Located in downtown Tucson, AZ, the Cathedral of St. Augustine is inspiring. Of course, the architecture is southwestern Spanish in nature.
The beautiful Cathedral of St. Augustine is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson. Founded in 1776, the historic building pre-dates Arizona statehood and has remained as physical expression of the influential role of the Catholic Church in creating a multi-cultural community in the Southwest. Today, it is the second most photographed building in the Southwest and stands as a significant and important example of the architectural, cultural and spiritual traditions that shaped this region.
The St. Augustine Cathedral Parish began in the late 1800s. The cathedral parish’s history began with the founding of the chapel of the Royal Presidio of San Agustin in Tucson, which was constructed in 1776.
In 1862 or 1863, Father Donato Rogieri arrived from Santa Fe, New Mexico to the small village of Tucson. At the time, it consisted of little more than sun-baked adobe homes near the Santa Cruz River, with no house of worship. After services were over, Father Donato and his parishioners would go to the Solano Leon place and pick up adobe bricks and carry them back to the site of the church and one brick placed on top of another was how the walls were constructed.
The cathedral features an elaborate cast stone façade with the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI, who was the pope at the time of the building’s construction. Various indigenous desert plants are featured in the stone designs, such as yucca and saguaro blossoms, as well as a representation of the Mission San Xavier del Bac.
A large 12th- or 13th-century crucifix hanging inside the cathedral’s vestibule was carved at Pamplona, Spain.
The cathedral’s floor is set on a slight grade, so that the main altar is clearly in view of the entire congregation. The seating can accommodate up to 1,250 people.
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