Cathedral of San Fernando

Church of Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria y Guadalupe
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
San Fernando Cathedral is the oldest active cathedral in the United States.
Location:	San Antonio, Texas
Coordinates:	29°25′27″N 98°29′39″W
Built:	1731
Architect:	Giraud,Francis; Dielman,Leo
Architectural style:	Colonial, Gothic, Other
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	75001949
Added to NRHP:	February 25, 1975

The Cathedral of San Fernando is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in San Antonio, Texas, in the United States. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the seat of its archbishop. The cathedral is also known as the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y Guadalupe and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is notable as the oldest cathedral in the United States.

History

The original church of San Fernando was built between 1738 and 1750. The walls of that church today form the sanctuary of the cathedral, which gives rise to its claim as the oldest cathedral in the United States. The church was named for Ferdinand III of Castile, who ruled in the 13th century. The baptismal font, believed to be a gift from Charles III, who became King of Spain from 1759, is the oldest piece of liturgical furnishing in the cathedral. The cathedral was built by immigrants from the Canary Islands, for this reason the interior is a picture of the Virgin of Candelaria, the patroness of the Canary Islands.

Burial Tomb of Davy Crockett, William B. Travis, and Jim Bowie.

In 1831, Jim Bowie married Ursula de Veramendi in San Fernando.

In 1836, the cathedral, still a parish church, played a role in the Battle of the Alamo when Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna hoisted a flag of "no quarter" from the church's tower, marking the beginning of the siege.

In 1868, the cathedral was considerably enlarged in the Gothic style, the addition forming the existing nave. The carved stone Stations of the Cross were added in 1874. The striking stained glass windows were added in 1920.

On September 13, 1987, the cathedral was visited by Pope John Paul II, during the only visit of a pope to Texas. A marble stone marker commemorates the event.

Today

The cathedral remains at the heart of the Catholic religious life of San Antonio, and this includes involvement in annual events such as the Fiesta Week. Over 5,000 participate at weekend Masses each week of the year. Over 900 baptisms, 100 weddings, 100 funerals, and countless other services and special events are performed each year, most notably in the staging of the Good Friday Passion Play, which attracts thousands of visitors.

In February 2006, the cathedral began a year-long celebration recognizing San Antonio’s 275th Anniversary.

2003 Restoration

In 2003, a $15 million restoration project was undertaken which involved three phases:

• Phase One - restoration and stabilization of the cathedral foundation and structure and its enhancement for liturgy and other events. Among the changes, the altar was relocated to a movable platform closer to the center of the church to enhance the experience for Mass (the platform could be wheeled away for special events) and the baptismal font was relocated to the back of the church into the main aisle.
• Phase Two - replacement of the current rectory with a new Cathedral Centre which will have a small cafeteria, counseling rooms, museum, gift shop, reception room, television control room, and vesting sacristy.
• Phase Three - construction of a community centre to house community and social services, meeting rooms, a hall, church offices, and a residence for the priests.

The 2003 renovation was supervised by Father Richard S. Vosko, a liturgical design consultant and priest of the Diocese of Albany who has overseen the redesign and renovation of numerous churches and cathedrals around the country.

2011 Restoration

In 2011, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, breaking from the design envisioned for the cathedral restoration, reversed some of the prior alterations, unveiling a new altar (permanently affixed to the floor closer to the sanctuary and made from made of stone from Spain, Turkey and Israel); a new traditional bishop's chair or cathedra (crafted of white oak and resting on an extended sanctuary floor made of tile); relocating the baptismal font from the back of the church back to the front next to the lectern (opening up space for processions into the church from Main Plaza); and installing a new railing behind the altar to section off the sanctuary (to prevent people visiting the retablo from straying onto the altar). The 2011 improvement project was paid for with $150,000 in donations from parishioners and outside donors. As part of the dedication, the archbishop placed three relics in the altar. There are two relics of St. Anthony of Padua, a Doctor of the Church and the patron saint of San Antonio; and a third relic is of Venerable Concepcion Cabrera de Armida, also known as Conchita, who inspired the formation of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit (Archbishop Garcia-Siller was ordained a priest to the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit in 1984) as well as 16 other spirituality inspired Catholic organizations.

See also

• List of the oldest churches in the United States

External links

Daytime image of the cathedral

• Official website
• National Register of Historic Places.com