The Cathedral of Saint Paul — informally known as Saint Paul's Cathedral — is the

mother church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester The Diocese of Worcester ()is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in central Massachusetts in the United States. The diocese consists of Worcester County. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical pro ...

. It is located at 38 Chatham Street in downtown

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

. Built between 1868 and 1889, it is one of the city's finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture, and was listed on 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 1980.

Architecture

The Cathedral of Saint Paul stands in downtown Worcester, facing north on the south side of Chatham Street at High Street, one block west of Main Street. It is a large stone cruciform structure, built out rock-faced granite blocks. The main facade consists of a tall square tower on the right, the gabled end of the nave at the center, and a smaller square tower topped by a round turret on the left. There are entrances in the base of the large tower, and in projecting Gothic-arched sections in front of the nave. The main roof is steeply pitched, with a cross at the front gable end, and tall Gothic windows in the gables at the nave and transepts.

History

The parish of Saint Paul was founded in 1866 by John Power, the rector of Saint Anne's Parish. The church was designed by architects E. Boyden & Son, and construction began in the spring of 1868. The first services were held in the basement in 1869. The superstructure, excluding the main tower, was completed by 1874, at which time the church was dedicated. The building is in length, in width, and in height. When the

was established, it was elevated to the cathedral church by Bishop John J. Wright on March 7, 1950. A statue of St.

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

occupies the small courtyard on the side of the church. During the Christmas season, the church also displays its Nativity here. File:St. Paul - Worcester interior 01.jpg, View up the nave toward the altar File:St. Paul - Worcester interior 04.jpg, View down the nave toward gallery File:St. Paul - Worcester interior 12.jpg, Cathedra File:St. Paul - Worcester Window 11.jpg, Stained glass windows File:St Francis Statue.jpg, Statue of St Francis

References

External links

Official Cathedral SiteRoman Catholic Diocese of Worcester Official Site

''Places of the Past'', St. Paul's Cathedral
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Roman Catholic churches in Worcester, Massachusetts Paul Worcester Stone churches in Massachusetts Religious organizations established in 1869 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1874 Gothic Revival church buildings in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Worcester, Massachusetts 1869 establishments in Massachusetts 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

Architecture

History

See also

References

External links