Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Parish established 1921; present church dedicated July 31, 1938; cathedral since 1971

Immaculate Conception parish was established in 1921 by Bishop Thomas Sebastian Byrne of the Diocese of Nashville, with Monsignor Dennis J. Murphy as first pastor; construction of the present church, designed by architect Richard J. Regan, began in 1927 and was dedicated July 31, 1938. When Pope Paul VI created the Diocese of Memphis on January 6, 1971, with Carroll T. Dozier as first bishop, the church was named its cathedral. It serves as the seat (mother church) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis and was rededicated by Bishop J. Terry Steib on December 8, 2001, after a major renovation.

Spanish Colonial Revival; cruciform plan in buff brick with Indiana limestone trim and twin copper-domed towers

• •Seat (cathedral and mother church) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis, established January 6, 1971
• •Parish founded in 1921 by Bishop Thomas Sebastian Byrne of the Diocese of Nashville
• •Present church designed by architect Richard J. Regan; dedicated July 31, 1938
• •A contributing property in the Central Gardens Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982
• •Rededicated December 8, 2001, by Bishop J. Terry Steib after major renovation; not a designated basilica