St. Mary's Cathedral (Portland)

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St. Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Portland in Portland, Oregon, United States and serves Roman Catholics in western Oregon.

1 History
2 Statues
3 Stations of the Cross
4 Floor and walls
5 Narthex doors and art glass
6 Outside doors and granite sign
7 External links

[edit] History

In 1925 Archbishop Alexander Christie authorized construction of a new cathedral at the corner of 18th and Couch streets. In less than a year, on February 14, 1926, the new church opened.

The cathedral was restored for the 150th anniversary of the Portland Archdiocese in 1984. The restoration included seismic strengthening, electrical, heating, and lighting updating, as well as liturgical and artistic modifications.

[edit] Statues

The marble statues of Mary and the Sacred Heart against the north walls of both transepts were carved in Switzerland and brought to the earlier 3rd and Stark Street cathedral by the Benedictine monks, who later founded Mount Angel Abbey.

[edit] Stations of the Cross

The stations of the cross are original to the cathedral.

[edit] Floor and walls

The marble floor in the apse was laid in 1926. The new marble on the floor in the remainder of the cathedral is a pattern of several Italian marbles.

[edit] Narthex doors and art glass

The glass etching contains subtle symbols of the seven Sacraments.

[edit] Outside doors and granite sign

The doors are white oak in cast bronze on the exterior. Letters on the granite sign are Roman majuscules from the Trajan inscription in Rome. The coat of arms on the sign is of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon.