The Cathedral Building

History records that on March 13th, 1843, Governor James Douglas, accompanied by a Father Bolduc, arrived at Fort Victoria from Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River.  As Hudson's Bay Company Factor, Douglas was charged with the responsibility of assessing the possibility of establishing a trading centre on Vancouver Island.

They arrived off Cadboro Bay aboard the Hudson's Bay Company sailing ship 'The Beaver'.  In anticipation of Sunday, Father Bolduc spent the day in preparation of a rustic chapel to celebrate the Lord's Day, with the aid of several of Douglas' men.

Branches of fir trees enclosed the sides, a boat awning served as a canopy.  Father Bolduc wrote a description of that event:  Early Sunday morning more than 1200 Indians surrounded the humble chapel. Our host, Chief Factor Douglas, left nothing to help make the ceremony imposing.  I was welcome to take on shore anything and everything that might be used as an object of decoration. He, himself, was present at Mass, as well as several Canadian and two Catholic women,  wrote the priest.

November 1, 1858, Roman Catholics of Victoria made their way to Humboldt Street to attend the first Mass in Victoria's original Cathedral.  This was to become the Chapel of St. Ann's Convent across from Victoria's General Hospital (later St. Joseph's Hospital) on Humboldt Street.  The second Cathedral, 1884- 1892 was located on a lot adjacent to the present Cathedral site. (The current St. Andrew's Square building).

The Present Cathedral

Bishop J.N. Lemmens (1888 - 1897) wanted Victoria to have an inspiring Cathedral.  He journeyed to Quebec to locate a church building which he might duplicate in Victoria.  The church of Longueil was his choice.

On February 11, 1890, the Daily Colonist newspaper announced that working plans had been received by Bishop Lemmens for the new St. Andrew's Cathedral. Shortly thereafter, Bishop Lemmens laid before his congregation the construction tenders. A vote determined that the tender of Aeneas McDonald, for the sum of $81,052.00, be accepted. So work began on Victoria's second Cathedral church.

While the decision to build the new Cathedral was announced in 1882, construction did not begin until 1890.  History recorded that on October 30, 1892, Bishop Lemmens blessed the new cathedral at 8 a.m.  At 9 a.m. he moved the Blessed Sacrament from the old Cathedral to the new.  At 10 a.m. he sang a Pontifical High Mass.  The band of Her Majesty's Ship 'Warspite' played a fanfare as Bishop Lemmens with his clergy entered the packed Cathedral.

The attending congregation was 2000 strong. The church was indeed a major architectural landmark on the skyline of the young city of Victoria. The design reflects continued Catholic cultural links to Quebec. Perhaps most significant of all, the prestigious Montreal church architects, Monsieur Maurice Perrault & Monsieur Albert Mesnard, duplicated the plans of a parish church which they had already supplied for Vaudreuill, P.Q.

However there are numerous changes. In particular, the brick envelope articulated with ashlar stringcourses and diaperwork. The double towered facade is typical of Quebec churches although a hallmark of the High Victorian Gothic is the asymmetrical treatment. The seventy-two foot centre bay with its recessed rose window is dominated by the main tower terminating in a 175 foot spire. This tower, constructed to accommodate a clock and chime of bells, is balanced by a shorter tower on the north side, purposely truncated to emulate the "unfinished" look of the great European fourteenth and fifteenth century ancestors of this style of church building.

The achieved effect, Victorians called "picturesque". Even so, this spire was originally taller. It was lost along with a tinwork statue of St. Andrew atop the centre pinnacle during a heavy storm soon after 1900. At the same time the pressed tin roof was replaced with slate. The present polychrome paint scheme was developed by architect Peter Cotton and applied in 1973. The masonry bearing walls are raised on a foundation of brickwork and massive granite blocks which rest directly on clay hardpan. These walls carry the weight of a heavy timber trusswork which supports the roof and shelters a complex interior balloon frame to which is applied a lath-and-plaster finish. This comprises the vaulting and decorative wall finishes. Even the aisle pillars are constructed in this fashion, masking quite slender cast-iron columns inside.

In floor space, St. Andrew's is one of Victoria's largest churches. The nave, crossed by a transept and terminating at the west end in a narrow sanctuary, was designed so that an uninterrupted view of the altar could be had from any part of the church. Over the entrance, or narthex, two galleries are located: the lower originally for the Sisters and school children: the upper one for the choir. Large rose windows and bold detailing emphasize the central crossing. Twenty one feature stained glass windows, commemorating the lives of Christ, the Virgin and the Saints, flood the church with light through the side aisles and the chancel. Above them the three rose windows remain unfinished, although the clerestory windows are decorated with traditional Christian iconography of the mass and private devotions.

Below floor level at the northwest corner of the church is a chapel crypt, assessed via a spiral staircase from the sacristy. It contains the remains of Archbishop Seghers, Bishop Demers and Rev John Jonckau. A monument on the View Street side of the Cathedral further commemorates these three pioneer missionaries and was erected in 1986 on the centenary of Segher's tragic death in Alaska.

Immediately west of the Cathedral, and adjoining on View Street is the "Bishop's Palace." The present classical revival style building was constructed in 1907 from plans supplied by local architects Thomas Hooper and C. Elwood Watkins. It was to serve not only as the residence of the bishop (then actually Archbishop Bertrand Orth) but would also house several priests, the chancery, and the "Veritas" library and diocesan archives.

The architects produced a simple but handsome building, symmetrical in plan and elevation. Brick corner pilasters with Ionic capitals frame the facades. The central bay with columned portico is capped by the cornice and gable pediment which shelters a three-part "Venetian" window. The interior featured an open three-storey central stairwell lit by a roof-top skylight. The original finish, oak wainscotting, built-in cabinetry and art-glass doors, has been much altered. The Cathedral and Bishop's Palace [no longer called that; it is now known as the Parish Centre] are designated historic buildings by the City of Victoria.

The Cathedral is also home to a crypt, where 3 of Victoria's Bishops lay to rest in peace. For more information on these Bishops, please click on their names.

• Bishop Modeste Demers:
  The First Bishop of Victoria
• Archbishop Charles J. Seghers:
  Murdered in Alaska, he the Second and Fourth Bishop of Victoria.
• Rt. Rev. John J. Johneckau:
  A former Vicar General of the Diocese of Victoria, he was named as Bishop but died before he could be consecrated bishop.

The Altar

The new altar was used for the first time on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Bishop Remi J. De Roo's Episcopal ordination. It was carved by Mr. Charles Elliott, a distinguished artist and the first Native Indian to graduate from St. Louis College.

The use of Christian biblical and liturgical themes expressed through Native symbol and design brings to visibility the process of inculturation which has been going on since the first missionaries came to Vancouver Island. We do well to recall here the words of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, who said, "Thus not only is Christianity relevant to the Indian peoples, but Christ, in the members of His body is himself Indian." (Address at Shrine Field, Huronia, Ontario, September 15, 1984)

The base of the altar consists of two bentwood-like boxes. These were the traditional means used for carrying and storing food and belongings as well as the burial boxes of the dead. Each of these boxes is designed to rotate so that four different designs may be employed for liturgical seasons and feasts. The top of the altar or mensa is of yellow cedar and weighs approximately four hundred pounds. Abalone shells and Indian designs adorn the frontispiece of the altar.