The church congregation formed in the late 18th century when French immigrants found refuge in Savannah. Designated a cathedral in 1850, it was dedicated on this site in 1876. Destroyed by fire in 1898, it was quickly rebuilt in 1900. A hundred years later a major restoration was completed in time for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the diocese. Today it remains the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah.
The marble baptismal font (weighing 8,000 pounds) was carved in Carrara, Italy, and shipped to the Port of Savannah. It is huge, and stunning! The Stations of the Cross (wood carvings from Bavaria) were restored to their original beauty during the 1999-2000 renovation.
The new main altar is also carved from Carrara marble (and weighs 9,000 pounds). The panels are identical to those of the old high altar and baptismal font.
Removed from the church for several decades, the crucifix shown below has been restored and is now on permanent display. The Altar of Reservation was given by the bishops and priests of the US after the fire of 1898. The Blessed Sacrament is reserved (stored) in the tabernacle that sits on top of the altar in the side chapel.
All of the carvings are exquisite.
The stained glass windows in the cathedral was re-leaded during the restoration and all of them are gorgeous. The transept windows show Christ’s Ascension into heaven (north) and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into heaven (south). Also shown is the rose window in the balcony above the pipes of the organ.
The Noack pipe organ was made in Georgetown, MA, and installed the cathedral in 1987. It has 34 ranks (a rank=set of pipes producing the same timbre for a each note) and 2,308 pipes. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to hear it!
I was raised in the Episcopal church, but love to visit/learn about churches or religious sites, whether ornate or simple, of any faith.
For additional information about the cathedral, go to: www.savannahcathedral.org.
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