As an Atlanta wedding photographer, I get to shoot at some amazing locations. As some of you may know I am involved in historic preservation and I love historic venues. This week we are going to cover some of my favorite historic places of worship in Atlanta. I hope you enjoy this little tour as much as I do.
First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, was founded in 1848’. The large church building designed by W. T. Downing and E. C. Wachendorf was completed. A fusion of Romanesque and Gothic style, the red-brown hued stone sanctuary stands just north of the High Museum on Peachtree Street. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 29th, 2020. The church has many missions on its campus. One of the longest continually-running preschools, they feed 250 homeless guest breakfast on Sundays and they have a place where they can provide up to 12 women with support through the Women's Transformation Center. They also have two chapels for weddings and many places to take photos during your wedding day.
The Temple, established in 1860 to serve the needs of the German-Jewish immigrants, is the only non-Christian historic house of worship in Midtown. The neoclassical Temple was designed by noted Atlanta classicist Philip Trammell Shutze in 1931. While dramatically scaled back from the pre-Depression plans, the sanctuary takes cues from Venetian churches Shutze saw while studying in Rome. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, The Temple was a center for civil rights advocacy. Its civil rights role was one of the central themes in the movie Driving Miss Daisy.
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, founded in 1905 was the first sanctuary of the congregation located downtown. It started out as a mission congregation. The present location in Midtown, built of Tennessee quartzite and Indiana limestone, is a quasi-Gothic sanctuary featuring sleek lines and almost Art Deco massing that belies its 1952 completion. It is a beautiful church that is centrally located next to the Georgian Terrace, where your out of town guest can stay, and right across the street from the Fox Theatre, where you can hold your reception. It is a large church with many opportunities for wedding photos inside and out.
Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, dates back to 1840s, making it the oldest church in north Georgia and Atlanta's first Catholic church. Construction on the building at Central Avenue and MLK, Jr. Drive, just south of Underground Atlanta, commenced following the Civil War and finished in 1873. Heavily damaged in a fire in 1982, the building was reconstructed to the original design by W. H. Parkins. The details within the church are stunning. There is stained glass in the balcony surrounded by the magnificent pipe organ which gives your wedding a feeling of grandeur. The sanctuary has large arches that rise to the tall ceiling. The staff are so gracious! I have worked with Monsignor Henry Gracz on several weddings. He is so thoughtful and accommodating.
The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral was started in 1905. The congregation first started meeting on the second floor of a sporting goods store. Its members then relocated to a Presbyterian Church and then a Jewish Temple until they raised enough funds to build their own facility on Clairmont Road. The church is based on the Byzantine style of architecture. There are two sanctuaries. A small intimate sanctuary located next to the business offices and a large sanctuary which you see from the road and is connected to the reception area and kitchen. Which is where they make all the goodies for the Greek Festival they have there every year. The sanctuary has a hand painted ceiling and walls with beautiful stained glass accents.
Thanks for checking out this Atlanta wedding photographers blog! I hope you enjoyed the read and that it inspired you to check out more of the many fascinating wedding traditions from around the world. Make sure you keep coming back to see what the Atlanta wedding photographers at Atlanta Artistic Weddings are up to! If you’d like to contact me go to the contact page and drop me a line at https://www.atlantaartisticweddings.com/contact-atlanta-wedding-photographer. I would love to hear from you!
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