April 18, 2013 - Cathedral of the Holy Cross Information*
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The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and the seat of our Cardinal Archbishop. Located in the South End neighborhood of the city, the Cathedral serves a vibrant and diverse community which includes English and Spanish congregations, as well as Ge’ez Rite Catholics, a German Apostolate, and a large and thriving Traditional Latin Mass community (Extraordinary Form).
Designed by the nineteenth century Irish-American ecclesiasitical architect Patrick Keely, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross boasts a length of 364 feet, a width of 90 feet, and a height of 120 feet.
In 1860, Bishop John Fitzpatrick realized that Boston had outgrown the cathedral on Franklin Street, but the Civil War interrupted plans for building a replacement. Ground was finally broken on April 29, 1866. The rites of dedication for New England's largest church were performed on December 8, 1875 by Archbishop John J. Williams, Boston's first archbishop.
The Cathedral can seat approximately 2,000 people. Constructed in the Gothic Revival style, it utilizes both Roxbury puddingstone and gray limestone. The Cathedral of the Holy Cross contains an 1875 Hook and Hastings pipe organ, the largest, and arguably finest, instrument ever built by that company.