CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
The appellation “first (insert thing here) west of the Mississippi River” is encountered frequently in St. Louis. It applies here, as the city was home to the first Episcopalian congregation west of that divisive body of water. The date was 1819, although the first church wasn’t built until 1829 on a corner where the Adam’s Mark Hotel now stands. This would be the first consecrated Episcopalian church and site of the first western baptism. A second church was built in 1839 two blocks farther west, and construction on the current cathedral started in 1859.
The Civil War halted construction. During those years, congregants gathered at three different locations, including the Mercantile Library Hall. With the end of the war, building continued and the cathedral was finally dedicated on Christmas Day, 1867; however, the Cathedral continues to be a work in progress.
The narthex and bell tower were dedicated on Easter Sunday, 1912. Gustavino tile was used to partially line the interior in 1929, and more tile remains to be installed should the diocese choose to do so. Light fixtures featuring symbols of the crown, mitre, fish and fleur-de-lis were added in 1939.
As one walks into this very Gothic building, the first sensation is one of vastness. The lack of pews does not go unnoticed. There is no uniform march of wooden benches along the aisles of the church. The pews were removed when the church was renovated in 1969 and were replaced with interlocking chairs which give the church more of a European feel.
The three bells in the bell tower include the largest bell in the state of Missouri, weighing in at an impressive 5,732 pounds. The bells were cast by the German foundry that made the bells for the German pavilion at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. At the foot of the bell tower is the baptistery which holds an Italian-made baptismal font carved by Angiolo Brondi. It has been part of this diocese since the time of the second Christ Church.
Ultimately, however, the eye is drawn to what is unquestionably the crowning glory of Christ Church Cathedral—the reredos or altar screen. Patterned after similar features in St. Alban’s Abbey and Winchester Cathedral in England (stones from these two churches can be found embedded in the walls of Christ Church), the reredos is a sculptural masterpiece.
The center section of reredos features a sculpture of Christ on the cross, with his mother Mary and beloved disciple John gazing up at him. Flanking the cross on the two upper levels of this section are statues of angels, both significant and unnamed. Below the cross and immediately behind the altar is a sculpture depicting the nativity, complete with shepherds, Magi and animals, all paying homage to the newborn Christ Child. Three panels are found below the altar, representing The Annunciation, The Resurrection and The Presentation of Christ in the Temple.
The three levels of statues on the right and left are of figures representing the story of Christendom—patriarchs and prophets, apostles, saints and martyrs. All are rendered in exquisite detail out of Beer stone, an oolite of light cream color that is quarried near the town of Beer, England.
A St. Louis architect, Kivas Tully, conceptualized the reredos. The actual sculptor was Harry Hems of Exeter, England which is close to the town of Beer. It took two years for Hems to carve the pieces, oversee their transport to St. Louis and install them at the Cathedral. The 230 boxes containing the 160 tons of sculptures arrived without a bit of damage to any stone. The reredos stands an impressive 35 feet high and was dedicated on Christmas Day, 1911.
Christ Church Cathedral is open to the public from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays between services. There is a gift shop at the cathedral. Services are held on Sundays at 8 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. There is also a special Eucharist service each Wednesday at 7 a.m. Call 314-231-3454 for information or visit their website www.christchurchcathedral.us.