One of the Oldest U.S. Cathedrals

Yesterday we walked around San Antonio.  We stopped at the oldest cathedral in Texas--my Google searching this morning reveals that it's not only the first cathedral in Texas, but the first church of any kind in Texas, and one of the oldest cathedrals in the U.S.

In many ways, it reminded me of the historic church in Saint Augustine, which is no surprise.  They were both built by Spanish Catholics, both built a long time ago.  The church in St. Augustine is much older, but it's not a cathedral, so it has different historic claims than the San Antonio cathedral we saw yesterday.

I was interested in the cathedral for all the historic reasons.  There I stood, in front of a crypt that holds the remains of some of the heroes of the Alamo, Bowie and Crockett and others:

But I was also fascinated that the sanctuary had various Lenten elements:

I assume that these columns are not always adorned this way, with crowns of thorns and purple cloth draped through them.  I was also struck by this focal point to the side of the altar, the whole and broken pots and the purple cloth:

I know that the church is not just a historic artifact.  I assume that there's a regular congregation that gathers there to worship.  It's wonderful that someone is paying attention to the liturgical seasonal details that can enrich the worship experience.