Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Boise

The Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, also known simply as Saint John’s Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Boise. It is the seat of the Diocese of Boise, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The first Catholic church in Boise was dedicated on Christmas Eve 1870 and was destroyed in a fire 18 days later. Another frame structure was built that would serve as the cathedral of the Vicariate Apostolic of Idaho, established March 5, 1883, and the Diocese of Boise after it was established on August 25, 1893.

Saint John’s Cathedral was designed by one of the first architectural firms to work in Boise, Tourtellotte and Hummel. It is built in the Romanesque Revival style and the Cathedral of Mainz in Germany was the model for its design. The stone for the exterior is Boise Sandstone that was quarried just outside of the city at Tablerock. The building is cruciform in shape and measures 170 feet from front to back, 95 feet at the transepts and 65 feet in the nave.