| St. Raphael’s Cathedral | |
|---|---|
 Cathedral and rectory | |
 St. Raphael’s Cathedral | |
| Location | 231 Bluff St. Dubuque, Iowa |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | cathedralstpats |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral/Parish |
| Founded | 1833 (parish) |
| Dedication | Saint Raphael |
| Dedicated | July 7, 1861 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect | John Mullany |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1857 |
| Completed | 1861 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 160 ft (49 m)[1] |
| Width | 83 ft (25 m) |
| Height | 85 ft (26 m) (church) 130 ft (40 m) (tower)[2] |
| Materials | Brick Limestone |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Dubuque |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Most Rev.Thomas Robert Zinkula |
| Rector | Rev. Dennis Quint |
St. Raphael’s Cathedral, Rectory, Convent, and School | |
   | |
| Coordinates | 42°29′41.18″N90°40′2.52″W / 42.4947722°N 90.6673667°W /42.4947722; -90.6673667 |
| Built | 1870 (rectory) 1880s (convent) 1904 (school) |
| Architectural style | Italianate (rectory) Second Empire (convent) Neoclassical (school) |
| Part of | Cathedral Historic District (Dubuque, Iowa) (ID85002501[3]) |
| Added to NRHP | September 25, 1985 |
St. Raphael's Cathedral is aRoman Catholic cathedral in theArchdiocese of Dubuque inDubuque, Iowa in the United StatesThe parish is the oldest congregation of any Christian denomination in the state of Iowa. The cathedral church,rectory, formerconvent, and formerparochial school building arecontributing properties in theCathedral Historic District on theNational Register of Historic Places.
St. Raphael's Parish began in July 1833 when the first group of settlers in the neighborhood gathered formass in the home of Patrick Quigley in Dubuque.[4] ReverendCharles Felix Van Quickenborne, a BelgianJesuit priest, organized them into a parish.[5] The parishioners gathered for mass at each other's homes. Quickenborne began planning to build a church building, but was reassigned before the construction materials were assembled.
Reverend Charles Francis Fitzmaurice arrived at the parish in 1834 and began gathering materials and raising money for the church. However, he died during acholera outbreak in early 1835. In the meantime, parishioners met for mass in a log cabin. The nextpastor, ReverendSamuel Charles Mazzuchelli was assigned to the parish in late1835. Dedicating the parish to the ArchangelRaphael, he drew up plans for a church building made of stone. Under his guidance, the first St. Raphael's Church was completed.
In 1837,Pope Gregory XVI erected the Diocese of Dubuque and appointed ReverendMathias Loras as its first bishop.[6] St. Raphael's Church was designated as the cathedral for the new diocese. That same year, the pope presented Loras with the bones ofCessianus, a second-century Romanmartyr and saint, to reside in the cathedral.[2][7]
The next 20 years were a period of growth and expansion for the parish, and of the Church in general inIowa. Bishop Loras encouraged bothIrish andGerman immigrants to come to Iowa from the crowded conditions in the eastern United States. As a result, the parish began to grow in size.
By 1845 St. Raphael's was usually quite crowded on Sundays. In 1849 there was a number of German families in the parish. Because of the crowded conditions, and because of the challenges of ministering to them, Loras granted permission for the Germans to form Holy Trinity parish in Dubuque. The parish eventually became known asSt. Mary's. In 1853,St. Patrick's mission church was built in Dubuque to serve Irish families. Loras made it a mission of St. Raphael's so he would not lose the income needed to build a new cathedral. This created problems between him and the local Irish community.[8]
After St. Patrick's was founded, Loras soon came to realize that the founding of those additional parishes would only be a temporary solution. He realized that St. Raphael's parish needed a larger building.
The new cathedral was originally planned to be built on a "Bishop's Block" on Main Street.[1] As the city's business district began to encroach on that location, Loras terminated the plan. In 1857, construction began on land just north of the old cathedral building. On July 5, 1857, a large crowd watched as thecornerstone was laid. The cathedral was based onMagdalen College inOxford,England. The architect was John Mullany, a local architect who designedNew Melleray Abbey, and St. Mary's Church. He originally designed the cathedral in theRomanesque Revival style, however, thePanic of 1857 forced a change in plans and it was constructed in theGothic Revival style instead. Despite his failing health, construction had advanced far enough that Loras was able to offer the first mass in the new cathedral on Christmas Day, 1857. He died two months later.
Construction on the cathedral was finished in 1861. The tower was put off until a later date. BishopClement Smyth dedicated St. Raphael's Cathedral on July 7, 1861. Mazzuchelli assisted with the dedication.
The cathedral's tower was finally finished in November 1876.
Dubuque architectFridolin Heer designed the chapel built in the back the cathedral in 1882. The new building obscured the threestained glass windows above the altar, so they were removed and placed above the altar of the new chapel. It served for nearly a century as the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, and its interior was briefly seen in the movieF.I.S.T. (1978). A number of other renovations were begun in 1886 according to the designs ofChicago architectJ.J. Egan.[9] They included new vaulting made of iron and lowering the column's capitals down by 4 feet (1.2 m). The interior was replastered, newStations of the Cross were imported from Germany, a new gallery was installed in the rear of the church, and a large arch was cut into the tower to allow light from the lancet window to brighten what once was a dark nave.[10] BishopJohn Hennessy rededicated the cathedral on November 21, 1886. New stained glass windows, whose openings in the nave had been lowered 2 feet (0.61 m), were imported fromLondon and installed in 1889.
In 1902, the archdiocese constructed a mortuary chapel in the lower level of the cathedral. It contains several buried vaults that contain the bodies of several bishops and archbishops of Dubuque. The altar and communion rail are made of Italianmarble.
