Larger than Westminster Abbey and the largest Catholic church in New England, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston’s South End was consecrated in 1875. The renovation of the Cathedral began with a grain of inspiration from Cardinal Sean O’Malley—stained-glass windows illuminated at night. The Cardinal asked designers to make the Cathedral a luminous beacon to the surrounding neighborhood and the greater Boston Catholic community.
Architects designed a comprehensive, unifying renovation to bring new life and light to Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Relying on a 3D digital model and historical photos of the 144-year old church, they reconfigured the sanctuary platforms to project the altar closer to congregants, redesigned interior and exterior lighting to improve visibility and drama, restored/lightened interior finishes, integrated modern infrastructural and ADA improvements, and created new liturgical appointments to match original reredos. The full splendor of the Cathedral was realized for Easter 2019.