London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

San Fernando Cathedral

SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL in San Antonio, Texas, named after the holy King Ferdinand III of Castile, is one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States. Indeed, there is considerably debate as to precisely which church is the oldest cathedral in the United States. The Baltimore Basilica, recently restored, was the first cathedral to be located in the political entity known as the United States. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine in the Floridian city of that name was founded in 1594 (making it the oldest parish in the U.S.) but the current structure was not built until 1793, and the church did not become a cathedral until 1870. The core of San Fernando was built from 1738 to 1750, but the nave was replaced in 1868 with one of a neo-Gothic design. It became a cathedral when the See of San Antonio was erected in 1874. So the Baltimore Basilica (or the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to give it its full name) was certainly the first cathedral in the United States, though not the oldest church serving as a cathedral. To add to the fray, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace claims that it is the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States, since the Baltimore Basilica is no longer the cathedral of Baltimore, but rather merely co-cathedral to the bizarre art-deco-gothic Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in that city. It’s all quite mad really. Suffice to say, San Fernando is old and it is a cathedral; it’s an old cathedral.

King Saint Ferdinand III himself.

This tomb contains the bones of the “Heroes of the Alamo” who perished in that battle between the Texan separatists and the forces of the Mexican Republic.

The cathedral’s recent renovation led to an exceptionally awkward and very untraditional arrangement, despite the church’s traditional architecture. The altar, rather than being in the chancel, is just before it, and chairs are arranged in the chancel facing the altar, away from the retablos and tabernacle where one might expect a high altar to be located. The altar itself is a flimsy little affair, completely unsuitable to divine worship. Despite this, the problems are ones which would be easy to fix; perhaps the next bishop will re-orient the place to make it much more suitable as a Catholic cathedral.

The (liturgical) north side of the chancel holds a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

On the south side of the chancel, a shrine to Our Lady of Candlemas (Candelaria), the patroness of the Canary Islands from whence a number of the earliest settlers came.

The focus of the cathedral is the large retablos around the tabernacle. It was crafted in Seville, if I recall correctly, just a few years ago.

Elsewhere in San Antonio…

I love fraktur.

Published at 9:00 pm on Monday 27 November 2006. Categories: Architecture Church Tags: , , .
Comments

I love fraktur too. Adolph H. hated it because it wasn’t modern, and eventually banned it. Blackletter scripts have some advantages over the Latin, including the ability to squeeze more letters on a line while still being legible.

I hereby propose the reintroduction of blackletter scripts for everyday communications, and particularly recommend its use in traditionally-minded Catholic websites.

— Mark Scott Abeln 28 Nov 2006 1:40 am

Thanks for the lovely images, Andrew. Brings back memories of S.A.

— kd 28 Nov 2006 10:24 am

The Cathedral of St. Augustine, Florida, was dedicated in 1797, as a parish church. The Parish of St. Augustine, Florida, dates back to September 8th, 1565, the founding of the city. St. Augustine’s parish records date back to 1594.
The Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo, of the Diocese of Monterey, California (the Royal Presidio Chapel) was built in 1794.
New Orleans’ St. Louis Cathedral is the third church to occupy the site. The present church was built as a cathedral in 1851.
Our Lady of Peace Cathedral in Honolulu was built in 1843 in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Honolulu did not become a diocese until 1941. The cathedrals in San Antonio, Monterey, and St. Augustine were built as parish churches, and were built in what was then Spanish territory. Assumption, Baltimore, dedicated in 1826, was built in the USA as a cathedral.

— william joyce 12 Jul 2007 11:44 pm

Los retablos fueron hechos en México NO en Sevilla, España. Si lo digo y afirmo es porque yo participe en la realización del retablo principal donde se encuentra Cristo. ok.

— adriana 31 Jan 2008 3:22 pm
Leave a comment

NAME (required)

EMAIL (required)

WEBSITE (not required)

COMMENT

Home | About | Contact | Paginated Index | Twitter | Facebook | RSS/Atom Feed
andrewcusack.com | © Andrew Cusack 2004-present (Unless otherwise stated)