About Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida:
It belongs to the Diocese of Saint Petersburg and is staffed by Franciscan friars (Our Lady of Guadalupe Province) since 2005. The parish traces its roots to 1859–1860 as St. Louis Parish (the first Catholic parish on Florida’s West Coast), named in honor of St. Louis IX and Fr. Luis de Cancer (martyred near Tampa Bay in 1549). A small wooden church stood on the current site. Jesuits assumed pastoral care in 1888 after a yellow fever epidemic.
The present Romanesque Revival building (granite and white marble exterior, 135-foot dome) was designed by architect Nicholas J. Clayton of Galveston, Texas. Groundbreaking occurred on February 16, 1898; it was dedicated on January 15, 1905, when the parish was renamed Sacred Heart. Construction cost about $300,000.
Notable features include solid oak pews and doors, porcelain tiles, a Carrara marble altar, and 70 stained-glass windows (primarily by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich, Germany). The central rose window was among the largest in the U.S. at the time. It remains one of Tampa’s oldest continuously operating churches and a downtown landmark.
Historical tours are sometimes offered by docents (especially around holidays or on select Sundays after the noon Mass). The parish has active outreach ministries, including support for the vulnerable and homeless.
Traveling to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida:
Address:509 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33602
Phone: +1 (813) 229-1595