St. Augustine's Cathedral

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Facade of the cathedral

The Cathedral of St. Augustine ( English Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine , Spanish Catedral basílica de San Agustín ) is a church in the historic district of St. Augustine in Florida , United States . The cathedral of the Roman Catholic diocese of Saint Augustine is dedicated to Augustine of Hippo , on whose memorial day the site was founded by Spaniards on August 28, 1565, making the community the oldest Christian community in the United States. The current church was built between 1793 and 1797 and is a National Historic Landmark .

history

In the mid-1560s, the Spanish Empire expanded north from the Caribbean to what is now Florida. The first colony that remained continuously occupied from its inception was what was then San Agustín. Spanish settlers immediately began building a simple church that, like the place after St. Augustine was named. When Francis Drake attacked the entire settlement in 1586, it burned down. The colonists, in turn, immediately began to rebuild the church and completed it in a few months. The church was built in a simple way from straw and palmetto , which quickly deteriorated the condition of the structure in the humid climate. In 1599 a fire destroyed the second church.

After the news of the demise of the second church in Spain arrived, the tithe was set as the tax for the new building for several years. In 1605 a more solid wooden church was built with the help of builders from Europe and was to remain intact for the next 95 years.

With insufficient care under difficult climatic conditions and strong fluctuations in the size of the congregation, the condition of the church deteriorated. It was finally burned down in 1702 during a failed British attempt at conquest by South Carolina colonist James Moore. For more than ninety years, attempts to rebuild failed due to mismanagement and lack of money, and the king's intended funds were lost. After Florida came under British rule from 1763 to 1784, construction of the Church of St. Augustine began under Spanish rule in 1793. The construction under the planning of Mariano de la Rocque was completed in August 1797 by Miguel Iznardy. In 1870 the church was elevated to a cathedral with the creation of the diocese of Saint Augustine. In 1887 there was a fire. Since the walls were preserved, the reconstruction could be started with donations from Henry Flagler and money from the community. The community hired New York architect James Renwick, Jr. to restore the burned cathedral, adding the transept and adding the bell tower . Pope Paul VI awarded the cathedral the title of minor basilica in 1976 . In 1970, the Cathedral Basilica was added to the national lists of Historic Places and Landmarks.

Interior of the cathedral

architecture

The cathedral's eclectic facade is a combination of Spanish missionary style and classicism . Features of the Spanish mission style include the curved bell gable , the few windows, clay roof tiles and a semicircular tympanum . A statue of the patron saint Augustine stands in a prominent niche. The bell gable has four bells and a metal cross. Classicist details surround the front door; an entablature decorated with triglyphs is crowned above by a broken gable and supported below by pairs of Doric columns. There is a tall bell tower on the left. The walls are clad with Schill limestone .

During the restoration, the cathedral was enlarged. The redesign of the ceiling became a visible sign. Renwick developed a support system with exposed, ornate wooden beams and a clear view of the ceiling. The transept has a flat ceiling.

The main altar stands in the raised choir with marble floor. In 2003 the organ from Casavant Frères with 56 registers was positioned behind him on both sides . The walls of the choir have been painted. The framed windows of the cathedral are decorated with stained glass windows .

Web links

Commons : St. Augustine Cathedral  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c National Register of Historic Places
  2. ^ R. Kapitzke: Religion, Power, and Politics in Colonial St. Augustine . Ed .: University Press of Florida. Gainesville 1958 (English).
  3. ↑ Cathedral of Saint Augustine (English)
  4. ^ Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine at gcatholic.org
  5. ^ William Dewhurst: History of St. Augustine, Florida . Ed .: GP Putnam's Sons. 1885 (English).

Coordinates: 29 ° 53 ′ 34 "  N , 81 ° 18 ′ 45"  W.