Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Portland, Maine)

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is an historic cathedral at 307 Congress Streets in Portland, Maine that serves as seat of the Diocese of Portland. The pastor is Bishop Robert Deeley, and the rector is Father Gregory Dube. The church, an imposing Gothic Revival structure built in 1866-69, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Architecture and history
The Roman Catholic diocese complex occupies most of a city block, bounded by Cumberland Avenue, Locust Street, Congress Street, and Franklin Street. The main church building is set on the northwest side of the property, facing Cumberland Avenue, while the parish hall extends northeast from its rear, and the bishop's residence stands to its southeast, facing Congress Street. To the left (south) of the residence stands a two-story school.

The church is an imposing masonry structure, built of red brick, with sandstone trim and a slate roof. The main façade has a central entrance recessed in a sandstone Gothic arch, with a large stained glass rose window above. The main tower rises to the right of the main entrance, with buttressed corners, narrow Gothic windows, and an octagonal spire.  Windows on the side walls are also Gothic, with buttressing between.

The interior of the cathedral is .  The nave is  long, rises , and holds almost 1,000 worshipers. The tallest of the cathedral's three steeples is, at , the tallest structure in the city of Portland.

Construction began in 1866 under the supervision of New York architect Patrick Keely. Construction of the church was interrupted by Portland's great 1866 fire, and it was not completed until September 8, 1869.The cathedral has undergone restorations in 1921, 1969, and 2000.  In 1985, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The secondary buildings all have stylistically similar Gothic features.

See also
List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
List of cathedrals in the United States
National Register of Historic Places listings in Portland, Maine

References

External links

 Official Cathedral Site
 Diocese of Portland Official Site

Category:Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Category:Gothic Revival church buildings in Maine
Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1866
Category:19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States
Category:Churches in Portland, Maine
Immaculate Conception, Portland
Category:1866 establishments in Maine
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine
Category:Roman Catholic churches in Maine
Category:Cathedrals in Maine