Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Baltimore

Located just north of the city, the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is the main church for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. By the early 1900s, the Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown was proving too small for larger diocesan events. A generous donor, Thomas O'Neill, bequeathed two-thirds of his estate to the archdiocese for the construction of a new cathedral. Ground was broken in 1954 on October 10 by Archbishop Keough. The next day, Pope Pius XII announced a new Marian feast--the Queenship of Mary. Since they had not picked a name for the cathedral yet, they decided on Mary Our Queen. The new cathedral was dedicated in 1959 on October 13 by Auxiliary Bishop Jerome Sebastian. In 1960, Cardinal Giovanni Montini, archbishop of Milan, visited. Later he became Pope Paul VI (even later he was declared a saint!). In 1976, Archbishop of Krakow Karol Wojtyla visited. Later he became Pope John Paul II (even later he was declared a saint!). The church has good track record for visiting clergy.

When I visited, the church was having its lighting fixed, so half of it was filled with scaffolding! I should have guessed when I saw the van parked out front.

Exterior

Over the main doors is depicted Our Lady being crowned Queen of Heaven.

Lintel of the main doors

The side doors also have scenes above them.

Wedding Feast of Cana

Jesus performing a miracle

The Gothic Revival structure is impressive outside, with simple stonework that gives it solidity while supporting a lot of stained glass (more on that in a bit).

The back of the cathedral

I think that's the sacristy from outside 

The interior is over 300 feet long, though the lighting wasn't the best when I visited as I explained.

Nave

To the left as one enters, the baptismal chapel has a lot of stained glass and an ornate top on the font.

Baptismal Chapel

Font cover

More of the cover--why palm trees?

Just in front of the main altar is the Pascal Candle.

Pascal candle

The main altar is covered by a baldacchino like the one in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

Main altar

View of the baldacchino from beneath

The cathedral has many side altar. The one dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel has a small engraving on Mont St. Michel in France!

Saint Michael altar

Mont St. Michel!

Another side altar is dedicated to the English martyr Saint Thomas More.

Saint Thomas More altar

The statue of Saint Peter is flanked by depictions of Eastern and Western Christians to show how his role provides unity for the Church.

Saint Peter altar

Immaculate Mary altar

At the back of the cathedral is a Lady Chapel dedicated to the Blessed Mother of Jesus. 

Lady Chapel

Below is the chapel where Paul VI visited before he became pope.

I think they added the papal insignia afterward

Saint Pius X has an altar that represents him offering the Eucharist since he did so much to foster devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

Saint Pius X Altar

Saint Patrick is flanked by many of the early Irish saints.

Saint Patrick and his followers

Of course I could not resist a picture of the altar to Saint Joseph.

Saint Joseph Altar

The church has two sets of Stations of the Cross. The nave has larger, individual reliefs for each station while the Lady Chapel has one continuous relief.

Station III in the nave

Part of the stations in the Lady Chapel

Stained glass is ubiquitous in the cathedral. Many different people and events are shown, mostly centering on American saints and biblical events, though other historical events are shown as well.

Archbishop John Carroll, Mother Elizabeth Seton, Thomas O'Neill

The lady and the dragon from the Apocalypse

Closeup of the seven-headed dragon

Closeup of John composing the Book of Revelation

In a bit of sacred history more recent than biblical times, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico (she appeared to Juan Diego in 1531) and the American church fathers from the Council of Baltimore (first one in 1852) are depicted.

The shrine in Guadalupe and the Baltimore Council

A collection of scholarly saints

I liked this Dormition of Mary that shows the Prophet Elias (also known as Elijah) who also was assumed into Heaven, though he had to ride a fiery chariot! 

What a way to go!

View of the church from the main altar

I plan to go back after a while, hoping for better lighting and to bring the rest of the family along!