Description
The delay-addled construction on ‘St John the Unfinished’ began in 1892 in Romanesque style, was put on hold for a Gothic Revival redesign in 1911, then ground to a halt in 1941, when the US entered World War II. It resumed in earnest in 1979, but a fire in 2001 destroyed the church’s gift shop and damaged two 17th-century Italian tapestries, which has delayed completion further. In addition to Sunday services, the cathedral hosts concerts and tours. It bills itself as a place for all people—and it means it. Annual events include both winter and summer solstice celebrations; the Blessing of the Animals during the Feast of St Francis, which draws pets and their people from all over the city; and, would you believe it, the Blessing of the Bikes, which kicks off the bicycle season each spring.