Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo
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| Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo | |
|---|---|
| (National Register of Historic Places) | |
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| Location: | Monterey, California |
| Built/Founded: | June 3, 1770 |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966 |
| Governing body: | Roman Catholic Church |
The Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Monterey, California, United States. The cathedral is the oldest continuously-operating parish and the oldest stone building in California.
The church was founded by Father Junipero Serra, O.F.M. as the chapel of Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo on June 3, 1770. When the mission was moved to Carmel the following year, the existing wood and adobe building became the San Jose Chapel for the Presidio of Monterey. Monterey became the capital of the Province of Both Californias in 1777 and the chapel was renamed the Royal Presidio Chapel. The original church was destroyed by fire in 1789 and was replaced by the present sandstone structure, completed in 1794. In 1840, the chapel was rededicated to the patronage of Saint Charles Borromeo.
In 1849, the chapel was selected to be the Pro-Cathedral of the Diocese of Monterey by Bishop Joseph Alemany. San Carlos continued to serve as the cathedral until the completion of the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana in Los Angeles; the diocese was then renamed Monterey-Los Angeles and Bishop Thaddeus Amat relocated to that city. Future President of the United States Herbert Hoover and Lou Henry were married February 10, 1899 by Father Ramon Mestres who was serving at the Chapel; Hoover was the first President to be married by a Catholic priest. The wedding took place not at the Chapel, but in the Henry home. ather Mestres received special dispensation from the bishop to perform the civil ceremony because there was no Protestant minister in town at the time.
In 1960, the Chapel was named a National Historic Landmark (#NPS-66000216) by the National Park Service. The chapel again became the cathedral of the Diocese of Monterey when the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno was split in 1967 to form the Monterey and Fresno dioceses. San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral is the smallest cathedral in the contiguous United States, as well as one of the two oldest buildings serving as a cathedral in the United States (St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana was also completed in 1794).
[edit] Other historic designations
- California Historical Landmark #105 — Royal Presidio Chapel
- California Historical Landmark #128 — Landing Place of Sebastian Vizcaíno and Fray Junípero Serra
[edit] References
- History. San Carlos Cathedral. Retrieved on 2006-03-26.
- Breschini, Gary S. (1996). Monterey's First Years: The Royal Presidio of San Carlos de Monterey. Monterey County Historical Society. Retrieved on 2006-03-27.
