A Presbyterian Church That Rivals the Splendor of Catholic Cathedrals?

[@SoybeanAK]

Jay has the driest humor of any southerner I can recall. What a fascinating tour, and how I wish we had access to more history like this in North America!

[@Scott-ze5fb]

The apostles Cread came from Catholic Church, founded by Christ ,through Peter & the apostles ‼️😁

[@user-wo7rz3yn4o]

This guy knows how to look for the good and not what he might not agree with or consider bad. Most of us could certainly learn a thing or two from this fine Christian man.

[@octoberfog]

Thank you for putting this Church on my radar! Because of this video, I knew to look for Memorial Presbyterian when I visited St Augustine last week. So cool.

[@anthonyhulse1248]

There’s lots of Protestant churches that rival the splendour of Catholic Churches in England. Henry VIII stole them from the Catholics.

[@samuelmurphy7943]

Then oppressed us into not being able to build anything

[@samuelmurphy7943]

Then oppressed us into not being able to build anything

[@samuelmurphy7943]

Then oppressed us into not being able to build anything

[@samuelmurphy7943]

Then oppressed us into not being able to build anything

[@samuelmurphy7943]

Then oppressed us into not being able to build anything

[@elpatron6537]

As a faithful Catholic I absolutely love your Videos. Very informative and unbiased.

[@johnm.hudson7867]

Good stuff. Love that church. Took my nonagenarian mother there for Easter worship in 2014 and was impressed. The architectural style actually is called "Venetian Gothic." Most characteristic are the pointed "Arabian-style" arches on the entrances. (The inspiration is Middle Eastern; Venice was very much identified with the Byzantine East, and before the Reformation you would have noticed there closer worship patterns and parallels with Orthodoxy.) If you go to the main square of St. Augustine and cross the street to Trinity Parish Church, you'll see the Venetian Gothic arch replicated on its front entrance; it became a standard St. Augustine feature. (Remember the historic ties between Venice and St. Augustine: the Bridge of Lions across the Matanzas River; the many, many pieces of "lion art" in both cities.) As for the closest copy to the Memorial Church, it's plain that the inspiration for it was the basilica of St. Mark in Venice.

[@redeemedzoomer6053]

This is what I keep telling people! We Presbyterians have some of the most beautiful Churches and music (unless you're PCA lol, that looks more Baptistic)

[@popcornchicken6750]

I go to a pca church nearby and it really is just like a auditorium lol, I might visit this church sometime but I believe it’s woman pastors so idk how liberal it is

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Agreed. I like the castley look of old Presbyterian churches. That said, this one is exceptional by the standards of any tradition.

[@redeemedzoomer6053]

@@MattWhitmanTMBH oh absolutely! Thank you so much more covering a PCUSA church in a positive light and highlighting what’s good about it, given the unfortunate reality of our denomination.

[@xxrandmlinksxxbruh2419]

@@redeemedzoomer6053I love your KZbin channel i was wondering if you could make a video about bible translations starting with Vulgate to the modern ones. Also the ones you prefer to use

[@sameash3153]

The architecture is okay but the iconoclasm is repugnant to the spirit. Your denomination hates beauty.

[@jLjtremblay]

You ALWAYS do such an incredible job, Matt. Many thanks!

[@vx5468]

I loved this tour and the history. Thank you.

[@cindymccafferty8346]

There’s a reason why those old churches have high domed ceilings. We didn’t have microphones and sound systems in 1960-1970. Pastors learned in seminary to throw their voices in that big church. The old retired pastors can still throw their voices when the sound system goes out. When we practiced singing or the Christmas play, we parochial school kids were told to speak loudly so even the mother in the back row with the crying baby could hear us. The high ceilings were designed for amplification. Music sounds wonderful in these churches, of course, but the main purpose was for the hearing of the Word.

[@MO-bo2du]

Very interesting. I'm a graduate of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School so there is clearly a family connection of some kind here. You've got me Googling this church now.

