Old Saint Mary's Cathedral

The Old Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, commonly shortened to Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, Old Saint Mary's Church or just Old Saint Mary's is a proto-cathedral and parish of the Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco, California. The cathedral is located on the corner of Grant Avenue and California Street. The church is named for Mary, the Mother of Jesus, under the title of the Immaculate Conception. Old Saint Mary's was bu... more

The Old Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception, commonly shortened to Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, Old Saint Mary's Church or just Old Saint Mary's is a proto-cathedral and parish of the Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco, California. The cathedral is located on the corner of Grant Avenue and California Street. The church is named for Mary, the Mother of Jesus, under the title of the Immaculate Conception. Old Saint Mary's was built in 1854 as the first cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. It is the first cathedral in California to be built as a cathedral, although other churches in the state served as cathedrals before it was built. It was used from 1854 to 1891 as a cathedral and was replaced by the first Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, as the archdiocese was in need of a larger space for the growing number of Catholics in the area. In 1891, Old Saint Mary's became a parish church still using the same name that it bore as a cathedral. The new St... less