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
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 ...
.
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 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 ...
, 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
See also
*List of the Episcopal cathedrals of the United States
The following is a list of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church cathedrals in the United States and its territories. The dioceses are grouped into nine Ecclesiastical province, provinces, the first eight of which, for the most ...
*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 an ...
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
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