[@MO-bo2du]

In case anyone reading this is interested... the connection is to Henry's 3rd wife who in the video it mentions is buried in North Carolina instead of the empty tomb originally intended for her at this church. She inherited most of his fortune after his death. Her father and brothers were UNC alumni, so she (and her descendants) became prolific donors to the school, and eventually the business school was named in their honor. Very interesting. I had no idea the "Flager" in the name was also basically the founder of Miami!

[@Fawngdaw]

Thank you for giving us these tours!

[@srice6231]

Wow, that is so cool and so beautiful!

[@Jeffrey-Flys]

Great tour… we wandered around/near there in March (23) and wondered about some of these details and connections. Peace out

[@danielwilliamson1577]

If youre still in florida, you should try to see the Greek Orthodox church in Tarpon Springs. Its a little Greek town on the Gulf Coast so you could argue its the most "Greek" Greek Orthodox Church. If you're ever in east Alabama, there is a really nice southern baptist church called Parker Memorial Baptist that is built in a Gothic style. Its a really building, looks very Catholic. Its a cool juxtaposition between the architectural style and the traditional southern baptist style you would think of.

[@KomodoVistas]

Reminds me how I visited the a church in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, built by the aristocrat Stroganov family (yes the same one the dish is named after). Such a shift in mentality of our rich; where they used to build beautiful churches but now do secular faceless philanthropy.

[@leviwilliams9601]

Jesus has his vicor. Its his church. Not a random Pope. Definitely not a heretical pope. My family will be built on his word.

[@TheRealWilliamWhite]

The rich used to build churches because they knew it would last and be symbol of their wealth long after they were dust.

[@zachsmith8916]

I’ve been there and it’s just stunning.

[@kmrbsc]

entertained and educated again. Thanks Matt

[@BlueNutella_]

First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia is a gorgeous church among many here in Philly. Beautiful gothic architecture, but feels distinctly English and castle-like.

[@BrendaBoykin-qz5dj]

Thank you, Brother Matt🌹⭐🌹

[@CocoBella88]

absolutely beautiful inside 🤩

[@GrumpyForester]

Looking forward to Part Deux or 2 or whatever. This was fascinating and I'm willing to bet that the next part will be equally so....

[@KimtheElder]

I wanted more. Thank you all involved 😊😊😊

[@pkmcnett5649]

Sounds as if he will be doing two more on this church.

[@voz805]

Thank you for another interesting tour of a church in another part of our country. I looked up that the copper dome and marble floors come from Italy. I'm sure the church has air conditioning but not back when it was built so I can see how the gray and white interior would make the congregants feel cooler. The inside is as beautiful as the outside.

[@M0M...]

I love your video so much Matt. Thank you

[@richardpetervonrahden6393]

Thank you for a fascinating tour of a remarkable place of worship.

[@barrywalsh7926]

Matt, Have you been to St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh? St Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, has been a working church for almost 900 years. A backdrop to Scotland’s turbulent religious history, it has seen the seeds of civil war sown and been John Knox’s parish church during the Reformation. It is still an important centre for civic services such as the Kirking of the Parliament and services for Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.

[@matthewlivergood9624]

You should try to do a tour of a Old Congregational Church in New England that still has pew boxes. I don't know if you would do a Unitarian Universalist Church, but First Church Of Lancaster in Lancaster MA has a bell that was made by Paul Reviere, the one who did the Midnight ride. There is also Old Ship Church which is still in the shape of an old meeting house, and the oldest standing church in New England. There is the Old Round Church in Richmond VT too.

[@matthewlivergood9624]

If you do First Church Of Lancaster, you need to talk about Mary Rowlandson, the wife of the first minister. She was captured in a raid that burned the town to the ground during King Phillips war. She wrote about living as a Native American captive.

[@Rose19695]

Beautiful church!

