Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (Philadelphia)

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Cathedral Basilica of
Saints Peter and Paul
2013 Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul from across the Benjamin Franklin Parkway 2.jpg
Cathedral Basilica of
Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia
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Location18th St. and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 39°57′27″N75°10′7″W / 39.95750°N 75.16861°W / 39.95750; -75.16861
Built1846–1864
Architect Napoleon LeBrun, et al.
John Notman, et al. (dome and facade)
John Mahoney
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 is the see church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the cathedral was dedicated in 1864 and designated a minor basilica by the Vatican in 1976.

Contents

The basilica is the largest Catholic church in the State of Pennsylvania, with a seating capacity of 2,000.

Saints Peter and Paul was designed by Napoleon LeBrun. Construction began in 1846. Its dome and Palladian facade, designed by John Notman, were added after 1850. [2] The interior was decorated by Constantino Brumidi. Construction finished in 1864. [3]

The cathedral is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It has hosted papal masses by Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis. As of 2025, the rector of the basilica is Reverend Gerald Dennis Gill. [4]

History

After being erected in by the Vatican in 1808, the Diocese of Philadelphia used two different churches as cathedrals before building Saints Peter and Paul.

In June 1846, Bishop Francis Kenrick announced plans to construct a larger, new cathedral in Philadelphia. it was to be dedicated to Peter the Apostle and Paul the Apostle. A year earlier, the diocese had purchased a building at 18th and Race Streets for $37,200. The diocese tore down the old building and started construction on the cathedral that same year. The cornerstone of the cathedral was laid in December 1846 [6]

Kenrick wanted to avoid raising the debt of the diocese while building Saints Peter and Paul. He sold burial lots at Cathedral Cemetery and New Cathedral Cemetery, both in Philadelphia, to help fund it. [5] He also planned for an extended project time so as to spread out the cathedral cost over time. [6] In 1859, workment completed the cathedral walls and raised the cross to the top of the dome. The cathedral was dedicated in 1864 by Bishop James F. Wood. It was consecrated in 1890. [6]

Archbishop Edmond F. Prendergast, of what was now the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, renovated the cathedral in 1915. He repainted the interior walls, replaced the confessionals, and put a copper lining on the tin roof. [6] Four bronze statues of Mary, mother of Jesus, Jesus, Peter the Apostle, and Paul the Apostle were installed in niches on the building's main facade. [7]

The archdiocese added the Chapel of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament to the cathedral in 1955. The cathedral underwent another renovation in 1956, with the construction of a new apse.

Saints Peter and Paul was designated a minor basilica in 1976 by Pope Paul VI. In 1979, Pope John Paul II celebrated a papal mass at the basilica. The tabernacle was moved to the main altar in 2007 Pope Francis celebrated a mass there in 2015. [6] In 2017, the archdiocese relocated the shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel to the basilica after St. Elizabeth's Convent in Cornwell Heights, Pennsylvania, closed [8]

Building

Cathedral chancel prior to the addition of the apse (1903) Cathedral of S(ain)t Peter and S(ain)t Paul- Interior (9043046955).jpg
Cathedral chancel prior to the addition of the apse (1903)
Basilica interior (2011) Interior Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul crop.JPG
Basilica interior (2011)
Basilica dome (2011) Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul - DSC06768.JPG
Basilica dome (2011)

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 basilica was built in a Roman-Corinthian style of architecture, modeled after the Lombard Church of St. Charles (San Carlo al Corso) [9] in Rome. On the basilica exterior, the Palladian façade and aqua oxidized-copper dome are in the Italian Renaissance manner

The basilica interior features an oversized apse of stained glass and red antique marble in proportions reminiscent of Roman churches. A baldachin made of Italian marble covers the main altar. The three altars on each side aisle are designed in Italian Renaissance style. The Crypt of the Bishops is located in the basement of the basilica

Architects and designers

To begin the cathedral project, Kenrick in 1846 tasked Reverend Mariano Muller and the Reverend John B. Tornatore with drawing the initial plans for the structure. Kenrick hired the Philadelphia architect Napoleon LeBrun to run the project. LeBrun had previously built the Philadelphia Academy of Music. LeBrun used the Basilica of Sant' Ambrogio et Carlo al Corso, a Neo Classical style Italian Renaissance church in Rome, as his inspiration. [6]

LeBrun's original plans for the cathedral called for clerestory windows at a low level. However, Kenrick wanted them much higher. This was because mobs had caused massive destruction of church property in 1844 during anti-Catholic riots. According to local legend, one day Kenrick asked the strongest workman on the cathedral worksite to throw a stone in the air. He then directed the architects to place the windows about the high point of that throw. [6]

In 1851, LeBrun left the project due to a dispute. [6] To replace LeBrun, the diocese hired John Notman who added the dome and facade to the building. In 1857, Coadjutor Bishop Wood assumed supervision of the project. That same year, Notman quit after a dispute about money. Woods then hired John Mahoney to replace Notman and three years later persuaded LeBrun to finish the cathedral in 1864. [10] [6]

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. Architect Henry D. Dagit renovated the cathedral interior in 1914, adding the apse behind the high altar. D'Ascenzo Studios executed the apse's stained glass windows and mosaic murals.

Crypt of the bishops

Opened in 1869, the crypt is located under the main altar of the basilica. [6]

Bishops and archbishops

Basilica high altar and baldachin (2012) Altar of Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul decorated for Christmas.jpg
Basilica high altar and baldachin (2012)
Basilica Opus organ (2011) Church organ at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.JPG
Basilica Opus organ (2011)

The crypt contains the remains of the following bishops and archbishops of Philadelphia:

Other notables

The crypt also contains the remains of several cardinals, auxiliary bishops and priests with ties to the archdiocese. It is also the repository of Mother Katharine Drexel, a saint.

See also

References

Notes

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  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. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Keels, Thomas H. (2003). Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 91. ISBN   9780738512297 . Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "About The Cathedral – The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul". cathedralphila.org. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  7. Mary the Immaculate Conception by Joseph Sibbel Archived 2016-12-01 at the Wayback Machine , from SIRIS.
  8. "Saint Katharine Drexel – Shrine at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia". Saint Katharine Drexel Shrine. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  9. 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.
  10. Teitelman, Edward & Longstreth, Richard W. (1981), Architecture in Philadelphia: A Guide, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, ISBN   0262700212 , p.111
  11. "Crypt of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul" (PDF). Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  12. David O'Reilly (December 12, 2011). "Funeral arrangements announced for Cardinal Foley". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
  13. Bonnie L. Cook (January 26, 2017). "Martin N. Lohmuller, 97, retired Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.