Cathedral of Christ The King (Hamilton) - Interior

Interior

Construction was begun by the Pigott Construction Company of Hamilton in 1930 and completed in 1933. Renovations were carried out in 1981 when it was damaged by a fire earlier that year. One stained glass window was completely rebuilt by the original craftsman, F. Meyer of Munich, Germany.

Some of the renovations that were added after the fire are:

• a solid Italian marble floor for the altar containing intricate designs and various colours,

• a new marble altar and presidential chairs including the Bishop's Cathedra

• the side altars were moved 25 feet North to enlarge the Sanctuary area.

• a reconfigured ambo for readers of the scriptures at Mass.

• new lighting and sound system

• air conditioning of the entire Cathedral and basement hall

• the Chancel organ was removed and later installed 25 feet North of the original position.

• a new four manual organ console

• the two large paintings of "Christ's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday" and "The Nativity" were restored by the National Gallery in Ottawa and switched sides in the Cathedral from their original 1933 placement.

The cathedral interior is pure 13th Century English Gothic. Two kinds of limestone grace its walls and pillars: Indiana Limestone and Ontario Credit Valley Limestone. Its vaulted ceiling, with gold bosses, is a direct copy of Norwich Cathedral in England. It also has seating for over 1000 parishioners in the nave and 200 in the Sanctuary area, with television flat screens installed on the side Indiana limestone columns for blind spots. The left side altar with its magnificent large painting of Christ's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, contains the holy oils in three gold urns. The right side altar contains a massive painting of the Nativity Scene and a mosaic of the Eastern Catholic Churches: Our Lady of Perpetual Help. A large 88 ton marble Ciborium, sometimes erroneously called a Baldachino, in the shape of a crown, the symbol of a royalty and kingship, graces the north end of the cathedral over the tabernacle. Although this is not a normal feature of Gothic architecture, its Gothic design blends in perfectly with the architectural style of the Cathedral. The major patriarchal basilicas in Rome, namely, St. Peter's, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran Cathedral and St. Mary Major, all have a ciborium over their altar of sacrifice.

Each of the presidential chairs and sanctuary choir stalls have pelicans carved in solid oak as arm rests. The pelican is an ancient symbol of self-sacrifice and redemption. If the mother pelican cannot find food for its babies, it bites its breast and feeds them with her own blood. This is a symbol of Christ shedding His blood for us, dying on the cross.

The cathedral is home to 82 stained glass windows by F. Meyer of Munich, including depictions from the New Testament, numerous saint depictions at the very top walls of the cathedral in the clerestory, and a grand masterpiece rose window at the very rear above the organ, depicting the Communion of Saints and Christ the King. Some the saints featured in the rose window are: Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Sebastian, St. Rose of Lima, St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, King David, St. Louis of France, St. Matthew and St. Thaddeus. The center bottom panel contains images of Pope Pius XI and Bishop John McNally. The bottom left panel contains an image of Theresa Nuemann, the famous 20th century German stigmatist who died in 1962. Bishop McNally visited her on one of his visits to Bavaria prior to the Cathedral's construction.

The 235 foot central nave is flanked by two side aisles divided by massive Indiana limestone pillars. The nave is 72 feet wide and 90 feet high. The rear narthex of the church contains a solid oak statue of Christ the King.

The choir loft houses a large, four manual Steinmeyer pipe organ built in Ottengen, Bavaria with almost 5,000 pipes played for all Masses and Services by Cathedral organist Robert Corso. The organ contains 84 ranks of pipes divided with sections in the Chancel and Gallery. The tone of the organ ranges from a very deep profound bass, with many large wooden pipes, to a very brilliant sound with 14 ranks of mixtures on the Great, manual alone, containing pipes with a high tin content, adding to the overall brilliance of sound. One of the features of the choir manual is a set of pipes made entirely of copper, named Copper Gedect. The large scale facade pipes consisting of the pedal Diapason 16' and the Great manual's Diapason 16' are constructed of zinc. In 1981 the Chancel organ was moved further North to allow more space in the Sanctuary. In 1990, a new 4 manual console was added by R. A Denton & Son of Hamilton, built by R.A Colby, Johnson City, Tennessee, temporarily used by the Mormon Tabernacle during their organ console rebuild in the late 1980s. The four manuals are named from top to bottom: Antiphonal/Echo, Swell, Great and Choir. The new console has solid state multiple memory banks for selecting different combinations of stops rapidly. The organ also contains two stops which are tuned sharp and flat to achieve a warm, rich tone. These are a Celeste on the Swell manual and an Unda Maris on the choir manual. To rebuild the organ today in 2012 would cost approximately $2.3 million Canadian dollars.

The Cathedral also contains Italian marble constructed in Trompe l'oeil style. . Its black squares appear to come off the floor adding a depth of perspective. This is reminiscent of the floor in the side aisle of St. John Lateran Cathedral in Rome, Italy. This Trompe l'oeil style is used around the floor of the Tablernacle, under the ciborium and also on the back of the presidential chairs in the sanctuary.

The Cathedral also houses 14 stunning 3/4 bas relief Stations of the Cross carved in Italy using Cararra white marble. This is the same marble Michelangelo used to carve the Pieta in St. Peter's basilica, Rome.

Beneath the main church, as accessed by a side door next to the rectory is the Parish Hall, which was renovated in the early 21st century. Also in the basement of the church is the Marian Chapel, used for daily Mass as well as a choir rehearsal room and kitchen and washrooms.