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

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

. The cathedral is the mother church of the 122 parishes in the

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

. This cathedral is unique architecturally in that it was designed in the Spanish

Plateresque Plateresque, meaning "in the manner of a silversmith" (''plata'' being silver in Spanish), was an artistic movement, especially architectural, developed in Spain and its territories, which appeared between the late Gothic and early Renaissance in ...

style. It was designed with Toledo's Sister City,

Toledo, Spain Toledo ( , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, 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–La Mancha. Toledo was declare ...

in mind. Finished in 1931, it was built in the spirit of the great European cathedrals of the Middle Ages. Mosaic Above The Altar

History

The second bishop of the diocese of Toledo, Ohio,

Samuel Stritch Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (August 17, 1887 – May 27, 1958) was an American Cardinal prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1940 to 1958 and as pro-prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Pro ...

(1921-1930), made the final selection of plans approving the architectural drawings of William Perry of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Ground breaking for the cathedral occurred in 1925 and the cornerstone was placed in 1926. The building was structurally completed amidst the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

in 1931 at a cost of $3.25 million. It was not until October 1940, at the end of the depression, that Bishop

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, dedicated the church as Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral.

Architecture

The cathedral has a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

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; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

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 gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

, 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 Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a 15th-century Byzantine icon with an alleged Marian apparition. The icon is believed to have o ...

. 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 it, baldacchino), 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 architectural feature, particularly over h ...

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) The flèche is an aggressive offensive fencing technique used with foil and épée. Background ...

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 pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

, 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 , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. 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 fro ...

. 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 -

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