A Treasure in the Treasure Valley

A magnificent treasure stands at the edge of downtown Boise, an architectural gem filled with a collection of marvelous artwork that represents and inspires our hope of salvation. This stone treasure is Boise’s St. John’s Cathedral. The story of the cathedral’s inception, construction, and ornamentation is a story of sacrifice, perseverance, generosity, and foresight. 

The story begins about forty years before the cathedral was built when another treasure, gold was discovered in the Boise Basin in the 1860’s. The population surged, of which a significant portion were Irish Catholic miners and soldiers. A couple of missionary priests, Fr. Toussaint Mesplie from France and Fr. Andrew Zepeherin Poulin from Canada, served the area, which was little more than a frontier fort at this time. They celebrated mass in make-shift settings including the first noted site in 1863 in the O’Farrell family cabin, which still can be seen just east of the cathedral on Fort Street. As time passed, the gold was removed, the population fluctuated, and eventually Idaho became a state. Boise began to transform from a frontier fort to an urban capitol city, and the Diocese of Boise was established in 1893. 

Rev. Alphonse Glorieux, another missionary priest from Belgium, was named the bishop of the Boise diocese. He exercised visionary anticipation and faith in planning and beginning construction of our cathedral which is still used for worship more than 100 years after its dedication. I marvel at the foresight and generosity of this bishop and the founding parishioners. They worked together, using the skills of designers, artists, builders, craftsmen, and extensive fund-raising efforts, to bring to fruition this magnificent cathedral. It is an extravagant gift which they have bequeathed to us. We are the fortunate recipients of their tremendous efforts. 

Land was purchased in 1902. The Romanesque-revival design for the cathedral was submitted by the Tourtellotte & Hummel firm, with parishioner Charles Hummel drawing the plans. The State Capitol building was also designed by this firm and was being built at the same time. Both buildings used sandstone from the local Table Rock quarry and shared equipment and manpower during construction. 

Excavation for the foundation began in 1905. The cornerstone was laid in 1906 (A.D. MCMVI) and can be seen on the southeast corner. In 1912 masses were held in the basement while construction proceeded upstairs until 1921, when the first mass was held in the current space. Between 1905 and 1921, there was rapid innovation in building and transportation methods. In 1905 the stones for the foundation were transported via horsepower, this changed to steam power, and then to internal combustion engines in the final years of construction. Both local and international events influenced progress. A world war and the death of Bishop Glorieux in 1917 caused a halt in the work. His successor, Bishop Daniel Mary Gorman directed most of the interior finishing on the upper level. 

One of the first things you notice as you approach St. John’s Cathedral are the stairs leading to the entrance doors. Upon climbing these steps and entering the cathedral, there is a space called the ‘narthex’ or ‘vestibule’ which is about three times as large as the square footage of the O’Farrell cabin that was used in pioneer times. Opening the doors into the nave of the cathedral, there are a few more steps leading up to the altar where the Eucharistic feast is celebrated. Then behind the altar, there are more steps that bring you to the tabernacle, the resting place for the Eucharist, the body, soul, and divinity of our precious Lord, the source and summit of our faith. It is appropriate for the Holy Eucharist to be enshrined in a reverent, elevated setting. The upward direction evokes our life’s goal, to scale the heights to sanctity. 

Bright colors throughout the interior intentionally replicate a medieval style, which is meant to convey the joy and splendor of heavenly mysteries. Perhaps the most striking colors are provided by the stained-glass windows, whose scenes were selected by Bishop Gorman. The windows illustrate some of our Church’s most noble characters and most important events in salvation history. As the sun illuminates the radiant windowpanes, the scenes and characters provide spectacular images, which stir both admiration and contemplation of our precious faith. The four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, along with Jesus revealing his Sacred Heart and Mary revealing her Immaculate heart surround the Holy Spirit window, all in the dome above the sanctuary, with painted ornamentation on the walls above symbolizing the gifts of the Holy Spirit. 

The two largest windows are on the north and south ends of the transept, where the footprint of the church forms a cross. The north window presents the Epiphany with the three wise men offering homage to the baby Jesus. The painted decoration above this window appropriately is topped with the letters, ‘IHS’ which stands for ‘Iesus Hominem Salvator’ translating as ‘Jesus the savior of mankind’. Epiphany is a feast to celebrate Christ’s coming to redeem, not only the Jewish people but all mankind. The south window shows the Ascension of Jesus with his eleven apostles looking on. This window is topped with the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, ‘AΩ.’ In the Book of Revelation Jesus is referred to as the ‘AΩ,’ the first and last, the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can trust that even though Jesus has ascended into heaven, he will be with us always. 

There are four more saints’ images in the windows of the transept—St. Patrick, as a tribute to the original Irish parishioners and the first church in Boise; St. Rita, the patroness of the active women’s group of the parish; St. Alphonsus, to honor Bishop Alphonsus Glorieux’s patron; and St. Teresa of Avila, the patroness of the Catholic high school in Boise. 

The windows along the walls in the nave tell the story of Jesus’ life from the Annunciation to the Resurrection as you follow clockwise around the walls. As in the other windows, these are filled with symbolism and lessons of faith. 

Above the choir loft is a rose window, symbolizing perfection in the order and symmetry of the whole cosmos. A circle represents eternity, with all the parts being united in Christ. Appropriately, St. Cecilia, the patroness of musicians, is portrayed in the center. Organ pipes surround the wall of the rose window. The organ was the single most expensive item purchased for the cathedral with a price tag of $17,000 (and that was a bargain since it used recycled piping). 

Two marble statues flank the sides of the sanctuary. To the left, St. Joseph holds the Christ child and a lily. The lily is a symbol of St. Joseph’s purity. In her book, The Silent Knight, Elizabeth Lev explains another story for the lily’s symbolism. When Mary’s eligible suitors assembled in the Temple with wooden rods as the high priest instructed, Joseph’s staff miraculously bloomed with lilies before their eyes, indicating the Holy Spirit’s choice for Mary’s husband. 

In front of the statue of St. Joseph is the cathedral’s original baptismal font, which was donated in 1921. Look closely at the edge, and you will see an exquisite relief carving of St. John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River. The font is eight-sided, the number eight being a symbol of the resurrection. 

To the right of the sanctuary, a pregnant Mary prays over devotional candles. In the original cathedral, there were two additional altars in these spaces below Mary and Joseph. In a renovation in 1978, the altars were removed and placed together to form the current altar in the center of the sanctuary. 

Finally, the ‘kathedra’ or bishop’s ‘chair’ sits along the right wall of the sanctuary. The cathedral is named for this chair, and this is the bishop’s church. Bishop Peter Christensen’s coat of arms is displayed on the chair's back. 

We owe a debt to the missionary priests, the frontier soldiers and miners, the talented architects and craftsmen, and the dedicated parishioners who had the foresight and generosity of spirit to lay the foundation for our St. John’s Cathedral. Our diverse community is filled with immeasurable treasures. To discover more details of the cathedral history, architecture, and artwork come to tour the cathedral on a Sunday afternoon from 3-4:30pm or read John O’Hagen’s book, Stone Wondrously Hewn, which can be purchased in the parish office. All proceeds from book sales go directly to the cathedral.