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| Cathedral History Designed by New York architect Joseph H. McGuire, the Cathedral isconsidered to be Virginia's finest ecclesiastical example of theItalian Renaissance Revival style. The building is constructed ofVirginia granite and Indiana limestone with a copper dome and tileroof. Six fluted Corinthian columns support the architrave on the frontof the exterior, which displays the motto "If Ye Love Me Keep My Commandments" (John 14:15). The outline of the coat of arms of the Diocese of Richmond appears above the name of the church to the left ofthe columns.
Richmond was a small town of only 16,000 when its first CatholicCathedral, St. Peter's, 800 E. Grace Street, was built in 1834. Afterthe Civil War, Bishop John McGill realized that the growing Catholicpopulation would need a new house of worship. In 1867 he purchased alot in what was then considered the far west end. Lack of fundsprevented further action until 1884 when Bishop John J. Keane purchasedthe remainder of the present block. With the announcement of a gift of$500,000 for the proposed cathedral from Thomas Fortune Ryan and hiswife, Ida Barry Ryan, plans for the building were drawn up.
 On June 4, 1903, Archbishop Diomede Falconio, Apostolic Delegate to the United States, officiated at the laying of the cornerstone, which came from the Garden of Gethsemane. Three years later, thousands of people filled the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for the Dedication on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1906. The consecration ceremony was a milestone in both Richmond's history and the history of the Catholic Church in Virginia. The event was reported nationally, and the local newspaper devoted two special sections on the religious, architectural, and civic importance of the Cathedral.
The Cathedral Carillon was installed in 1995. It is a gift of the MostReverend Walter F. Sullivan, then Bishop of Richmond, in celebration ofthe 175th Anniversary of the Diocese of Richmond and the 25thAnniversary of Bishop Sullivan's episcopacy. The 61-bell note Carillonwas made by Van Bergen Foundries, Inc. of Charleston, South Carolina.
Framed by Richmond's Monroe Park, the Monroe Park campus of VirginiaCommonwealth University, and the residential Fan District, theCathedral serves as the Mother Church of the Diocese of Richmond and asthe local parish for its Richmond congregation. The Cathedral is aVirginia Historic Landmark, listed on the National Register of HistoricPlaces, and received the Historic Richmond Foundation's 1992 Award ofAchievement for its restoration.
Style Weekly article on Thomas F. Ryan |
