Built: 1939 Cost: $425,000 Designed by: C.L. Monnot Type: Holy Place Maximum Height: 176 feet / 54 meters Maximum width: 90 feet / 27 meters Maximum length: 125 feet / 38 meters Location: 505 North Upper Broadway, Corpus Christi, United States
C orpus Christi Cathedral is just a little closer to Heaven than most of the other buildings in the city. That’s because it sits on City Bluff overlooking the rest of downtown and the bay. Though the look is Spanish Colonial and the region is home to a number of authentic missions, the cathedral was built during the art deco era. In fact, even though the city’s name means "Body of Christ" it had no Catholic church until 1855. This one does is a fair representation of the traditional motif, though in concrete and steel instead of adobe. It has two towers, one 125 feet tall and the second 97 feet tall. If you stand in just the right position you can see the wonderful blue and white tiles on the domes. Sadly, few do because of the cathedral’s placement and the fact that there are few nearby buildings of similar height. The smaller of the two towers has three bells salvaged from the old Saint Patrick’s Cathedral which was torn down in 1951. The taller holds a 32-bell carillon and four clock faces. The Saint Patrick heritage can be seen inside in the baptismal bowl which is made of green marble decorated with clover leaves. Below the cathedral is a crypt where Bishops Nussbaum, Ledvina, and Garriga are buried. The land for the Corpus Christi cathedral was donated by the John G. Kenedy, Junior family. The stained glass windows are by Emil Frei.
A plaque outside reads:
"The Corpus Christi Cathedral is the second structure to serve as cathedral for the Diocese of Corpus Christi. It replaced Saint Patrick’s, the church which had become the cathedral when the city was elevated to Diocesan See in 1912. After a 1938 fire damaged Saint Patrick’s (originally located at 800 Tancahua), the John G. Kennedy family began the drive for donations for a new cathedral by donating this property, the original site of their family residence, to the diocese. Bishops E.B. Ledvina and Mariano S. Garriga retained architect C.L. Monnot of Oklahoma, who designed this lofty, two-story structure. A stylized interpretation of the architecture of the early Spanish missions, the cathedral features asymmetrical bell towers with painted terra cotta domes, art glass windows, and a low-pitched gable tile roof. The cornerstone was laid March 1, 1940. Pope Pius XII advised Bishop Ledvina to name the new structure after its host city, whose name in Latin means ‘Body of Christ.’ Later that year on July 17, 1940, the new structure was dedicated as the Corpus Christi Cathedral. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1991."
1978 - A mentally ill man ransacks the cathedral, damaging the tabernacle, candelabra, and several statues.
1991 - Corpus Christi Cathedral named a state historic landmark.
Tim Monnot
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 @ 10:20pm
Rating: Five stars. I was excited to see so much interest in this building when I "Googled" my great-grandfathers name. I will be on the hunt in the family archives for the original prints. Thank you Tim Monnot
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Tim Monnot
Five stars.