Cathedral of St. Paul

So I had thought that last week was going to be my last blog entry for this class that I am taking, but I was mistaken. This entry will in fact be my last entry on this particular topic.

For my last art experience I decided to visit a place that is very close to my school and is also probably overlooked most of the time. It is the Cathedral of St. Paul. This is the central church of the diocese and spreads over St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Normally a church would not be thought of as a place that holds art, but this is so much more than just a church. It is designed in the classic renaissance style and follows the look of St. Peters Basilica in Rome. There are a lot of very large paintings, a lot of sculptures, bronze castings, and marble everywhere. The floors and walls are marble, also there are many columns all over the cathedral that are made of marble.

Around the back of the alter are seven very tall bronze castings. These look like they could be gate doors, but are not. They were designed by E.H. Atkins in 1927 in an attempt to represent the seven episodes of the life of St. Paul. They each have a story to them that you can see if you look at the different people who are carved into them. The top of each panel is topped by the symbol of St. Paul which makes them all look uniform from the top.

The history of the cathedral is interesting, dating back to the first settlements here in Minnesota. The word cathedral doesn't mean anything more than the church that holds the chair of the bishop. This chair is called a cathedra. So a cathedral can be any size and still have that name as long as the chair is in it. The first cathedral in Minnesota was a small log cabin looking building which was built around the time that soldiers were at Fort Snelling. That small log building was the first of four cathedrals in Minnesota, the fourth being the current cathedral we have on Summit Avenue.

The designer of the cathedral was Immanuel Masqueray. He, together with Bishop John Ireland, were the two people with the most influence in the building of the cathedral. The bishop was able to convince many of the congregation and the people of the Twin Cities to donate money for the construction. Masqueray was a famous French architect that John Ireland had met while studying seminary abroad in France. Ireland asked Masquray to design the cathedral, to which he enthusiastically agreed.

After much research, and designing of blue prints, the first days of building began in June of 1907. By May of 1914 the dome was done and the next spring the whole exterior of the building was done. The new structure was dedicated on Easter of 1915. It took many more years for the internal parts of the cathedral to be finished. The cathedral was completly finished in 1958.

Every bit of the cathedral was planned down to the last detail. Masqueray was sure to include all the elements of both this planet that we live on, and the christian values that many have come to cherish. There are saints, crusifixes, sculptures, and other religious symbols all over the church. Also, there are huge stained glass windows which have a lot of color and symbolism. Along with all the stone, there is carved wood everywhere. Then there are the candles, and the huge open space of the dome. This pulls together all the different elements of what people find important.

Walking up to the front of the cathedral you will see a large arch overhead. This has christ and the apostles on the fascade. Right below that are two allegorical figures that represent science and religion. One holds a torch and the other holds a cross. Then you walk in to the back of the church. On your right and left you can see areas dedicated to Mary and Joseph, Jesus' parents. This is supposed to make you think of the nativity. Looking forward you will see the large body of the church. All the pews spread out in many rows in front of you. Masqueray designed it so that the asiles in the cathedral are in the shape of a greek cross. This means that all the sides are the same length. Up at the very front of the church you see a very elaborate alter area. Many large columns of black marble surrounding the tabernacle. This is the area where you see a lot of the power and beauty of this cathedral.

For me, the most beautiful part of the cathedral is the large central dome. This is 96 feet in diameter and is very high. The ceiling is painted in blue and has gold leaf painting in many different places. There are many paintings of saints and other important figures. There is a large star shaped chandalier that hangs down into almost the middle of the open space below. Looking up at the dome is like looking up into space. It is beautiful.

The cathedral is a place that I went to a lot as a child and have a great fondness for. Even though I no longer follow this religion, the cathedral will always be a medatative place of beauty for me to visit. I like to go in there when I am feeling stressed out or down. It is very relaxing. I would recommend for anyone to go in and see this beautiful building.