Christ Church Cathedral, Mobile, Alabama, USA.

Christ Church Cathedral, Mobile, Alabama, USA.

Nestled between Fort Conde and Mobile Government Plaza, Christ Church Cathedral, a historical site, is located at 115 South Conception Street, Mobile, Alabama, United States of America.

The Portico

This is the first Episcopal Church in Mobile as well as in the entire State of Alabama.

The side view

                                                                           

Christ Church Cathedral was established in the year 1823. Prior to that there was no Protestant Church built in this part of the country.

                                                                     

The interior view

The first Anglican Church services had been conducted at Fort Charlotte during the British occupation of Mobile from 1763 to 1780. From 1780 to 1813, Spain ruled the region. During that period there was no active gathering of Anglican congregation.

A view of balcony with pipe organ 

In 1813, Mobile was occupied by the United States troops and then onward, the gathering of Protestant congregations revived. In the 1820s, Christ Church served as the site of a Union Church, a worship place for believers of all Protestant Christians.

                                           

Alter

Embedded stone script

Interior wall with stained glass

  

In the year 1823, many religious and educational institutions were established in Mobile. Christ Church Episcopal Congregation was one among them.

Alter table

Cornerstone for the present ‘Greek revival’ style building was laid in 1835 and it took seven years to complete the construction. It was consecrated in 1842 by Leonidas Polk, the Bishop of Louisiana and Alabama. The Bishop was also nick named as “Sewanee’s Fighting Bishop" because he later joined the Confederate States Army during the American Civil war and commanded an Artillery Corps in the capacity of Lieutenant General. The word “Sewanee” denotes the place where he founded the University of the South.

Stained glass.1

                                            
                          Stained glass.2                                         Stained glass.3

 In 1906 a major hurricane devastated the Mobile area and the storm blew the original steeple through the roof. It was never replaced. The church assumed its modern appearance without the steeple. The interior, which had to be rebuilt following the 1906 disaster, features stained glass windows. In 2005, the church became the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast. It serves as the seat of the Bishop.

Again in 2005, Hurricane Katrina damaged the nave and Chapter House which prompted extensive repair and renovation by incurring a huge amount.

 Image courtesy of Christ church cathedral @ http://www.christchurchcathedralmobile.org