Holy Rosary Cathedral (Vancouver)
| Holy Rosary Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| The Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary | |
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| Coordinates: 49°16′55″N 123°06′53″W / 49.281846°N 123.114606°W | |
| Location | 646 Richards Street, Vancouver |
| Country | Canada |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Consecrated | October 3, 1953 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Julian and Williams |
| Style | French Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | July 16, 1899 |
| Completed | December 8, 1900 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | John Michael Miller |
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, commonly known as Holy Rosary Cathedral, is a late 19th-century French Gothic revival church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. It is located in the downtown area of the city at the intersection of Richards and Dunsmuir streets.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1899 on the site of an earlier church by the same name. It opened on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1900, was blessed the day after, and was consecrated in 1953. The style has been described as resembling the medieval Chartres Cathedral in France. The church was elevated to the status of cathedral in 1916. It is listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register and is a legally protected building.
The parish was established in June 1885 and Father Patrick Fay, the chaplain to Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) workers, was chosen as pastor. He officiated the first mass of the parish on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary in the same year at an unknown location. Although masses were held in Blair’s Hall and Keefer’s Hall, it became apparent that a new and permanent church was necessary to cope with the growing number of parishioners, which consisted of 69 families.
"We choose the section surrounding the base of that tree."
In order to pick a site for the new church, legend has it that Father Fay went to the Coal Harbour waterfront, looked south towards the forested land (present-day Downtown Vancouver) and chose the area that contained the tallest tree. Construction began in 1886 and the wooden church was completed and blessed in the following year. Two years later, the church was enlarged and a bell tower was added.
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