Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (Philadelphia)

Last updated
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
2013 Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul from across the Benjamin Franklin Parkway 2.jpg
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia
Street map of Philadelphia and surrounding area.png
Red pog.svg
USA Pennsylvania location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location18th St. and Benjamin Franklin Parkway at Logan Square
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 39°57′26.23″N75°10′8.18″W / 39.9572861°N 75.1689389°W / 39.9572861; -75.1689389
Built1846–1864
Architect Napoleon LeBrun, et al.
John Notman, et al. (dome and facade)
Constantino Brumidi (murals)
Architectural style Italian Renaissance, Palladian
NRHP reference No. 71000720 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 24, 1971

The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is located at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, on the east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia. It was built between 1846 and 1864, and was designed by Napoleon LeBrun, from original plans by the Reverend Mariano Muller and the Reverend John B. Tornatore, with the dome and Palladian facade, designed by John Notman, added after 1850. [2] The interior was largely decorated by Constantino Brumidi. [3]

Contents

The cathedral is the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania, and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The cathedral has been the site of two papal Masses, one celebrated by Pope John Paul II in 1979, and the other by Pope Francis in 2015. The current rector of the cathedral is the Reverend Gerald Dennis Gill and the current archbishop of Philadelphia is Nelson J. Perez. [4]

History

On the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 1846, Bishop Kenrick, then Bishop of Philadelphia, issued a pastoral letter announcing his determination to build a cathedral.

Before Saint Peter and Paul was built, Philadelphia had two previous cathedrals; the first Catholic church in Philadelphia was Saint Joseph's, which was built in 1733. As the Catholic Church grew, a new church called Saint Mary's was built in 1763, which eventually was granted to be Philadelphia's first cathedral in 1810. As the Catholic Church continued to grow, Saint John the Evangelist was eventually made the new cathedral in 1838 when a larger church was needed, and Saint John's remained the cathedral until Bishop Kenrick began work on the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

It was the bishop's intention to avoid running into debt, so the cathedral was long in building. He chose for the site a plot of ground adjoining the seminary at Eighteenth and Race Streets. Construction on the cathedral began shortly after the bishop's pastoral letter in 1846 but was not completed until 1864. The construction began less than 2 years after the Philadelphia Nativist Riots of 1844, which represented the height of Anti-Catholicism and Know-Nothingism in Philadelphia and, according to local lore, greatly influenced the design of the building. The cathedral was built with only very high clerestory windows that according to parish histories would inhibit vandalism. In order to protect the windows of the Cathedral Basilica from possible future riots, the builders would throw stones into the air to determine the height of where the windows would be placed.[ citation needed ]

In 2017, the shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel was relocated to the cathedral after its former home, St. Elizabeth's Convent, was closed and sold off by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. [5]

Building

Chancel c. 1903, prior to addition of the apse Cathedral of S(ain)t Peter and S(ain)t Paul- Interior (9043046955).jpg
Chancel c. 1903, prior to addition of the apse
Basilica interior Interior Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul crop.JPG
Basilica interior
Basilica dome Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul - DSC06768.JPG
Basilica dome

With its grand façade, vaulted dome, ornate main altar, eight side chapels and main sanctuary that comfortably holds 2,000 worshippers, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is the largest brownstone structure and one of the most architecturally notable structures in the city of Philadelphia.

The cathedral, presented in a Roman-Corinthian style of architecture, is modeled after the Lombard Church of St. Charles (San Carlo al Corso) [6] in Rome. Its Palladian façade and aqua oxidized-copper dome are in the Italian Renaissance manner, as is the spacious interior, which features an oversized apse of stained glass and red antique marble in proportions reminiscent of Roman churches. A baldachin (canopy) over the main altar and the three altars on each of the side aisles point up this Italian Renaissance flavor. In the bowels of the building is the compact "Crypt of the Bishops".

