Bishop Jean-Marie Odin
Father Odin conducted the first Mass in Austin on December 23, 1840. With this Mass, the first in Austin, he planted the seeds for what became Saint Mary Cathedral. He came to Texas as a Vincentian priest, one of the first of this French order in Texas.
After his visit to Austin (where he and Father Timon successfully argued to have the ownership of the church's properties, including the Alamo, restored), he returned to Galveston and would soon become Bishop Odin, the first bishop in the Diocese of Galveston (which included all of Texas). He is considered to be the Father of the restored Catholic Church in Texas.From Texas Churches
Bishop John Timon
Father Timon was ordained deacon, and then priest, in 1825. He served as a Vincentian missionary up and down the Mississippi River and in Texas. In 1835, Timon's was appointed "Visitor" (Superior) of the Vincentian community in America. In 1839, he was named coadjutor bishop of St. Louis but declined the appointment. On July 18, 1840 he was named Prefect Apostolic of the Republic of Texas. He accompanied Odin to Austin in 1840 to successfully lobby the Congress of the Republic of Texas to return Catholic lands to the church.
He would serve the next 20 years of his life as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo (NY).From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Image of Austin from the dome of the new state capitol, This image is from the 1890s, showing Saint Mary before the addition of the stone entrance and the main bell tower.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Crop of photograph taken from the new state capitol between 1888 and 1907. Notice that this is before the main bell tower and entrance to the cathedral were built. Lightly colorized in Photoshop.
In this photograph you can also see First Methodist (directly across from Saint Mary), the old Saint Patrick's church (the steeple is visible directly behind Saint Mary), Saint David's Episcopal, and Saint Mary Academy.
Saint Patrick's Catholic Church
Saint Patrick's Catholic Church, the first Catholic church in Austin and the predecessor of Saint Mary Cathedral. In this photograph you can see the new state capitol (finished in 1888). Also, the steeple has been removed from Saint Patrick's in this image.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Mary Cathedral before addition of bell tower and stone entrance.
Nicholas Clayton, Architect
When the design of St. Mary began, not only was the state new, but architecture as a profession was in its infancy. The parish had laid out a basilica-shaped foundation and begun raising the walls which were five feet high when the architect Nicholas Clayton began to design the new church. Eventually to become the foremost Victorian
architect in Texas, Clayton had never designed a church and St.
Mary’s was his first independent commission.
Born in Ireland in 1840, Clayton came to this country with his widowed mother when he was two, and grew up in the Midwest. After fighting in the Civil War, he learned masonry and building design in Cincinnati, and came to Galveston in 1872 on behalf of his Ohio firm.
At that time, Austin was part of the diocese of Galveston, and it may have been through the Holy Cross fathers that the bishop connected Nicholas Clayton with the first Catholic parish in Austin.
This church began Clayton’s long, prolific career, centered in Galveston, building primarily ecclesiastical structures but also commercial buildings and homes. In addition to important commissions elsewhere in the south, he designed at least 150 buildings in Texas. A devout Catholic who attended daily mass, Clayton designed buildings for the Congregation of the Sacred Heart, the Jesuits, and the Ursuline Sisters as well as numerous parishes throughout the Diocese of Galveston and elsewhere in the South.
Many of these structures built of wood were destroyed by hurricanes and fires, but the Bishop’s Palace in Galveston (1886), Sacred Heart Church in Tampa (1888), and St. Edward’s Main Building in Austin (1907) illustrate his genius for expressing spiritual reality in building, selecting appropriate materials, exacting fine craftsmanship from his workers, and attending to the most precise details of construction.
Gothic Revival
Clayton’s work is in the tradition of the 19th century architects who rejected the rigidity and symmetry of classical architecture and turned to the Middle Ages for inspiration. The Gothic revival movement began in England, inspired by Catholics who saw in cathedrals like Chartres and Notre Dame the essence of Catholic tradition.
Gothic architecture had flowered from the 12th to the 15th centuries after European society had assimilated the wisdom of the pagans-Greek, Roman, barbarians-and the church had established herself as the sole spiritual power of that world.
After neo-Gothic crossed the Atlantic, liturgical churches—
Lutherans and Episcopalians as well as Catholics—favored the style. In Austin, the old Gethsemane Lutheran and All Saints Episcopal built shortly after St. Mary’s are also neo-Gothic churches.
Begun in 1872, Clayton finished the construction of the first phase of the church in 1884.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Mary Cathedral, photographed soon after its construction in 1884. Notice the lack of the bell tower and stone entrance. This dates the photograph to the late 1890s or early 1900s.
