A Place in Time
莫宇一方2

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is very close to my department building, Poetter Hall os SCAD, and is my favorite church in town. The Catholic Church in Savannah was established in 1796, and in 1850 the Diocese of Savannah was created. Construction on the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist began in 1873 on it current site; the building was dedicated in 1876 and completed in 1896. However, just as short as two years after, the cathedral was nearly destroyed by fire in 1898 and was rebuilt in 1899. In December 2000, after nearly three years of restoration work, the cathedral was rededicated, as it shines on Savannah's skyline. As the highest building in downtown, the cathedral is the most visited site among all other attractions.

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist聖受洗約翰大教堂是Savannah最具代表性的教堂建築之一，由於地點位於我系館附近，就成為我最常拍攝的教堂。這座教堂是在1799年Savannah市長將建地預定為尊崇聖受洗者約翰的教堂用地。1850年Savannah成立主教教區，經過數任主教，經歷過數次搬遷，才在1873年決定在此處建造大教堂。
從1876年動工，到了1896才蓋好這座法國哥德式的天主教堂。1898年歷經一場大火，這座教堂幾乎全毀（美國南方建築材料因物料來源，以木材為主，容易毀於火災），當時消防人員正在別處救火，根本無力分心。後1899年地方人士開始策劃重建，1900年大主教正式授命這次重建工作，到了1920年才又重新啟用。
數次整建和修繕的工作從1959年開始，到了2000年完工，這座教堂才有現在這樣美侖美奐的面貌，距離Savannah建立主教教區正好150年，也正好是正式開始重建100週年紀念。
這座教堂因為採用哥德式的設計，高度和結構可說是當地之最，大老遠就可以看到尖尖的雙塔，矗立在這座古意盎然的花園城市之中。
我在拍這些照片的時候，適逢六點敲鐘時間，洪亮的鐘聲灌入耳中，真是令人心境平和。另首張的流泉在燈光照射之下，流成一道銀河，其中閃閃數顆水珠是閃光燈打出來的。