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Show St. Mary Magdalen's Cathedral Y f f ' - H f h 'Y A Y Y- - !vYYyj f I f i Ami " i f t A fr"Hl 4i;i:ruf(- v?y? i;; - ril JIm1 ! i ft ; mwSMwim$Mh 4"$ iYv kf mmwmWw4f- rMlS- itth y y Yiiffei'klsYv Y YY f- ST. MARY MAGDALEN'S CATHEDRAL. The dedication of the new Cathedral will recall to many the laying of the cornerstone which took place July 22nd. 1900. The ceremony cere-mony was witnessed by- thousands, whose presence made that memorable occasion one of the great landmarks in the history of the Catholic church in the diocese of Salt Lake.' Most Rev. Y. P. Riordan. archbishop of San Francisco, was present, and preached an eloquent elo-quent and forcible sermon. Other church dignitaries dig-nitaries present on that occasion were Rt. Rev. A. J. Glorieux of Hoise and Rt. Rev. R. Scan-nell, Scan-nell, bishop of Omaha. The change, which has taken place in the past nine years, is a marvel not only to these who watched the slow but steady growth of the super-structure, but to all visitors from the East and West, who made Salt Lake a resting place. The new Cathadral. which will be dedicated tomorrow, is of Romanesque style cf the thirteenth thir-teenth century. It is situated on the corner of South Temple and H streets, facing south. The dimensions of the main building are 190 feet deep. 103 feet wide on South Temple, and the spires, not yet completed, will be, when finished. 220 feet above the pavement. The Cathedra is approached by a double row of fine stor.c steps and terraces from the South Temple pavement. The super-structure is of gray stone, and the spires, when finished, will be surmounted with gilded crosses that will be seen for many-miles many-miles down the valley. The main floor of the Cathedral has a seating capacity- of 1.200, and in addition to this there is a large balcony and choir loft. The finish of the interior is in perfect per-fect keeping with the grandeur of the exterior. From the "History of the Catholic Church in Utah." by- Very Rev. Dean Harris, we take the following description of the sacred edifice, which will be dedicated tomorrow in the presence pres-ence of His Excellency, Cardinal James Gibbons : "The Cathedral of Salt Lake is. without exception, ex-ception, .architecturally, the finest ecclesiastical ecclesiasti-cal structure west of the Missouri. Resting on an imperishable foundation of massive blocks of granite, the great building occupies a commanding com-manding site in one of the finest quarters of the city, and imparts to the surrounding neighborhood neigh-borhood a tone of quiet solemnity and impressive impres-sive dignity. Externally, the Cathedral offers to the eye an example of the great ecclesias- - . . ; ; j- tical structures of the .Middle Ages the Ages ; of Faith when architects and builders adhered ad-hered scrupulously to structural proportions and laid great stress on architectural unities. The view from the highest platform of the beautiful Norman towers is a revelation. The eye sweeps the magnificent valley, the Great Salt Lake, the Jordan River, the towering peaks, canyons, ranges and the glorious city itself, rising from the plain and protected and battlemented by its own rock-ribbed mountains. moun-tains. " The Cathedral is a firm mass of masonry, built of hewed and hammered stone, whose mortared joints have solidified into an imperishable imper-ishable material, forming with the travertine, an indestructible whole. Its dignity and grace and solemn grandeur have imparted a new-glory new-glory and importance to material substance and carries to the mind a persuasion of the sublime faith of the men who raised this im-perisable im-perisable temple to do honor to an imperishable imperish-able God. "This great Christian fane, its commanding ; site, its furnishment and mural decorations, with the Episcopal residence and land, cost SC'OO.OOO. ' : "Under the groined canopy, whose figured windows flood it with a wealth and varietv of chromatic adoring, reposes the High Altar j of Carrara marble, elaborately carved by Ital- j ian masters. i "'I he beautiful side altars, the sanctuary rail- j ! ings. of carved Irish oak. the magnificent win- (lows of Munich design and finish, its groined ? and lofty ceiling resting on twelve pillars of ' Ionic finish and its splendid organ, give to ) this consecrated fane an immortality of great grandeur and an atmosphere of sanef'ty and ' religious repose." "The stained glass windows, representing the ! ; fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, are gems of art. Iieneath the windows stand out in bold relief the 'Way of the Cross,' also works of I art designed and made in Munich. The or- Y gan. the finest of its kind made, and the gift : of Miss Ellen Hayes, lately deceased, occu- ! pies the entire gallery, circling around the j large, circular . window, which represents St. j Cecelia and musical instruments used in sac- i red music. The whole interior, with its furnishings, fur-nishings, are not only beautiful and impressive, impress-ive, but in every sense devotional and calculated cal-culated to impress all who enter its portals ith holy thoughts, and exclaim: 'Oh. Lord, it is good for us to be here.' " Y ' |