Black and white photograph of St. Matthew's Cathedral
Object number2003.062.0001
Date11/25/1963
ClassificationsPhotographs
Photographer
Susan Hall
ObjectPhotograph (b&w)
Credit LineDavid and Susan Hall Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumPaper
Dimensions3 1/4 × 3 5/16 in. (8.3 × 8.4 cm)
Collections
DescriptionBlack and white photographic print of St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington D.C., taken by Susan Hall on Monday, November 25, 1963, the day of President John F. Kennedy's funeral.
Image shows the front of St. Matthew's Cathedral, where President Kennedy’s funeral Mass was held. The dome of St. Matthew's is partially visible in the background in the upper left of the image.
Curatorial CommentaryIncluded in the Museum's temporary exhibit, "Mourning a President," about the funeral and mourning rites for President John F. Kennedy, this item will be on display on the Museum's seventh floor from November 17, 2017 to February 19, 2018. -- Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections
This Washington D.C. cathedral is named for Saint Matthew the Apostle, the patron saint of civil servants. The parish church was originally established in 1840 in a different location, with construction of the current church beginning in 1893. It was designed by New York architect Christopher Grant LaFarge of the firm Heins and LaFarge. The first Mass was celebrated there on June 2, 1895, with the completed church formally dedicated in 1913. It was designated a cathedral in 1939 when the Archdiocese of Washington was established. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