Two more renovations were done in the first part of the 20th century. The first was done in 1914, and the second in 1936. A new expanded main entrance was built in 1966. The addition contained new staircases that replaced the old outdoor stairs that originally led to the side entrances. Three new sets of doors were placed at street level. Also, an elevator was added to make the building more handicapped accessible. The chancel was also altered in the wake of liturgical reforms from theSecond Vatican Council. ArchbishopJames Byrne celebrated the first mass in English at St. Raphael's.[11]
In 1986, the most extensive renovation in years was done to the church. At the time, it had been more than 50 years since the renovation. Also, the parish wanted to make some updates to the design which coincided with certain architectural and liturgical trends that were emerging in the Church at the time.[5]
Work began in the late summer and fall of 1986. The Eucharistic Chapel was deconsecrated and remodeled into a gathering space for the parish and renamed the Cathedral Center. A new Eucharistic Chapel was created by placing a wooden screen between the original high altar, and the newad populum-oriented altar. Portions of the original communion rail were used in construction. The originalad absidem altar was left intact because of its historical significance, and a newtabernacle was placed on the altar.
Because they were a fire hazard, the dividers between the pews were removed. The layers of varnish applied over the years to the woodwork were also removed, which was refinished to allow the light oak to show. The walls were painted a lighter color, and a new indirect lighting system was installed. A light green carpet was added and used throughout the building. Part of thePietà altar was refurbished and installed in the sanctuary as the new main altar, replacing an early 1970s altar.
The sanctuary platform was extended so that more of the liturgical functions associated with the mass took place closer to the congregation. The archbishop's throne was replaced with a smaller, movable, less elaboratecathedra that allows him to directly face the congregation during mass.
By November 1986 the renovations were complete. The remains of St.Cessianus were installed in the main altar during the first mass held in the renovated Cathedral on November 23, 1986, celebrated by ArchbishopDaniel Kucera,OSB. This is in reference to the tradition in the early years of the Church when mass was often celebrated over the tombs of saints and martyrs.
The archdiocese added a pool to thebaptismal font in 2005 for theimmersion baptism of older children and adults..[11]
During a reorganization of parishes by ArchbishopJerome Hanus in 2010, St. Raphael and St. Patrick Parishes were linked. They shared the same pastor and worked closely on various programs.[5][12]
St. Raphael's is abrick structure built on a raised basement and a stone foundation. .[2]
The original cathedral plans called for a 243-foot (74 m) tall tower andspire, however after construction began to complete it, cracks started to form on the front wall.[13] The lower part of its 130-foot (40 m) central tower islimestone Instead of stone, the bell-chamber at the top of the tower is a wood structure that is encased ingalvanized iron painted to resemble stone.[1] Four tall pointedpinacles (no longer extant) were placed at the corners. New entrances were cut into the sides of the tower and the mainfacade of the church building was covered withPortland cement and made to look like stone.
The threenaves on the interior are divided by fourteen clustered wooden columns. The side elevations are seven bays in length. They are divided bybuttresses and each has alancet window in the center. Smaller windows are located over the side altars and there are three windows on either side of thechancel. Above the main entrance is a large lancet window. It was part of the original plan for the building. Even though the design of the cathedral was changed several times, the window was left as originally designed in each plan. The upper part of the window is visible from inside the church, while the lower part is hidden behind the organ.
Thefrescos in the church were completed at this time byLuigi Gregori, artist in residence and professor at theUniversity of Notre Dame who had previously worked at theVatican, and his son Constantine.[14]
The cathedral's pipe organ was originally built in 1890 by a builder now unknown, and was rebuilt by theTellers-Kent Organ Company in 1937.[15] It has 46 ranks, with three manuals. The organ is composed of a number of chambers in what was the choir loft, plus another chamber along the southern wall near the front of the church. There is also a set of chimes attached to the organ.
Like a number of other organs, the pipework is largely left out in the open rather than being contained with the case. The pipework was artistically arranged to make a stunning visual display.
The organ console is situated in the choir area on the main level near the front of the church. It can be moved for various functions, such as mass and recitals. In 1991, the organ was refurbished after several years of fundraising. The organ is one of the larger ones in Dubuque, and is considered one of the finest in the city.[16]
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The rectory, which is adjacent to the cathedral on the north, was built around 1870. The three-story brick dwelling is considered the finest example of theItalianate style in the Cathedral District.[1] The house features a lowhipped roof, paired brackets on theeaves, simple window hoods, and an entrance canopy. The main entrance is flanked byside lights and it has afan light above. The ironwork detailing and the doors were originally on the mansion of A.A. Cooper, which was named Greystone and was torn down in the late 1950s.
TheSisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary arrived in Dubuque and started teaching in the parish school in 1843.[5] The building that became their parish convent was built as a girls' school sometime in the 1880s. It is a three-story, brick,Second Empire style structure built on a limestone foundation. It features amansard roof, eaves, a simplecornice and stone trim. The five-bay main facade has a small porch over the main entrance. The windows on the first two floors are flattened arch windows, and the third floor round arch windows are placed indormers. The building was converted into living space for the sisters after a new school building was constructed in 1904.[1] The building has subsequently been sold by the parish and converted into senior housing.
The former St. Raphael's School building, which stands next to the cathedral on the south, was built in 1904 in theNeoclassical style.[1] It replaced the boys' school and the girls' school buildings that were located in the rear of the cathedral property. The boys had been taught by a community ofreligious brothers. The boys' school building was located behind the girls' school and the cathedral itself and has subsequently been torn down. St. Raphael's School closed in 1976 because of low enrollment. The building was sold by the parish in the mid-1980s.[5]
Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Dubuque | ||
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