| Architect: Maxwell Bates and
Alfred Hodges of Calgary.
Contractor:
Bird Construction Company Ltd. (Thomas Osborne - Alberta
Manager) Local contractors did most of the construction and installation of equipment,
however materials and craftsmanship were imported from all over the world.
Original cost: $1,000,000
Architectural style:
Bates "designed the exterior in a Gothic idiom
tempered by modernist material and styling, he brought an international flavour to
Calgary's urban landscape." The Cathedral is laid out along a St. Anthony's Cross:
that is a T-shaped cross which is rather unusual. The most common layout for Western
Christian churches is the Latin Cross. The exterior of the building is decorated with
monogrammed stone panels and designs laid out in the brickwork.
Construction materials:
Steel frame, brick and concrete. Beige coloured brick
with cast stone trimmings. Red clay tile roof from Chicago.
Interior details:
Bates designed the interior with great care and attention
to detail. The oak panelling and furnishings in the sanctuary were designed by Bates. The
ceiling of the Cathedral was originally composed of pyramidal acoustic tiles. Marble was
imported from the quarries of Sebastian Aiella of Carrerra, Italy as were the mosaics.
Representatives of the Aiella company were on hand to install the marble. Gunning and Son
Bronze Works of Dublin, Ireland designed and cast the tabernacle, chalices, monstrance,
candle holders and sanctuary lamps in consultation with the architects. The stained glass
was imported from Franz Mayer Company of Munich, Germany. The hand carved oak pulpit,
designed by the architects and supplied by the Globe Furniture Company of Waterloo,
Ontario, incorporates the figures of Christ and the four major prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezechiel and Daniel carved on the front.
Historical highlights:
- St. Mary's Cathedral is the popular name for the Cathedral
of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the title of the parish church
dedicated on December 8, 1889 which became the Cathedral Church when the Diocese of
Calgary was established by Pope St. Pius on November 30, 1912.
- Fundraising for a new Cathedral began in March 1928 with
the establishment of a Cathedral Building Fund and a first donation of $1.00. The intent
was to erect a new church in the late 1930s but the outbreak of Second World War and the
soaring costs of the post-war era delayed construction of a new Cathedral until the 1950s.
- In March 1954 Maxwell Bates and his partner Alfred Hodges
were appointed architects for the project and the following year a parish Committee was
formed to raise more funds.
- Demolition of the 1889 sandstone cathedral, built on
property originally given to the church by the Canadian Pacific Railway, began in July
1955.
- July 21, 1955 - sod turning ceremony.
- October 30, 1955 the corner stone for the Cathedral was
blessed and laid by Bishop Carroll.
- Between July 12, 1955 and December 1957, services were
held in the newly constructed Parish Hall.
- The only part of the old building to be used in the new
Cathedral were four bells, three of which were donated by Senator Patrick Burns. Cast by
the Paccard Foundary in Anneey, France in 1903, they had a combined total weight of 3,000
pounds. The bells were originally consecrated September 20, 1904. In July 1955, they were
removed and placed in storage. In 1956 the bells were raised into the belfry of the new
cathedral by an elevator built up through the centre of the tower.
- Construction was completed in February 1957 and the
interior finished in time for the official consecration December 11, 1957 (completely free
from debt) by the Most Reverend Francis P. Carroll,Bishop of Calgary.
- Standing in a niche with a canopy and mounted over the
main doors is a 16 foot statue of the Blessed Virgin in cast stone which was designed by
the Calgary sculptor Luke Lindoe.
- All the lines in the church led to the Main Altar. The
floor of main altar and sanctuary was terrazzo marble laid in diagonal squares of three
colours. Five marble steps led up to the rose marble altar. The table was composed of a
single slab, weighing one and a half tons.
- As a result of extensive renovations over the years, the
original interior as designed by Bates has been significantly altered.
- For more information about the building and design of St.
Mary's Cathedral visit the Local History Collection at the W.R. Castell Central Library.
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