Cathedral of Saint Paul (Worcester, Massachusetts)

Cathedral of Saint Paul
Location in Massachusetts
42°15′42″N 71°48′15″W / 42.2616°N 71.8043°W / 42.2616; -71.8043
Location	38 Chatham St. Worcester, Massachusetts
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
Website	www.cathedralofsaintpaul.net
History
Founded	1869
Architecture
Architect(s)	E. Boyden & Son
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1874
Specifications
Length	168 feet (51 m)
Width	91 feet (28 m)
Height	96 feet (29 m)
Number of floors	2
Spire height	145 feet (44 m)
Materials	Granite, wood
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Worcester
Clergy
Bishop(s)	His Excellency The Most Rev. Robert J. McManus
Rector	Reverend Hugo A. Cano
Laity
Organist/Director of music	Richard Monroe
Organist(s)	Elizabeth Marcil, Principal Organist; David M. Moulton, Assistant Organist
Business manager	Sindy Collazo
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
MPS	Worcester MRA
NRHP reference No.	80000604
Added to NRHP	March 5, 1980[1]

The Cathedral of Saint Paul — informally known as Saint Paul's Cathedral — is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester. It is located at 38 Chatham Street in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. Built between 1868 and 1889, it is one of the city's finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.^[1]

Architecture

The Cathedral of Saint Paul stands in downtown Worcester, facing north on the south side of Chatham Street at High Street, one block west of Main Street. It is a large stone cruciform structure, built out rock-faced granite blocks. The main facade consists of a tall square tower on the right, the gabled end of the nave at the center, and a smaller square tower topped by a round turret on the left. There are entrances in the base of the large tower, and in projecting Gothic-arched sections in front of the nave. The main roof is steeply pitched, with a cross at the front gable end, and tall Gothic windows in the gables at the nave and transepts.^[2]

History

The parish of Saint Paul was founded in 1866 by John Power, the rector of Saint Anne's Parish. The church was designed by architects E. Boyden & Son, and construction began in the spring of 1868. The first services were held in the basement in 1869.^[2] The superstructure, excluding the main tower, was completed by 1874, at which time the church was dedicated.^[3] The building is 168 feet (51 m) in length, 91 feet (28 m) in width, and 96 feet (29 m) in height. When the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester was established, it was elevated to the cathedral church by Bishop John J. Wright on March 7, 1950.^[3]

A statue of St. Francis of Assisi occupies the small courtyard on the side of the church. During the Christmas season, the church also displays its Nativity here.

Gallery

• 
  Nativity outside the church, 2014
• 
  Statue of St Francis outside the church

See also

• List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
• List of cathedrals in the United States
• National Register of Historic Places listings in northwestern Worcester, Massachusetts
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cathedral of Saint Paul (Worcester, Massachusetts).

• Official Cathedral Site
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester Official Site
• Places of the Past, St. Paul's Cathedral

This page was last edited on 3 December 2022, at 14:40