Spanning the entire length of the portico is an inscription that reads: “In Honorem S. Ludovici. Deo Uni et Trino Dicatum. A. MDCCCXXXIV,” which translates as “In honor of St. Louis. Dedicated to the One and Triune God. 1834.”
Above each of the three doors to the church is a slab of marble with an inscription from Apocalypse: “Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and He will dwell with them.” Over the middle door, the inscription is in Latin. Over the east door, it is in English and the inscription is in French over the door to the west.
And it’s
he structure of the Old Cathedral, completed in the autumn of 1834, is 136 feet long, 84 feet wide and sweeps to a height of 40 feet. The exterior stone façade and the four columns that support the Doric style portico are carved from Joliet stone, mined near Joliet, Illinois. It remains today, a prominent example of Greek Revival architecture in the United States.
@jon @iamjonburgess are we cool