Cathedral of the Madeleine

Cathedral of the Madeleine

The Cathedral of the Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was completed in 1909 and currently serves as the cathedral, or mother church, of the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

It is the only cathedral in the US under the patronage of St. Mary Magdalene.

The cathedral was built under the direction of Lawrence Scanlan, the first bishop of Salt Lake. It was designed by architects Carl M. Neuhausen and Bernard O. Mecklenburg. The outside is predominantly a Neo-Romanesque design, while the inside tends more toward the Neo-Gothic. Construction began in 1900 and was completed in 1909. It was dedicated by Cardinal James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore.

The interior of the cathedral was created under the direction of Joseph S. Glass, the second bishop of Salt Lake. Bishop Glass enlisted John Theodore Comes, one of the preeminent architects in the country, to decorate the interior of the cathedral. His plans for the interior were largely based upon the Spanish Gothic style. The colorful murals and polychrome were added at this time, as were the ornate shrines.

In the 1970s, the exterior of the building was restored, and between 1991 and 1993, the interior of the Cathedral was renovated and restored under Bishop William K. Weigand. This included not only the removal of dust and dirt and restoration of the interior but also changes to the liturgical elements of the cathedral to bring them into conformity with certain widespread changes in liturgical practice that developed after the Second Vatican Council.

Location

331 E South Temple Street
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County
Utah, USA

Getting There

The Cathedral of the Madeleine is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. To reach it by public transportation, you can take the UTA Trax light rail red line to the Library station, which is about a 10-minute walk from the cathedral. Alternatively, you can take bus routes 200, 209, or 220 to the 400 South @ 300 East stop, which is also about a 10-minute walk from the cathedral.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in Utah that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.