The Shrine of the Little Flower Again

There are some places I don't mind visiting over and over again.  Some of them are cool like the zoo, some of them contain ships like the Detroit River, and some of them are interesting.  The Shrine of the Little Flower fits into the third category.  I'm not a particularly religious person but I do like religious buildings.  It seems like when you are building something to honor your diety, you do your best.  The Shrine of the Little Flower is no exception.

I decided to visit there tonight because I like overcast skies for taking flower pictures.  It makes the light more subdued and seems to bring the flower colors out more.

Apparently, I've been getting this statue wrong.  It is a statue of St. Therese of Liseux. 

I think this is a blue flag iris, but I'm not sure.  I do like the purples and the yellows though.

Another flower.

Another one.

I think I like this one the best.

A shot of the Therese statue from a little ways out.

A closeup of her face.

I kind of liked the way the plants obscured the statue a little bit.

I have no idea what kind of flower this is.

I was trying to get a reflection of his face in the plate.  I didn't quite work out though.

The shrine itself.  The church was built on Protestant land and apparently some folks didn't like the presence of a Catholic church there, so they left a burning cross.  The priest decided to make a cross out of concrete because it was one they couldn't burn.

The details on this structure are amazing.  I really love the centurion.

Looking up at the crucifix.

Some friezes of some angels.

I think this is the first time I've gotten a picture of one of the church doors.

Another shot of the tower.  I tried to get the flowering plant at the bottom in the picture.

One of the flowers on that tree.

Looking almost straight up at Jesus.

Another of the details on the building.

I think this is supposed to be St. Therese, but I'm not sure.

Looking up at the cross from an angle.

I wanted to get a shot of the centurion towering over you.

A closeup of his face.

I think I like this one a little better.

I think this is a chapel.

Another angle.  I thought the reflection of the cup would be more pronounce.

The little garden with the statue of St. Therese.

A closeup of her.

One more shot of the iris.