Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Parish founded 1840; present cathedral cornerstone laid 1893, dome completed and church dedicated 1913

St. Matthew's Parish was established in Washington, D.C., in 1840, named for the Apostle Matthew, patron of civil servants. The present church on Rhode Island Avenue NW was designed by architect Christopher Grant LaFarge; its cornerstone was laid in 1893, the first Mass celebrated in 1895, and the structure dedicated in 1913 after the dome was completed. Pope Pius XII named it a co-cathedral in 1939 and, in 1947, the sole cathedral of the newly erected Archdiocese of Washington. It is most famous as the site of President John F. Kennedy's Requiem Mass on November 25, 1963.

Romanesque Revival / Byzantine-influenced design with a prominent dome, faced in red brick

• •Mother church and cathedral (seat) of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington since 1947
• •Designed by architect Christopher Grant LaFarge; cornerstone laid 1893, dedicated 1913
• •Site of President John F. Kennedy's funeral Requiem Mass on November 25, 1963, marked by a floor plaque before the sanctuary
• •Parish founded in 1840, named for Matthew the Apostle, patron saint of civil servants
• •Served as a co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Baltimore-Washington from 1939 before becoming sole cathedral in 1947