shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMontana

in Helena, the twin spires above downtown

Cathedral of Saint Helena

Name: Cathedral of Saint Helena — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — a quiet Vienna, on the Montana prairie.

— 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

— 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

“Two Gothic spires rise 230 feet above Helena's old downtown, modeled after the Votivkirche in Vienna and completed in 1924. Fifty-nine stained-glass windows from the Royal Bavarian Art Institute in Munich carry the light across white granite walls. Mass is still said here daily, and the front doors are usually open in the afternoon.

from the studio

— bring it home

Cathedral of Saint Helena, 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 Cathedral of Saint Helena

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

The Cathedral of Saint Helena stands on Warren Street, two blocks east of the Montana State Capitol. Construction began in 1908 under Bishop John Patrick Carroll and finished in 1924. Architect A.O. Von Herbulis modeled the building on the Votivkirche in Vienna, a Habsburg memorial church. The twin spires rise 230 feet and are clad in white granite from a quarry near Columbus, Montana. The cathedral serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

— informed by Wikipedia, Diocese of Helena

— the light

Fifty-nine stained-glass windows were made by the F.X. Zettler studio of Munich, the Royal Bavarian Art Institute, and installed between 1912 and 1925. The windows depict the life of Christ, the apostles, and saints important to the diocese, including Saint Helena finding the True Cross. The colour reads warmest in late afternoon when the sun crosses Warren Street and the south aisle fills with reds and golds. Many visitors come specifically for the windows and stay for the quiet.

— informed by Cathedral of Saint Helena

— the visit

The cathedral is open to visitors outside of Mass and weddings, generally from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Self-guided tour brochures sit just inside the front doors. Sunday Masses fill the nave; weekdays are quieter. The building stands two blocks from the Montana State Capitol and an easy walk from Last Chance Gulch in downtown Helena. Admission is free; the parish welcomes donations toward ongoing preservation of the windows, the granite façade, and the spires.

— informed by Cathedral of Saint Helena

— where

United States · Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana

— elevation

1,184 m · 3,883 ft

— position

46.5947° N · 112.0358° W

— 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.

1 km E

Montana State Capitol

capitol building

1 km W

Last Chance Gulch

historic main street

3 km SW

Mount Helena

city park summit

Cathedral of Saint Helena

Montana State Capitol

Last Chance Gulch

Mount Helena

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Cathedral of Saint Helena — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

Construction began in 1908 under Bishop John Patrick Carroll and was completed in 1924. The cathedral has served the Diocese of Helena continuously since then.

Gothic Revival, modeled on the Votivkirche in Vienna. Architect A.O. Von Herbulis designed it; the twin spires rise 230 feet and are clad in white granite.

The F.X. Zettler studio of Munich, also known as the Royal Bavarian Art Institute, produced all fifty-nine windows. They were installed between 1912 and 1925.

Yes. The cathedral is open most weekdays from roughly 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside of Mass and weddings. Self-guided tour brochures sit inside the front doors.

On Warren Street, two blocks east of the Montana State Capitol and a short walk from Last Chance Gulch downtown. Parking is available on surrounding streets.

Yes. Daily Mass is offered, with multiple services on Sunday. The cathedral remains the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The cathedral is a defining landmark for Helena Catholics and for the city's skyline. A Medium or a Small with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The granite whites and Munich window colours suit traditional, Old-World, and Jewel-tone Maximalist rooms. It also reads well in quiet, devotional corners with warm wood.

Yes. Liturgical-traditional and heritage-revival rooms favor exactly this kind of rich glasswork against pale stone. The piece anchors a wall without overwhelming it.

A single Large reads well above a console. Above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural fills the space; above a long sectional, a 9-tile Mural.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish, which are scratch-resistant and tolerate humidity. The Glossy finish is intended for dry display walls.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. No abrasives, no ammonia-based cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface and will not lift with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house by Reid Wender and finished in our Knoxville studio. No licensing, no third-party prints.

— if this one stayed with you