Cathedral of St. Helena

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Construction began 1908; first Mass November 8, 1914; consecrated June 1924

The Cathedral of Saint Helena is the see church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, Montana. Its site was chosen in 1905 by Bishop John Patrick Carroll, who led the fundraising; construction by New York's Columbia Construction Company began in 1908, with the cornerstone laid October 4, 1908, the first Mass celebrated November 8, 1914, and consecration in June 1924. Designed by architect A.O. Von Herbulis after Vienna's Votivkirche, it is renowned for its 230-foot twin spires and nearly 11,700 square feet of stained glass; the south tower, destroyed in the 1935 Montana earthquakes, was rebuilt by 1938.

Gothic Revival, modeled on Vienna's Votivkirche

• •Cathedral (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, Montana, erected as a diocese in 1884
• •Site selected in 1905 by Bishop John Patrick Carroll, the diocese's second bishop
• •Designed by architect A.O. Von Herbulis, modeled on the Votivkirche in Vienna, Austria
• •Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980
• •Twin spires rise about 230 feet; south tower rebuilt after the 1935 Montana earthquakes