Photo Credit: Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac.  All Rights Reserved.

Old Saint Mary’s was built in 1854 as the first cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. It is the first cathedral in California to be built as a cathedral, although other churches in the state served as cathedrals before it was built. It was used from 1854 to 1891 as a cathedral and was replaced by the first Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, as the archdiocese was in need of a larger space for the growing number of Catholics in the area. In 1891, Old Saint Mary’s became a parish church still using the same name that it bore as a cathedral.

Old St. Mary’s survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake,
only to be gutted a day later by the fires started by the earthquake.
The fires were so hot that they melted the church bells and marble altar. All that was left was the exterior brick walls and the bell tower. The renovation of the church was completed in 1909.

Alter in Old St. Mary’s Chruch, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004.