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St. Mary Cathedral is a
Before the cathedral was built, St. Mary Church, located north of the present church, was dedicated in Lansing in 1866. However, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Lansing's population grew. The church purchased the land that the present St. Mary's sits on in 1900, and a temporary new church was constructed in 1903. Construction of the permanent new church began in 1911 from a design by Edwyn A. Bowd, and was completed in 1913. The stained glass windows were made in
Michigan Stained Glass Census - St. Mary Cathedral
Mary in Lansing Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing National Register of Historic Places in Lansing, Michigan Gothic Revival church buildings in Michigan Roman Catholic churches completed in 1937 Churches in Lansing, Michigan 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States {{US-RC-cathedral-stub
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 ...
of the Roman 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 ...
in Lansing, Michigan one block north of the Michigan State Capitol. It is the seat of the bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing
The Diocese of Lansing ( la, Diœcesis Lansingensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church located in the south-central portion of Michigan around Lansing. It encompasses an area of including the countie ...
.
History
Before the cathedral was built, St. Mary Church, located north of the present church, was dedicated in Lansing in 1866. However, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Lansing's population grew. The church purchased the land that the present St. Mary's sits on in 1900, and a temporary new church was constructed in 1903. Construction of the permanent new church began in 1911 from a design by Edwyn A. Bowd, and was completed in 1913. The stained glass windows were made in Munich, Germany
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
and installed in 1923. In 1937, the church became the cathedral for the newly formed Diocese of Lansing.
In January 1938, a serious fire broke out in the rectory and Bishop Joseph H. Albers, the survivor of a World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
gas attack, collapsed inside the building before he was rescued by firefighters.
The church has seen four renovations. The first was in the 1920s which added the stained glass windows, Gothic details, and decorative painting behind the altar. The second was in 1954 and removed some of the Gothic details in the sanctuary. Another renovation from 1967 to 1968 removed the communion rail, side altars, and stations of the cross and reconfigured many other elements. The most recent was in 1986 that restored some of the elements removed from the previous renovation.
Description
St. Mary Cathedral is a Gothic Revival style church constructed in a cruciform shape of rock-face limestone with the water table and other details of smooth-faced limestone. The church sits on a granite foundation, and had a red ceramic tile gable roof. On the main facade is a central, Gothic-arched portal flanked by two smaller portals of similar design. A rose window is recessed above the center entrance. On the corners are large square towers, one taller than the other by the height of the belfry. The towers are set flush with the front wall. On the interior is a vestibule in front, opening through glass doors into the nave, which measures 108 feet by 63 feet. The nave hasterazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bind ...
floors, and a high, vaulted plaster ceiling.
See also
*List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
The following is a list of the Catholic cathedrals in the United States. The Catholic Church in the United States comprises ecclesiastical territories called dioceses led by prelate bishops. Each bishop is assigned to a cathedral from which he ...
*List of cathedrals in the United States
This is a list of cathedrals in the United States, including both actual cathedrals (seats of bishops in Episcopal polity, episcopal Christian groups, such as Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy and ...
References
External links
*Michigan Stained Glass Census - St. Mary Cathedral
Mary in Lansing Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing National Register of Historic Places in Lansing, Michigan Gothic Revival church buildings in Michigan Roman Catholic churches completed in 1937 Churches in Lansing, Michigan 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States {{US-RC-cathedral-stub