St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral (Memphis, Tennessee) facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral
Diocesan House, Cathedral, Sisters' Chapel
St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral Location in Tennessee
35°8′48.2″N 90°2′12.56″W / 35.146722°N 90.0368222°W / 35.146722; -90.0368222
Location	700 Poplar Avenue Memphis, Tennessee
Country	United States
Denomination	Episcopal
History
Status	Cathedral
Founded	1858 (parish)
Consecrated	1871
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	William Halsey Wood (original plans), L. M. Weathers, and Bayard Snowden Cairns
Style	Late Gothic Revival (Early English period)
Completed	1858 (original) 1888 (chapel) 1898 (crypt) 1907 (west front and nave) 1926 (tower, transepts, chancel)
Administration
Diocese	West Tennessee
Province	IV (Southeast)

St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral is a special church in Memphis, Tennessee. It was designed by architect Bayard Snowden Cairns. This church is the main cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee. It used to be the cathedral for the entire state of Tennessee.

History of St. Mary's
See also
Images for kids

History of St. Mary's

St. Mary's started as a small mission chapel in North Memphis. It was created by a group of ladies from Calvary Church. Calvary Church was the first Episcopal church in the city.

Starting the Church

The first service at St. Mary's was held on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1857. This service was led by Charles Quintard. He later became the second bishop of the Diocese of Tennessee.

A newspaper article from November 29, 1857, talked about the new church. It said the church was called St. Mary's. The Reverend Richard Hines was chosen as its first leader.

One special thing about St. Mary's was that all its seats were free. Other churches often charged money for pews. This meant that more people could attend services at St. Mary's.

St. Mary's officially became a parish church on May 13, 1858. Bishop James Hervey Otey led the ceremony. He was the first Bishop of Tennessee. Many other church leaders also helped.

Becoming the First Southern Cathedral (1871)

Thirteen years after it began, St. Mary's made history. It became the very first Episcopal cathedral in the southern United States. This change happened on January 1, 1871.

At that time, not many Episcopal churches in America were called cathedrals. Cathedrals are like a bishop's main church. The Episcopal Church in the U.S. was slow to adopt this English style. But as new church styles became popular, more cathedrals appeared. St. Mary's was an early example of this trend.

Heroes of the Yellow Fever Epidemic (1878)

Memphis faced many outbreaks of yellow fever in the 1800s. This disease was spread by mosquitoes. The worst outbreak happened in 1878. More than 5,000 people in Memphis died.

Five years before this, a group of Episcopal nuns came to Memphis. They were called the Sisters of St. Mary. Bishop Quintard invited them to run the St. Mary's School for Girls. This school is now called St. Mary's Episcopal School.

When the 1878 epidemic hit, many brave people stayed to help. Priests, nuns, and doctors risked their lives. They cared for the sick and dying. St. Mary's Cathedral became a relief center.

The Sisters of St. Mary and Episcopal priests worked there. Sadly, the nuns' leader, Sister Constance, died from yellow fever. Three other nuns and two priests also died.

These brave individuals are remembered as "Constance and Her Companions." They are also called the "Martyrs of Memphis." Their special day is September 9.

A traditional prayer remembers them:

We thank you, God, for the brave actions of Constance and her friends. During a time of sickness, they faithfully cared for the sick and dying. They loved others more than their own lives, even to death. Help us to show similar love and care for those in need. We follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ...

Constance and Her Companions

Sister Constance (born Caroline Louise Darling, 1846): She was the leader of the nuns and headmistress of St. Mary's School.
Sister Thecla: She helped with the church and school. She taught music and languages.
Sister Ruth: She was a nurse from New York.
Sister Frances: She was a new nun who cared for children at an orphanage.
The Rev. Charles Carroll Parsons: He was a priest for two Memphis churches. He was also a former U.S. Army officer and professor.
The Rev. Louis S. Schuyler: He was a newly ordained priest from New Jersey.

The Very Rev. George Harris, the cathedral's dean, survived the yellow fever. Sister Hughetta also survived. She became the new leader of the nuns in Tennessee.

New Cathedral Building (1926)

The current church building is in the Gothic Revival style. Its construction started in 1898. It was finished in 1926.

The church's name was changed to include "(Gailor Memorial)." This honored Bishop Thomas Frank Gailor. He was an important leader in the Episcopal Church.

Forming the Diocese of West Tennessee

Map of the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee

The Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee used to cover the entire state. But in 1982, it was divided into three parts. This was based on the three main regions of Tennessee.

The Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee was created in 1982. St. Mary's Cathedral remained its main church. Two other dioceses were also formed: the Diocese of Tennessee (for Middle Tennessee) and the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee.

Each new diocese kept an important part of the old statewide church. West Tennessee had St. Mary's Cathedral. Middle Tennessee kept the original name, "Diocese of Tennessee." East Tennessee welcomed Bishop William Evan Sanders as its first bishop.

It's interesting that St. Mary's was the first Episcopal cathedral in the South. But the other two cathedrals in Tennessee are older churches. They were founded in 1829.

Images for kids

Richard Hines, first rector, 1857-1871
Deacon Carol Gardner and Bishop Don Johnson in Easter procession 2007
North transept: This stone is part of a column from the ancient Pool of Bethesda. Bishop Thomas F. Gailor brought it from Jerusalem in 1928.
"Sisters of St. Mary Window"
First cathedral building around 1898
Sister's Chapel and St. Mary's School for Girls, around 1900
Recession exiting the chancel
Cross-section view
View out the West Front door
"West" front interior
Altar with cross covered for Lent
Dean William A. Dimmick, 1960
"Saint on break" in Sisters' Chapel
Detail from the "Baptism Window"
Cathedral Guild Lunches, 1906
Sisters' Chapel (1888), the oldest building in the Cathedral area.
The cathedral with the Diocesan House (left) and the Sisters' Chapel (right)
Glastonbury Abbey stone
Cathedral construction bond
Window detail of Mary and Jesus
Parish Hall, built where the Cloister Garden used to be
Cathedra (bishop's seat)
Looking east across the nave
"South" transept windows
In 1962, Dean Sanders became "Bishop Coadjutor Sanders" for the Diocese of Tennessee.

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