The Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau is a bit of a different Roman Catholic diocese in that it stretches clear across the southern third of the state of Missouri, and has two co-cathedrals, one in each city. Here we are looking at the Cathedral of St. Agnes, located to the southeast of downtown Springfield, which we’ll be looking at for the next week.

Its small size and simple composition, with a Greek cross groundplan, owes to its original existence as a parish constructed on the south side of the one of the two major train lines that run through the city.

Unfortunately, it was closed when we visited, but we were able to admire its clean, classical lines in the Tuscan Order, the Romans’ response to the Greeks’ Doric Order.

The parish was organized in 1908, and the church was built in 1910, which is about right for the style of architecture. It was elevated to a cathedral in 1956.