From Texas Churches
Father Peter Lauth
Father Peter Lauth, priest at the time of the completion of the cathedral in 1884.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Iesus Hominum Salvator (IHS): a contraction derived from the Greek word ΙΗΣΟΥΣ, Jesus, used as a symbol or monogram. Below that is the symbol for the Congregation of Holy Cross. The SC stands for Sancta Cruce.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Cathedral as viewed from the west. Compare this contemporary image (photograph in November 2018) with the two previous images. Notice the additions of a stone entrance, the large bell tower, and the finials atop the two towers.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Inscription on the front of Saint Mary Cathedral. The "SC" is for "Sancta Cruce," from the Congregation of Holy Cross. The Holy Cross order, founded in 1837 in Le Mans, France, managed the church in its early years. The Maltese-style cross is characteristic of the Holy Cross order. Notice the fleur de lis in the upper left and the shamrock on the upper right.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
View of the nave, looking south toward the apse and Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception window.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
During the 1890s, the stained-glass windows were installed. The first one was donated by the pastor, Father Peter Laugh; in 1891, and these first ones were set in the west wall of the church. After all of the stained glass windows were in place on the west wall, installation began on the east wall.
MaryInteriorAltarViewFINAL3000
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral, Austin, Texas
Rose Window.
Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone or wood mullions and tracery. The term rose window was not used before the 17th century and according to the Oxford English Dictionary, among other authorities, comes from the English flower name rose.
The name "wheel window" is often applied to a window divided by simple spokes radiating from a central boss or opening, while the term "rose window" is reserved for those windows, sometimes of a highly complex design, which can be seen to bear similarity to a multi-petalled rose. Rose windows are also called "Catherine windows" after Saint Catherine of Alexandria, who was sentenced to be executed on a spiked breaking wheel. A circular window without tracery such as are found in many Italian churches, is referred to as an ocular window or oculus.
Rose windows are particularly characteristic of Gothic architecture and may be seen in all the major Gothic Cathedrals of Northern France. Their origins are much earlier and rose windows may be seen in various forms throughout the Medieval period. Their popularity was revived, with other medieval features, during the Gothic revival of the 19th century so that they are seen in Christian churches all over the world.
According to stained glass window experts, it is likely that this window originated in one of the American studios extant at that time.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
View looking north toward the choir loft and the of the Rose WIndow.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
View of five stained glass windows above the altar, from left to right: Saint Peter, Saint Joseph, Immaculate Conception, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Paul.
Donors are as follows:
Saint Peter – Mr. Raymond Renz
Saint Paul – Mr. William Walsh
Saint John the Baptist – Former Governor Lubbock
Saint Joseph – Capt. T.W. WatsonFrom Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral, Austin, Texas
Nave, with stained glass window of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Shown in the bordering windows are Saint Peter, Saint Joseph, John the Baptist, and Saint Paul.
From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
St. John the Baptist who said of Jesus
“Behold the Lamb of God” carries the lamb.
St. Joseph holds the flowering rod of Aaron, a sign of
divine favor.
St. Peter clasps the keys with which he
opens the gates to the New Jerusalem, the heavenly
city,
St. Paul wields the two-edged sword of the Word of God.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
The Immaculate Conception of Mary. Along with the Rose Window, the Immaculate Conception is the primary stained glass window in the church. This window is from the Carmelite atelier in Le Mans, France.
This link leads to a detailed history of the studio:
https://churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/the-basilica-of-the-sacred-heart-from-empty-pockets-to-stained-glass/
"In 1880, Edouard Rathouis sold the Carmel du Mans to Hucher, who had always wanted to own a glassworks. Because the work for Notre Dame extended over eleven years, from 1873 to 1884, the signature of the glassworks’ owner found in the windows reflects the changes in ownership over that time period. “Carmel du Mans, E. Rathouis” can be seen in the nave. The final name, after Hucher’s son Ferdinand joined him in the glasswork business, is found in the Lady Chapel and reads “Fabrique du Carmel du Mans, Hucher et Fils, Successors.”
The above refers to the windows in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
Our window has the following attribution (see the following image as well):
Hutcher et Fils
Carmel du Mans
The Austin Bar Association donated the window in the late 1800s in the memory of Judge Costa.
The Immaculate Conception is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic church that states that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. First debated by medieval theologians, it proved so controversial that it did not become part of official Catholic teaching until 1854, when Pius IX gave it the status of dogma in the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus.
Look closely at Saint Mary and you will see the snake under her heel, a reference to the Catholic belief that she is the new Eve.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Attributions
Eugene Hucher, a 19th century historian and numismatist, was the director of the Carmelite workshop as well as the director of the museum in Le Mans. The windows over the altar, as well as the Rose Window, apparently were made in this workshop. This attribution is on the Immaculate Conception of Mary window.
Franz Mayer founded a studio in Munich, which at first, produced sculpture and marble altars. In 1860, the studio began making stained glass. The studio restored medieval windows and executed new windows all over the world. It is impossible to estimate the quantity and quality of the windows they sent into the United States. Their branch offices in London and New York functioned until World War I. They are famous for heroic sized picture windows, extremely representational, with all the saints unmistakably German, that is, fair skinned, robust and hearty figures. Still in business, they now fabricate for free-lance designers. Our one window from Mayer is the Annunciation, the first window installed in the church. Based on style, it is apparent that all of the windows in the main nave are from Zettler with the exception of the Annunciation.
