page_title: Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: English: The interior of the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King in Hamilton, Ontario.
context_page_description: The Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King is a Roman Catholic church in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The cathedral was consecrated on December 19, 1933. It is the seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton, and the cathedral of the Diocese of Hamilton. The cathedral contains the cathedra of the Bishop, the Most Rev. Douglas Crosby. The cathedral was raised to the status of a minor basilica in February 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI.
  On the south side of the bell tower is the cornerstone blessed by Bishop McNally, builder of the cathedral and fifth bishop of the diocese. It is a stone excavated from the Roman Catacombs to symbolize the cathedral's unity with the ancient Christian church, the first generation after Christ. The cathedral is perched atop a hill overlooking Highway 403 leading in towards the rest of Hamilton and one travelling towards Oakville, Mississauga and Toronto. Christ the King Cathedral is close in proximity to the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board administration offices, and the offices for the Diocese of Hamilton. The offices for the diocese are located just off to the side of the cathedral, next to the rectory.
context_section_description: Construction was begun by the Pigott Construction Company of Hamilton in 1930 and completed in 1933. Renovations were carried out in 1981 when it was damaged by a fire earlier that year. One stained glass window was completely rebuilt by the original craftsman, F. Meyer of Munich, Germany. Some of the renovations that were added after the fire are:
  a solid Italian marble floor for the altar containing intricate designs and various colours,
  a new marble altar and presidential chairs including the Bishop's Cathedra
  the side altars were moved 25 feet North to enlarge the Sanctuary area.
  a reconfigured ambo for readers of the scriptures at Mass.
  new lighting and sound system
  air conditioning of the entire Cathedral and basement hall
  the Chancel organ was removed and later installed 25 feet North of the original position.
  a new four manual organ console [see below]
  The cathedral interior is pure 13th Century English Gothic.  Two kinds of limestone grace its walls and pillars:  Indiana Limestone and Ontario Credit Valley Limestone. Its vaulted ceiling, with gold bosses, is a direct copy of Norwich Cathedral in England. It also has seating for over 1000 parishioners in the nave and 200 in the Sanctuary area, with television flat screens installed on the side Indiana limestone columns for blind spots. The left side altar with its magnificent large painting of Christ's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, contains the holy oils in three gold urns. The right side altar contains a massive painting of the Nativity Scene and a mosaic of the Eastern Catholic Churches: Our Lady of Perpetual Help. A large 88 ton marble Ciborium, sometimes erroneously called a Baldachino, in the shape of a crown, the symbol of a royalty and kingship, graces the north end of the cathedral over the tabernacle. Although this is not a normal feature of Gothic architecture, its Gothic design blends in perfectly with the architectural style of the Cathedral. The major patriarchal basilicas in Rome, namely, St. Peter's, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran Cathedral and St. Mary Major, all have a ciborium [baldachino] over their altar of sacrifice.
  Each of the presidential chairs and sanctuary choir stalls have pelicans carved in solid oak as arm rests.  The pelican is an ancient symbol of self-sacrifice and redemption.  If the mother pelican cannot find food for its babies, it bites its breast and feeds them with her own blood. This is a symbol of Christ shedding His blood for us, dying on the cross.
  The cathedral is home to 82 stained glass windows by F. Meyer of Munich, including depictions from the New Testament, numerous saint depictions at the very top walls of the cathedral in the clerestory, and a grand masterpiece rose window at the very rear above the organ, depicting the Communion of Saints and Christ the King. Some the saints featured in the rose window are:  Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Sebastian, St. Rose of Lima, St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, King David,  St. Louis of France, St. Matthew and St. Thaddeus. The center bottom panel contains images of Pope Pius XI and Bishop John McNally. The bottom left panel contains an image of Theresa Nuemann, the famous 20th-century German stigmatist who died in 1962. Bishop McNally visited her on one of his visits to Bavaria prior to the Cathedral's construction.
  The 235-foot central nave is flanked by two side aisles divided by massive Indiana limestone pillars. The nave is 72 feet wide and 90 feet high. The rear narthex of the church contains a solid oak statue of Christ the King.
  The choir loft houses a large, four manual Steinmeyer pipe organ built in Ottengen, Bavaria with almost 5,000 pipes. Robert Corso is the organist and director of music at the Cathedral Basilica. The organ contains 84 ranks of pipes divided with sections in the Chancel and Gallery. The tone of the organ ranges from a very deep profound bass, with many large wooden pipes, to a very brilliant sound with 14 ranks of mixtures on the Great, [main] manual alone, containing pipes with a high tin content, addi
caption: Italian marble built in a trompe-l'œil style is used around the altar.
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