Pforten der Barmherzigkeit

Beginning as the chapel of the original University of St. Mary of the Lake, located on the same block as the present Cathedral, Holy Name evolved into a parish by 1849. A church that, when finished, would have been bigger than the present one, collapsed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Miraculously, today’s Holy Name Cathedral opened its doors in 1875. Designed in a Gothic revivalist architectural style, the Cathedral has undergone several major revisions over the years, the largest from Easter 1968, until Christmas 1969, when most of today’s art and furnishings were created in keeping with the reforms of Vatican II. Ornate brass doors that were a part of that renovation fell victims to structural damage (2008) and a fire (2009). Beautiful wooden doors – including the Holy Door in the northwest corner facing State Street - are open wide for parishioners, Chicagoans on a trip downtown and visitors from all over the United States and all over the world.