Architects and designers

The basilica was designed by Napoleon LeBrun based on plans drawn up by the Reverend Mariano Muller and the Reverend John B. Tornatore, and by John Notman who added the dome and facade. [2] LeBrun supervised the project from 1846 to 1851, when Notman took over until 1857, after which the cathedral was completed under LeBrun's supervision. [7]

LeBrun was a native Philadelphian born to French-Catholic parents. He designed numerous churches throughout Philadelphia, including St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Twentieth Street in 1841; the Seventh Presbyterian Church in 1842; the Scot's Presbyterian Church in 1843; the Catholic Church of St. Peter the Apostle (German), Fifth Street in 1843; and the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy Nativity in 1844, which ios no longer standing. Other notable buildings he designed include the Philadelphia Academy of Music on South Broad Street.

Notman is noted for his Philadelphia ecclesiastical architecture for the Protestant Episcopal Church, including St. Mark's Church on Locust Street in 1850; St. Clement's Church on 20th Street in 1857; and the Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square. He also designed the Athenaeum of Philadelphia and parts of the New Jersey State House.

Constantino Brumidi painted the ceiling mural in the dome, The Assumption of the Virgin into Heaven in 1868, and the round portraits of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John on its pendentives. Brumidi was a Greek/Italian-American painter, known for his murals in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., including The Apotheosis of Washington in the dome of the rotunda.

Architect Henry D. Dagit renovated the cathedral interior, 1914–1915, adding the apse behind the High Altar. D'Ascenzo Studios executed the apse's stained glass windows and mosaic murals.

In 1915, four bronze statues of Mary, mother of Jesus, Jesus, Saint Peter, and Saint Paul were added in niches on the building's main facade. [8]

Ordinaries of Philadelphia

High Altar and baldachin Altar of Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul decorated for Christmas.jpg
High Altar and baldachin
Basilica organ Church organ at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.JPG
Basilica organ

Under the main altar of the cathedral is a crypt with the remains of most of the bishops and archbishops, and of several other clergymen, of Philadelphia. The crypt can be reached by stairs behind the main altar. The crypt is the final resting place of:

Other entombments

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Peter's Basilica</span> Church in Vatican City

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican, or simply Saint Peter's Basilica, is a church in the Italian Renaissance style located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initially planned in the 15th century by Pope Nicholas V and then Pope Julius II to replace the aging Old St. Peter's Basilica, which was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of cathedrals and great churches</span>

Cathedrals, collegiate churches, and monastic churches like those of abbeys and priories, often have certain complex structural forms that are found less often in parish churches. They also tend to display a higher level of contemporary architectural style and the work of accomplished craftsmen, and occupy a status both ecclesiastical and social that an ordinary parish church rarely has. Such churches are generally among the finest buildings locally and a source of regional pride. Many are among the world's most renowned works of architecture. These include St Peter's Basilica, Notre-Dame de Paris, Cologne Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, Antwerp Cathedral, Prague Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Denis, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Basilica of San Vitale, St Mark's Basilica, Westminster Abbey, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Antoni Gaudí's incomplete Sagrada Família and the ancient cathedral of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, now a mosque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Cathedral</span> Church in London, England

Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (St. Louis)</span> Church in Missouri, United States

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, also known as the Saint Louis Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Completed in 1914, it is the mother church of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and the seat of Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski. The cathedral is named for Saint Louis and was designated a basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception</span> Catholic church in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary</span> Historic church in Maryland, United States

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica, is a Catholic cathedral in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Catholic cathedral built in the United States after the nation's founding, and was among the first major religious buildings constructed therein after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Joseph Dougherty</span> American Catholic cardinal (1865–1951)

Dennis Joseph Dougherty was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951, and was made a cardinal in 1921. He was Philadelphia's longest-serving archbishop and its first cardinal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wawel Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Kraków, Poland

The Wawel Cathedral, formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Saint Stanislaus and Saint Wenceslaus, is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it is part of the Wawel Castle Complex and is a national sanctuary which served as the coronation site of Polish monarchs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica (Toronto)</span> Church in Ontario, Canada

