Cathedral Church of St. Peter (St. Petersburg, Florida) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cathedral Church of St. Peter |
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 Location in Florida
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| 27°46′23.83″N 82°38′20.18″W / 27.7732861°N 82.6389389°W | |
| Location | 140 4th St. N. St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| History | |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1899 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | One |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Southwest Florida |
The Cathedral Church of St. Peter is a special Episcopal church located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It's like the main church for the Diocese of Southwest Florida. In 2004, it became part of the Downtown St. Petersburg Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building.
History of St. Peter's Cathedral
The St. Peter's church community started in 1889. They first built a simple wooden church building. In 1896, some land was given to the church, and the wooden building was moved there.
Three years later, in 1899, more land and money were donated. This allowed them to build a new, stronger brick church. This brick building is the original part of the church you see today.
Over the years, the church grew, and more parts were added.
- In 1915, a new pipe organ was installed, and a special room was built for it.
- Around 1920, the church's tower and spire were made taller.
- In 1925, the church building was made much bigger. This addition doubled the size of the main worship area.
- Later, in 1951, the sacristy (a room where clergy prepare) was made larger.
- In 1969, St. Peter's Church was officially named a "cathedral." This happened when the Diocese of Southwest Florida was created.
- In 2008, some older buildings were taken down to make way for a new multi-purpose building. This new building was finished in 2009.
Architecture and Design
The cathedral is built from light-colored bricks with pink mortar. It has a tall tower and a spire on its north side. There are also two shorter towers on the west side.
Inside the church, you can see beautiful stained glass windows. These windows show stories from the life of Jesus, the Stations of the Cross, and the lives of saints. There's also a large round window called a rose window on the west side.
In the chancel (the area around the altar), there's a gothic window showing Jesus and St. Peter walking on water. The altar (the table used for communion) was once under this window. It was later moved to make space for the large pipe organ. The ceiling inside the church has a special wooden structure called a scissor truss system.
The Pipe Organ
The main pipe organ in the cathedral was first built in 1965 by Austin Organs. It was a large instrument with many pipes. In 1997, it was updated with a new control panel and digital improvements.
The organ has different sections of pipes. Some are in the front of the cathedral, and some are in the back. In 2016, more changes were made to the organ. A new section was added, and some of the existing pipes were adjusted to sound even better. This made the organ even bigger and more powerful.
See also
