Church and Cathedral Crypts and Vaults

I found this contest incredibly hard to judge because with such a lot of the entries there is real ambiguity as to whether the shot was taken in the contest brief definition of a crypt (i.e. a substructure) or in a room or space above ground level.

In this respect I have gone with my gut feeling as to whether each entry fits the spirit of the brief and so, for example, have ruled shots of cloisters off-brief but undercrofts and cellaria as on brief. Apologies if this approach upsets anyone, it caused me to reject a lot of fine images, but I had to establish a framework for my judging process.

My winning entry depicts Sound II in the crypt of Winchester Cathedral, in my opinion one of Gormleys better and more sympathetically situated sculptures.

The light is soft, the composition pleasing and the overall colour palette harmonious. Best of all though is the partial flooding of the crypt floor which has introduced those gorgeous reflections and added greatly to the depth of the image..

Congratulations on your top spot ……

I’ve added Pecs Cathedral to my photographic bucket list on the basis of this wonderful image.

We have vaulted ceilings aplenty in English cathedrals and churches but they tend to be plain stone. Lovely therefore to see this intricately decorated ceiling in complete contrast.

Well done on your top ten placing ……

Technically second but first equal in my mind is this lovely shot taken in the crypt at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

What I especially like here is the composition with the oblique angles of the corridor walls guiding the eye to the central tomb (Lord Nelson?) and surrounding pillars.

It’s worth pointing out that this image is one of a set submitted by this photographer, all of them of a very high standard.

Congratulations on your top ten placing. ……

Wow but this is a cracker.

A great picture taken in the crypt beneath Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral and all that remains of an earlier cathedral designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 1930’s but never completed due to a lack of funds.

Apparently the crypt comprises six million bricks and from this picture that’s easy to believe.

Brick-tastic ….. well done :)

There were a great many entries showing views of the Fountains Abbey cellarium but of them all this grabbed my attention the most.

I think it’s a combination of the viewpoint, the quality of light and that contrasty BW conversion which together make for a most eye-catching image.

Well done on your top ten placing.