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St.
Matthew's parish was established in 1840, and
was located at 15th and H Streets, NW. It was
the fourth Catholic church constructed in Washington.
Construction of the present church began in 1893
under the direction of Monsignor Thomas Sim Lee.
It was designated a cathedral in 1939 when the
Archdiocese of Washington was established. The
Cathedral was designed by noted New York architect
C. Grant La Farge. Its design is a hybrid of Byzantine
and Romanesque architecture. C. Grant LaFarge
designed many churches, public buildings and helped
design the New York City subway system. The Cathedral
is in the form of a Latin cross 155 feet long
and 136 feet wide at the transepts. The interior
of the dome rises 190 feet. The body of the Cathedral
seats approximately 800 people.
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The
Cathedral honors the patron saint of civil
servants. It is the seat of the Archbishop
of Washington. Pope John Paul II celebrated
Mass here on October 6, 1979. President John
F. Kennedy's funeral Mass was November 25,
1963 The "Red Mass," celebrated
annually on the Sunday before the first Monday
of October, requests guidance from the Holy
Spirit for the conduct of the legal profession.
This Mass is attended by Supreme Court justices
and members of Congress, the Cabinet, diplomatic
corps, and other government departments, sometimes
including the President of the United States.
Since 1895 most of the United States presidents have
attended services at St. Matthew's while in
office.
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