Co-Cathedral of Saint Thomas More (Tallahassee, Florida) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Co-Cathedral ofSaint Thomas More |
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 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| 30°26′47.22″N 84°17′51.88″W / 30.4464500°N 84.2977444°W | |
| Location | 900 W Tennessee St. Tallahassee, Florida |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | www.cocathedral.com |
| History | |
| Status | Co-Cathedral |
| Dedication | Thomas More |
| Architecture | |
| Groundbreaking | December 4, 1965 |
| Completed | 1967 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Block & Stucco |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Pensacola-Tallahassee |
The Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More is a Catholic cathedral located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It's one of two main churches for the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. The other is the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Pensacola. This church also serves as the Catholic Campus Ministry for students at Florida State University (FSU). The church holds special items called Altar Relics. These are from Saint Felix and Saint Felicity.
Contents
Discovering the History of St. Thomas More
Learn how this important church came to be. It started with a special club for students.
Early Days of the Newman Club
The story of the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More began with a group called the Newman Club. This club was for Catholic students at the Florida State College for Women. It started way back in 1930. The college later became Florida State University (FSU) in 1947. The Newman Club needed a place to meet.
In 1950, the club finally got its own building. It was the old home of Edward Conradi. This building was near the FSU campus. It became the first permanent student center for the Newman Club. It had a chapel for prayers and meeting rooms. This helped students feel like part of a community.
However, the small chapel quickly became too small. More and more Catholic students joined the club. On Sundays, lines of students would wait outside for Mass. It was clear they needed a much bigger space.
Building the New Church
Plans for a new, larger student center began in 1963. Father Patrick Madde, the local pastor, suggested making the chapel bigger. The designs were changed several times. Finally, in 1965, George W. Stickle created the final blueprint.
His design included a chapel and a student center next to it. The center had a kitchen, rooms, and offices for priests. It also had a lounge and a library. The whole complex covered half a city block. It featured a tall bell tower, 95 feet high. This tower celebrated 400 years since the Spanish arrived in St. Augustine.
The building's style was a modified mid-century Spanish design. It had a unique red-tiled roof. The front of the church featured seven long, narrow, rounded arches. These arches looked like English and Gothic styles.
The chapel's stained-glass windows were very important to its beauty. They were made in a style called dalle de verre. A famous French artist, Jean Barillet, designed them. He was known for his work on cathedrals like Chartres. His main artwork showed Christ as the center of the Christian faith. The middle windows showed only the figure of Christ, shining with light. The other windows had colorful, abstract designs.
Construction began on December 4, 1965. Demetree Builders of Orlando managed the work. The building was finished two years later. Bishop Hurley officially dedicated the chapel on October 8, 1967.
Becoming a Co-Cathedral
The chapel's status changed quickly. In 1968, the new Bishop of St. Augustine, Paul Tanner, made it a student parish. It stayed a student parish for seven years. Then, on October 7, 1975, something big happened. Just six days after the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee was formed, the parish became the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More.
See also
In Spanish: Concatedral de Santo Tomás Moro (Tallahassee) para niños
