Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago
- Architect
- Patrick Charles Keely
- Year
- 1874
- Style
- Gothic Revival
- City
- Chicago, IL
Holy Name Cathedral was dedicated on November 21, 1875, rebuilt after its predecessor, the Cathedral of Saint Mary, was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Designed by Patrick Charles Keely in the Gothic Revival style, it seats 1,100 and serves as the seat of the Archbishop of Chicago. It has since hosted an international eucharistic conference in 1926 and a 1979 papal visit by Pope John Paul II.
the building
The interior. The cathedral's interior holds massive bronze doors at its main entrance, a large hanging crucifix, stations of the cross along the nave walls, and two ambos decorated with images of the apostles.
Fire, twice over. The cathedral itself was built to replace a predecessor lost in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. In 2009, a fire caused major damage to its roof and water damage inside; it was repaired that same year.
the style
Keely designed the cathedral in the Gothic Revival style typical of major American Catholic churches of the period, giving the Archdiocese of Chicago's seat its soaring, traditional form.
More on Gothic Revivalthe architect
Patrick Charles Keely was a prolific 19th-century church architect, of whom Holy Name Cathedral stands as one Chicago example among many church commissions nationally.
significance
Holy Name Cathedral is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It drew large public crowds for the viewings of Cardinal George Mundelein's remains in 1937 and Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's in 1996, and was the site of two gang-related murders outside its doors during the 1920s, likely tied to Al Capone.
nearby
- St. James Cathedral, Chicago
- Ransom R Cable House
- Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
- (Former) Cosmopolitan State Bank Building
- Chicago Water Tower
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