St. Peter's Cathedral Basilica - London, Ontario, Canada
N 42° 59.225 W 081° 15.004
17T E 479613 N 4759410
St. Peter's Roman Catholic Cathedral Basilica, located in London, Ontario, Canada, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London.
Waymark Code: WMCZM6
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 10/30/2011
Views: 5
An historical marker on the grounds of St. Peter's reads:
"Begun in 1880 and dedicated on June 28, 1885, this magnificent structure was built during the episcopate of Bishop John Walsh to serve as the cathedral for the Diocese of London. Designed by the prominent architect, Joseph Connolly, it was constructed in the 13th-century French Gothic style which was favoured by Ontario's Roman Catholics in the late 19th century. Among the cathedral's most notable features are its massive bell towers, high transepts, imposing sanctuary and fine rose window made in Innsbruck, Austria. Although the interior was decorated in 1925-26 and the towers, sacristy and chapel completed in 1957-58, the building retains its original character. A religious centre for southwestern Ontario, St. Peter's Cathedral was designated a minor Basilica by the Vatican in 1961."
The following additional information is from Wikipedia:
"The parish now known as St. Peter's was established 10 August 1834 and the first church was constructed of logs at the southwest corner of Dufferin Avenue and Richmond Street. Prior to this, a traveling priest visited the area to celebrate Mass for Catholic residents. The church was dedicated to St. Lawrence and could hold 180 people. It was destroyed along with much of the town in the London fire of 11 April 1845.
A larger frame church was built with donated materials and labour, but this church also burned in August 1850. This was replaced by a new St. Lawrence Church constructed of brick. The new church was located at the northeast corner of Dufferin and Richmond, just in front of the present structure. This land was granted by the Crown to Bishop Alexander Macdonell of the Diocese of Kingston. The cornerstone for the new church was laid 29 June 1851, on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
The Diocese of London was created in 1856 and Bishop Pierre-Adolphe Pinsoneault selected St. Lawrence as his cathedral renaming the church St. Peter's. In 1859, Bishop Pinsoneault moved the see to Windsor where it remained until 1868 when Bishop John Walsh, Pinsoneault's successor, moved it back to London.
Bishop Walsh felt that the diocese should have a cathedral that was a true monument to its people. He selected Joseph Connolly as architect and construction began in July 1880. The structure was built in a 13th-century French French Gothic Revival style between 1880 and 1885. The Cathedral was dedicated on 28 June 1885. The first stained glass windows were added in 1889 but the interior decoration was not completed until 1926. The Casavant organ was also installed in that year.
In 1958, the twin towers on the facade, Lady Chapel and sacristy were added, stained glass windows were installed in the narthex and additional interior painting and decoration completed. St. Peter's was raised to the status of a minor basilica on 13 December 1961 by Pope John XXIII. The current bishop of the Diocese of London is the Most Reverend Ronald P. Fabbro, CSB."