St. Mary's Catholic Church (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Encyclopedia
St. Mary’s Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral
located in Colorado Springs, Colorado
, United States
. It is the seat of the Diocese of Colorado Springs
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Pease and Barber
designed the present church in the Gothic Revival style. The lower level of the church was completed in 1891 and the upper church was completed seven years later. The church was dedicated on December 19, 1998. The bell towers on the front of the church were added in 1902 and the spires
were completed in 1907. A major redecorating project took place from 1902-1904 when the Gothic arched ceilings, six side-aisle windows and electric lights were added. A new pipe organ
was placed in the church in 1916. The clerestory
and apse
windows were added during a renovation project from 1923-1924. The rose window
on the main façade
was given its current configuration in 1930.
Blessed John Paul II established the Diocese of Colorado Springs on November 10, 1983. St. Mary’s was chosen to be the cathedral of the new diocese. Bishop Richard Hanifen
was installed as the diocese’s first bishop on January 30, 1984.
The 1916 pipe organ was replaced in 2002 and another major renovation of St. Mary’s was completed in 2003. The interior was renewed and a new entrance was built on the southwest corner of the church, a gathering space, plaza and meeting rooms were added. The St. Mary’s Cathedral Columbarium
was opened in 2005.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
located in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the seat of the Diocese of Colorado Springs
Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs is a Roman Catholic diocese in Colorado. The diocese was founded on November 10, 1983.The bishops who have served the diocese are:*Richard Charles Patrick Hanifen...
. 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 St. Mary's Catholic Church.
History
The first Mass was celebrated in Colorado Springs by the Rev. Joseph P. Machebeuf in 1873. Catholics gathered in a variety of locations until the property on which St. Mary’s sits was purchased for $3,100 in 1888.Pease and Barber
Thomas P. Barber
Thomas P. Barber was an English-born American architect. Several of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.Works include:...
designed the present church in the Gothic Revival style. The lower level of the church was completed in 1891 and the upper church was completed seven years later. The church was dedicated on December 19, 1998. The bell towers on the front of the church were added in 1902 and the spires
Spires
Spires may refer to:* SPIRES, a database for publications in High-Energy Physics* Speyer , a city in Germany* The Spires, a commercial conference centre, operated out of Church House, Belfast by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland...
were completed in 1907. A major redecorating project took place from 1902-1904 when the Gothic arched ceilings, six side-aisle windows and electric lights were added. A new pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
was placed in the church in 1916. The clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
and apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
windows were added during a renovation project from 1923-1924. The 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...
on the main façade
Facade
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"....
was given its current configuration in 1930.
Blessed John Paul II established the Diocese of Colorado Springs on November 10, 1983. St. Mary’s was chosen to be the cathedral of the new diocese. Bishop Richard Hanifen
Richard Charles Patrick Hanifen
Richard Charles Patrick Hanifen is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Colorado Springs, serving from 1984 to 2003...
was installed as the diocese’s first bishop on January 30, 1984.
The 1916 pipe organ was replaced in 2002 and another major renovation of St. Mary’s was completed in 2003. The interior was renewed and a new entrance was built on the southwest corner of the church, a gathering space, plaza and meeting rooms were added. The St. Mary’s Cathedral Columbarium
Columbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
was opened in 2005.