Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul - Philadelphia, PA
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 39° 57.448 W 075° 10.144
18S E 485559 N 4423050
The Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, modeled after the Lombard Church of St. Charles (San Carlo al Corso) in Rome, is of the Roman-Corinthian style of architecture. The structure dates from 1846, completed in 1864.
Waymark Code: WM2R23
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 12/11/2007
Views: 158
The Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, modeled after the Lombard Church of St. Charles (San Carlo al Corso) in Rome, is of the Roman-Corinthian style of architecture. The structure dates from 1846. Francis Patrick Kenrick, then Bishop of Philadelphia initiated the building venture. It was continued through the tenures of his successors, Saint John Neumann and Archbishop Wood, and completed in 1864.
The Church measures more than 250' in length, 136' in width, and 101'6"in height from the pavement to the apex of the pediment. The exterior of the building now weather-worn and pinkish in color, is of brownstone, which originally came from quarries of Connecticut and northern New Jersey. Like the green patina on the great copper dome, this coating on the stone, too, is a natural protection. The dome itself rises over 60'. The total height of the Cathedral is 209' to the top of the 11-foot gold cross. At their greatest diameters, the dome is 71', and the ball under the cross is 6'8". The most casual visitors to the city have been impressed by the great dome as the sign of this religious landmark among many civic ones on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
SAINT PETER
The facade of the Cathedral is graced by four massive stone columns of the Corinthian order, over 60' high and 6' in diameter. The four statues in the niches of the facade are the Sacred Heart, to whom the diocese was consecrated by Bishop Wood on October 15, 1973; Mary the Immaculate Conception, proclaimed patroness of the United States at the First Council of Baltimore in 1846; Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of the Cathedral.
Cast bronze doors lead from the main facade into the vestibule. The handrails, along with the doors of the Race Street entrance to the Cathedral, are also of bronze. These were all improvements during the extensive renovations of the mid 1950's.