When is a cathedral not a cathedral? When it’s a library. Sterling Memorial Library at Yale, to be exact. This extraordinary structure was completed in 1931 and even though it was always intended to be a library, it was built in the image of a Gothic cathedral.

Walk through the doors and you’re greeted with soaring ceilings, stunning stained glass windows and the most impressive library circulation desk I’ve ever seen.

It’s so bizarre and so decadent, I absolutely adore it. Who wouldn’t want to spend hours cramming for an exam in nooks like this…

…overlooked by windows like this: