Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Dedicated 1908; designated cathedral 1913

The Catholic presence in Spokane began in 1881 with a mass by Jesuit Father Joseph Cataldo, and an Our Lady of Lourdes parish church followed in 1886. The cornerstone of the present church was laid in 1903, and the building was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day in 1908. When Pope St. Pius X established the Diocese of Spokane on December 17, 1913, Our Lady of Lourdes was named its cathedral, a role it still serves today.

Italian Romanesque Revival; red brick with granite accents and twin 164-foot square towers

• •Seat (cathedral) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington
• •Dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1908; cornerstone laid 1903
• •Designated cathedral when Pope St. Pius X established the Diocese of Spokane on December 17, 1913
• •Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (July 30, 1976) as a contributing property to the Riverside Avenue Historic District
• •Catholic worship in Spokane traces to an 1881 mass by Jesuit Father Joseph Cataldo