Cathedral of light

The magnificent stained glass dome of the Old Louisiana State Capitol rotunda creates a kaleidoscope of colors spiraling toward the heavens, where Gothic Revival architecture meets brilliant artistry in Baton Rouge's most stunning interior space. This breathtaking image captures the crown jewel of Louisiana's Old State Capitol - a soaring stained glass dome that transforms the building's rotunda into a cathedral of light and color. Built in the 1840s and designed by architect James Dakin, this Gothic Revival castle on the Mississippi River was once mockingly called a "monstrosity" by Mark Twain, but today stands as one of America's most architecturally significant state capitols. The dome itself is a masterpiece of 19th-century craftsmanship, featuring thousands of individual pieces of colored glass arranged in intricate geometric and floral patterns. The spiral effect created by the photographer's perspective emphasizes the dome's celestial quality - the way the colorful glass panels seem to swirl upward like a divine vortex, drawing the eye inexorably toward the central oculus at the apex.