Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (Charleston, South Carolina)

Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

The Cathedral
32°46′35.4″N 79°56′4.2″W / 32.776500°N 79.934500°W / 32.776500; -79.934500
Location 120 Broad Street
Charleston, South Carolina
Country United States
Denomination Roman Catholic Church
Website charlestoncathedral.com
History
Founded 1800
Architecture
Architect(s) Patrick C. Keely
Ruben Solar (belfry & spire)
Style Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking 1890
Completed 1907 (Spire-2010)
Specifications
Capacity upper church-720
lower church-200
Length 200 ft (61 m)
Width 80 ft (24 m)
Number of spires One
Spire height 167 ft (51 m)
Materials Connecticut tool-chiseled brownstone
Bells Three
Administration
Diocese Charleston
Clergy
Bishop(s) Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone
Rector Msgr. Steven L. Brovey

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, located in Charleston, South Carolina. The Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone, D.D., the thirteenth Bishop of Charleston, was ordained and installed on March 25, 2009.

History

Cathedral interior in 1914

The first brownstone cathedral was built in 1854 and named the Cathedral of Saint John and Saint Finbar. It burned in a great fire in December 1861. The rebuilt cathedral was named for St. John the Baptist and was constructed on the foundations of the earlier structure. Architect Patrick Keely designed both the original cathedral and its replacement.[1]

The Cathedral seats 720 people and is noted for its Franz Mayer & Co. stained glass, hand–painted Stations of the Cross, and neo-gothic architecture. The cornerstone was laid in 1890, and the church opened in 1907. The spire was not built at the time due to the lack of funds during the construction of the cathedral and its numerous renovations. The church was finally completed on March 25, 2010, with the addition of the steeple and bells.[2]

Cathedral Clergy

Bishops

For earlier bishops see List of Bishops of Charleston.

Rectors of the Cathedral

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Priests

Adjunct Priests

100th Anniversary Renovations

In 2007, Bishop Robert J. Baker and Cathedral Rector Rev. Msgr. Joseph Roth announced plans to renovate and complete the cathedral nearly one-hundred years after it opened. The stained-glass windows were refurbished in December 2007. The brownstone has been refurbished, the mortar has been replaced and, after 103 years of waiting, a spire with 3 bells now tops the Cathedral. A $6.2 million contract for restoration and the steeple addition was completed on March 25, 2010.[2]

Chapels

Cathedral without a steeple as it stood for nearly one hundred years

Spire & Belltower

The Cathedral with its new spire is the seventh tallest building in the city. The spire is covered in copper lattice and is topped with a 16x9 foot gilded copper Celtic cross. The arches below were fabricated from a special fiberglass used in ship building, which was then clad in copper. The arches are decorated by brown cast stone pinnacles on each corner. The belfry section is also constructed of brown cast stone. It has copper louvers. The new spire was designed by Glenn Keyes Architects using a sketch of the steeple from the original 1851 building.[1]

Bells

Cathedral interior in 2015.

The bells were placed in the Cathedral tower on November 16, 2009. Together the three bronze bells form an E major chord. These bells were cast by Christoph Paccard Bell Foundry in Charleston, South Carolina and blessed by Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone on October 15, 2009.

Windows

Upper Church

The Cathedral is noted for its Franz Mayer & Co. stained-glass windows. It has a couple of one-of-a-kind windows.

The return of the prodigal son is one of the many beautiful windows of the Cathedral.
The Mayer Company's creation of stained and painted glass was at its height of production and artistry when the Cathedral's windows were installed in 1907.

Lower Church

Cathedral Music

Director of Music

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Choirs

Organs

Pipe organ in the rear gallery

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ruehling, Nancy A. (June 2011). "A Storied Steeple". Traditional Building. Restore Media, LLC. 24 (4). Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Bergeron, Angelle (September–October 2011). "Centennial Completion". Constructor. Arlington, Virginia: McGraw-Hill Construction for Associated General Contractors of America. 93 (5): 15–16. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  3. "Bedient Pipe Organ Company, Opus 22, 1994". Organ Historical Society. January 5, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  4. "Charleston, South Carolina: Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Roman Catholic". Aeolian-Skinner Archives. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Charleston.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.