[@Steve-Duh-Rino]

Good Presbyterian series. I was raised Presbyterian. My childhood church was simpler than this one. It was built in the mid-1800’s and the interior would fall under the ‘simply elegant’ interior style (just made style up 🤓)

[@stopyraful]

This is the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, built in memory of Jenny Louise Benedict, Henry Flagler’s daughter, who died on the high seas en route to Florida. Both she and Henry Flagler are interred in the crypt inside the church. Built in 1890, Flagler stipulated he wanted the church to be associated with the Presbyterian Church in the North. Henry Flagler, a founder of Standard Oil, also built the Ponce De Leon hotel next door to,the church which today is Flagler College. Organists may be interested to know that the first organ was built by Hilborn Roosevelt and was replaced by an Aeolian Skinner organ in 1970.

[@bgp001]

Have you visited the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis?

[@Cjinglaterra]

That's a really neat building.

[@RichardDCook]

At least here in Southern California the splendor or lack thereof of a church building varies according to when the church was built, not denomination. We have numerous churches from a range of denominations built c1880 to c1930 that have that old High Church look with ornate stonework, woodwork, and stained glass. The very opposite are the huge number of Southern California Catholic churches built in the 1950s, all built to the same plain, a big utterly plain rectangle of brick, looking like a High School gym, with those high narrow plain windows that you use that long pole thing to open and close. BTW with Catholic churches a "Cathedral" isn't a certain type or style of building, it's the church within a Diocese where the Bishop resides. The only difference from any other church building is that the Cathedral has a dedicated chair where the Bishop sits. (The word "cathedral" means "chair".)

[@RichardDCook]

@@marym.338 I felt I had to comment because his phrase "the splendor of Catholic Cathedrals" implies that a Cathedral is an unusually splendid style of church building. Here in the Diocese of Orange County the Cathedral for a half-century was a plain brick rectangle like all the other 1950s Catholic churches here. Only the Bishop's chair made it different. Now we do have an unusually splendid Cathedral, a Protestant nondenominational church that the Pastor specified in his will must be sold to someone who intended to use it as a church building. Thus even though the Catholic dioceses' bid wasn't the highest, the highest bid was from a local College who intended to use the building as a secular auditorium.

[@accountnumber90]

Say Matt, you may enjoy Hodges Chapel on the campus of Samford University. It's a nondenominational Protestant chapel, but it is very striking and very much unlike most Protestant spaces.

[@Jofsaxony]

I believe it is probably a visual representation of "come follow me." At which point, anyone accepting the hand, would be forgiven.

[@Anon.5216]

No Altar???? This is a mausoleum. I would hate to go to a church seeing something like that.

[@awake3083]

Wow, very beautiful.

[@juliachristine9412]

Absolutely gorgeous ❤❤

[@maryduggins]

My hometown! I hope you got to enjoy a day walking around George Street and grabbed yourself a Hyppo Popsicle!

[@georgeallen7887]

Recommend the Unitarian church in Fairhaven Massachusetts. Look it up if you would.

[@fuferito]

I visited an Orthodox church in Toronto once where the curator explained it was once a Synagogue. This building was, most likely, an Orthodox church, and when the demographic in the neighborhood changed, another faith took it over. There are other examples I know about; it happens all the time in a dynamic city.

[@pkmcnett5649]

This was NOT the case here. It was built ground up as a Presbyterian Church.

[@jgiaq]

Memorial Pres was commissioned by Henry Flagler to be a Presbyterian Church from the beginning. Architecture-wise, it obviously leans very heavily East.

[@cristinamz2137]

I had the video on mute and when I saw you looking behind the door I was wondering if you were looking for a holy water font... 😊So listen, I love the beauty of this building. But I must tell you and clarify the following: When Catholics build churches they do it in honor of GOD and FOR GOD through one of His Saints/Martyrs always with Our Lord Jesus at the front and Center (Crucifix/ tabernacle). We do not build our churches as *memorials to ourselves and our families*. Personally, I do not think a person merits that honor unless they have given up EVERYTHING for a lifetime of service to the Lord and His calling (like Catholic priests do by sacrificing marriage to a woman and having children to instead be married to The Church ). But to me it seems like the person who built this church dedicated his entire life to the accumulation of wealth and accumulated so much of it that he decided to literally build his own church, and while at it, copied the style and elegance of a Catholic Cathedral, in contradiction to true Protestant principles of imagery and representative art.

