Wender·Vista
St. Philomena's Cathedral
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIndia
in Mysuru, the old royal city of southern Karnataka

St. Philomena's Cathedral

— twin spires against the southern sky.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A neo-Gothic Catholic cathedral on the north side of Mysuru, the old royal city of southern Karnataka. Built between 1933 and 1941 under the Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, with twin spires that rise about 175 feet over the surrounding gardens. The architect drew on Cologne's profile for the silhouette and on French Gothic glass for the long windows that fill the nave.

from the studio
St. Philomena's Cathedral
— bring it home

St. Philomena's Cathedral, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about St. Philomena's Cathedral

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

St. Philomena's Cathedral stands on the north side of Mysuru in Karnataka, the second-largest city of the old Wadiyar kingdom and now a city of about 1.2 million. The cornerstone of the present cathedral was laid in 1933 by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, on the site of an earlier 1843 church built for the small Catholic community of the former Mysore State. The cathedral was consecrated in 1941 and serves as the seat of the Diocese of Mysore. It is counted among the tallest church buildings in India.

— the stone

The architecture is neo-Gothic, designed by a French architect named Daly to a brief that asked for the Cologne Cathedral profile in miniature. Twin spires rise about 175 feet above the cruciform nave, each crowned with an open lantern and a small cross. The walls are local grey granite and brick under plaster, with long lancet windows of stained glass filling the side aisles and a crypt beneath the high altar holding the relic of Saint Philomena. The interior columns are slender, painted white, and run the length of the nave to the apse.

— the visit

The cathedral is open daily for prayer and quiet visits, typically from early morning through evening Mass, and there is no entry fee. Mass is celebrated in English, Kannada, and Tamil at different hours through the week, with the schedule posted at the main doors. The cathedral sits about three kilometres north of the Mysuru Palace and is reached on foot or by auto-rickshaw in about ten minutes. Modest dress is expected. The grounds and the crypt stay quiet through the middle of the day, with most weddings booked for weekend mornings.

— informed by Diocese of Mysore
— where
India · Mysuru, Karnataka
— position
12.3199° N · 76.6553° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
3 km S
Mysuru Palace
royal palace
8 km SE
Chamundi Hill
temple hill
19 km NW
Brindavan Gardens
garden and dam
N
St. Philomena's Cathedral
Mysuru Palace
Chamundi Hill
Brindavan Gardens
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about St. Philomena's Cathedral — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The cornerstone was laid in 1933 by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, on the site of an earlier 1843 church. The design was drawn by a French architect named Daly and the cathedral was consecrated in 1941.

The twin neo-Gothic spires rise about 175 feet above the cruciform nave, each crowned with a small lantern and cross. It is counted among the tallest church buildings in India.

Neo-Gothic, with a brief that asked for the Cologne Cathedral profile in miniature. Long lancet windows of stained glass fill the side aisles, and slender white columns run the length of the nave.

Yes. A relic associated with Saint Philomena, the early Christian martyr venerated since her tomb was identified in the Roman catacombs in 1802, is kept in the crypt beneath the high altar.

The cathedral is open daily for prayer and quiet visits, typically from early morning through evening Mass. There is no entry fee. Modest dress is expected and the grounds stay quiet through midday.

— about the piece in your home

Often, yes. The cathedral is one of the city's most loved silhouettes alongside the Palace, and the tile reads warmly for families whose parish or school is tied to the Diocese of Mysore.

The neo-Gothic spires and lancet windows read well in warm-traditional, Indo-modern, and quiet-maximalist rooms. The tile sits cleanly above a dark wood console or a velvet bench.

A single Large works above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural fills a wider sectional, and a 9-tile Mural holds an entry wall where the twin spires can rise the full height.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and made for vertical installation in showers, backsplashes, and powder rooms.

A soft microfibre cloth with water is enough for routine cleaning. For the kitchen or bath finishes, a mild non-abrasive cleaner is fine. Avoid scouring pads on any finish.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house in Knoxville, Tennessee, under a single curatorial eye. The work is not licensed and is not available through any other studio.

— if this one stayed with you

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