San Agustín Cathedral

Introduction

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San Agustín Cathedral is a historic church built in 1872 that serves as the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Laredo. The cathedral overlooks San Agustín Plaza, which is located across the street, and is a beautiful example of Gothic Revival architecture. Its most prominent feature is the clock and bell tower, which reaches a height of 141 feet. Other notable features include its white plaster facade (the interior is plastered as well) and Gothic stained glass windows. The cathedral is a contributing property of the San Agustin de Laredo Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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San Augustín Cathedral was built in 1872 and remains one of Laredo's most striking landmarks.

Backstory and Context

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The cathedral is the third Catholic church at this location. The first one, a small chapel, was built around 1760, a few years after a group of Spanish settlers requested that a Catholic priest be sent to Laredo. Previously, a Franciscan priest who lived 50 miles away would have to come periodically to serve the settlers. The chapel was used until 1778 when a stone church was built; by then the Catholic community had grown to over 200 families.

Construction of the current church began in 1866 and was completed in 1872. It was designed by French priest Pierre Yves Keralum, who became an architect before joining the priesthood (he designed a number of other churches in the region as well, including Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville). The diocese transferred management of the cathedral to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1922. They expanded and renovated the church in 1946 and built a new convent in 1960. The diocese resumed control of the cathedral in 1985 and proceeded to renovate it beginning in 1989. The work was completed in 1994. When Pope John Paul II established the Diocese of Laredo, San Agustín was designated a Cathedral and Mother Church of the diocese. The most recent renovation project began in 2018.

Sources

Pesquera, Adolfo. "Laredo: San Agustín Cathedral Gets Makeover for Diocese’s 20th Anniversary." Virtual Builders Challenge. October 10, 2018. https://www.virtualbx.com/industry-news/laredo-san-agustin-cathedral-gets-makeover-for-dioceses-20th-anniversary.

"San Agustín Cathedral." Preservation Texas. Accessed October 3, 2020. http://www.preservationtexas.org/endangered/san-agustin-cathedral.

"San Agustín Church (La Catedral)." Diocese of Laredo. Retrieved October 3, 2020 from the Web Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235610/http://www.dioceseoflaredo.org/html/san_agustin.html.

Wright O.M.I., Robert E. & Barrientos-Whitfield, Melissa. "San Agustin Cathedral, Laredo." Handbook of Texas Online, accessed October 03, 2020, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/san-agustin-cathedral-laredo.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Agustin_Cathedral.JPG