This is the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C. It is dedicated to the Apostle Matthew, who among other things is patron saint of civil servants, having himself been a tax collector.
Ma and I went to the mass in Latin this morning.
It was my first time to the Cathedral and my first Latin mass. Both were a great experience and worth the wait.
St. Matthew's was originally established in 1840, the fourth Catholic parish in the District of Columbia. Originally located at 15th and H Streets, construction of the current church began in 1893, with the first mass being celebrated on June 2, 1895. It was finally dedicated in 1913. In 1939 the church was designated as a Cathedral when the Archdiocese of Washington was established.
The structure is Romanesque with Byzantine elements. Designed by architect C. Grant La Farge, it is shaped like a Latin cross and seats about 2000 persons. The interior is richly decorated in marble and semiprecious stones, notably a 35-foot mosaic of Matthew created by Edwin Howland Blashfield. Both structural and decorative features underwent extensive restoration starting in 2000 and ending September 21, 2003, the Feast day of St. Matthew.
Here are some more pics…
I've been to this Cathedral. I stumbled on it by accident while walking around DC by accident one time. It's lovely :-)
Posted by: Anthony | May 19, 2008 at 05:00 PM