The Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough, Ontario, and one of the oldest Catholic churches in Ontario. It is located at 411 Reid Street in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. St. Peter's was designed by James Chevette in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. It was elevated to a cathedral in 1882.

History

Roman Catholic services in Peterborough were first held in a log building in 1825. The parish of St. Peter's was established in 1826 to serve the large Irish population in the area. A wood church was later erected but it was destroyed by fire in 1835 or 1836. What is now the nave portion of the cathedral was erected in 1837 with stone quarried in nearby Jackson's Park. Further alterations in 1884-1886 added the transept/sanctuary space and

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

to the north end. The roof over the high altar was raised to correspond with the height of the nave in 1931. In 1967, the south wall was extended to the front façade of the tower adding a fifth bay to the original structure. In 1882, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough was established and St. Peter's became its cathedral. Jean-François Jamot was installed as the diocese's first bishop and he is now buried in the

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

. Until 1908, it was the only Catholic church serving Peterborough and the surrounding communities of Smith, Douro, Otonobee and North Monaghan.

Architecture

The current building was designed in a cruciform, modified English

, then popular in Upper Canada, by James Chevette. The

vaulted ceiling In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

was added in the 1931 renovation and is supported by Corinthian columns. Despite later alterations, it retains much of its original style and is an excellent example of

Gothic Revival architecture in Canada Gothic Revival architecture in Canada is an historically influential style, with many prominent examples. The Gothic Revival was imported to Canada from Britain and the United States in the early 19th century, and rose to become the most popular st ...

. On the back wall of the chancel, there is a 42-foot high and 25-foot wide mosaic of the Last Supper by Alexander von Svoboda installed in 1968. It is made from almost 640,000 pieces of cut glass in 75 different hues and colours and is one of the largest of its kind in Canada.

Gallery

File:302. St Peter's In Chains Cathedral, 411 Reid St., Peterborough, 1911 (26498149836).jpg, The Cathedral in 1911 File:Cathedral of St. Peters in Chains Interior.jpg, The Last Supper mosaic by Alexander von Svoboda File:St Peter-In-Chains Hunter St. side.jpg, The east façade of the cathedral from Hunter Street

References

External links

* {{Peterborough, Ontario Churches in Peterborough, Ontario Roman Catholic cathedrals in Ontario Roman Catholic churches in Ontario Gothic Revival church buildings in Canada Designated heritage properties in Ontario 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Canada Terminating vistas in Canada

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References

External links