The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-07-22
OU r CAT HE DRALS

the ambulatory surrounding the apse
are the 'chapels of the nations, six in
number, dedicated to the apostles of
the several races from which are de-
rived the people of the northwest"
The church has seating capacity of
5000 in pews and 1000 more in re-
movable chairs.
The doctrine of simplicity of design,
frank expression of the interior by
| the exterior, broad treatment of sur
faces and careful consideration of the
use and placing of ornament, which
Mr.. Masqueray taught as a professor,
he has practised here in his own
work. The building material is light
grey-pink granite, and, the texture be-
ing coarse, the simplicity of the de-
tails is doubly appropriate.
The external dimensions are as fol-
lows: Length, 274 feet; width of
transepts, 214 feet; width of the
dome, 120 feet; dimensions of the
the principal facade, 140 feet wide by
130 feet high; the height of the tow
ers is 180 feet. Located under the
nave and entered by staircases in the
towers is the crypt, which will con-
tain an important chapel and large
rooms for meetings of societies and
catechism classes. The grounds in
front of the church are treated as an
architectural setting and monumental
approach to the Cathedral.
The Pro-Cathedral of the Immacu-
late Conception at Minneapolis is
based on a less traditional though
also old, type of plan than that of the
Cathedral of st. Paul. Mr.. Masqueray
had in this case much less money to
spend, and was not required to pro-
vide so large seating capacity He
made study of the great wide-naved
Churches of Aquitaine and Perigord,
and came to the conclusion that, as
he has himself written, "a modern
church on the same general lines
would be aesthetically appropriate
and we'll adapted to modern religious
conditions in the United States. Those
French churches, the finest examples
of which are the Cathedrals of Abb
and Cahors, give an impression of I'M
surpassed grandeur and simplicity"
The Pro-Cathedral is a very large
church; the nave, 80 feet wide by 1876
feet long, affords an unobstructed view
of the sanctuary from every pew in
the building. The piers at the corners
nf hn hn
arches which support a dome, which
rises directly above the altar, a clear
interior height of $50 feet. Over the
entrance vestibule is the organ loft
and music gallery; the latter will ac-
commodate a choir of 200 persons.
Externally the interior is well ex-
pressed; the main divisions of en-
trance, nave, and sanctuary are evi-
dent at a glance The external dimen-
sions are 140 feet wide by 274 feet
long. The bell-towers on the front
rise to a height of 130 feet. The ma
terial is white Vermont granite.
Summary.
The modern conditions of cost and
time do not enable an architect in
these days to produce work on a
grand scale, in which the charm re-
sulting from the combined but indi-
vidual efforts of a number of artists
and artisans, working Independently,
but each carrying on the work of the
other, may be conduced. On the
other hand, they lead to the rapid de-
velopment and completion of great in
dividua1 works, or works upon which
number of artists study together a
given problem and complete in few
years what formerly required as many
decades; and If we find our modern
buildings somewhat lacking in charm
we shall not find them wanting in the
greater qualities of composition,
grandeur, and suitability to purpose.
It is as regards the quality Of
charm that we shall always find
new building deficient as compared
with an old one The stains of wealth
er and the softening lines which the
tiring of material and the eating away
of, it's strength by the little demons
of decay gives to the old fabric, the
patches of newer work which are like
the touches of the brush of the water
colorist in his painting, serve to sug-
gest life which may not have been so
apparent in the building when it was
first erected. The more the building
touches upon the life of the people,
or the more interest they take in it's
upbuilding and maintaining, the more
it will gather in charm.
Critically, for many reasons, we
must confine comparison of the build
ings of the time to others OF their
kind erected under similar conditions.
To what extent has the store of ex-
perience Of the great masters handed
down to us through all the ages been
reckoned with? Is there progress
from good precedent? Does it satisfy
the eye, the intellect, the imagination
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