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Saint Mary Cathedral, Austin, Texas
Apse, 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.
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.
Saint Mary Cathedral
View of five stained glass windows above the altar, from left to right: Saint Peter, Saint Joseph, Immaculate Conception of Mary, Saint John the Baptist, Saint Paul.
Donors are as follows:
The Immaculate Conception of Mary - Donated by the Austin Bar in memory of Judge John B. Costa, originally from the Italian province of Genoa.
Saint Peter – Mr. Raymond Renz, tailor and merchant with a store on Congress Avenue.
Saint Paul – Mr. William Walsh - born in Limrick, Ireland, and founder of Round Rock White Lime Company in 1894.
Saint John the Baptist – Former Governor Francis Lubbock, governor of Texas during the Civil War (1861-1863).
Saint Joseph – Capt. T.W. Watson
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.
The following is a description of the history of the Le Mans Studio is from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
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
Interestingly, Le Mans is also the birthplace (in 1837) of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
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.
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.
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 Neo-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.
However, according to the Austin Daily Statesman, July 22, 1888; "The interior is lighted by twenty-four windows of plain stained glass, twelve on each side, besides which there are over the sanctuary and side-altars five stained glass windows of the finest artistic design and coloring, from the celebrated manufactory of the Carmelite nuns, at Le Mans, in France, and a very large rose window – not yet put in – of the same style and manufacture."
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. 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.
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.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Matthew (right) and Saint Mark (left). Saint Mark is shown with the lion, and Saint Matthew with the angle.
Joseph and Elizabeth Limerick purchased a lot at 810 East 13th Street in Austin in 1852. Joseph, born 1798 in Ireland, immigrated to the United States around 1850. He worked in Austin as a stonemason and a real estate investor. The Limericks built the house in 1876, but they never lived there. The home was bought by John Frazier in 1905 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. Joseph died in 1888 and his wife in 1887. They are buried in Section 1 of Oakwood. He was one of the founders of Saint Mary's Cathedral. There is a Limerick window in the church. He died at age 90 after a fall from his horse. Mr. Limerick’s obituary stated he was industrious, frugal and a little eccentric.
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.
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 Austin
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.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Mary side window #2
Left: Saint Cecilia
Right: Saint Teresa of Avila
Reference for Saint Cecilia: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=34
Reference for Saint Teresa of Avila: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=208
Saint Mary Cathedral
Mary side window #3
Left: Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Right: Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane
Reference for Saint Catherine of Alexandria: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=341
Reference for Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-46
Reference: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/26
Notice that the cup referenced in the biblical verse is shown in front of Christ.
Also, notice the wheel beside St. Catherine.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Mary side window #4
Left: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Right: The Sacred Heart of Jesus
Reference for Saint Aloysius Gonzaga: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=15
Reference for Sacred Heart of Jesus:
https://www.zieglers.com/blog/the-12-promises-with-devotion-to-the-most-sacred-heart-of-jesus/
Saint Mary Cathredral
Joseph side window #1
Left: The Annunciation
Right: Saint Louis King of France
Reference for the Annunciation: Luke 1:26-38
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1
Reference for Saint Louis King of France:
https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=470
Saint Mary Cathedral
Joseph side window #2
Left: Saint Henry, Emperor of Germany
Right: Saint Stephen
Reference for Saint Henry: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3719
Reference for Saint Stephen: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=137
Saint Mary Cathedral
Joseph side window #3
Left: Our Lady of the Rosary
Right: The Queen of Heaven
Reference for Our Lady of the Rosary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Rosary
Reference for Mary Queen of Heaven: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Heaven
Saint Mary Cathedral
Joseph side window #4
Left: Saint Cunigunda of Luxembourg
Right: Saint Anna (Anne), Mother of Mary
Reference for Saint Cunigunda: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=217
Reference for Saint Anne: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-anne/
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Henry, Emperor of Germany (left) and Saint Stephen (right)
Saint Henry donated by R. Renz and C. Schurr. Charles Schurr was one of the prominent builders and contractors in early Austin. R. Renz was a tailor merchant with a store on Congress Avenue.
Saint Stephen donated by Stephen Broghan
Saint Mary Cathedral
Our Lady of the Rosary (left) and the Queen of Heaven (right)
Our Lady of the Rosary donated by the Lady of the Rosary Sodality
Queen of Heaven donated by the Children of Mary
In 1888, there were a number of organizations, including the Sodality for Ladies (1882), the Catholic Knights (1885), the Sodality for Boys (1885), and the Children of Mary (1874).
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Cunigunda of Luxembourg (left) and Saint Anna, Mother of Mary (right)
Saint Cunigunda donated in memory of Mrs. Mary Rish
Saint Anna donated in memory of C. Lundberg. Charles Lundberg, a Swedish immigrant, founded the Lundberg bakery in 1876. The Old Bakery and Emporium, the original building of Lundberg's bakery, now houses the Lundberg-Maerki Historical Collection. The building also functions as a visitor's center for the City of Austin.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Dark exposure
Saint Rose of Lima donated in memory of Mr. and Mrs. S.V. Dooley. The Dooleys were instrumental in the founding of Seton Infirmary and the development of the S.V. Dooley Chapel at the infirmary.