[@jbullforg]

This is really cool

[@sarco64]

If you have the opporunity, you should visit the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, another architectural masterpiece, in Pittsburgh, PA.

[@johngleich1379]

I was just in St. Augustine this summer, but I can't place the location of this church. Is it very near Flagler?

[@WC3isBetterThanReforged]

You should your 1st presbyterian church in oklahoma city. It's a beautiful gothic revival church.

[@beansfartable]

Very good

[@joejones363]

Matt, if you would like to see a very impressive Gothic Presbyterian church, you should google East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA.

[@roseg1333]

I like the 500 year old Catholic church in St Augustine better 😅😊😊

[@patrickdean4853]

It could be mistaken as a Catholic Church by a non Catholic, sure… but there are many quick giveaways that it is anything but.

[@stormythelowcountrykitty7147]

For the algorithm

[@carolynfiore3216]

If you hadn’t said it was Presbyterian, I’d have guessed Anglican. I’m curious as to what leg of Presbyterianism this congregation is. Thanks!!!

[@gingerquinn4263]

Is there any Baptist church that looks like a catholic cathedral sbc

[@honeysimon838]

Protestants do build beautiful Churches and worship the one true God. They just need to be in communion with his Vicar and mother Church.

[@whatsgoingonwhy9096]

That was definitely a stag and not a heart drinking the water.

[@FlexxibleFree]

Ah, man, I love your vids, but when I get hit with religious ads it always rubs me the wrong way, so I have to comment this. They are so weird and most of them are also predatory

[@iwontliveinfear]

As a person who grew up in a community with a large Jewish presence, that is clearly NOT a menorah. It has 2 fewer candles.

[@charliek2557]

PCUSA?

[@robsunners]

You got it.

[@marcusmariemoylan]

They used to be Catholic Churches

[@jicf460]

Wow amazing. It may rival the New York St. Patrick Cathedral 😊

[@cristinamz2137]

hmmmm Okay.

[@lorihoard2265]

“Number 12 doesn’t come up often in Christianity... in the OT... it’s just random”?? What about the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles?

[@zachpw]

Haha that was his joke

[@jacobshepard654]

aside from it being a joke but who do you think the 24 elders are in revelation….. 12+12=24. theres no such thing as coincidence when it comes to God .

[@jacobshepard654]

also revelation is a revelation to the old testament prophecies. hence the name. 24 elders are the 12 tribes of israel (old). the 12 apostles (new) literally this “♾️”.

[@jacobshepard654]

revelation 1 references the prophets and the psalms. remember what christ said? “EVERYTHING about ME in the Law, Prophets, and psalms MUST be fulfilled.” at the cross he fulfilled the law. hence why man is no longer bound to it but should heed it. only really the Law and isaiah 53 was fulfilled. Daniel 7 has not fully happened yet. neither has all of revelation. revelation 1:1 off the bat states: The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. again not all of the prophets prophecies have not taken place yet. neither have the psalms only “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and another one i cant remember off the top of my head

[@georgeallen7887]

Matt doesn’t need to be so apologetic, for almost everything.

[@gazoontight]

Interesting. But why would you wear shorts to a church, even one that isn't your belief?

[@TheRealWilliamWhite]

Is your God so impotent that short pants offend them and prevent them from enacting their plan? Because mine is not.

[@gazoontight]

@@marym.338 Maybe he made up one just for himself.

[@jennyredbeans]

Must be a “reformed” church

[@ivandinsmore6217]

I am shocked that they have a Stars and Stripes flag in a Church😮😮😮

[@loriw.9653]

Back in the day, most churches had the American Flag displayed.

[@jeffkardosjr.3825]

?

[@tigerboy1966]

Lots of old Anglican churches in England have the Royal Arms prominently displayed. I think it was actually compulsory at one time.

[@pkmcnett5649]

Why? 😂 All the churches I have attended/and do attend have American flags in the front. Not unusual at all. They were all Protestant churches.

[@zachsmith8916]

That’s not unusual at in the U.S.

[@maxhess3151]

The candelabra is a menorah. Much of the imagery in that church is Jewish. That's OK.