Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Catholic cathedral in Boise, United States.
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is a Romanesque Revival church built of Boise sandstone quarried at Table Rock. It is cruciform, measuring 170 feet from front to back, 95 feet at the transepts and 65 feet in the nave. Two intended towers with spires flanking the main façade remain incomplete, and a fléche rises above the crossing.
Boise's first Catholic church was dedicated on Christmas Eve 1870 and burned down 18 days later. Bishop Alphonse Glorieux laid the cornerstone of the present cathedral in 1906; built in stages, it was completed and dedicated on Easter Sunday, March 27, 1921, by Bishop Daniel Gorman.
The parish's first church was dedicated on Christmas Eve 1870 and burned 18 days later; the present cathedral was dedicated on Easter Sunday, March 27, 1921. Its 1921 Tellers-Kent organ has 2,900 pipes, and composer Frederick Fleming Beale, a College of Idaho professor, was organist and choir director at the time.
The cathedral stands on Block 90, bounded by Fort, Hays, Eighth and Ninth Streets, with the 1906 Tudor Revival rectory behind it and St. Joseph's School, built in 1925, alongside. Enter from the main façade on Fort Street; the rose window and the statue of St. John above the center gable are the landmarks to look for. The 1979 Hummel remodel added modern lighting and more seating, so weekday visits are quieter than Sunday Mass.
The two front towers were designed to carry spires but were never finished, so the façade still ends flat. The rose window sits above the main entrance, and a statue of St. John the Evangelist stands on the centre gable's peak. A fléche rises above the crossing.
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