My first photographic visit to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church wasn’t until 2014, and I regret that I didn’t start photographing this lovely building earlier. It’s just a wonderful subject. Taken at distance, classic shapes of sacred architecture layer before you while cut limestone textures add interest. Moving in close, plenty of compelling details lurk in the nooks and crannies.
St. Paul’s was founded in 1866 in downtown Indianapolis, but by the late 1930s it was clear that the church’s future lay north of the city, in what was then considered the country. The church secured a plot beyond the Indiana Central Canal on a recently built extension of North Meridian Street, Indianapolis’s main north-south street and grand thoroughfare. People were starting to move out there into newly built, early suburban neighborhoods. St. Paul’s decided that’s where it needed to serve.
St. Paul’s new building was constructed just after World War II where Meridian makes a distinctive and singular curve as it prepares to cross the White River a half mile to the north.
For a subject to be a Favorite Subject, it needs to be close to home so I can reach it easily. St. Paul’s is a short drive down Kessler Boulevard from my home. I pass it right by on my way to Broad Ripple.
I was headed to Broad Ripple, actually, the first time I photographed St. Paul’s. It was evening and light would soon run out. As I waited at the light on Kessler at Meridian I spied the church out of the corner of my eye. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed the church, of course. I’d even been inside it once, for a wedding. But that day I realized that if I just pulled in and photographed this church, I’d have more time behind my camera before light faded. And then the church offered so much to shoot that I came back again and again.
The church’s design provides lots of intersecting planes, which can create interest.
Light plays well across this church, creating beautiful shadows.
I’ve yet to explore all of this lovely church’s details.
As I was putting this post together I realized I had inadvertently created a series of photos that zoom in from this door to an iron bench that usually stands nearby.
One thing I like about photographing churches is that even though I am trespassing, strictly speaking, nobody ever seems to care. I guess I look harmless enough as a middle-aged man with an old film camera in his hands. I stay away when a church building is obviously in use, but frequently I’ve been to St. Paul’s when a few people are about and they always leave me to my photography. If anyone from St. Paul’s ever reads this, please accept my thanks!
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Last updated on 14 March 2020 by Jim Grey
There’s a very old graveyard and ruined church near Portrush that I like to frequent for photo opportunities. Beside it lies the current graveyard. For some reason, every time I’m out in the middle of the ruined part, camera in hand, a funeral procession arrives at the new part. I’ve stopped going there for a while… It looks like you’ve had better luck with your church, Jim.
Fortunately there’s no cemetery associated with this church where funeral processions could interrupt me!
This is a fascinating old church. I have seen it from the street, but that was it. Thanks for making it one of your regular subjects – there is so much more there than I had expected.
It’s a lovely building, well worth visiting.
Nice to have such an interesting subject nearby. I like the way you have presented the pictures on your blog, especially with those two fine door shots in the middle. The screen-filling images really add to quality of the presentation. I’ve been considering getting myself a large, high-res monitor because I’m so often frustrated by the limitations of standard-size displays.
Mike, I don’t think you will regret getting that improved monitor.
My monitor’s maximum resolution is 1920×1080 and it is not quite enough to display one of the portrait-orientation images completely unless I put Chrome into full-screen mode.
Very nice, I always enjoy shooting churches.
Especially nice ones like this!
I love churches too – the architecture is usually really interesting, theres loads of fascinating details and the light is always so lovely too. Your photos highlight all my favourite things in fact :)
Where you are, you have some seriously old churches! Around here, anything from before 1850 or so is considered positively ancient.