The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

and

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

located in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

, United States. It is the seat of the

Diocese of Bismarck The Diocese of Bismarck ( la, Dioecesis Bismarckiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in North Dakota. The current bishop of the diocese is Bishop David Kagan. It is a suffragan diocese in the eccles ...

. Since 1980 the cathedral and the nearby Bishop's Residence have been

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

in the

Bismarck Cathedral Area Historic District The Bismarck Cathedral Area Historic District, also known as The Hill, is a historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). A first area was NRHP-listed in 1980. The original listing included 47 contribu ...

on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

The cathedral was the dream of the first bishop of Bismarck, Vincent Wehrle,

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

, who had a special devotion to the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

and wanted the church to also serve as a shrine to the Holy Spirit. He brought the property in 1917 and hired

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

architect Anton Dohman in 1921 to design the cathedral. He provided two different designs; the first was similar to the church at Assumption Abbey in

Richardton, North Dakota Richardton is a city in Stark County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 692 at the 2020 census. Richardton was founded in 1883. It is part of the Dickinson Micropolitan Statistical Area. Richardton is home to Assumption Abbey, ...

. The

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

prevented the construction of the cathedral until 1941. Bismarck's second bishop, Vincent Ryan, hired Fargo architect

William F. Kurke William F. Kurke (1889–1965) was a prolific architect in North Dakota. William Kurke was born in Minneapolis on December 9, 1889. He graduated from North Community High School, North High School before attending the University of Minneso ...

, who had helped design the

North Dakota Capitol The North Dakota State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The capitol, a 21-story Art Deco tower, is located in Bismarck at 600 East Boulevard Avenue, and is the tallest habitable building in the state. On ...

building, to design the new cathedral. His design was similar to Dohman's second design. The groundbreaking for the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style building was begun in September 1941. The building is composed of monolithic

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

, and is believed to be the only Art Deco-style cathedral in the United States. The church opened in August 1945, but its interior decoration and some of its furnishings were added in later years. A renovation from 1992 to 1993 added a gathering space, which reflects the cathedral's Art Deco style. The cathedral's tall bell tower is a local landmark that is visible from a distance.

Attendant buildings

In addition to the cathedral, Kurke also designed the nearby Bishop's Residence. The two-story, concrete,

structure was built at the same time as the cathedral. The grade school was completed in 1951. The two-story building features a flat roof, precast concrete panels, and two horizontal window bands that run about two-thirds of the width of the facade. A school building between the cathedral and the residence was originally part of Kurke's plan, but the long and low building features a more contemporary style that differs from the original plans. The two-story brick

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

was completed in 1965, and the two-story

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

in 1969. The rectory's exterior is composed of brick on the first floor and vertical siding on the second floor. The convent now houses the Center for Pastoral Ministry of the Diocese of Bismarck. File:Cathedral of the Holy Spirit interior - Bismarck, North Dakota 01.jpg, View up the nave toward the chancel File:Cathedral of the Holy Spirit interior - Bismarck, North Dakota 16.jpg, Stained glass window File:Cathedral of the Holy Spirit interior - Bismarck, North Dakota 06.jpg, Cathedra File:Cathedral of the Holy Spirit School - Bismarck, North Dakota.jpg, Cathedral School File:Bishop's Residence - Bismarck.jpg, Bishop's Residence

References

External links

Official Cathedral SiteDiocese of Bismarck Official Site
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck, state=collapsed Holy Spirit Bismarck Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck Roman Catholic churches completed in 1945 Tourist attractions in Bismarck, North Dakota National Register of Historic Places in Bismarck, North Dakota Historic district contributing properties in North Dakota Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in North Dakota 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Art Deco architecture in North Dakota

History

Attendant buildings

See also

References

External links