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Cathedral of St. John the Baptist: then and now

before 1914 vs 2015 · Savannah, GA

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, 2015Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, before 1914
NowThen
Then, before 1914A printed view of the cathedral and its two spires, published before 1914.Photo: Unknown (print published before 1914) · Public domain · Source · resized
Today, 2015A stained-glass window inside the cathedral. Photo from 2015.Photo: Dsdugan · CC0 · Source · resized

The story

The parish started in 1799. The present cathedral was dedicated on April 30, 1876, and Ephraim Francis Baldwin was its architect, in Gothic Revival style.

A fire destroyed the interior on February 6, 1898. The first Mass in the rebuilt building was held in December 1899, and it was rededicated on October 28, 1900.

It is 214 feet tall overall and has 81 stained-glass windows. Windows installed in 1904 came from Austria-Hungary. Pope Francis made it a minor basilica in January 2020.

Did you know? It became a minor basilica in 2020.
Historians argue about this. Older guides say the basilica title dates to the 1990s. Wikipedia says January 2020.

Fact or tall tale?

Sources

More: Look for historic photos at the Library of Congress

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Next: Fort Pulaski. Written from the cited sources, not yet walked on site unless noted.