Architecture
The Exterior
The Interior
The Sanctuary
The Shrine and Chapels
The Interior Dome
Stained Glass Windows
Paintings and Frescoes
The Cathedral of Saint Paul has been in existence - in various buildings -
for nearly 150 years. But it was John Ireland, the popular archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, who helped bring to life the vision
of a permanent mother church for Minnesota in 1904.
In 1905, Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, a French architect trained at the
Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, was selected to design what we know
today as the fourth Cathedral of Saint Paul. Masqueray's devotion to the
Catholic faith and his warm, personal relationship with Archbishop Ireland
made him uniquely suited to the task.
Ireland and his building committee
wanted to create a structure that would stand for centuries.
The new Cathedral needed to be "a modern building, perfect in its acoustics,
in its sanitary, ventilating, heating and other details...," according to a
peer of Masqueray. Thus was the task of Masqueray and the many designers,
craftsman, laborers, clergy and laypeople who worked on this structure.
Return to the Top
The Exterior
The Cathedral of Saint Paul is set dramatically on Summit Hill overlooking
the city of Saint Paul. The Cathedral's Beaux Arts architecture, inspired
by the churches and cathedrals of France, is characterized by rounded
domes and arches, a symmetrical cross floor plan and clean, straight
lines. Decorative elements are grouped at certain points around the
Cathedral - the façde, towers, sides, entrances and dome.
The Cathedral's most prominent feature is a 120-foot-wide dome made
of curved steel beams, covered with a clay tile surface and overlaid
with copper. A copper-clad lantern, approximately 30 feet tall, sits
on top of the dome. From the base to the very top of the lantern, the
Cathedral stands 306 feet tall.
The church body is made of granite stone from St. Cloud, Minnesota,
in the shape of a Greek cross with nearly equal length arms. Twin 150-foot
towers flank the main façde. The three front entrances rest under a
monumental arch, which also frames a large rose window.
Return to the Top
The Interior
Masqueray envisioned a Cathedral where all visitors would be able to
see and hear the Mass. So he designed an interior with unobstructed
views of the altar and pulpit. Twenty four large windows in the dome
and rose windows in the transepts flood the interior with natural light.
Electric lighting, installed in the late 1940s, enhances the Cathedral's
interior.
Masqueray completed only a few interior designs before he died suddenly
in 1917. Consequently, the archbishops and designers who succeeded Ireland
and Masqueray assumed the responsibility of transforming the Cathedral's
stark, whitewashed interior into a decorative masterpiece.
Return to the Top
The Sanctuary
The sanctuary, where the altar is located, is the focal point of the
interior. Masqueray created a rough sketch of a main altar, but died
before construction began. His friend Whitney Warren, best known for
his design of Grand Central Station in New York, was commissioned to
create the grand high altar.
The marble altar is surrounded by an ornamental structure called a
baldachin.
At its base are six monolithic columns of black and gold marble, each
24-feet high and weighing almost eight tons. A bronze latticework canopy,
which includes two angels and a sculpture of Saint Paul, rests on the
pillars.
Ornamentation on the dome above the main altar was completed in May
1927. At the highest point is a painting of the Holy Spirit. Beneath
this image are paintings of the Holy Spirit's Seven Gifts: knowledge,
counsel, understanding, piety, wisdom, fear of the Lord and fortitude.
The dome's seven stained glass windows each represent a sacrament: Baptism,
Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders and
Anointing of the Sick.
Surrounding the sanctuary
are massive bronze grilles, with depictions of the life and ministry
of St. Paul on the top, as well as of various angels and saints on the
main sections.
Return to the Top
The Shrine and Chapels
Behind the sanctuary, separated by the bronze
grilles, is the Shrine of the Nations. The shrine's six chapels honor
the national patron saints of many of the immigrants who settled Minnesota:
Saint Anthony of Padua (Italy), John the Baptist (France and Canada),
Saint Patrick (Ireland), Saint Boniface (Germany), Saints Cyril and
Methodius (Slavic Nations) and Saint Therese (protector of all missions).
