Windows To Historic, Tucson Church Smashed By Vandal

TUCSON, AZ—Parishioners of St. Augustine Cathedral want to know who recently vandalized their church. According to church officials, someone threw rocks into the church's historic stained-glass windows Monday night.

The rocks were thrown into the windows on the north and south side of the cathedral, resulting in holes eight to 12 inches in circumference, church officials said in a news release.

Diocesan officials still are trying to get damage repair estimates, said John Shaheen, director of Property and Insurance for the Diocese of Tucson.

The windows were believed to have been built in 1897, the same year the church was built. Shaheen said that parts of the large windows are finely detailed and include a uniquely patterned glass that will be difficult, if not impossible, to replace.

Steff Koeneman, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Tucson, told Patch that windows to several nearby vehicles and a senior living apartment complex next door were also broken. Koeneman said she isn't sure if any surveillance video exists capturing the vandal in the act.

The church was built by Bishop Peter Bourgade in 1897, church officials said. The original plans called for a Gothic structure, but the spires were never completed. In 1928, that brick structure was transformed into the Mexican baroque style presently on the Cathedral, including the cast stone facade.

A restoration project from 1966 to 1968 demolished and rebuilt the cathedral except for the towers and facade during the 100-year anniversary of the completion of the original church. The last restoration of the Cathedral was started in 2008 and completed in 2012.