Cathedral of Christ the King (Atlanta)

Cathedral of Christ the King

The Cathedral
33°49′41.09″N 84°23′13.023″W / 33.8280806°N 84.38695083°W / 33.8280806; -84.38695083
Location 2699 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, Georgia
Country United States
Denomination Roman Catholic Church
Website www.cathedralofchristtheking.org
History
Founded 1936
Consecrated 1939
Architecture
Architect(s) Henry D. Dagit, Jr.
Style French Neo-Gothic
Groundbreaking 1937
Completed 1939
Specifications
Capacity 700
Materials Limestone
Administration
Archdiocese Atlanta
Clergy
Archbishop Most Rev. Wilton Gregory
Rector Msgr. Francis G. McNamee

The Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, Georgia (United States) is the mother-church for the one million members of the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta. The Cathedral is located at what is popularly called "Jesus Junction" on Peachtree Road, between East Wesley Way and Peachtree Way, in Atlanta's uptown Buckhead district. At present, the parish is one of the ten largest congregations in the United States with over 5,500 families. Christ the King School also occupies the property, with an enrollment of approximately 600 students.

History

The parish of Christ the King was established in 1936. The congregation purchased approximately four acres of land for $35,000 and held early masses in the mansion that occupied the site. To construct the current cathedral, the parish demolished this structure and purchased adjacent land from the Ku Klux Klan which previously served as its headquarters.

Architect Henry D. Dagit, Jr. designed the sanctuary in the Gothic Revival style. The stained glass windows are works of the Willet Stained Glass Studios of Philadelphia. A 1939 issue of Architectural Record called it the "Most Beautiful Building in Atlanta".[1]

On January 5, 1937, when Pope Pius XI proclaimed that the Diocese of Savannah, organized in 1850, would now be known as the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta. Christ the King parish became the Co-Cathedral with the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah.

On July 2, 1956, Pope Pius XII split the Savannah-Atlanta Diocese to create the Diocese of Atlanta. The Co-Cathedral became cathedral of the new diocese and Francis E. Hyland became its first Bishop.[2]

Construction of the school also began in 1936 and it opened October 31, 1937, under the administration of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart with a blessing by Savannah Bishop Gerald O'Hara. In 1940, the school added a high school curriculum which operated until 1958 when students transferred to the newly formed St. Pius X Catholic High School.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Badertscher, Nancy (2 May 2014). "Mansion move sparked by church growth?". Politifact Georgia. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "About Us: Our History". Cathedral of Christ the King. Retrieved 2014-05-08.
  3. ↑ "History of CKS". Christ the King School. Retrieved 2014-05-08.

External links

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