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) The Cathedral prior to Spire.... click to view completed spire... |
The spire that was erected is approximately 230 feet high to the top of the cross. It cost $6000.00 to erect. |
The stone used in the construction of the Cathedral is indicated to be from a quarry near Lawlor's Lake on the old Rothesay Road, from Indiantown, and from Simon & White. It is estimated that no less then 221 stone cutters were employed at various times throughout the construction.
On March 28, 1853 the ground was dug. Four weeks later, April 25, 1853, the first stone was laid. Seven months later (November 1853) the walls of the Cathedral were up and the roof was laid.
By Christmas of 1855 the exterior of the Cathedral was finished; however, the interior was still in rough shape. The church contained no seats, no lights, and no heat; however, three thousand people were present for the first Christmas mass where Bishop Connolly dedicated the Cathedral to Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception.
) The Pieta that stands within the Cathedral today. |
Today the interior of the Cathedral is full of beautiful decorations. The Pieta shown on your left is a duplicate of the one that stands in the Vatican. |
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College - Saint John.