The first example of Greek Revival architecture in Boston, St. Paul’s was a strong contrast to the colonial “meeting house” appearance of the Park Street Church (1809) across Tremont Street. The light Quincy granite, used for the body of the building, was brought from the quarries on the first railroad operated in the United States. The Ionic columns on the portico are of brown sandstone quarried from the region of Acquia Creek in Stafford County, Virginia.
We have learned recently that the quarry labor which produced this stone was from enslaved persons. This leaves us with the question of “how do we reconcile our past.” You can find the History Committee’s ongoing research on the Cathedral’s ties to the slave economy here.
Stones from St. Paul’s in London, and St. Botolph’s in Boston, England, were included to show unity with the Anglican tradition. As a demonstration of the patriotic fervor that inspired its establishment, a stone from Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was also included. The still unfinished pediment (the triangle at the top of the 6 columns) was intended to contain a carved frieze representing Saint Paul preaching before King Agrippa.
At the turn of the 20th century, sisters Mary Sophia and Harriet Sarah Walker left an estate of more than a million dollars for the purpose of building an Episcopal cathedral (or bishops' church) in the City of Boston. Rather than build a new church, Bishop Lawrence decided the bequest could better be spent on ministry, and he asked St. Paul’s Church to become the Cathedral. On October 7, 1912, St. Paul’s was dedicated as the Cathedral Church for the Diocese. To symbolize that the new Cathedral was indeed “a house of prayer for all people,” Bishop Lawrence arranged for the doors to the pews to be removed.
The interior of the church has undergone repeated and extensive renovation. The current curved apse is a later addition to what was originally a nearly square New England meeting house interior. St. Paul’s also enjoys the distinction of having two beautiful pipe organs, the magnificent Aeolian-Skinner, in the rear (currently in storage waiting for restoration), and the smaller Andover instrument in the chancel.
In 1986, the walls and ceiling painted in a polychromatic style, new granite flooring laid in the aisles, the baptismal font moved to its current location, the majestic but daunting wineglass pulpit replaced by the simpler pulpit-lectern, a free-standing altar constructed, and a dramatic cross bontonnee suspended over the altar.
In April 2014, our Cathedral closed its doors in order to undergo extensive interior renovations; we reopened in Fall 2015.
In 2013, the Nautilus was installed in the Pediment as a symbol of universal invitation and welcome. A piece of public art that sparked some controversy, the Nautilus stands as an inviting symbol of spiritual growth. View a short video about the installation and dedication of this unique work.
In 2014, the historic Church of Saint John the Evangelist, Boston merged with St. Paul’s Cathedral, bringing together the congregations to create a community drawing on the strengths of both. St. John’s historic building was built in 1831 for the Bowdoin Street Congregational Society, led by the Rev. Dr. Lyman Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s father. Notable parishioners included the poet T.S. Eliot, architect Henry Vaugn, and Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. The Chapel of St. John the Evangelist at the cathedral honors the legacy of St. John’s, Bowdoin St. and holds the beautiful Black Madonna that once adorned that church.
In Fall 2015, we reopened our doors after months of extensive interior renovations; our new Cathedral is warm, inviting, and inclusive, a space that embodies our mission of being a house of prayer for all people.