Christmas Church Tour

Today was the day for Franklin's first annual Historic Church Tours and Caroling Walk.

Six sanctuaries were open to the public from 1:30-4:30 for free tours, and carolers were singing from church to church throughout the afternoon, if you so choose to participate in that. 

I headed up to Franklin with Seth while Seth headed to Columbus with Steubenville High School's marching band for the state championship game (they ended up losing 31-28).

My mom and I decided to do the church tour and opted to go at our own pace, rather than with a group of carolers. I felt we were on borrowed time with Seth who would be needing a nap at some point in the afternoon.

The first church we stopped at was the First Presbyterian. I didn't take any pictures here, but the style of it reminded me of St. Patrick Church, my home parish. I was surprised to see the writers of the gospels portrayed in the stained glass, but it was interesting to note that they appear on the same plane as Jesus. The Virgin Mary was also depicted, on the same plane as Jesus as well. In Catholic Churches, Jesus is elevated.

Our second stop was the Free Methodist Church (images 1, 2, and 3 above). This tiny church was absolutely adorable, and the first St. Patrick's. The parishioners of St. Patrick's used this building from 1865 for just a couple years before it was bought and relocated to it's current location on Buffalo Street by the Free Methodists. This church's footprint (foundation) is still visible in the current St. Patrick's basement. This building was definitely reminiscent of a Catholic Church, but don't tell that to the Methodists. This church also had coffee and cookies for anyone stopping in on the tour. 

The Methodists certainly know how to feed to the people, since there were nice treats at both of the Methodist (one Free, one United) churches in town.

Image 4 is of St. John's Episcopal Church. The Church was open, but not a soul in sight when we made our way there. The sanctuary itself was dark. The light was streaming through the Tiffany stained glass windows so that was a sight. This church is open for tours during Applefest so people can learn the history and admire the beauty of the windows. I told Sal I'd like to take that tour one of these years. Now, all that being said, the windows are pretty amazing to see, but they're not stained glass in the sense that I think of stained glass. They're more painted or mural-like in appearance.

We had the most thorough tour of a church at the Baptist church (Images 5 and 6). This was Charles Miller's church during the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was a well-known businessman and philanthropist in Franklin. This church is huge. You can tell it's big from the outside, but until you go in, the expanse of it is just incredible. Image 6 is part of the original sanctuary, but it's been sectioned off and is now a rec area. I took this picture because I thought it looked so pretty decorated for Christmas.

Our next stop was St. Patrick's. A little out of order, but it's image 8 above. This is my home parish and where my parents belong. Sal and I were married in here in 2013 on that very altar. Since we got married the day before the season of Advent the church was sparsely decorated, much like it is in this photo. The other churches were adorned with Christmas trees and lights already, but Catholics have four weeks of waiting and preparation in anticipation of Christ's birth. I hope that was explained to groups as they came in.

The last church we toured was the United Methodist church. It was more ornate and bigger than I had expected. Despite it's size it also felt quite homey, which I attributed to the buttery yellow walls. This is image 7. The pipe organ was a focal point here, just like in the Baptist church (image 5). The pews are situated auditorium style so that each row sits a little higher than the next as you work your way back from the altar. There is also a balcony with additional sloped seating. We received a thorough tour and enjoyed grapes, cheese, and crackers on our way out the door.

My mom and I enjoyed our afternoon touring the churches. I imagine next year will see some improvement in the organization of the tours, but it was a really nice event. In a couple weeks we plan to tour the mansions of Miller Park (remember Charles Miller from the Baptist church?), as the homeowners decorate and open their houses to the public. I hope to post lots of pictures following that event as well.