St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica
| Saint Mary Cathedral Basilica | |
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| 29°18′14.85″N 94°47′25.13″W / 29.3041250°N 94.7903139°WCoordinates: 29°18′14.85″N 94°47′25.13″W / 29.3041250°N 94.7903139°W | |
| Location | 2011 Church Rear St. Galveston, Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | www |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 1848 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Architect(s) | Charles G. Bryant, with later addition by Nicholas J. Clayton |
| Architectural type | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1847 |
| Completed | 1847 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 400+ |
| Length | 40 meters (130 ft) |
| Width | 23 meters (75 ft) |
| Number of spires | Three |
| Spire height | 24.3 meters (80 ft) |
| Materials | Imported Belgian brick and mortar |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Galveston-Houston |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo |
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St. Mary Cathedral
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| NRHP Reference # | 73001964 |
| RTHL # | 7172 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 4, 1973 |
| Designated RTHL | 1967 |
St. Mary Cathedral Basilica, also known as St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica is a Roman Catholic place of worship situated in Galveston, Texas. It is the primary cathedral of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the mother church of the Catholic Church in Texas, as well as a minor basilica. Along with the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, St. Mary's serves more than 1.5 million Catholics living in the Archdiocese.
In 1840, the Rev. John Timon, the newly appointed Apostolic Prefect of Texas, named fellow Vincentian priest Rev. John Odin, C.M., to be the resident Vice-Prefect of Texas. Fr. Odin embarked from New Orleans on a schooner bound for the Texas coast, arriving in Galveston early in 1841. There he found a community of Catholics eager to build a church for their small congregation.
In the months that followed, Father Odin procured enough money to begin construction of a wooden-frame church. He was assisted in this venture by Colonel Michael B. Menard and Dr. Nicholas Labadie, prominent Galvestonians. Colonel Menard is to be remembered as one of the founders of the City of Galveston.
On February 6, 1842, one month before his consecration as a bishop, Odin dedicated the completed structure to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The small, rectangular building measured 22 feet (6.7 m). Odin, now the Apostolic Vicar of Texas, purchased a five-room cottage as the episcopal residence. He made an addition to the church structure of a small sacristy, and bought thirty benches for the convenience of his parishioners.
In 1845, Bishop Odin purchased 500,000 bricks from Belgium, which were shipped to Galveston as ballast. He would use the bricks in the construction of his dream: a larger, permanent church. The little frame church was moved out into the street, and work on the new St. Mary's began in 1847. The ceremony of laying the cornerstone took place on Sunday, March 14. Father Timon came to Galveston for the event and preached the sermon before a large crowd. On May 4, 1847 Pope Pius IX approved the establishment of the Diocese of Galveston and named Odin as its first bishop.
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