Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver)

Cathedral Basilica of the
Immaculate Conception
39°44′25.01″N 104°58′54.98″W / 39.7402806°N 104.9819389°W / 39.7402806; -104.9819389
Location 401 E. Colfax Ave.
Denver, Colorado
Country United States
Denomination Roman Catholic Church
Website www.denvercathedral.org
History
Founded 1860
Consecrated 1921
Architecture
Style Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking 1902
Completed 1911
Specifications
Capacity 800
Number of spires Two
Spire height 210 ft (64 m)
Materials Granite, Limestone
Administration
Archdiocese Archdiocese of Denver
Clergy
Archbishop Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila
Rector

Msgr. Bernard Schmitz

Designated 3 March 1975
Reference no. 7500506[1]
Reference no. 5DV.111

The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Denver of the Roman Catholic Church. It is located at the corner of Logan St. and Colfax Avenue in the North Capitol Hill neighborhood of central Denver. The cathedral has a capacity of 800 persons,[2] offers the Sacrament of Penance every day of the week, and hosts three daily and six Sunday masses. Additional services to the community include the yearly provision of 50,000 - 60,000 lunches to the poor.[3]

History

Statue of John Paul II at the cathedral, where he held mass in 1993

Construction of the cathedral started in 1902 and was completed in 1911 with a final cost of approximately $500,000. Its inaugural Mass was held on October 27, 1912, and consecration in 1921.[3] The cathedral was raised to the status of minor basilica on Christmas of 1979 - one of only 29 American cathedrals with that title.[4] On August 13 and 14 1993 (for World Youth Day), Pope John Paul II held mass at the cathedral- one of only a few cathedrals in the United States so honored. The church's spires were struck by lightning in 1912 and 1997, both times resulting in damage.[3]

Architecture

Architect Leon Coquard of Detroit, designed the cathedral in the French Gothic style.[4] Its character is influenced by the 13th-century Saint Nicholas Collegiate church (collégiale Saint-Nicolas) of Munster, Moselle, France- the birth village of bishop Nicholas Chrysostom Matz, who supervised its construction.[5] The building features two 210-foot (64 m) spires,[2] and is made of limestone from Indiana, and granite from Gunnison, Colorado. The altar, statuary, and bishop's chair are all composed of marble from Carrara, Italy; the 75 stained glass windows are from Franz Xaver Zettler's Royal Bavarian Art Institute in Munich.[3]

See also

References

  1. Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 ""Architectural Highlights" at denvercathedral.org". Retrieved 2006-10-29.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Cathedral history at denvercathedral.org". Retrieved 2006-10-29.
  4. 1 2 "Archdiocese of Denver". Retrieved 2006-10-29.
  5. "Munster Denver from Nature et Patrimoine du Saulnois (fr)". Retrieved 2006-12-28.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, October 18, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.