St. Mary's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Oregon, United States and serves

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in western Oregon.

History

In 1925 Archbishop Alexander Christie authorized construction of a new cathedral at the corner of NW 18th and Couch streets as he struggled with a mortal illness. Parishioners and clergy from all over the archdiocese responded. In less than a year, on February 14, 1926, the new church opened. The first services were held on Friday, February 19, 1926. In 1993, a restoration study was completed. Thomas Hacker and Associates, a Portland architectural firm, was asked to a draft detailed restoration plan for the cathedral and a larger master plan that would provide for long-range improvements around the cathedral in keeping with the Catholic tradition of service. The cathedral was restored for the 150th anniversary of the Portland Archdiocese in 1996. The restoration included seismic strengthening, electrical, heating, and lighting updating, as well as liturgical and artistic modifications.

Art

The marble statues of Mary and the

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against the north walls of both transepts were carved in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and brought to the earlier 3rd and Stark Street cathedral by the Benedictine monks, who later founded Mount Angel Abbey. The Narthex doors' glass etching contains subtle symbols of the seven

Sacrament A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...

s. The transept windows date from the 1870s and were brought from two earlier cathedrals, as well as the Archbishop's Chair.

Stations of the Cross

The stations of the cross are original to the cathedral.

Architectural Style and Details

The architectural plans were by Jacobberger and Smith. The architectural style is Twentieth Century Romanesque and Byzantine, with a red tiled gable roof, cast-stone Corinthian columns, and a square tower with copper cornices. The marble floor in the apse was laid in 1926. The new marble on the floor in the remainder of the cathedral is a pattern of several Italian marbles. The doors are white oak in cast

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

on the exterior. Letters on the granite sign are Roman

majuscule Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

s from the Trajan inscription in Rome. The coat of arms on the sign is of the

Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon (''Archidioecesis Portlandensis in Oregonia'') is an archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It encompasses the western part of the state of Oregon, from the s ...

Bells

The three bells of the tower were cast in the late 1880s and originally installed in the former cathedral at Third and Stark Streets. They were manually-pealed until 2017, when the bells and yokes were refurbished and fitted with linear ringing motors. They sound at the pitches of D¹, F¹, and Ab¹.

References

External links

Official Cathedral SiteRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland Official Site
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, state=collapsed Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Mary Portland, Cathedral of Saint Mary in Portland, Cathedral of Saint Mary in Portland, Cathedral of Saint 1925 establishments in Oregon Historic district contributing properties in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Northwest District, Portland, Oregon