St. Augustine Cathedral

St. Augustine Cathedral started as a one room chapel where soldiers and civilians came to pray along with a sacristy for the priest, this chapel ceased being used in the early 1800s. Then in the 1860s it was decided that the Tucson area required a priest be appointed to the area, the Cathedral was completed in 1868.

A restoration began on the cathedral began in 1966 as it was deemed unsafe for worshippers. The cathedral now serves as a place of worship for Roman Catholics of the Tucson Diocese.

Tours of the cathedral is available for youth groups, Catholic schools, senior citizen's etc to introduce them to the cathedral and provide a history and background. An elaborate cast stone façade is the treasure of the cathedral, also located on the facade is the cross and below this is the coat of arms of Pope Pius XI, who was the pontiff at the time of construction.

Upon entering the cathedral, visitors will see the statue of the Risen Christ which was carved in Spain and presented as a gift to the Cathedral. As the statue is 17 feet tall and weighs two tons a large craned cable was fed through a hole that was drilled in the roof, the statue was then rolled down the main isle, attached to the cable and lifted into place.

The floor of the cathedral has a gradual slope allowing all 1,250 parishioners which is the maximum amount of people that can be accommodated, to view the main altar. There are 12 stained glass windows which feature the symbols of the apostles and the main stain glass window is the Symbol of the Holy Spirit which resides in the original choir loft.

The cathedral features the one symbol that is required so that it is a cathedral not a church. The 'Cathedra' sits in place for the bishop when he conducts services for the Diocese.

Services held at St. Augustine Cathedral include Baptisms, Marriages along with English and Spanish services held each weekend.