Christ Cathedral is the

cathedral church 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 ...

for the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas. It is located in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1858 ...

United States 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 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and has been 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 ...

since 2010.

History

Episcopalians initially met in Salina in the general store as well as in church buildings of other Christian denominations. Christ Church was formed as the first Episcopal parish in the city and a frame church building was constructed in 1872. The Right Rev. Sheldon M. Griswold, the first bishop of the Missionary District of Salina, was the first to plan for a new cathedral. Sarah E. Batterson of New York, the widow of the Rev. Herman Batterson, was looking for a way to memorialize her husband and donated a large sum of money to build the present cathedral. The gift came with stipulations.

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

architect Charles Marquendent Burns, Jr., a personal friend of her husband, was to design the building. She wanted chairs in the nave instead of pews, and insisted they be free and unsigned to parishioners. Bishop Griswold initially asked for $10,000 to $15,000. Mrs. Batterson initially offered $25,000, and then raised the amount to $35,000. In the end her gifts totaled over $50,000. The

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

was laid on May 29, 1906, and the first service in the cathedral was held on January 8, 1908. Cuthbert and Sons of

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

, built the structure. Also on the cathedral property is a parish hall built in 1948 and a two-story education and office building completed in 1956.

Architecture

The cathedral is cruciform in shape and faces the east. A

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

sits at the crossing and contains a

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a musical keyboard, keyboard and consists of at least 23 bells. The bells are Bellfounding, cast in Bell metal, bronze, hung in fixed suspension, and Musical tuning, tu ...

of 23 bells. The tower also contains eight screened windows and is topped by eight pinnacles with finials. Entrances are located on the main

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

and in the two

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s. The

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and

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 ...

on the west side of the cathedral has nine

stained glass windows Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

. There are also windows in the main nave and in the transepts. All but two of the windows are part of series titled "Following the Steps in the Ministry of Christ." Above the main entrance is the Ascension window made by J. & R. Lamb Studios and installed in 1961. The St. Michael's Chapel is located off the north transept. The acolyte, choir room, and a restroom are off the south transept. The building covers . The exterior of the cathedral is covered entirely of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

quarried in

Chase County, Kansas Chase County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and most populous city is Cottonwood Falls. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,572. The county was named for Salmon Chase, a U.S. Senator from ...

, about 95 miles to the southeast of Salina. The stone that was used for the entrance steps and the door sills was quarried in

Lyon County, Kansas Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Emporia. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 32,179. The county was named for Nathaniel Lyon, a general who was killed at the ...

. The dressed stone used on the cathedral was quarried in Silverdale, Kansas. The interior walls are covered in limestone. The seating capacity is 220 and the original chairs, made by the Manitowoc Seating Works of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, are still in use. They are black-stained oak with cane seats and kneelers. The floor tiles in the chancel and choir feature symbols from early Christianity and were made by the

Moravian Pottery and Tile Works The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works (MPTW) is a history museum which is located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It is owned by the County of Bucks, and operated by TileWorks of Bucks County, a 501c3 non-profit organization. The museum was individual ...

Doylestown, Pennsylvania Doylestown is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough population was 8,300. Doylestown is located northwest of Trent ...

. The canopies over the bishop's

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

, dean's stall and canon stalls are hand carved, quarter-sawn oak that are stained black. The diocesan

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

is cut into the back of the bishop's chair. The choir stalls are simpler in design. The

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

and lectern in the crossing are also carved of oak. Also at the crossing at the entrance to the choir is a rood beam, which was put in place in 1918 as a memorial to the cathedral's primary benefactor, Sarah E. Batterson. The carvings on the beam were done by Alois Lang of the Manitowoc Seating Works. He also carved the St. Paul statue located in one of the niches in the pulpit. The original

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

in the choir was built by Henry Pilcher's Sons, of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. It was replaced in 1977 by the present organ, which was designed by Canon Royce Young and built by the M. P. Moller Pipe Organ Company of

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's List of municipalities in Maryland, sixth-most popu ...

. The

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

was carved from Carthage marble. The center carving features the symbol of Christ the Savior and is flanked by two

quatrefoil A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil) is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter. It is found in art, architecture, heraldry and traditional ...

s. The

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

was carved from Silverdale limestone. Four pinnacles rise from it and are capped with crockets. St. Mary's Altar is located in the northwest corner of the north transept. It is the oldest altar in the cathedral having been originally used by Christ Church parish in 1887. It is carved from oak in three panels. The center panel features the symbol of Christ the Savior and is flanked by the Alpha on the left and Omega on the right. The words "IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME" are carved along the upper front part of the altar.

References

External links

Christ Cathedral Website Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas Website
{{National Register of Historic Places Religious organizations established in 1872 Churches completed in 1907 Episcopal cathedrals in Kansas Gothic Revival church buildings in Kansas Episcopal church buildings in Kansas Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas Salina, Kansas 1872 establishments in Kansas National Register of Historic Places in Saline County, Kansas

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links