Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

French Gothic Denver Cathedral

Description

Denver's first Catholic parish gathered at the corner of 15th and Stout Streets under the patriarch of Father Joseph P. Machebeuf, a French missionary who would become Denver's first bishop. Thirty years later, efforts were raised to build a new cathedral on Logan Street, and in 1890 Bishop Nicholas C. Matz built the first temporary cathedral made of brick and sandstone. While the church that stands at 1530 Logan is not the same as these two early churches, without them there would not be a cathedral in Denver. Twelve years later, ground was broken at the site for the new Cathedral in 1902. It would take the large part of the next 9 years to build due to setbacks in financial investments. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is a unique building in modern downtown Denver with its ornate French Gothic style designed by architect Leon Coquard of Detroit. The front facade features twin 210 foot spires and the exterior is made exclusively of Indiana limestone and granite quarried from Gunnison, Colorado. The interior of the building features an altar, statuary, and bishop's chair made entirely of marble imported from Carrara, Italy. In 1979, the cathedral was elevated to the status of Minor Basilica, one of only a handful of basilicas in the United States. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception has been an important feature of the downtown Denver community for nearly the past 100 years including its involvement in the poor and homeless communities, handing out between 50,000 to 60,000 lunches annually.