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

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the 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" are usually s ...

located in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. All Souls was built by

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

, the grandson of 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. It is adjacent to the main entrance of the Biltmore Estate, built by George W. Vanderbilt, one of the heirs to the Vande ...

, which had been developed near his

Biltmore Estate Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The main residence, Biltmore House (or Biltmore Mansion), is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II ...

, and designated as a cathedral in 1995. 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 a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

. The Church and Parish Hall were commissioned by George Vanderbilt and designed by

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of architecture of the United States. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 ...

, the architect of Vanderbilt's

. The

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

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� ...

organ company of Canada in 1971. The Cathedral of All Souls was designated as the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina 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 Helen Maitland Armstrong (October 14, 1869 – November 26, 1948) was an American stained glass artist who worked both solo and in partnership with her father, Maitland Armstrong. Her work is considered among the finest produced in America in t ...

created three memorial stained glass windows for the south transept, honoring Maria Louisa Vanderbilt (George W. Vanderbilt's mother), architect

, 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 a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, par ...

was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979 as All Souls Episcopal Church and Parish House. In 2015 a major restoration project replaced the 119 year-old Ludowici roof tiles with new ones designed to match the originals. In September 2024, the cathedral was damaged during

Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...

when the

Swannanoa River The Swannanoa River flows through the Swannanoa Valley of the region of Western North Carolina, and is a major tributary to the French Broad River. Its headwaters arise in Black Mountain, North Carolina; however, it also has a major tributary ...

flooded Biltmore Village.https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2024/09/30/hurricane-helene-caused-catastrophic-damage-in-southeast-particularly-in-western-north-carolina/

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 Christian 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 Brick buildings and structures in North Carolina Biltmore Estate {{NorthCarolina-Anglican-church-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links