Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and Paul
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and Paul ( English Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul ) is a Roman Catholic church in Philadelphia , capital of the US state of Pennsylvania . The cathedral of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is dedicated to the Apostles Peter and Paul , it bears the title of a minor basilica and is listed as a cultural monument .
history
St. Joseph was the first Catholic church to be built in Philadelphia in 1733, with the growth of the Catholic population followed in 1763 by the Church of St. Mary, which became the first cathedral in 1810 after the creation of the diocese of Philadelphia. The bishop's seat was moved to the larger St. Johann church in 1838.
The current cathedral was built between 1846 and 1864. The pace of construction was slowed down for a long time by not taking out loans. The cathedral was designed by Napoleon LeBrun based on designs by Pastor Mariano Muller and Pastor John B. Tornatore in the neo-Renaissance style. LeBrun oversaw the project from 1846 to 1851 when Notman took over until 1857, adding the dome and facade. The cathedral was then completed under the supervision of LeBrun. At the time the church was being built, there were repeated armed unrest against immigrants from Ireland and Germany, who were motivated by anti-Catholicism and nativism and also led to the burning of churches and the use of the military. That is why the cathedral is said to have received the very high ceilings windows to protect against vandalism.
The cathedral is the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. 1976 was her by Pope Paul VI. additionally awarded the title of a minor basilica. Two papal masses were held in the cathedral, one of which was celebrated by Pope John Paul II in 1979 and the other by Francis in 2015 . In 2019 the church was declared a diocesan shrine.
architecture
The three-aisled basilica was built on a cross-shaped plan . It has a length of 90 meters and a width of 40 meters. The crossing dome rises above a drum , the cross of the dome rises 63 meters high. The 1000-seat cathedral is the largest brownstone structure and one of the most architecturally significant in the city of Philadelphia.
The cathedral is modeled on Santi Ambrogio e Carlo in Rome. The Palladian facade and copper dome are in the Italian Renaissance style, as is the spacious interior with an oversized apse made of stained glass and red marble. A ciborium above the richly decorated main altar and the three altars on each of the side aisles underline the Renaissance character. In 1868 Constantino Brumidi painted the ceiling painting of the Assumption in the dome and the round portraits of the evangelists.
Web links
- Web site of the Cathedral (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed November 6, 2019
- ↑ Description of the Cathedral (English)
- ^ Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul on gcatholic.org (English)
Coordinates: 39 ° 57 '26.2 " N , 75 ° 10' 8.2" W.