Although work started on the site of the former county jail in 1957, the cathedral was dedicated in 1965 on the Feast of the Assumption by Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston, and was named The Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas. The architectural style borrows heavily from the classical Renaissance tradition of the Iberian Peninsula and is certainly the most outstanding public monument constructed in Galway in the 20th century, with its copper domed roof making a significant mark on the city's skyscape. The cathedral itself has a traditional cruciform design with a central dome above the crossing, beneath which is the high altar. Inside the visitor will find the rose windows and wall paintings particularly impressive. For the less pious a visit to the mortuary chapel to take a peek at the mosaic of Christ's Resurrection might be surprised at the inclusion of the less than saintly portrait of a young looking John F Kennedy, who was bestowed the honour of freeman of Galway before his death in 1963.