Saint Joseph Cathedral is located at 50 Franklin Street in downtown

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

within the

Joseph Ellicott Historic District Joseph Ellicott Historic District is a local historic district in Buffalo, New York. It is in the vicinity of Niagara Square, which was designed by Joseph Ellicott as the centerpiece of the city's street plan in 1805. History The district was ...

, and is currently the

cathedral church A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

History

Buffalo's first bishop, John Timon, established St. Joseph's in 1847 to be the seat of the new diocese. Because of the economic situation in the city he raised funds to build the church while he was in Europe. The cornerstone was laid on February 6, 1851. During construction, a storm approached the city from

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

and destroyed several homes in the area. Bishop Timon allowed the residents to set up tents within the cathedral's walls for several weeks. The cathedral was usable, but not complete, when it was dedicated on July 1, 1855. The south tower was completed in the summer of 1862. Bishop Timon consecrated the completed cathedral on August 21, 1863. In 1902, Bishop James Quigley decided that the diocese required a new cathedral and purchased property at Delaware Avenue and Utica Street beginning in 1902. Italian architect

Aristide Leonori Aristide Leonori (28 July 1856 – 30 July 1928) was an Italian architect and engineer. He worked mostly on religious buildings in Italy, the United States, and Africa, in a variety of styles. Biography Born in Rome, the eldest of twelve childr ...

designed a new

Gothic Revival 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 ...

cathedral which was constructed between 1912 and 1915. The new edifice became known as St. Joseph's (New) Cathedral and this church became known as St. Joseph's Old Cathedral. This time both towers of the new cathedral were completed to a height of . Unfortunately, the cathedral was better suited for Rome's climate rather than Buffalo's. By 1924, the north and south transepts required major repairs and by 1927, the towers were so unstable they were removed. The exterior marble started to separate from the brick and Bishop

Edward D. Head Edward D. Head (August 5, 1919 – March 29, 2005) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 11th bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, Diocese of Buffalo in New York from 1973 to 1995. He previously s ...

determined in 1976 that repairs would be too costly for the "new" St. Joseph's and the diocese. In 1977, after the demolition of the new cathedral, the "old cathedral" once again became known as St. Joseph's Cathedral.

Architecture

Bishop Timon selected New York architect Patrick C. Keely, who had worked with

A. W. N. Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

, to design the church. He created a

structure in length by across. The original plan called for towers on the north and south corners of the facade, however only the south tower was finished. The tower contained a 43-bell carillon by Bollee & Son of

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

, France. At the time of its completion in 1869, the carillon was the largest in the U.S. and the third largest in the world. Installed in St. Joseph's in 1870, the bells were too large for the cathedral's tower and never worked properly. At present, all but 2 of the bells have been removed from the church tower. Bishop

Stephen V. Ryan Stephen Vincent Ryan, Congregation of the Mission, C.M. (January 1, 1825 – April 10, 1896) was a Canadian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, he served as Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffal ...

added the Lady Chapel built at the rear of the cathedral in 1873. The three lancet windows above the altar were produced at the direction of King

Ludwig II of Bavaria Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...

for the Paris Exposition of 1855. During his trips to Europe, Bishop Timon saw the windows and asked if the King would donate them to the new structure. After first being refused, the Bishop persisted and the Ludwig relented. The cathedral was renovated in 1882, 1903–05, 1937–47 and most recently in 1977.

Organ

The choir loft houses a 3,627 pipe Hook & Hastings organ, Opus 828. The organ was built in 1876 for the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, where it was played frequently for concerts. It was moved to the Cathedral following the end of the Exposition February 13, 1877. The organ was updated in 1925 and 1976, but by 1996 had become unplayable. In 1998, the bishop and parish council engaged the Andover Organ Company to restore and expand the instrument. Andover installed the restored instrument in 2001 as its Opus R-328. It currently contains three manuals and 90 stops.

Gallery

File:Saint joseph cathedral2.JPG, Façade detail looking northwest File:Saint joseph rectory.JPG, East Rectory façade File:Saint joseph cathedral sign.JPG, Identification plaque at the entrance File:Saint joseph cathedral sign2.JPG, Marker commemorating Bishop John Timon at the entrance File:St. Joseph's Cathedral in 1914.jpg, A 1914 view of the cathedral and rectory File:St. Joseph Cathedral Sacred Heart Altar.jpg, The north transept in 1914 File:St. Joseph Cathedral Interior - Buffalo, NY.jpg, Sanctuary in 2017 File:Chapel - Saint Joseph Cathedral (Buffalo, New York).jpg, The Lady Chapel File:Bishop's Graves Saint Joseph Cathedral - Buffalo.jpg, Marker denoting the burials of Bishop Timon and Bishop Ryan File:San cesario buffalo.jpg, Bishop Richard J. Malone and Msgr. David S. Slubecky beneath a calendar reliquary (tapestry) of 365 saints and icon of Saint Caesarius of Terracina

References

External links