Christ Cathedral
About this property
Christ Cathedral is the cathedral church for the Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas. It is located in Salina, Kansas, United States, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2010. Episcopalians initially met in Salina in the general store as well as in church buildings of other Christian denominations. Christ Church was formed as the first Episcopal parish in the city and a frame church building was constructed in 1872. The Right Rev. Sheldon M. Griswold, the first bishop of the Missionary District of Salina, was the first to plan for a new cathedral. Sarah E. Batterson of New York, the widow of the Rev. Herman Batterson, was looking for a way to memorialize her husband and donated a large sum of money to build the present cathedral. The gift came with stipulations. Philadelphia architect Charles Marquendent Burns Jr., a personal friend of her husband, was to design the building. She wanted chairs in the nave instead of pews, and insisted they be free and unsigned to parishioners. Bishop Griswold initially asked for $10,000 to $15,000. Mrs. Batterson initially offered $25,000, and then raised the amount to $35,000. In the end her gifts totaled over $50,000. The cornerstone was laid on May 29, 1906, and the first service in the cathedral was held on January 8, 1908. Cuthbert and Sons of Topeka, Kansas, built the structure. Also on the cathedral property is a parish hall built in 1948 and a two-story education and office building completed in 1956. The cathedral is cruciform in shape and faces the east. A bell tower sits at the crossing and contains a carillon of 23 bells. The tower also contains eight screened windows and is topped by eight pinnacles with finials. Entrances are located on the main façade and in the two transepts. The choir and chancel on the west side of the cathedral has nine stained glass windows. There are also windows in the main nave and in the transepts. All but two of the windows are part of series titled "Following the Steps in the Ministry of Christ." Above the main entrance is the Ascension window made by J. & R. Lamb Studios and installed in 1961. The St. Michael's Chapel is located off the north transept. The acolyte, choir room, and a restroom are off the south transept. The building covers 6,400 square feet (590 m2). The exterior of the cathedral is covered entirely of limestone quarried in Chase County, Kansas, about 95 miles to the southeast of Salina. The stone that was used for the entrance steps and the door sills was quarried in Lyon County, Kansas. The dressed stone used on the cathedral was quarried in Silverdale, Kansas.
Location
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Christ Cathedral listed on the National Register?
Christ Cathedral was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 2010.
What type of historic resource is Christ Cathedral?
Christ Cathedral is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Christ Cathedral?
The period of significance for Christ Cathedral is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Christ Cathedral?
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