The Cathedral of All Souls, also referred to as All Souls Cathedral, is an Episcopal

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 denominatio ...

located in Asheville, North Carolina,

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. All Souls was built by

George Washington Vanderbilt II George Washington Vanderbilt II (November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914) was an art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, which amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He commission ...

, the grandson of the famous railroad baron,

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

, in 1896, to serve as the local parish church for

Biltmore Village Biltmore Village, formerly Best, is a small village that is now entirely in the city limits of Asheville, North Carolina and near the town of Biltmore Forest. It is adjacent to the main entrance of the Biltmore Estate, built by George W. Vande ...

, which had been developed near his Biltmore Estate. The Right Reverend José Antonio McLoughlin is the current bishop seated at the cathedral.

History

The church was established in 1896 as a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. It is a member of the worldwide

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

. The Church and Parish Hall were commissioned by George Vanderbilt and designed by Richard Morris Hunt, the architect of Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate. The

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

organ was installed by the

Casavant Frères Casavant Frères is a Canadian organ building company in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, which has been building pipe organs since 1879. As of 2014, the company has produced more than 3,900 organs. Company history Brothers Joseph-Claver (1855–1 ...

organ company of Canada in 1971. The Cathedral of All Souls was designated as the cathedral of the

Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina The Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina is a diocese in the Episcopal Church. It consists of 28 counties in western North Carolina and its episcopal see is in Asheville, North Carolina, seated at Cathedral of All Souls. The first recor ...

on January 1, 1995. The Right Reverend José A. McLoughlin is the current bishop. Stained glass artists

Maitland Armstrong David Maitland Armstrong (April 15, 1836Armstrong, Maitland. Margaret Armstrong (Ed.) (1920''Day before Yesterday: Reminiscences of a Varied Life''.New York: Scribner, p. 157.May 26, 1918) was ''Charge d'Affaires'' to the Papal States (1869), Ame ...

and Helen Maitland Armstrong created three memorial stained glass windows for the south transept, honoring Maria Louisa Vanderbilt (George W. Vanderbilt's mother), architect Richard Morris Hunt, and Clarence Barker (Vanderbilt's cousin). They later created "Ecce Homo," a stained glass memorial at All Souls' Church in Biltmore, for Cornelius Vanderbilt, in 1900. The church and its

parish house 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 ...

was added to 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 ...

in 1979 as All Souls Episcopal Church and Parish House.

Gallery

File:All Souls Episcopal Church and Parish House.jpg, All Souls Episcopal Church and Parish House File:All Souls Episcopal Church.jpg, 2017 File:Looking down Swan St., Biltmore, NC – All Souls Church (5168253386).jpg

References

External links

Official site
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina All Souls Episcopal church buildings in North Carolina Religious organizations established in 1896 Churches completed in 1896 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Churches in Asheville, North Carolina Anglo-Catholic church buildings in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Buncombe County, North Carolina Anglo-Catholic cathedrals Cathedrals in North Carolina {{US-anglican-church-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links