| Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location | Tyler, Texas United States |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Leadership | Diocese of Tyler Bishop: sede vacante Rector: Very Rev. Anthony Mclaughlin |
| Website | www.olvcathedral.org |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural style | Mission Revival Spanish Colonial Revival |
| Completed | 1935 |
| Specifications | |
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic cathedral located in Tyler, Texas, United States. It is the seat of the Diocese Tyler.
Tyler started to grow as the railroad came to town in the 1870s. Priests from Nacogdoches and Palestine came to Tyler to celebrate Mass and attend to the pastoral needs of Catholics. Immaculate Conception Church was established in 1878. A wood frame church was built at the corner of West Locust Street and North College Avenue two years later. [1] By the 1910s it became evident that the parish needed a larger church, however, the present church would not be built until after the Rev. Sebastian A. Samperi became pastor in 1927 that the present church could be built. Property was purchased at Front Street and South Broadway and the new church was dedicated until March 17, 1935.[1] The church was renovated and redecorated in 1949 and 1978. Parish offices, a library and a large meeting room were built in 1984. Two years later the church basement was named for Father Samperi.
Blessed John Paul II created the Diocese of Tyler on December 12, 1986 from portions of Diocese of Dallas, Diocese of Beaumont and the Diocese of Galveston-Houston.[2] Immaculate Conception became the cathedral at that time.