St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, Canada, and one of the oldest churches in Toronto. It is located at 65 Bond Street in Toronto's Garden District. St. Michael's was designed by William Thomas, designer of eight other churches in the city, and was primarily financed by Irish immigrants who resided in the area. The cathedral has a capacity of 1600. John Cochrane and Brothers undertook the work on the stone and stucco ornamentation of the interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katharine Drexel</span> American Catholic nun and saint (1858–1955)

Katharine Drexel, SBS was an American Catholic heiress, philanthropist, religious sister, and educator. In 1891, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious order serving Black and Indigenous Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of St. John the Baptist</span> Historic church in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland and the mother church and symbol of Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland. The building sits within the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, a National Historic District of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Indiana, United States

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Indiana in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salzburg Cathedral</span> Church in Austria

Salzburg Cathedral is the seventeenth-century Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg in the city of Salzburg, Austria, dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius. Saint Rupert founded the church in 774 on the remnants of a Roman town, and the cathedral was rebuilt in 1181 after a fire. In the seventeenth century, the cathedral was completely rebuilt in the Baroque style under Prince-Bishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau to its present appearance. Salzburg Cathedral still contains the baptismal font in which composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Notman</span> American architect (1810-1865)

John Notman was a Scottish-born American architect and landscape architect based in Philadelphia. He designed buildings, cemeteries, churches and country estates in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and helped popularize Italianate architecture in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Altoona, Pennsylvania)</span> Church in Pennsylvania, United States

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at One Cathedral Square in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It is within the boundaries of the Downtown Altoona Historic District, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown and is the seat of its bishop, the Most Reverend Mark Leonard Bartchak. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Pastor is Rev. Monsignor Stanley B. Carson, Administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padua Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Padua, Italy

Padua Cathedral, or Basilica Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, is a Catholic church and minor basilica located on the east end of Piazza Duomo, adjacent to the bishop's palace in Padua, Veneto, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph A. Pepe</span> American Roman Catholic prelate

Joseph Anthony Pepe is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas in Nevada from 2001 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert P. Maginnis</span> Catholic bishop (1933–2022)

Robert Patrick Maginnis was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1996 to 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manila Cathedral</span> Roman Catholic Cathedral Minor Basilica in Manila, Philippines

The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly and popularly known as the Manila Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Manila located in Intramuros, the historic walled city within today's modern city of Manila, Philippines. It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the patroness of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral (Indianapolis)</span> Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located at Fourteenth and Meridian Streets in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, and of the Archbishop of Indianapolis, most recently Archbishop Charles C. Thompson. Silas Chatard, the first Bishop of Indianapolis, established the cathedral parish in 1892, and named it after Saint Peter and Saint Paul, two apostles of Christ. The cathedral parish became known for its liturgical celebrations and sacred music performances.

References

Notes

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 Gallery, John Andrew, ed. (2004), Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City (2nd ed.), Philadelphia: Foundation for Architecture, ISBN   0962290815 , p.52
  3. Van Cleef, Augustus (1908). "Constantino Brumidi"  . Catholic Encyclopedia . Vol. 3.
  4. "Staff | The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul". cathedralphila.org. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  5. "Saint Katharine Drexel – Shrine at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia". Saint Katharine Drexel Shrine. Archived from the original on 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2021-03-22.
  6. Marchesano, Paul R (Summer 2007). "Brief History of the Organs of the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul". The Tracker. 51 (3): 20–30. ProQuest   198903747.
  7. Teitelman, Edward & Longstreth, Richard W. (1981), Architecture in Philadelphia: A Guide, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, ISBN   0262700212 , p.111
  8. Mary the Immaculate Conception by Joseph Sibbel, from SIRIS.
  9. David O'Reilly (December 12, 2011). "Funeral arrangements announced for Cardinal Foley". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  10. Bonnie L. Cook (January 26, 2017). "Martin N. Lohmuller, 97, retired Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved September 7, 2022.