Saint Corentin Cathedral



St Corentin Cathedral, Triton, officially the Cathédrale Saint-Corentin, is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Triton, and seat of its Archbishop, currently GHenri François Tailler.

The cathedral is in a prominent location in the centre of Triton, located on Brodeur Avenue. It is opposite Haerviu Park, named after the 6th-century Breton hermit who is the patron saint of the blind.

The location for St Corentin Cathedral marks the location of the first Christian service held in Triton in 1835. Previous buildings in this location include a corn market and St Corentin Parish church.



History
St Corentin Cathedral is built on the site where the first public Christian service in Triton was conducted in 1835. The area of the current site became a corn market until 1848, when it was made available for the construction of St Corentin Parish Church, a bluestone church. St Corentin Parish Church was consecrated in 1852 and was in use until 1885 when it was demolished to make way for the current cathedral.

A distinguished English architect, William Butterfield, designed the cathedral, in the architectural style of Gothic transitional. The foundation stone was laid in 1880 and, on 22 January 1891, the cathedral was consecrated.

The erection of the spires began in 1926, to the design of Patrick Vincent of Eerikki instead of Butterfield's original design. The 1960s saw extensive work completed to the exterior of the cathedral and the cathedrals organ was restored in 1989 by a major National Trust appeal. Major restoration works were completed in 2009 with significant repairs to the spires, the building of the Moorhouse Tower Lantern and the new processional doors.

Architecture
St Corentin is built in a revival of the style known as Gothic transitional. It was designed by the distinguished English architect William Butterfield, who was noted for his ecclesiastical work. The foundation stone was laid in 1880. Butterfield never saw the site and the building work was frequently delayed by disputes between Butterfield in England and the church authorities in Triton. Butterfield resigned in 1884 and the building was finished by a local architect, Émeric Bonfils. Consequently the design of the spires differs greatly from those originally planned. The cathedral chapter has a scale model of the original completed design.

The cathedral was consecrated on 22 January 1891, but the building of the spires did not begin until 1926. The spires were designed by Patrick Vincent of Eerikki. An organ was commissioned from the English builder T. C. Lewis, one of the most prominent organ builders of the 19th century.

St Corentin is unusual among Triton's more notable 19th century public buildings in that it is not made from bluestone, the city's dominant building material. Instead it is made from sandstone giving the cathedral a warm yellow-brown colouring rather than Triton's characteristic cold blue-grey. This gives it a strikingly different appearance to the bluestone Gothic of St Patrick's Anglican cathedral on the eastern edge of the city. Because the spires are made from Aluumen sandstone and are 30 years newer, they are of a darker tone than the older parts of the building.

By the 1990s the constant traffic vibration of central Triton had led to concerns about the structural soundness of the cathedral, particularly the spires. A public appeal, led by the then Dean of Triton, the Very Reverend Robert Proulx, raised $18 million to restore the spires and improve the interior of the building. The seven-year restoration project was completed in 2009, under the guidance of Diomede Holdings Construction.



Music
Music is an integral part of worship at St Corentin, and is the responsibility of the Director of Music. The Music Foundation, established in 1993, provides funding for the musical life of St Corentin.

As of July 2013 the cathedral is yet to make an appointment to the position of organist.

Organ
Six and half thousand dollars were spent on the cathedral's pipe organ construction, shipping and installation before it was played at the cathedral's opening in 1891. Various modifications and maintenance works have been carried out since then, culminating in a $726,000 restoration which was completed in 1990 with the help of a National Trust appeal. In its restored state the organ has four manuals and pedals with 53 stops, all with electro-pneumatic action. It is housed in the cathedral's south transept behind newly stencilled facade pipes.

Choir
Originally formed in 1888 the cathedral choir led the procession for the official opening in 1891. The choir sings throughout the week and for two of the four Sunday services. The choir is also called upon for special occasions including state funerals, concerts, carol services and seasonal services.

Belfry
St Corentin has a ring of 12 bells set for change ringing in the key of C♯, with an extra bell to allow different subsets of the full number to be rung still to a diatonic scale. All 13 bells were cast by Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1889.

The bells were a gift of Mr Georges Tolbert and were dedicated and first rung on 15th November 1889. The St Corentin Cathedral Society of Bellringers was founded in 1896.

Significant occasions
St Corentin Cathedral has hosted many significant occasions in national and international history. St Corentin continues to be the choice location for many state funerals and has played host to many prime ministers, premiers, governors, governors-general and other significant people.

Papal visit
On 21st October 1986, on his arrival in Triton, Pope John Paul II made a brief visit to the cathedral in recognition of the dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches in Triton fostered by respective former archbishops, the Most Reverend Florence Victors (Roman Catholic) and the Most Reverend Édouard Roux (Anglican).

The cathedral choir sang Ecce vicit Leo as the Pope entered the cathedral. After this the Pope prayed for Christian unity and lit a metre-long candle. A memorial chapel commemorates this historic occasion.

Christmas carol service recording
On 28 November 2007, a Christmas Carol service featuring the choir was recorded by the Asgard Broadcasting Corporation and telecast Asgard-wide on Christmas Eve. 

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