Francis Xavier Zettler ran the Royal Bavarian studio from 1870. Zettler was a recognized master who is held in high regard today, yet little has been written in English of him. Windows in the main nave are attributed to F.X. Zettler and F.H. Zettler.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
The Immaculate Conception of Mary
Donated by the Austin Bar in memory of Judge John Costa.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Immaculate Heart of Mary
The main difference between the devotions to the hearts of Jesus and Mary is that the one concerned with Jesus emphasizes his divine heart as being full of love for mankind, but with this love for the most part being ignored or rejected, while devotion to Mary's heart is essentially concerned with the love that her heart has for Jesus, for God.
Therefore, it is not an end in itself, so the love of her heart is meant to be a model for the way we should love God. The fact that her heart is immaculate, that is sinless, means that she is the only fully human person who is able to really love God in the way that he should be loved.
Honoring Mary's Immaculate Heart is really just another way of honoring Mary as the person who was chosen to be the Mother of God, recognizing her extraordinary holiness and the immense love she bestowed on Jesus as his mother, the person who was called to share in and co-operate in his redemptive sufferings.
Notice the ring of Fleur de lis that surround the sacred heart, a symbol of Mary's virtue and spirituality.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Sacred Heart, also called Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Roman Catholicism, is the mystical-physical heart of Jesus as an object of devotion. In addition to a feast, now celebrated on the Friday of the third week after Pentecost, devotion includes acts of consecration and honor given to the image of the Sacred Heart. Such images are often depicted with a wounded heart, encircled by a crown of thorns and radiating light.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Matthew (right) and Saint Mark (left). Saint Mark is shown with the lion, and Saint Matthew with the angle.
Donated in memory of Joseph Limerick and wife, Elizabeth.
Joseph Limerick (born 1798) was a laborer, immigrating to the United States and Austin around 1850, He earned his living as a stonemason and invested greatly in real estate, both land and houses. Joseph Limerick died in December of 1888 at the age of 90 and is buried at St. Mary's Catholic cemetery. A window near the chancel of the Cathedral is dedicated to him and his wife. Limerick assisted with the construction of the Eugene Bremond properties while in his 60s (Bremond Block Historic District, NR 1970), and Bremond served as the trustee of the Limerick properties following Limerick's death.
Look closely at the lower right corner of Saint Matthew. The text says: Royal Bavarian Institute for Stained Glass F.X. Zettler.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Luke (right) and Saint John (left)
Saint Luke is shown with the ox, and Saint John with the eagle.
Windows donated in memory of John Butler and wife. John Butler was the son of Michael Butler, an Irish immigrant who founded Butler Brick in 1873. Michael Butler donated St. Mary's large bell. The large bell, weighing 2009 lbs., is from the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, MD. The names of Michael Butler's children are engraved on the bell.
Michael Butler (1842-1909) was born near Limerick City, Ireland. His father owned farms and was a contractor in the construction of public pikes and roads. In 1866, at the age of 24,
Michael sailed to New York City, where he learned the rudiments of his trade as a bricklayer’s helper. Within the next three years he pursued his trade as a mason in Wisconsin, St. Louis, and Little Rock before a move to Dallas in 1869, where he established his first plant for manufacturing bricks using clay from the banks of the Trinity River.
Michael Butler established his first Austin brickyard, Plant #1, at the foot of East Avenue (now IH-35) on the north shore of the Colorado River in 1873. His technique for testing clay to see if it would make good brick was to taste it.
In 1876, Butler purchased property for his Austin Plant #2 along the south bank of the Colorado River – between the river and Barton Creek Road, and from Barton Creek on the west to the I&GN Railroad right of way (east of Lamar Boulevard) and beyond to South First Street on the east. The clay fields were at today’s Butler Golf Park. Brick was delivered by ox cart across the river ford at the foot of Shoal Creek or over a pontoon bridge at the foot of Brazos Street. A ferry was used during periods of high water.
Michael Butler married Mary Jane Kelly (1854-1935) in 1878 in St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. They lived in a brick house built by Butler in 1877 at 200 South Lamar, near today’s Zach Scott Theater.
All three of their children were born in this home: John Francis in 1879, Mary Margaret in 1881, and Thomas James in 1885...Preservation AustinFrom Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus
Mary wears a crown of medallions given by students of St. Mary Academy on their graduation.From Texas Churches
Saint Mary Cathedral
Mary side window #1
Left: Saint Rose of Lima
Right: Baptism of Jesus
Reference for Saint Rose of Lima: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=446
Reference for the Baptism of Jesus: Matthew 3:13-17
Reference: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/3
In the window that illustrates the Baptism of Jesus, he is shown being baptized by John the Baptist with the Holy Spirit (symbolized by a dove) hovering above.From Texas Churches
