Cathedral Church of the Advent

The Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, is the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. On March 30, 1983, the structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Episcopal Church of the Advent.

History

The parish church of the Advent was established in 1872, one year after the founding of the city of Birmingham, and was one of the first churches built in the new city. The first building on this site was completed in 1873, but was soon destroyed by fire. The current structure, was occupied in 1883 with the tower and portico undergoing construction until 1885. The Cathedral is known for its historical location on Twentieth Street near Linn Park, as well as for the reputation of its music program. It was not until 1982 that the Church of the Advent became a cathedral, when the Diocese of Alabama selected the church as its seat.

Today

The congregation undertook a major project to preserve the Scioto sandstone exterior of the Cathedral between 1999 and 2005. During this same period the Rector's Garden was redesigned to improve drainage and accommodate a columbarium and the belltower was refitted for a carillon of fifteen bells, cast by Fonderie Paccard of Lac d'Annecy, France. In both 2005 and 2012, readers of the Birmingham News named the cathedral choir "Best Church Choir". Today, the Church of the Advent comprises nearly 4,000 members, making it one of the ten largest Episcopal churches in the United States. The current Dean of the Cathedral is the Very Reverend Andrew C. Pearson, Jr. The Cathedral campus is also home to the Advent Episcopal Day School.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Cathedral Church of the Advent (Birmingham, Alabama)" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.