Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine, Catholic co-cathedral in Freehold, New Jersey, United States.
The Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine is a large modern brick church with Romanesque elements, a gathering space, a large rose window and a clerestory. Its interior is an open hall without columns, seating 1,100; the altar platform is white marble, and the altar, tabernacle pedestal and ambo are green Carrara marble.
St. Robert's parish was founded in 1971 as professionals from New York City and North Jersey moved into this part of Monmouth County. A multi-purpose building served the growing parish, and the present church was completed in 2002. Bishop David M. O'Connell petitioned the Holy See on April 11, 2016, to elevate it; Rome approved on December 3, 2016, and the church was dedicated as co-cathedral on February 19, 2017.
The stained glass windows depict the Mysteries of the Rosary, American saints, and St. Robert Bellarmine, the parish patron. The building's Romanesque-inspired brick exterior and rose window frame an interior where these windows are the main figurative element.
The nave holds 1,100 seats and has no columns, so sightlines to the green Carrara marble altar are open from every row. The gathering space inside the entrance serves as the place to pause before entering the worship area. It remains an active parish church as well as a co-cathedral.
Bishop David M. O'Connell petitioned the Holy See on April 11, 2016, to elevate the church to a co-cathedral; approval came on December 3, and the parish learned of it on Christmas Eve. The dedication as cathedral followed on February 19, 2017.
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