Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento

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Facade of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament from K Street, 2005

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It is the mother church and seat of William K. Weigand, the prelate bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento.

[edit] History

With construction beginning in 1887, Sacramento’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is an amazing example of the strength and history in Sacramento’s architecture. Since many of the buildings date back to the mid-1800s, Sacramento is home to the largest concentration of buildings dating back to the Gold Rush era in the United States. With a recent restoration project that loops together the Catholic culture, the legacy of gold miners, visions of a vibrant downtown and the sentiments of Sacramentans who spent some of life’s most memorable moments within the church’s walls, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament combines Sacramento’s history with its modern day life.

Among the first of thousands to seek his fortune in the Sacramento region during the California Gold Rush, Patrick Manogue had aspirations that differed from many of his fellow fortune seekers. His goal was to earn enough money to finance a trip to Paris, where he planned to enroll in seminary college and become a Roman Catholic priest.

While studying in Paris in 1860, Manogue became enchanted by the cathedrals and their role in a city’s community life. In 1886, Manogue was appointed as the Sacramento’s first bishop. Much like the ones he’d seen in European plazas, Manogue worked to secure property just one block away from the capitol building, with a dream of building a cathedral in Sacramento. Manogue modeled the cathedral after L'Eglise de la Sainte-Trinite (The Church of the Holy Trinity) in Paris. Once completed, there was no cathedral equal in size west of the Rockies. The building is a modified basilica form approximately 200 feet long and 100 feet wide, and it seats 1400 people. The central bell tower rises 217 feet.

Currently, the cathedral is considered both a religious and civic landmark. It is the mother church of the diocese, which stretches from the southern edge of Sacramento County north to the Oregon border and serves more than 500,000 Catholics. The diocese encompasses 99 churches in a 42,000 square-mile region. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is the largest historic Cathedral in the Western United States.

The Cathedral is located in Downtown Sacramento, CA, at the intersection of 11th and K Sts.

[edit] Recent Renovation

A view of the interior of the cathedral

The architectural style of the church is Italian Baroque on the exterior and Victorian on the interior. The church has been updated for modern use, but designers tried to keep the church in the original style. Over the years, with repairs, changes in color schemes and changes to the liturgy, the Church lost its stylistic unity. In August 2003- November 2005, the Cathedral was closed and extensively remodeled to unify the church’s décor from the numerous renovations throughout the years. In this renovation, there are significant additions, including a Eucharistic chapel, two sides chapels, and a 2,000-pound crucifix hanging over the altar supported by airplane cables. But the biggest change is the dome, which was closed in the 1930s due to acoustic reasons.

Every part of the cathedral was updated in the restoration, from expanded pews to better lighting to decorative painting on the interior walls and ceiling. The massive stained glass windows in the building were cleaned and releaded. The church includes a new bishop’s cathedra (episcopal chair) and ambo of mahogany.

Above the altar hangs a 13-foot crucifix with a crown overhead that is 14 feet in diameter. Combined they weigh almost 2,000 pounds and are held in place with aircraft cables.

The interior dome of the cathedral, which stands 110 feet high, was rebuilt, some 70 years after the original one was blocked from view. The dove in the oculus, with a wingspan of seven feet, is “a dramatic reminder of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of the church, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist,” according to Father Murphy. (Father Murphy was the Rector of the cathedral during it's renovation.)

Sixteen large rondels, each five feet in diameter, decorate the new dome, portraying eucharistic scenes from Scripture.

An octagon-shaped marble baptismal font with a decorative mosaic is at the entrance to the cathedral.

Two side chapels — the Martyrs Chapel and the Chapel of Our Lady and Saints of the Americas — provide a space for private devotion to the saints. Two 20-foot high murals, painted by artists from EverGreene Painting Studios in New York, adorn the chapels.

The restoration is the largest financial project the diocese has ever undertaken, with the $34 million cost coming from various sources. The diocese’s 2002 capital campaign provided $10 million and another $10 came from diocesan investments. An additional $2 million was raised by cathedral parishioners. Diocesan officials are now conducting a campaign for the remaining $12 million (Jan 2005 estimate).