Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo
He decided that the diocese was now of a size and wealth that the time had come to replace St. John's Parish Chapel, which had been recognised as the diocesan pro-cathedral.[1] He engaged George Goldie, one of the foremost Catholic architects in England in the nineteenth century.The cathedral was opened for divine worship on 26 July 1874 by Cardinal Paul Cullen of Dublin.Designed in the shape of a basilica, the church has a square, pyramid-capped tower, which reaches a height of 70 metres, and supporting turrets at the west end.[citation needed] The circular baptistery incorporated in the apse with its five lancet windows behind the high altar, was originally designed as a mortuary chapel.