Trinity Cathedral (Omaha)
Encyclopedia
Trinity Cathedral is located at 113 N. 18th Street in Downtown
Omaha
, Nebraska
. Nebraska's first Episcopal
parish, Trinity was established in 1856, and became the state's first Episcopal cathedral
in 1872. Designed by noted English architect Henry G. Harrison in 1880, the Cathedral was consecrated on November 15, 1883. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974. Today Trinity Cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Omaha.
broke ground for the new cathedral, later laying the cornerstone on May 25, 1880. The cost of the Cathedral was about $100,000 by the time it was completed three years later.
The church served as the base of many Episcopal missions to areas of the western United States. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska
.
lancet windows. The church is almost entirely of bluestone
from Illinois
in a design that is nearly cruciform
with an entry tower
extending outward. The exterior of the building has more than six stone crosses at varying points of its roof line.
The interior features Gothic design throughout, including aisle
s, nave
, transept
, choir, and a clerestory
. The church includes a noted carved oak bishop
's throne
and dean
's stall.
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Nebraska's first Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
parish, Trinity was established in 1856, and became the state's first Episcopal cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in 1872. Designed by noted English architect Henry G. Harrison in 1880, the Cathedral was consecrated on November 15, 1883. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974. Today Trinity Cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful churches in Omaha.
History
Trinity was begun organized by the Right Reverend David Jackson Kemper on July 13, 1856. The first church was built at South Ninth and Farnam Streets. The congregation lost control of the first church building in 1864; the second building was lost to fire in 1868. The third church was built the next year, and was used until the Cathedral was constructed. The Right Reverend Robert Harper ClarksonRobert Harper Clarkson
Robert Harper Clarkson was an Episcopal bishop. He was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He was ordained deacon on June 18, 1848, and priest on January 5, 1851.He married Meliora McPherson on May 18, 1849...
broke ground for the new cathedral, later laying the cornerstone on May 25, 1880. The cost of the Cathedral was about $100,000 by the time it was completed three years later.
The church served as the base of many Episcopal missions to areas of the western United States. It is the episcopal seat of the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska
Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska
The Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the state of Nebraska, except for two congregations which are in the Santee Mission of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota. It is in Province VI. Its cathedral, Trinity...
.
Design
Built in the late Late Gothic Revival style with rock-faced masonry walls and stone tracery over more than 43 stained glassStained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
lancet windows. The church is almost entirely of bluestone
Bluestone
Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including:*a feldspathic sandstone in the U.S. and Canada;*limestone in the Shenandoah Valley in the U.S...
from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in a design that is nearly cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
with an entry tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
extending outward. The exterior of the building has more than six stone crosses at varying points of its roof line.
The interior features Gothic design throughout, including aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s, nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
, choir, and a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
. The church includes a noted carved oak bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
's throne
Throne
A throne is the official chair or seat upon which a monarch is seated on state or ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monarchy or the Crown itself, an instance of metonymy, and is also used in many expressions such as "the power behind the...
and dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
's stall.
External links
- Trinity Cathedral official website.
- Records of Trinity Cathedral at the Nebraska State Historical SocietyNebraska State Historical SocietyThe Nebraska State Historical Society is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information .....
. Retrieved on May 21, 2010. - Historic postcard