Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-24
4 BEAUTIFUL TEMPLE.
THE GRAND CATHEDRAL OF THE MOST
BLESSED SACRAMENT.
Sacramento's New and Imposing struc-
ture-The Finest Church on
the Pacific Coast.

Calnedral OF the Most Blessed Sacrament
located on the northeast corner of Eleventh
and K streets. There will be nine masse.
IN the old church on that day, commenc
ing at o'clock in the morning and ending
at half-past 8, in order that all Catholics
may have ample opportunity to attend tc
their Sabbath duty without overcrowdine
the Cathedral during the dedication. The
dedication of this grand and imposing tenn.
pie of worship will mark an epoch in the
history of the Catholic Church on the Pa
cific coast, and will be an event fraught
with interest to all classes of our citizens
The work OF rearing the grand edifice has
progressed steadily during the past two
years, and is now so nearly completed that
1t may be utilized for all of the practical
purposes for which it is intended.
EARLY HISTORY.
The cornerstone was laid with imposing
ceremonies on June IL, 1887. The exer.
cises were witnessed by thousands of PEG.
pie and the participants embraced q large
number of church dignitaries and prelates
from abroad. In the RECORD UNION OF
June 18th, of the year named, appeared an
elaborate account of the ceremonies, with
an illustration Of the ground plan of the
edifce.
The ceremony of laying the cornerstone
was very solemn and impressive. The pre-
clous deposit intended TO be preserved
through the ages was Theoretically sealed
IN copper box, including a document,
written in Latin, giving q description OF
the contents, OF which the following is q
translation:
This chief or cornerstone of the Cathedral in
this City Of Sacramento, dedicated to the Most
Holy Sacrament for the greater glory of God,
was consecrGted and laid on the 18th day of
June, in the year of our Lord 1887, by Right
Rev. Patrick Manogue, Bishop of the Diocese of
Sacramento. Leo XIII. being reigning Pope and
Tuler OF the church OF God; Grover Cleveland,
PRESIDENT OF the United States; Washington
Bartlett, Governor of the State of California;
Eugene Julius Gregory, Mayor of the city of
sacramento; Rev. J. NJ. c. Burchard, of the So
Glety of Jesus, who preached on the occasion;
Bryan CllnCh, architect; J. Glynn, J. MCGUIRE
A. McElroy, Messrs. Chatain and Gillette build
ers of the sacred editice; the Great Seal of the
State OF California, with names of all the State
officers; the Monitor Sacramento RECORD MON,
Daily Bee, Sunday Leader, and Eueninq star:
the san Francisco daily papers: the New York
10y cashier Miller, of D. o. Mills National Bank,
are deposited in the cornerstone.
The dlgnitaries who participated in the
ceremonies were as follows: Bishop Ma
nogue, OF the Sacramento diocese; Father
Burchard, of the Society of Jesuits, San
Francisco; Very Reverend C. Lynch. of
Virginia City; Father Dalton, of Grass Val
ley; Father Hines, of Chico; Father Tan
nan, OF Nevada City; Father McCabe, of
Marysville; Father McGrath, of Yreka;
Father Coleman, of Woodland Father Gu
alec, of Gait; Father Henneberry, of Eu-
reka, and Fathers Grace and Haupts, of
Sacramento.
THE PRIME MOVER.
Bishop Manogue to whose indefatigable
efforts is due the credit of this grand I'M
dertaking, has been eminently successful
as church-builder throughout his ecclesi-
astical career. While yet a priest he
erected church buildings which cost
over 100000, among the rest a
church, a hospital and convent
at Virginia City, Nevada. He is the
first Bishop of this new diocese and was
ordained priest in Paris by Cardinal
hs-rlot on the Christmas Ember days, 1861.
His first mission was Nevada Territory,
which soon after his arrival became a
State OF the Union. Virginia City was his
center OF action, but his calls were far and
near. Besides attending the white popula-
ton, he did not neglect the Washoes and
Piutes. The first of the Piutes he baptized
were Adam and Eve, and these afterwards
brought along their children and childrens
children TO the fourth generation. About
4OO OF these Indians were baptized bv him
and many of them, including Adam and
Eve and Captain Bob, were prepared for
death by him and buried by the Catholic
Church in the Catholic Cemetery in Virgil
MIA City.
Vicar General of the diocese of Grass
Valley for sixteen years, during which
Ill ~,
of California and the greater portion of
Nevada, he had ample chance to become
acquainted with that vast region in his
frequent visits TO its various localities.
Bishop O'Counell becoming old and feeble
for such an extensive and laborious diocese,
the Holy Father appointed Rev. 2. Mano-
que, pastor of Virginia City, Coadjutor
Bishop, with right to succession. This was IN
thesummer oflSS0, and on the 10th of Janu-
airy, 1881, be was consecrated in st. Mary
Cathedral, San Francisco, by Archbishop
Alemany. Bishop O'Copnell of the diocese
of Grass Valley, and Bishop Mora, of the
diocese OF Monterey and Los Angeles, be-
ing the assisting prelates.
Bishop O'Connell, on account of feeble
health resigned in March, 1854 and the
care Of the diocese at once devolved upon
Bishop Manogue. Thoroughly acquainted
with the wants of the diocese. he immed-
lately commenced correspondence with
the authorizes in Rome about the necessity
of a central and suitable See This CORE
spondence kept on for two years without
interruption The Bishop, aware of the
decadence OF the mining towns, gave a
full representation of places, people and
population After two years his maps and
letters induced the authorities in Rome to
grant his petition, to cut off Sacramento
20 A nd mo L IL -
and See of the new diocese of Sacramento.
This has been his own individual work.
The petition was not only granted with
regard TO the city Of Sacramento but the
whole county, with Yolo, Calayeras, ANA
dor, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Mono. Placer
and FL Dorado counties, were added to the
new diocese.
On the reception of the decree from
Rome, the Bishop secured the site of the
Cathedral for $40,Sll, and at once COM
menced to set in motion the work of bald
ing the Cathedral. What has been done
since the summer of 1886 can be seen by
visiting the premises. The Sovereign
Pontff has not only granted the Bishop
the privilege of having this great territory
named the Diocese OF Sacramento. but also
TO have the new and imposing edifice ded-
1cated to the most Blessed Sacramen, on
Sunday next.
ARCHITECTURAL.
The cathedral is built in the Italian
style of architecture, and is in the form OF
cross, with three towers on the front or
western end, the central one rising to the
hight of 2l0 feet. a large octagonal dome
rises over the intersection of the arms of
the cross, and is crowned by lantern of
sixteen sides glazed on the top with heavy
glass and surmounted by gilt cross at a
hight of 100 feet. The total length of the
building from front to rear is POS feet and
its width across the transepts ia feet.
Internally. the hight of the church cell
ing is 60 feet and of the dome considerably
over 100 feet from the floor.
A comparison of these dimensions with
those of other church buildings in California
will show the justice of the claim of Sacrs-
mento to the largest church on the Pacific
coast.
Although much yet remains to be done
to complete the building, the interior OF
the church itself is now all but finished.
The affairs will at some future time be re-
placed by marble, and several of the win
dows now glazed with ordinary glass will
be filled with stained glass, to correspond
with the rich windows of the transepts and
sanctuary, but otherwise the interior will
be quite finished on the day of dedication.
The materials used in the building are
stone, brick and concrete, and the work
manship has been done in substantial