You've probably seen the phrase popping up in the corners of your feed lately. It’s usually slapped over a photo of a gas station at 3:00 AM, or maybe a grainy shot of sunlight hitting a pile of laundry just right. The there are cathedrals everywhere meme isn't your typical joke. It’s not a "Me IRL" or a dank reaction image meant to make you exhale sharply through your nose. Honestly, it’s closer to a philosophy. It is a quiet, persistent reminder to stop being so numb to the world around you.
When people post about how "there are cathedrals everywhere," they aren't talking about gothic architecture or religious institutions. They are talking about the sacredness of the mundane. It's a vibe. It's a mood. It's a weirdly wholesome pushback against the crushing cynicism of the 2020s.
The Origins of the Modern Cathedral
The meme didn't just appear out of thin air. While the specific phrasing has roots in literature and poetry—echoing sentiments found in the works of writers like Walt Whitman or the transcendentalist musings of Ralph Waldo Emerson—its digital life started much more recently. It gained traction on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, where users began pairing the phrase with "liminal spaces" or "corecore" aesthetics.
Think back to the "Indie Sleaze" or "Tumblr Nostalgia" eras. Back then, everything had to be curated. Now, the there are cathedrals everywhere meme suggests that the curation doesn't matter. The beauty is already there, even in the "ugly" spots. It's a direct descendant of the "romanticize your life" trend that blew up during the lockdowns, but it has a bit more teeth. It’s less about buying a fancy espresso machine and more about finding God (or whatever you call the Infinite) in the way a puddle reflects a neon sign.
Why We Are Suddenly Seeing Cathedrals in Parking Lots
Why now? Why is this specific sentiment sticking? Basically, we are overstimulated and undersatisfied. Most of our digital lives are spent looking at high-definition, AI-enhanced, perfectly filtered garbage. Our brains are fried. The there are cathedrals everywhere meme acts as a reset button.
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It tells us that a rusted-out swing set in a public park has the same spiritual weight as the Notre Dame if you look at it with enough intention.
There is a psychological component here, too. Researchers often talk about "awe" as a necessary human emotion for well-being. According to studies by Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at UC Berkeley and author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, experiencing awe can actually reduce inflammation in the body and increase feelings of connection to others. When someone posts a photo of a subway station with the caption "there are cathedrals everywhere," they are practicing a low-stakes version of this. They are hunting for awe in the concrete jungle.
The Aesthetic of the Mundane
You can recognize the meme by its visual language. It’s rarely a "pretty" photo in the traditional sense. You’ll see:
- Harsh fluorescent lighting in an empty grocery store aisle.
- The shadow of a tree on a brick wall.
- A glass of water on a bedside table in the morning light.
- Power lines stretching across a purple sunset.
It's about the "Aha!" moment. It's about realizing that the world is built of light and shadow, and that we are lucky to be here to see it. It's kinda poetic, right? It turns the viewer into a bit of a mystic. You aren't just scrolling; you're participating in a collective observation of existence.
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Critics might say it’s pretentious. And, yeah, maybe it is a little bit. But in a world where we are constantly sold things to make us happy, there is something radical about saying, "Actually, this cracked sidewalk is enough for me."
The "Corecore" Connection
We have to talk about "Corecore" to understand the there are cathedrals everywhere meme. Corecore is a video editing style that mashes together clips from movies, news broadcasts, and random internet videos to evoke a specific emotion—usually a mix of dread, nostalgia, and hope.
The "cathedrals" meme is the hopeful side of Corecore. While some parts of the internet are obsessed with the "collapse" of society, this meme focuses on what remains. It’s the "but still" at the end of a sad sentence. "Everything is falling apart... but still, look at how the light hits that building."
It’s a survival tactic. Honestly, if you don't find the cathedrals, the alternative is just staring at a bleak reality 24/7. Who wants that?
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How to Actually "See" the Cathedrals
If you want to adopt this mindset, it’s not about taking better photos. It’s about changing your internal monologue. Most people walk through their day in a "functional" mode. A door is just a door. A bus is just a bus.
To see the cathedrals, you have to switch to "aesthetic" mode.
- Slow down. You can't see the cathedral if you're sprinting to a meeting.
- Look for the light. Everything looks different at 7:00 AM or 5:00 PM. That's the "Golden Hour" for a reason.
- Appreciate the scale. Think about the sheer amount of human effort it took to build a highway or a skyscraper. That's a cathedral of human will.
- Accept the decay. A building with peeling paint has a story. It has "patina." That's beauty, too.
The Future of the Sentiment
Memes usually die within a few weeks. They get overused, brands start using them to sell insurance, and then we all collectively agree to never speak of them again. But the there are cathedrals everywhere meme feels different because it’s not tied to a specific image or a specific joke. It’s a perspective.
It might stop being a "meme" and just go back to being a way of life. It’s a return to form. It’s what the Romantic poets were doing two hundred years ago, just with smartphones instead of quill pens.
So next time you're stuck at a red light in a boring part of town, look around. Look at the way the wires crisscross the sky. Look at the weirdly beautiful colors of the oil slick on the asphalt. There are cathedrals everywhere. You just have to be willing to sit in the pews for a second and notice.
To start practicing this, try taking one photo today of something "ugly" that you find beautiful. Don't overthink it. Don't filter it. Just capture the light. It’s the easiest way to break out of the digital fog and reconnect with the physical world. Keep that photo as a personal reminder that the world is a lot more interesting than your "to-do" list suggests.