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St. Peter's Cathedral (Scranton, Pennsylvania)

Introduction

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St. Peter's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton. The entire St. Peter's Cathedral Complex is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The church was built in 1867, as the parish church of St. Vincent de Paul. In 1883-4, a project was undertaken to remodel and embellish the church, which by now was the central church of the diocese, and on September 28, 1884, the new mother church of the diocese was consecrated by Archbishop P.J. Ryan of Philadelphia, and its name changed to the Cathedral of St. Peter, marking its new role in the still-young diocese. The cathedral complex includes the adjacent rectory (1908) and convent.

Images

St. Peter's as of 2009

St. Peter's as of 2009

Interior of Cathedral

Interior of Cathedral

1930-1945 colored postcard of St. Peter's. Courtesy of the Boston Public Library,Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection

1930-1945 colored postcard of St. Peter's. Courtesy of the Boston Public Library,Tichnor Brothers Postcard Collection

Backstory and Context

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The original windows of the church contained simple red and white diamond-shaped panes. The beautiful stained glass windows now found in the cathedral date from the alterations begun in 1883. Much of this work can be attributed to the French architect Durang and later to the German designer Frank Mayer. In addition to the use of stained glass in the clerestory and over the entrances, there are 15 grandiose windows focusing on the Life of Christ and highlighting the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints. Of special note are the windows depicting the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity and the Last Supper

The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The present organ was built in 1979 by Casavant Freres of Quebec, Canada the firm's Opus 3414. In February 2008, the Cathedral was chosen by EWTN's "Cathedrals Across America" series to host the globally televised Mass for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.


Additional Information