One building which positively influenced me is the Stephansdom, or St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the most prominent Catholic church in Vienna, Austria, which I had the pleasure of visiting a couple years ago. I am amazed by how a building constructed in AD 1160 can still produce such a visceral sense of awe to anyone who sees this magnificent church in person. Despite not being Catholic myself, the feeling this building gave me when I visited has stuck with me ever since. Initially, I thought the outside of the church, while certainly impressive, was somewhat unsightly due to the thoroughly blackened walls from soot buildup. However, upon entering the church, I was met with this presence and atmosphere that changed my mind of the building completely. The incredibly high ceilings of the church really do make you feel miniscule, and not in bad way; if you’re religious, you might describe it as feeling closer to God. Another way of describing the atmosphere of the church is the absolute calm and serenity one experiences in nature, and yet this building is situated in central Vienna. The tall ceilings, the stained glass windows which pour in beautifully tinted sunlight, the stunning gothic architecture, the multicolored roof, and the historic crypts, which house thousands of bones and skulls of the victims of the Black Death, all combine to create this one-of-a-kind atmosphere to this incredibly old, historically rich, and yet still functioning and currently in-use church. Due to my experiences, I can only imagine how many more magnitudes impressive and integral this church was to people when it was first built. If I ever find myself in Vienna in the future, I will certainly visit Stephansdom.