| This church, which was possibly based on a plan by Robert Cary Long of Baltimore, though the supervising architect was James Hardie of Natchez, is virtually identical to the non-extant (Old) St. Paul’s in Vicksburg, built by Logan & Warner. The building was apparently completed in 1859 under the supervision of Peter Warner (who built St. Paul’s in Vicksburg), and there is some documentary evidence that Patrick C. Keeley, a noted architect of Catholic churches in New York, advised on the design at some point. The cathedral was consecrated on 19 September 1886. St. Mary’s (formally named Our Lady of Sorrows) was Cathedral of the Diocese of Natchez from 1842 until 1977, when St. Peter’s in Jackson became the seat of the diocese, renamed the Diocese of Jackson. St. Mary’s was designated a Basilica on 8 September 1998. It underwent exterior restoration following storm damage in 1998. The interior began undergoing restoration in 2001. The architects for the restoration were Waggoner & Ball of New Orleans, with interior work by Conrad Schmitt Studios. The restoration is discussed in an article in "Traditional Building" (September/October 2001, p.8). It is listed as a contributing element (element #588) in the Natchez-on-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District, which was placed on the National Register on 17 September 1979. The church is included in "Shrines to Tomorrow" (1971), "Natchez Walking Guide" (1985) (#82, pp.65-66), "Architecture of the Old South: Mississippi – Alabama" (1989) (p. 145), "Historic Churches of Mississippi" (2007) (pp. 102-103), and "Buildings of Mississippi" (2020) (p.34, ND26). [HABS: MS-42 (1936)] |