Sacred Heart Church, Tampa

One of the oldest churches in Tampa, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church was constructed in 1905. The Romanesque granite and marble structure features 70 beautiful stained glass windows and a 135-foot dome. The altar is made of Carrara marble, and the pews and doors are solid oak. This breathtaking church is a popular spot for weddings.

The county deeded the site of Sacred Heart for a church since the 1850s. Before the construction of Sacred Heart, Saint Louis Parish was a small wood-framed church on the same site.

With Tampa's boom after the arrival of Henry Plant's railroad, the city began to plan for a bigger church. The Jesuits built the church at the cost of $300,000. In 2005 the Jesuits transitioned control of the parish to the Franciscans.

Most of the original structure and design looks the same today as it did at the time of its opening. The 70 stained glass windows were made for the church by the Franz Mayer Co. Of Munich, Germany, which is still in business today. All of the windows tell stories, like the Resurrection Window. This window is a triptych, with three panels, each telling a part of the tale.