Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston Information
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston is the historic cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. Located at 138 Tremont Street near Downtown Crossing, directly across from Boston Common and Park Street Station, the cathedral is adjacent to the diocesan offices. The current dean of the cathedral is the Very Reverend John P. "Jep" Streit.
Contents |
History
19th c.
St. Paul's was founded in 1819 when there were two other Episcopal parishes in Boston, Christ Church (better known as Old North Church), and Trinity Church. Both had been founded before the American Revolution as part of the Church of England. The founders of St. Paul's wanted a totally American parish in Boston.
Interior, 2008Unusually, at that time, for a church building, St. Paul's was built in Greek Revival architectural style. Its architects were Alexander Parris, best known for Quincy Market, and Solomon Willard, best known for the Bunker Hill Monument.[1] Its granite exterior and sandstone temple front have changed little since its construction. A carving of St. Paul preaching before King Agrippa II was intended to be placed in the pediment over the entrance, but was never executed.
Congregants included Daniel Webster.[3]
20th c.
In 1912, after its neighborhood had become mainly non-residential, the diocese named St. Paul's as its cathedral. At this point its chancel was remodeled with a coffered and gilded half-dome, elaborately carved wood reredos, a chancel organ and choir benches. The new chancel's architect was Ralph Adams Cram, known for such landmark Gothic churches as All Saints', in the Ashmont neighborhood of Boston and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Ministers
Portrait of Samuel F. Jarvis, 19th c.- Samuel Farmar Jarvis, 1820-1825[4][5]
- Alonzo Potter, 1826-1831[6]
- John Seely Stone, 1832-1841[7][8]
- Alexander Hamilton Vinton, 1842-1858[9][10]
- William Rufus Nicholson, ca.1860s[11]
- Treadwell Walden, ca.1870s[12]
- William Wilberforce Newton, 1877-1882[13]
- Frederick Courtney, ca.1880s[14]
Gallery
-
1851
-
Portrait of Rev. Treadwell Walden (photo 1860s)
-
St. Paul's, 19th c.
-
ca.1881
-
probably 1908
-
2008
-
Informational commemorative plaque on the front of the church, 2008
-
Informational historical marker in front of the church, 2008
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ "St. Paul's Church (Episcopal) (Boston)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1004&ResourceType=Building. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ Bacon's dictionary of Boston. 1886
- ^ Bowen's picture of Boston. 1838
- ^ Cyclopædia of American literature. 1858
- ^ Mark Antony De Wolfe Howe. Memoirs of the life and services of the Rt. Rev. Alonzo Potter, D.D., LL.D.: bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the diocese of Pennsylvania. Lippincott, 1871 Google books
- ^ Homans. Sketches of Boston, past and present. 1851
- ^ http://www.worldcat.org/wcidentities/lccn-nr91-40621
- ^ New American Cyclopædia. 1868
- ^ New England historical and genealogical register, 1881 Google books
- ^ Appletons' cyclopaedia of American biography. 1888
- ^ Who's who in America. 1899
- ^ Who's who in New England. 1915
- ^ Bacon's dictionary of Boston. 1886
Further reading
| Anglicanism portal |
- King's hand-book of Boston. 1878
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Categories:
- National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts
- Episcopal cathedrals in the United States
- Episcopal churches in Massachusetts
- Churches in Boston, Massachusetts
- Religious buildings completed in 1819
- 19th-century Episcopal church buildings
- Religious organizations established in 1819
- Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
- Financial District, Boston
- Stone churches in Massachusetts
|