Cathedral of the Madeleine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cathedral of the Madeleine, as seen from behind, facing east.

Cathedral of the Madeleine as seen on the front.

The Cathedral in an old picture of 1908.

The Cathedral of the Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was completed in 1909, and currently serves as the cathedral, or mother church, of the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

The cathedral was built under the direction of the Lawrence Scanlan, first bishop of Salt Lake. It was designed by architects Carl M. Newhausen and Bernard O. Mecklenburg. The outside is predominately a Neo-Romanesque design, while the inside tends more toward the Neo-Gothic. Construction began in 1900 and was completed in 1909. It was dedicated by James Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore.

The interior of the cathedral was created under the direction of Joseph S. Glass, the second bishop of Salt Lake. Bishop Glass enlisted John Theodore Comes, one of the preeminent architects in the country, to decorate the interior of the cathedral. His plans for the interior were largely based upon the Spanish Gothic style. The colorful murals and polychrome were added at this time, as were the ornate shrines.

Between 1991 and 1993, the cathedral was renovated and restored under Bishop William K. Weigand. This included not only the removal of dust and dirt and restoration of the interior, but also changes to the liturgical elements of the cathedral to bring them into conformity with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. This included building a new altar, moving the bishop's chair, providing a separate chapel for the Blessed Sacrament, and adding a more ample baptismal font.

[1]