside are one or two meditation rooms and statues. The monastery is open to the public for meditation sometimes. They also offer free classes and lectures,e.g. easy Tibetan language courses.




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