Sacred Heart Catholic Church was constructed in 1905 in downtown Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

, and is one of the oldest churches, and is the oldest Catholic church, in the city of Tampa. The church, located at 509 N. Florida Avenue, is predominantly a Romanesque

Romanesque Revival architecture

Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...

 structure, with other elements. The church is home to Sacred Heart Parish, part of the West Hillsborough Deanery

Deanery

A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...

 of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg

Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg is a Roman Catholic diocese in Florida. It was founded on March 2, 1968.-Background:The Diocese of St. Petersburg was established on June 17, 1968, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. It is a...

.

The first Catholic parish on Florida's West Coast was established in 1860 and named St. Louis Parish in honor of Fr. Luis de Cancer

Luis Cancer

Father Luis Cancer or Fray Luis de Cancer was a Dominican priest and pioneer Spanish missionary to the New World.He was born at Barbastro, in Aragon...

 a Dominican

Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

 missionary who was martyred on the shores of Tampa Bay in 1549. The initial wooden-frame building called St. Louis Church was erected on the site where Sacred Heart stands today. In 1888 the Jesuits

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

 took over the pastoral responsibilities of the parish, after a serious outbreak of yellow fever in Tampa took the lives of three diocesan priests. Using Tampa as their base, the Jesuits were given the responsibility of all of South Florida by Bishop Moore

John Moore (bishop of St Augustine)

Bishop John Moore , was born in County Westmeath, Ireland and moved to Charleston, South Carolina at the age of 14. He served as Bishop of St. Augustine from 1877-1901...

. In 1905, a new Church was constructed in Romanesque style and the parish was renamed Sacred Heart.

As Tampa grew, so did the parish, and by 1897 it was decided that a new church was needed. Construction on the church began with a groundbreaking on February 16, 1898, with the laying of the cornerstone taking place on February 4, 1900. The dedication of Sacred Heart Church took place on January 15, 1905, and at that time the parish was renamed Sacred Heart Parish.

The architect for the new Sacred Heart Church was Nicholas J. Clayton

Nicholas J. Clayton

Nicholas Joseph Clayton was a prominent Victorian architect in Galveston. Clayton constructed many early public buildings in the city including the First Presbyterian Church .-External links:...

 of Galveston, TX, who designed many Roman Catholic Churches in Texas and throughout the southern United States. The granite and marble structure includes a 135 foot dome, solid oak pews and doors, porcelain tiles, and a Carrara marble altar. Its 70 stained glass windows were designed and manufactured for Sacred Heart by Franz Mayer & Co.

Franz Mayer & Co.

Franz Mayer & Co. is a famous German stained glass design and manufacturing company, based in Munich, Germany, that has been active throughout most of the world for over 150 years...

 of Munich, Germany. The facility is a popular location for weddings, having hosted weddings for some parish families going back as many as six generations.

The parish operates a school, Sacred Heart Academy, which it established in 1931, on Florida Avenue in the city's Tampa Heights

Tampa Heights (Tampa), Florida

Tampa Heights is one of the oldest neighborhoods within the city limits of Tampa that's situated in the central part of the city. As of the 2000 census, the neighborhood had a population of 16,393.-Description:...

 neighborhood. Previously affiliated with Sacred Heart Parish was another Tampa institution, Jesuit High School, founded in 1899.

In 2005, after the 100th anniversary of Sacred Heart Church, the Jesuit community which had long served the parish withdrew in order to concentrate on their academic institutions throughout the South. The fourth bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Most Rev. Robert Lynch, invited the Franciscan

Franciscan

Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

Friars of the Most Holy Name of Jesus Province to assume the pastoral responsibilities for the parish. The current pastor is Rev. Andrew Reitz, OFM.

External links

• Sacred Heart Catholic Church - Official Web Site
• Photo of the West Edifice
• Photos of Sacred Heart's Stained Glass Windows
• Holy Name Province - Official Web Site of the parish Franciscans