Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located at 2535 Collingwood Boulevard in the Old West End of

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. Completed in 1931, the cathedral is the mother church of the 122 parishes in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo The Diocese of Toledo (in America) () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or diocese, of the Catholic Church covering nineteen counties in northwestern Ohio in the United States. The diocese is a suffragan see of the metropolitan Arch ...

. Cathedral officials claim that it was designed with

Toledo, Spain Toledo ( ; ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, the capital of the province of Toledo and the ''de jure'' seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla� ...

, in mind and is the only U.S. cathedral in the Spanish

Plateresque Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" (''plata'' being silver in Spanish language, Spanish), was an artistic movement, especially Architecture, architectural, developed in Spanish Empire, Spain and its territories, which appeared ...

style.

History

The building was designed by William Perry of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, whose architectural drawings were approved by

Samuel Stritch Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (August 17, 1887 – May 27, 1958) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Chicago from 1940 to 1958 and as pro-prefect of the Congregation for Propagation of the Faith from March 1958 until hi ...

(1921–1930), the second

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the diocese of Toledo, Ohio. Ground was broken in 1925 and the cornerstone placed in 1926. The building was structurally completed amid the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in 1931 at a cost of $3.25 million. It was dedicated in October 1940 by

Karl Joseph Alter Karl Joseph Alter (August 18, 1885 – August 23, 1977) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Toledo in Ohio (1931–1950) and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in Ohio (1950� ...

(1931–1950), the third bishop of the diocese, as Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral.

Architecture

The cathedral has a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

floor plan and is constructed of Massachusetts granite with Indiana limestone accents. The main facade has a single entry that is recessed in a barrel-vault arch framed by carved limestone details. Above the doorway is a statue of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

in a carved niche. Above the statue is a rose window with limestone tracery set into a larger arch. The window depicts scenes from the life of Mary and was financed through the donation of pennies by children throughout the diocese. Framing the entry are two octagonal towers which bear carvings of Sts. Peter and Paul on either side of the rose window. Above the window, on the

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

, are the diocesan coat of arms. The entire facade is surmounted by a crucifix and a frieze which encircles the exterior depicts notable events in the history of the church. The nave of the cathedral is topped by a barrel vault that is divided into seven bays and elaborately painted with figures from both the Old and New Testaments executed by artist Felix Lieftuchter. The paintings use the Keim process which utilizes mineral paints that does not evaporate or interfere with acoustics. Each bay holds a triple window measuring high and wide. Along the nave are altars dedicated to St. Theresa of Lisieux and

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Our Mother of Perpetual Succour (), colloquially known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a 15th-century Byzantine art, Byzantine ico ...

. The main altar is carved from black Marquina Florido marble, imported from Spain, and, before the renovation, was covered with an oak

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from ), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent Architecture, architectural feature, particularly over Alta ...

supported by marble columns. The pulpit is carved from white oak by German artisan August Schmidt. Around the apse are statues of the eight authors of the New Testament. Each statue stands under a carved

flèche Flèche or Fleche may refer to: * Flèche (architecture), a type of church spire * Flèche (cycling), a team cycling competition * Flèche (fencing), an aggressive offensive fencing technique * Flèche (fortification), a defensive work *, ships of ...

Ernest M. Skinner organ

The cathedral houses a large 4 manual Ernest M. Skinner

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 ...

, their opus 820 (1930). The instrument was personally finished by Ernest Skinner, and formally dedicated in 1931 by Palmer Christian, professor of organ at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. It contains 75 stops and 76 ranks (sets) of pipes, totaling 4,916 pipes. These pipes range in length from 7 inches to over 32 feet. According to the ''Cathedral Music'' page on the Holy Rosary Website this fine Skinner organ ''represents the culmination of his career and reflects the influences of Willis, Cavaille-Coll, and G. Donald Harrison''. The instrument remains virtually unaltered from its original installation, and stands as one of the crown musical jewels of the cathedral, and of the City of Toledo. In 2009 the instrument received an historical citation from the

Organ Historical Society The Organ Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization primarily composed of pipe organ enthusiasts interested in the instrument's design, construction, conservation and use in musical performance. Formed in 1956, the headquarters moved fr ...

. Its sister organ resides in the peristyle concert hall in the

Toledo Museum of Art The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio. It houses a collection of more than 30,000 objects. With 45 galleries, it covers 280,000 square feet and is currently in th ...

Restoration

In 2000, the cathedral parish completed a restoration of the church interior which removed many decades of soot from coal-fired and oil-fired boilers to return the original brilliance and luster of the mosaic works of art. In the 2000s, the parish and diocese re-landscaped the grounds, and re-stoned the paths to the entrances of the building to match the theme, style and color of the stonework on the façade. Around the same time, the parking lot received gates and stone corner-pieces matching the paths and the building. The church also bought a second lot across the street.

Dimensions

*Overall Length - *Overall Width - *Height from floor to peak - *Normal Seating - 1400 *Rose Window - in diameter *Tabernacle height -

People associated with the Rosary Cathedral

Claude Lagacé Claude Lagacé (1 May 1917, Sorel-Tracy, Quebec – 7 February 2019, Quebec City) was a Canadian organist, choral conductor, writer on music, and music educator. He was trained as an organist by Henri Gagnon at Université Laval and also studied pi ...

, organist at the Rosary Cathedral from 1954 to 1961

References

External links

Official Cathedral Site

Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo Official Site
{{Catholicism Roman Catholic cathedrals in Ohio Culture of Toledo, Ohio Roman Catholic churches in Toledo, Ohio Tourist attractions in Toledo, Ohio