Each chapel holds a statue of the patron saint, an altar, stained glass
windows depicting other saints and marble imported from the respective
country. Immigrants represented by the particular saint funded each
shrine.
Four ornate side chapels,
constructed between 1914 and 1933, honor Saint Peter, the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, Saint Joseph (the foster father of Jesus) and the Blessed
Virgin Mary. The First World War interrupted construction of The Chapel
of St. Joseph, but it was completed in 1918 with the aid of the Sisters
of Saint Joseph and their benefactors.
The
Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary received financial support from Catholic
women in the Archdiocese. This chapel, completed in 1919, features a
statue of a young Blessed Mother holding the Child Jesus. The sculptor,
Leon Hermant, considered this piece his masterpiece.
The Chapel of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus was built during the Great Depression and was established as
a devotion to a compassionate Jesus who understood the struggles faced
by his people. This was the side altar sponsored and built by the workers
themselves, and features an unusual and beautiful reddish marble altar.
Return to the Top
The Interior Dome
The interior dome of the Cathedral, 96 feet in diameter and 175 feet high, is just as
impressive as the exterior, copper-clad dome. Warm-colored paint and gold leaf were added
during a major dome renovation in the 1950s. The 24 stained glass windows of the angelic
choirs, combined with the eight-pointed chandelier, bathe the church in light.
Four massive piers support
the dome. At the top of each pier is a 25-foot-high mosaic, each with
an angel representing the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Temperance,
Fortitude and Justice. At the base of each pier is a 12-foot statue
of one of the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The
symbolism here is unmistakable: just as the piers uphold the Cathedral,
the Word of God upholds the Church.
Return to the Top
Stained Glass Windows
The first stained-glass windows were placed
in the Chapels of St. Peter, St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin. The
largest stained glass windows are the rose windows located in the north
and south transcepts, and in the eastern wall of the building. Charles
J. Connick, the noted stained glass artist, described his creation of
the windows as an opportunity to "express his vision of spiritual beauty
in lyric color."
East
Window
The 26-foot-diamater east
rose window, known as the Resurrection Window, depicts the Lamb of God
in the center of a cross. Surrounding the lamb are the 12 apostles and
a motif of vines and branches, representing Christ and his followers.
North Window
The American Jesuit Martyrs
window, on the north side, commemorates the eight American martyrs.
South Window
The south rose window is a
pictorial display of the Beatitudes. Jesus sits in the center of the
window and is surrounded by eight North or South American saints who
exemplify the beatitudes.
Other Windows
Other beautiful stained glass
windows can be found throughout the Cathedral, not only in the various
side chapels but in the transcepts and entryways as well. These windows
have depictions of Christ and various saints and past figures of Christian
history. Among them are ones of St. Teresa of Avila, the Last Supper,
Christ as the Good Shepherd, Pope Benedict XV, and St. Dismas (the "Good
Thief" alongside Christ on the cross).
Return to the Top
Paintings and Frescoes
Three
large paintings in the Cathedral represent scenes from Christ's crucifixion
and death. The Entombment, a painting in dark tones depicting
the preparation of Jesus' body after his death, was painted by 19th
century artist Theodule-Augustin Ribot.
Two other paintings are The
Crucifixion by Minnesota native Nicholas Richard Brewer and The
Descent from the Cross (1867) by Karl-Ernest-Rodolphe-Heinrich-Salem
Lehmann.
More recent additions are
two frescoes painted by Minnesota artist Mark Balma in the mid 1990s.
One tells the story of Bishop Joseph Cretin's arriving at his newly
created diocese in 1851. The other fresco depicts Archbishop Ireland
leading a procession for the first Mass in the Cathedral of Saint Paul
on Palm Sunday 1915.
Conclusion
The Cathedral of Saint Paul
has been made by many hands: from the initial sketches made by Masqueray,
to the immigrants who contributed to the construction, to the artisans
and designers who have carried on the task of embellishing the church
during the last 85 years. It is truly a fitting testimony to God, and
a sacred place where all people can appreciate its magnificence and
worship with uplifted hearts.
Return to the Top
