The vaulted ceiling of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia is 80 feet above the floor with a stained glass oculus ringed by the painted decorations of Constantino Brumidi. The cathedral was first planned In 1846 on the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul. The design was begun shortly thereafter by Philadelphia architect Napoleon LeBrun who had also designed several other Catholic churches in the city, The Philadelphia Academy of Music, as well as some of the earliest skyscrapers in New York City. After delays due to funding, architects John Notman and John Mahoney continued LeBrun’s work and the cathedral was finished during Abraham Lincoln's Presidency in 1864.

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