View source for Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver)

{{short description|Historic church in Colorado, United States}}

{{Infobox church
|name                   = Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
|fullname               = 
|image                  = Denver, Church of the Immaculate Conception.jpg
|imagesize              = 
|imagelink              = 
|imagealt               = 
|landscape              = 
|caption                =

|pushpin map            = USA Colorado
|pushpin label position = none
|pushpin map alt        = 
|pushpin mapsize        = 
|map caption            = 
|coordinates            = {{coord|39|44|25.01|N|104|58|54.98|W|display=inline,title}}
|osgraw                 =  <!--  TEXT -->
|osgridref              =  <!-- {{gbmappingsmall|TEXT}} -->
|location               = 401 East [[Colfax Avenue]]<br/>[[Denver]], [[Colorado]]
|country                = [[United States]]
|denomination           = [[Roman Catholic Church]]
|previous denomination  =
|churchmanship          = 
|membership             = 
|attendance             = 
|website                = {{URL|www.denvercathedral.org}}
|former name            = 
|bull date              = 
|founded date           = 1860
|founder                = 
|dedication             = 
|dedicated date         = 
|consecrated date       = 1921
|cult                   = 
|relics                 = 
|events                 = 
|past bishop            = 
|people                 =

|status                 = 
|functional status      = 
|heritage designation   = 
|designated date        = 
|architect              = 
|architectural type     = 
|style                  = [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]]
|groundbreaking         = 1906
|completed date         = 1921
|construction cost      = 
|closed date            = 
|demolished date        =

|capacity               = 895
|length                 = 
|width                  = 
|width nave             = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
|height                 = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
|diameter               = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
|other dimensions       = 
|floor count            = 
|floor area             = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
|dome quantity          = 
|dome height outer  221    = 
|dome height inner      = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
|dome dia outer         = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
|dome dia inner         = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
|spire quantity         = Two
|spire height           = {{Convert|221|ft|abbr=on}}
|materials              = [[Granite]], [[Limestone]]
|bells                  = 
|bells hung             = 
|bell weight            = <!-- {{CwtQtrLb to kg|}} -->

|archdiocese            = [[Archdiocese of Denver]]

|archbishop             = Most Rev. [[Samuel J. Aquila]]
|rector                 = Very Rev. Samuel Morehead
{{Designation list
  | embed = yes
  | designation1 = NRHP
  | designation1_date= March 3, 1975
  | designation1_number= 7500506<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2010a}}</ref>
  | designation2 = Colorado
  | designation2_number= 5DV.111}}
}}

The '''Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception''' is the [[cathedral]] of the [[Archdiocese of Denver]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. It is located at the corner of Logan Street and [[Colfax Avenue]] in the [[Capitol Hill, Denver, Colorado|North Capitol Hill]] neighborhood of central [[Denver]].

==History==

Construction of the cathedral started in 1902 and was completed in 1911 with a final cost of approximately $500,000. The inaugural [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] was held on October 27, 1912, and consecration was in 1921. On August 7, 1912, lightning struck the west tower causing damage to the upper {{convert|25|ft|m}}; however, this was repaired before the opening.

The cathedral was raised to the status of [[minor basilica]] on Christmas Day 1979. On August 13 and 14, 1993 (for [[World Youth Day]]), [[Pope John Paul II]] celebrated Mass at the cathedral, one of only a few cathedrals in the [[United States]] so honored. In June 1997, lightning struck a second time, but this time damaged the east tower. The parish completed work to restore the tower within eight months.<ref name="history" />

During the first days of the [[George Floyd protests]] from May 29 to June 1, 2020, the cathedral basilica was vandalized multiple times by protesters. Damage included [[arson]], spray-painted [[anti-Catholic]] phrases, and police [[tear gas]] penetrating the building. No one in the cathedral basilica was injured during the protests.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.denvercathedral.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Vandalism-and-Arson-at-the-Cathedral-1.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201221173504/https://www.denvercathedral.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Vandalism-and-Arson-at-the-Cathedral-1.pdf|archive-date=December 21, 2020|date=June 1, 2020|title=Homily and Reflection (1 June 2020)|work=denvercathedral.org|publisher=Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver)|access-date=December 21, 2020}}</ref>

In October 2021 the cathedral was vandalized again with graffiti being sprayed on doors and statues around the cathedral. It was the latest in a spate of vandalism against Catholic churches in Colorado which had damaged at least 25 other church buildings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Denver cathedral vandalized with anti-Catholic slogans|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249250/denver-cathedral-vandalized-with-anti-catholic-slogans|first=Jonah|last=McKeown|publisher=Catholic News Agency|date=October 11, 2021|accessdate=October 12, 2021}}</ref>

