St. Joseph Co-Cathedral (Thibodaux, Louisiana)
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph Co-Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral
located in Thibodaux, Louisiana
, United States
. Along with the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales
in Houma
it is the seat of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as Saint Joseph's Co-Cathedral and Rectory.
survived the fire and are in the current church in a glass sarcophagus
. The present church was begun in 1920 and completed three years later in the Renaissance Revival style. The first Mass was celebrated on January 25, 1923. The ornamental marble and plaster work was added in 1931 and the final paint scheme was done in 1954.
On March 2, 1977 Pope Paul VI
established the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. St. Francis de Sales Church in Houma became the cathedral of the new diocese and St. Joseph Church in Thibodaux became the co-cathedral
.
, which features a rose window
. The roof is covered in terra cotta
tile.
The main feature in the interior is the 34 foot (10.4 m) high Baldachin
in the apse
. Symbols of the Four Evangelists
are carved into its upper edge. The same symbols are found on the columns in the church. On the dome above are found the symbols of the Tree of Knowledge, the Tree of Life, a snake, an apple, and peacocks symbolizing the triumph and glory of the risen Christ. The coat of arms for Pope Pius XI
and Archbishop John Shaw
of New Orleans
are also found there. The stained glass
windows portray the life of Christ and the seven Sacraments. A crest appears on all the columns with an emblem of faith, hope, charity and the Ship of Life. They are above a cast of grapes and wheat, which symbolizes the Eucharist.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
located in Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux, Louisiana
Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Along with the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales
Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales (Houma, Louisiana)
The Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales is a Catholic cathedral located in Houma, Louisiana, United States. Along with St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux it is the seat of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. -History:...
in Houma
Houma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
it is the seat of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux
Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux
The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is a Roman Catholic diocese in southeastern Louisiana. It comprises Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, the eastern part of St. Mary Parish including Morgan City, and Grand Isle in Jefferson Parish. The diocese was created on June 5, 1977, and was previously part of...
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Saint Joseph's Co-Cathedral and Rectory.
History
St. Joseph Parish was founded as a mission church in 1817. Two years later a small wooden church building was constructed near the current church cemetery. It is the oldest Catholic parish in the diocese and many of the other churches were founded from it and served by its priest. The Rev. Charles Menard had a brick church built in 1849 and it was destroyed by a fire in 1916. The relics of Saint ValerieValeria of Milan
Saint Valeria of Milan , or Saint Valérie, according to Christian tradition, was the wife of Vitalis of Milan, and the mother of Saint Gervase and Saint Protase, although other traditions make her a virgin martyr rather than a wife and mother.She was martyred for burying Christian martyrs, and then...
survived the fire and are in the current church in a glass sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
. The present church was begun in 1920 and completed three years later in the Renaissance Revival style. The first Mass was celebrated on January 25, 1923. The ornamental marble and plaster work was added in 1931 and the final paint scheme was done in 1954.
On March 2, 1977 Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
established the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. St. Francis de Sales Church in Houma became the cathedral of the new diocese and St. Joseph Church in Thibodaux became the co-cathedral
Co-cathedral
A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or cathedra, with another cathedral. Instances of this occurred in England before the Protestant Reformation in the dioceses of Bath and Wells, and of Coventry and Lichfield, hence the names of these dioceses...
.
Architecture
The exterior of St. Joseph Co-Cathedral is composed of pressed brick with stone trim. Two twin towers flank the main façadeFacade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, which features a rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
. The roof is covered in terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
tile.
The main feature in the interior is the 34 foot (10.4 m) high Baldachin
Baldachin
A baldachin, or baldaquin , is a canopy of state over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over high altars in cathedrals, where such a structure is more correctly called a ciborium when it is...
in the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
. Symbols of the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
are carved into its upper edge. The same symbols are found on the columns in the church. On the dome above are found the symbols of the Tree of Knowledge, the Tree of Life, a snake, an apple, and peacocks symbolizing the triumph and glory of the risen Christ. The coat of arms for Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
and Archbishop John Shaw
John Shaw (archbishop)
John William Shaw was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of San Antonio and Archbishop of New Orleans .-Biography:...
of New Orleans
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, officially in Latin Archidioecesis Novae Aureliae, is an ecclesiastical division of the Roman Catholic Church administered from New Orleans, Louisiana...
are also found there. The stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows portray the life of Christ and the seven Sacraments. A crest appears on all the columns with an emblem of faith, hope, charity and the Ship of Life. They are above a cast of grapes and wheat, which symbolizes the Eucharist.