Holy Cross Church, Boston
The Church of the Holy Cross (1803-ca.1862) was located on
The last Mass was celebrated there on September 16, 1860.[1] Demolition took place around 1862. The cathedral was replaced by a new Cathedral of the Holy Cross located in the South End.
History of the Catholic presence in Boston
Prior to the erection of Holy Cross, Boston’s several hundred mostly
Acquisition and construction
The property belonged to the Boston Theatre proprietors and Bulfinch, who was a member of the corporation, obtained the land at what Father François Matignon termed "the moderate price of 2500 Dols."[3] Bulfinch then submitted plans for the church to his friend Father John Cheverus without fee. Ground was broken on March 17, 1800, and the building dedicated on September 29, 1803. The minutes of the building committee report "the thanks of the whole Society were voted and desired to be offered to Mr. James [sic] Bulfinch, Esq., for his kindness to the Congregation in having supplied us with a very elegant plan for our new Church, and such as united decency and ornament with economy and having shown himself a friend and Patron to us."[4] In recognition for his charity, the Catholic faithful presented him with a fine silver tea-urn, now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.[5]
Bulfinch also pleased Boston's Catholics by assisting in the subscription taken to provide a building fund and his personal supervision of each stage of construction. About
Architectural significance
Holy Cross was the second church Bulfinch designed in Boston. It represented certain visual advances over his
Elevation to cathedral status and replacement
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In 1808, when Pope Pius VII created the Diocese of Boston and Cheverus became its first bishop, the church became a cathedral. Enlarged in 1825, the building nonetheless proved too small for the city’s fast-growing Catholic population. Furthermore, the area had become commercial and the dilapidated cathedral was surrounded by business blocks. The last Mass, at which Bishop Fitzpatrick was reportedly too overcome with sadness to speak, was celebrated there on September 16, 1860[1] as sale of the site was underway and planning began for a new cathedral;[10] demolition took place around 1862.
In 1950, an engraved tablet was placed adjacent to the St. Thomas More Oratory entrance at 49 Franklin Street. It reads: "Near this site stood THE CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY CROSS, established 1803 by
Notes
- ^ a b O'Connor, Patrick E. (2003). "Boston's first cathedral — long gone, but not forgotten". The Pilot.
- ^ O'Connor, Thomas H. (1991). Bibles, Brahmins, and Bosses. Boston: Trustees of the Boston Public Library of the City of Boston. p. 144.
- ^ Lord, Robert; Sexton, John E.; Harrington, Edward T. (1944). History of the Archdiocese of Boston. Vol. I. New York. p. 556.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Lord, Sexton, Harrington, p. 556.
- Belknap Press. p. 68.
- ^ Bell, Shubael (1919). "An Account of the Town of Boston Written in 1817". Bostonian Society Publications. Vol. III. p. 39.
- ^ Columbian Centinel, October 1, 1803.
- ^ Shaw, Charles (1817). A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston. Boston. p. 256.
- ^ Bostonian Society Publications. Vol. II. 1905. pp. 31ff.
- ^ Whitehill and Kennedy, p. 131.
- ^ O’Connor.
References
- Kirker, Harold (1969). The Architecture of Charles Bulfinch. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 161–164.
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