==Architecture==
[[Architect]] [[Leon Coquard]] of [[Detroit]] designed the cathedral in the [[Gothic architecture|French Gothic]] style.<ref name="architecture">{{cite web |title=Architectural Highlights |url=http://www.denvercathedral.org/architecthighlights.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229083000/http://www.denvercathedral.org/architecthighlights.html |archivedate=February 29, 2016 |accessdate=March 11, 2016 |publisher=Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception}}</ref> Its character is influenced by the 13th-century Saint Nicholas Collegiate church (''collégiale Saint-Nicolas'') of [[Munster, Moselle]], [[France]], which is the birthplace of Bishop [[Nicholas Chrysostom Matz]], who supervised cathedral construction.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://perso.orange.fr/nps2003/munster%20denver.htm| archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714234308/http://perso.orange.fr/nps2003/munster%20denver.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=July 14, 2012| title=Munster Denver| publisher=Nature et Patrimoine du Saulnois| language=French| accessdate=December 28, 2006}}</ref>

The building is in the shape of a [[Christian cross variants|Latin cross]] measuring {{convert|195|by|116|ft|m}} with the nave rising to {{convert|68|ft|m}}. The main façade houses three entrances and is framed by two {{convert|221|ft|adj=on}} spires. The structure is constructed of [[Indiana limestone]] and [[granite]] from [[Gunnison, Colorado]]. The altar, statuary, pedestals, pulpit, communion rail, and bishop's chair are all made of [[Carrara marble]] from Carrara, Italy, while other element features including the confessional, vestibules, balustrades, risers, steps, baseboards, and pillar bases are all made out of [[Yule marble]] stone from [[Marble, Colorado]].<ref name="history" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historycolorado.org/historic-resources-marble-colorado-and-vicinity|title=Historic Resources of Marble, Colorado, and Vicinity|work=History Colorado|access-date=May 25, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Avenue |first=Colfax |title=History of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception |url=https://www.colfaxavenue.org/2016/07/history-of-cathedral-basilica-of.html |access-date=2024-11-22}}</ref>

Interior decorations of the cathedral were carefully thought out under the supervision of Thomas H. Miller. Traditional painter decorations were set aside to allow for the two [[Carrara marble]] colors of rich cream and delicate gray to create their own harmony. These colors of marble also help to bring out the luminous colors of the 75 [[stained glass windows]] which contain more than 20,000 pieces of stained-glass. The 75 stained-glass windows are from the [[Munich-style stained glass|Royal Bavarian Art Institute]] in [[Munich]] founded by Franz Xaver Zettler. These stained-glass windows were crafted by 50 artisans and cost $34,000 for all 75 windows, but now a single stained-glass window would cost $500,000. The church has the most leaded stained glass of any church in North America.<ref name="McMenamin-1912">{{Cite web |title=The Pinnacled glory of the West : Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception; a brief history of the parish, a detailed description of the new cathedral. Its ... |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101062207368&seq=1 |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=HathiTrust |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Architecture |url=https://www.denvercathedral.org/architecture/ |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[File:Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes Stained Glass Window.jpg|left|thumb|A stained glass window in the Cathedral depicting the "[[Feeding the multitude#The feeding of the 4,000|Feeding the 4,000]]" [[eucharistic miracle]] in the large frame.]]
The floor is made out of Pearl shells which resided in the Elbe River. These shells would go through a multitude of steps including being mixed with other products before hardening into a dark green floor. This process also allows the floor to be both water and fireproof.<ref name="McMenamin-1912" />

The building also includes a thoroughly thought-out heating and ventilation system. The whole cathedral is heated by two Kewanee boilers, which is twice the amount it needs to be heated. This was done as a precaution if one of the boilers was to stop working. The ventilation system consists of two fans powered by variable-speed motors. These fans make this one of the best ventilated buildings in the country since they can change the entirety of the building's air in just 11 minutes.<ref name="McMenamin-1912" />

When opened, the cathedral could accommodate 1,000 worshipers. However, due to significant alterations following the [[Mass of Paul VI|liturgical reforms]] initiated at the [[Second Vatican Council]] (including the removal of the historic stone altar rail and the expansion of the chancel to accommodate a second, freestanding altar) the church now accommodates 895.<ref name="history" /><ref name="architecture" />

[[File:The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver.jpg|thumb|right|The central [[aisle#Church architecture|aisle]] under the [[Architecture of cathedrals and great churches#nave|nave]] of the Cathedral.]]

==Ministries==
The cathedral offers three daily and six Sunday Masses as well as other sacraments regularly. Additional services to the community include the yearly provision of 50,000–60,000 lunches to the poor in the area.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=http://www.denvercathedral.org/cathedralhistory.html |title=History of the Cathedral |publisher=Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception |accessdate=March 11, 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093217/http://denvercathedral.org/cathedralhistory.html |archivedate=March 4, 2016 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Catholicism}}
*[[Julia Greeley]]
*[[List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States]]
*[[List of cathedrals in the United States]]
*[[Roman Catholic Marian churches]]
*[[Yule marble]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category|Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver)}}
* [http://www.denvercathedral.org Official Cathedral Site]
* [http://www.archden.org Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver Official Site]

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver}}
{{Denver}}

[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Denver]]
[[Category:Basilica churches in the United States|Immaculate Conception Denver]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic cathedrals in Colorado|Immaculate Conception Denver]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1911]]
[[Category:Colorado State Register of Historic Properties]]
[[Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Denver]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1860]]
[[Category:Gothic Revival church buildings in Colorado]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States]]