Baptism of Jesus donated in memory of Mary Blocker. Sisters Mary and Anna Blocker died on the same day and are memorialized with two windows at Saint Mary and one in Saint David's Episcopal.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Cecilia (left) and Saint Teresa of Avila (right)
Saint Cecilia donated in memory of Mr. and Mrs. A.F. Martin. Martin and his brother found the Austin White Lime Company in McNeil. Austin White Lime remains in business on McNeil Road in Round Rock.
Saint Teresa donated in memory of Joseph and Theresa Martin. Joseph A. Martin, brother of A.F. Martin, co-founded Austin White Lime Company in McNeil.
Saint Mary Cathedral
The Annunciation (left) and Saint Louis King of France (right)
The Annunciation donated by the Rev. Peter Lauth CSC. Rev. Lauth served as rector of Saint Mary during the completion of the cathedral, and he donated this first window. Rev, Lauth served as pastor until 1898, and was joined during those years at various times by his three brothers (also priests).
Saint Louis King of France donated in memory of Louis Eilers, a Bastrop merchant, and his wife.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Catherine (left) and Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (right)
Saint Catherine donor: Joseph and Catherine Fischer. Joseph Fischer was a contractor in Austin with a Mr. Lambie (Fischer & Lambie). They built the original building at St. Edward's University (designed by Nicholas Clayton) and the Elizabeth Ney Museum among buildings in the area. The name on the window is misspelled as "Fisher" rather than "Fischer."
"My Great-great-grandfather was Joseph Fischer. The stained glass window at St. Mary's has their name mis-spelled as Fisher. My great grandfather was Francis Xavier Fischer who was a contrator in Austin (Great-grandmother: Katherine Kirschvink Fischer) He built the Elizabeth Ney Museum and the original building at St. Edwards, as well as numerous courthouses in the area."
R.C. Lambie and a business partner, Francis Fischer, ran a general contracting company that built several of Austin’s most recognizable structures. It was based at 116-120 W. Fifth St.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Window on the west side of the narthex
Saint Dominic (left) and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (right)
Saint Dominic donated in memory of Mrs. Sweetie Villeneuve. Known as "Sweetie, she was one of the chief sources of influence in securing the establishment of the Seton Infirmary and from the day of its founding labored for its advancement.
Immaculate Heart of Mary donated in memory of Mary Blocker
These two windows are obviously for a different studio than the stained glass in the main nave. Currently, their provenance is unknown.
Saint Mary Cathedral
WW II window in the northwest corner of the church (west side of the narthex). Added during the renovation and conversion of the church to a cathedral begun in 1947. The provenance is unknown.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Four Cardinal Virtues on the East Side of the Narthex
Temperance (left) and Fortitude (right)
phronêsis (prudence/practical wisdom) ...
dikaiosunê (justice/morality) ...
sôphrosunê (temperance/moderation) ...
andreia (fortitude/courage)
Temperance is symbolized by the dragon lapping water.
Fortitude is symbolized by the burning flame of a lamp.
Saint Mary Cathedral
Justice (left) and Prudence (right)
Four Cardinal Virtues on the East Side of the Narthex
phronêsis (prudence/practical wisdom) ...
dikaiosunê (justice/morality) ...
sôphrosunê (temperance/moderation) ...
andreia (fortitude/courage)
Justice is symbolized by the scales.
Prudence is symbolized by the apple tree.
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 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.
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.
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.
Seton Infirmary
In 1898, the Daughters agreed to consider coming to Austin if the Society would provide housing and grounds suitable for a hospital. By 1900, the sum of $5,300 was raised by the Society. The money purchased “Tobin Park,” almost five acres of land on 26th Street between Nueces and Rio Grande. Seton Infirmary was granted a charter by the State of Texas on April 4, 1900. At the time, Austin had a population of just 22,258.
Rockwell Milligan, of St. Louis, Missouri, was the architect who designed the four-story, red pressed brick building in the “Southern Colonial” style. Seton Infirmary – named after Elizabeth Ann Seton, who founded the order that would become the Daughters of Charity in the United States – was dedicated on May 29, 1902. It contained 17 private rooms, 11 wards, special diet kitchens on each floor, plus separate dormitories and refectories for the sisters.
After the establishment of Seton Infirmary in 1902, Saint Mary went forth in community service. The Holy Cross priests from Saint Mary took over chaplain duties at the infirmary.
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.
The Rev. Nicholas Feltin followed Father Sheehan as pastor of Saint Patrick's on Feb 14, 1864, and two years later (1866) he changed the name to Saint Mary’s of the Immaculate Conception. The same year a tower was added to the old church.
Under Father Feltin’s pastorate, the newly name parish began making rapid strides forward. A rock school was built on East 10th and the foundation for the new church was started at the southeast corner of East 10th and Brazos. Father Feltin served until May 4, 1874.
St. Patrick's Catholic Church
The Millet Theater is in the center of the image, with St. Patrick at the far right.
Early in 1853, Father Sheehan took up residence in Austin and began the erection of a church at the northeast corner of East 9th and Brazos streets. Father Sheehan remained for five years in Austin. In 1855, the new Catholic church was completed and the pastor named it Saint Patrick’s in honor of Irish families who were chief contributors to the erection of the church.
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.
