A stunning architectural treasure in downtown Salt Lake City: If you are visiting Utah and especially Salt Lake City, one of the most impressive Utah attractions may be one you wouldn’t expect to see in the home of the Mormon Church.

The Cathedral of the Madeleine is a stunning architectural treasure in downtown Salt Lake City. It’s only a couple blocks east of Temple Square – home of the Mormon Church. A Roman Catholic Church, it has been the seat of nine Roman Catholic bishops and the center of the Utah Catholic community for 100 years.

In fact, it’s exactly 100 years. The Cathedral of the Madeleine was dedicated August 15, 1909. Attending the dedication was a cardinal along with several archbishops and bishops from across the country.

The cathedral recently hosted almost 1,000 dignitaries – of a wide variety of faiths and backgrounds – in celebration of this lively 100th anniversary. More than 250,000 Roman Catholics live in Utah, renowned as the place where Brigham Young decided to settle his band of pioneer Mormons in 1847.

Modeled after 9th-century European cathedrals, the cathedral is a fascinating contrast to the LDS architecture so predominate throughout the Salt Lake Valley. But unlike the dimly lit, even eerie interiors so common among cathedrals in cliché-ridden Hollywood, the Cathedral of the Madeleine throbs with color and sound.

A Community Gathering Place

The cathedral has, over the last couple decades, become a gathering place for the wider community as well as for Catholics. Now the seat of Bishop John C. Wester, it hosts not only liturgies and ceremony, it also welcomes those who enjoy concerts, dramatic performances and even lectures.

The Madeleine Choir School, founded in 1996, is unlike any in the country. The Madeleine Cathedral Choir – singing in English and Spanish – welcomes members of many faiths. It is made up of a truly diverse group of Catholic, Jewish, Episcopal and LDS (Mormon) children.

It’s Truly Unique Name

The name, Cathedral of the Madeleine, distinguishes Salt Lake City’s magnificent cathedral from every other in the nation. It is the only one named after Mary Magdalene.

Long before she became the inspiration for Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code books, St. Mary Magdalene was the patron saint of the local Catholic diocese. She has been since the late 1800’s.

Madeleine is the French spelling for her name. Bishop Joseph Glass, the second bishop of the cathedral, changed the name in 1916 after visiting her supposed burial place in France.

It is speculated that the name was originally proposed by the first bishop, the Most Reverend Lawrence Scanlan, to give local Catholics a celebration about the same time as the Mormons’ July 24 Pioneer Day celebrations. St. Mary Magdalene’s feast day is July 22.

History of the Cathedral of the Madeleine

The Catholics were here before the Mormons. In fact, they were here long before. In 1776, two Franciscan missionaries – Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Francisco Silvestre Velez de Escalante – led an exploration party which passed through what is now Utah. They had two goals:

• To scout a northern route from Santa Fe to Monterey.
• To help promote Christianity among the Indians.

The first Catholic priests coming to live in Utah arrived because of the federal troops stationed here from 1859 to 1866. In fact, the largest Army post in the entire United States in 1861 was right here at Camp Floyd. They were here “To keep an eye on the Mormons.”

In 1866, Reverend Edward Kelly enlisted the aid of Brigham Young to help settle a dispute over some downtown Salt Lake City land purchased for a church. In 1871, Utah’s first Catholic Church was dedicated just a couple blocks west of the current site of the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

In 1875, the Reverend Lawrence Scanlan arrived from Ireland. A young Irish priest, he came to serve the 710 Catholics living here. He was named a bishop in 1886 and went on to found other parishes throughout Utah. Bishop Scanlan died in 1915. He’s buried in the cathedral!

By 1890, Utah was home to 5,000 or so Catholics. In the Roman Catholic tradition, a cathedral is the seat of the bishop. Ground was broken for St. Mary’s Cathedral in 1899. Ten years later, on August 15, 1909, St. Mary Magdalene Cathedral was dedicated. It was built at a cost of $344,000.

Some more highlights:

• It was consecrated in 1936 as the debt was paid off.
• The first Mass in the English language was celebrated in 1965.
• A $9.7 million restoration was undertaken in 1991. The cathedral was rededicated in 1993.
• The Cathedral of the Madeleine has served as the seat of nine different bishops.
• There are a number of relics in the cathedral. Among them are very small slivers purported to be from the cross of Jesus Christ. They were said to be brought back to Salt Lake City by the second bishop of Salt Lake City – Joseph C. Glass.
• The stained glass windows display 258 angels.

The Nine Bishops of the Cathedral of the Madeleine

1. Bishop Lawrence Scanlan
2. Bishop Joseph C. Glass
3. Bishop John J. Mitty
4. Bishop James E. Kearney
5. Bishop Duane G. Hunt
6. Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal
7. Bishop William K. Wiegand
8. Bishop George N. Niederauer
9. Bishop John C. Wester

100th Anniversary

A week long celebration in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Cathedral of the Madeleine was just held during the week of August 9 through August 16 of 2009.

The Bishop John C. Wester welcomed guests from a wide variety of faiths and backgrounds attending the ceremony on Sunday August 9. He gave thanks that the cathedral has been able to “contribute to the civic and cultural legacy of the state of Utah.”

As the President of the LDS Church – Thomas S. Monson – stated, “This magnificent edifice is a vital and integral part of Salt Lake City.”

Tours

Tours of the Cathedral of the Madeleine are available most Sundays after the 11:00 a.m. Mass. During the week, it’s open after the 8:00 a.m. Mass until around 7:00 p.m.