Open since 1864 and located at the East side of Logan Square on 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter & Paul is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is the largest brownstone structure in Philadelphia and the largest Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.
Designed by architect Napoleon LeBrun (1821-1901), building began in 1849 until its completion in 1864. Among LeBrun’s other notable local designs are The Philadelphia Academy of Music, Saint Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church on 20th Street and Saint Augustine’s on 4th Street. Eventually, LeBrun established himself in New York, along with his sons, and designed one of the earliest skyscrapers – the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company tower. After five years of working on the Cathedral, LeBrun left the project over a disagreement with the Bishop in 1851, and John Notman (1810-1865) assumed the responsibility of the Cathedral’s completion. Notman, a well-respected architect, is most famous for his work in the Gothic Revival style, particularly for his design of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church on Locust Street in Philadelphia, the Chapel of the Holy Innocents in Burlington, NJ, and the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square. Notman left the Cathedral project in 1857 over a dispute regarding his fees. A third architect, John Mahoney, apparently managed the construction until LeBrun returned sometime around 1860.
It seems that the Cathedral of Saints Peter & Paul was, from the outset, intended to be of Neo-Classical design, with that architectural style’s barrel arches, Corinthian columns, and triangular pediments supported by columns at the entrances. Yet the placement of the windows at only the clerestory level is in strong contrast to the Baltimore Cathedral – also of Neo-Classical design – and most likely the result of concern over potential anti-Catholic violence.
LeBrun’s design for the Cathedral was modeled after the Lombard Church of Saint Charles (San Carlo al Corso) in Rome in the Neo-Classical style of the Italian Renaissance. Like so many churches and cathedrals in Europe, it would have a cruciform floorplan. It was constructed of Connecticut and New Jersey brownstone and is topped by a great copper dome which has acquired a green patina. Though never built, a bell tower was envisioned for the northeast corner and there were several other modifications to the original design over the course of construction. The gilded surfaces and detailed sculptural elements, along with the choice of rich finishes of marble and walnut, give this relatively young cathedral a distinct sense of timelessness. The interior decorations are largely the work of Constantino Brumidi (1805-1880). Brumidi also painted the Capitol in Washington, DC.
Concert attendees may park in the parking lot adjacent to the Cathedral using the entrance on 17th Street, GPS address 222 North 17th Street. Alternate parking: street parking, Gateway Parking Garage- entrances on Spring & 16th Streets, and Sheraton Hotel Parking Garage, entrance on 16th & 17th Streets.
The cathedral is a short walk from Suburban Station in central Philadelphia and SEPTA Bus Route 32 stops near the front of the building on 18th Street.