Cathedral of Saint Paul (Minnesota)

Background The first church building in what became the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis was a small log chapel built at the urging of Father Lucien Galtier. He came to the area when the settlement was still known as "Pig's Eye" (after Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant). The chapel, measuring by , was dedicated on November 1, 1841. Father Augustin Ravoux later enlarged the structure, and when Joseph Crétin was appointed as the bishop of the newly established Diocese of St. Paul in July 1851, the log chapel became the first cathedral. Crétin immediately started to build a larger church to serve the fast-growing population of St. Paul. The second church building had three stories, with a library, kitchen, and school facilities on the first floor; the church itself on the second floor; and offices and living quarters for Crétin and his staff. The second building still proved to be too small for the needs of the diocese, so he started plans for a third cathedral in 1853. Construction of the building, at the corner of St. Peter and Sixth Streets in Downtown St. Paul, started in 1854 and was completed in 1858, having been delayed by the Panic of 1857 and Crétin's death. The third cathedral was built of stone, measured long and wide, but had practically no ornamentation in an effort to cut costs. Thomas Grace was the bishop at the time the cathedral was completed. The third cathedral rapidly became outdated with the rapid growth of Catholics in the area. The site was too small for the planned edifice, and so land south of Summit Avenue was purchased, requiring the movement of the street by 90 feet. At the 10a.m., which auxiliary bishop John Jeremiah Lawler celebrated, Ireland preached and called the new building a "a great, a noble edifice" and "supreme monument" to the faith of the people who had donated to build it. A formal dedication took place several weeks later on April 11. Bishop Francis J. Schenk, at the time ordinary of the Diocese of Crookston and one-time rector of the cathedral, preached the sermon. The unconventional Tuesday date was chosen as there was a reunion the following day at the nearby Saint Paul Seminary. Water leaks had been threatening interior art. The 85-year-old roof had only been projected to last 50 years. The project was completed in 2002, at a cost of $32 million. The previously green patina became a brown. == Structure ==

Masqueray's open design allows visitors unobstructed views of the altar and pulpit. Masqueray died in 1917, having completed only a few designs for the interior, which included three of the cathedral's major chapels: Saint Peter's, Saint Joseph's and the Blessed Virgin Mary's. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It is also a contributing property to the Historic Hill District.). The interior walls are American Travertine from Mankato, Minnesota. The interior columns are made of several types of marble. The interior was designed to make visitors feel as if they are in a boat, with the Latin word for the area where the congregation sits, nave, meaning "boat"; a sunburst chandelier hangs overhead, and waves are carved into the walls and the pews. The interior dome and interior mosaics of the four cardinal virtues beneath the dome were created by Joseph Capecchi, a Florentine sculptor. The designs for the mosaics were sent to Italy to be crafted by . Exterior façade Carved in granite above the main doors and primary rose window of the cathedral are Christ and the eleven apostles, with the words "Euntes docete omnes gentes", or "Go, therefore, to all nations" from Matthew 28. On either side of the frieze are carved figures of St. Peter and St. Paul. Beneath the rose window are two angels bearing the words "Erat lux vera quae illuminat omnem hominem venientem in hunc mundum," or "He was the true light that enlightens every man who comes into this world" from John 1:9. Each shrine contains a circular slab of marble from the saint's home country. The chapel to the Little Flower has incorporated into its gospel-side wall small stone from the Rouen Castle where St. Joan of Arc was imprisoned. The organs have twin consoles, which can be used to play either organ or both at the same time. The project cost $3.4 million. Bells For the first seventy years of the cathedral's operations, a small bell from the previous cathedral had been the only bell. Under the direction of Monsignor Ambrose Hayden, five new bronze bells were installed in the cathedral towers in 1986, to ring in time for Christmas Eve midnight Mass. The $140,000 cost was paid for by parishioners. The bells were cast in France by Fonderie Paccard. == Notable events==

Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, who would become Pope Pius XII in 1939, visited the United States in October 1936, with one of his stops being in St. Paul. Pacelli, then the papal secretary of state, celebrated 7:45a.m. Mass on October 27 at the cathedral. A bronze plaque commemorating the visit was installed in 1946. As part of a "whirlwind", 21-hour tour of Minnesota, President John F. Kennedy attended the 11 o'clock Mass at the Cathedral on October 7, 1962. A plaque commemorates the pew where Kennedy sat. In 1974, a vandal set fire to the basement of the cathedral, causing smoke damage in the church. During a 1974 Christmas midnight Mass celebrated by Msgr. Ambrose Hayden, two streakers ran through the cathedral. On March 25, 2009, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops declared the Cathedral of Saint Paul to be a National Shrine to the Apostle Paul – the first in Minnesota and the only one in North America dedicated to the Apostle Paul. A stone relic from the tomb of St. Paul was given to the cathedral in 2012. After the killing of Philando Castile, Castile's family, though Baptist, requested that his funeral be able to be held at the cathedral. Archbishop Bernard Hebda granted the request, and on July 14, 2016, a funeral service for Philando Castile took place at the cathedral, attended by thousands of mourners. For seven years, the cathedral hosted the Red Bull Crashed Ice competition. The 500-yard, 12-story ramp brought up to 120,000 spectators to the neighborhood to watch the race skating event. Red Bull paid an undisclosed, but "generous" donation to the cathedral for hosting the event. After the 2018 season, Red Bull chose to move the event to Japan, Finland and Boston. == Rectors ==

• J. Lawler (1915–May 1916) • John Estrem (1993–2004) • Michael C. Skluzacek (2004–2006) • Joseph Johnson (2006–2012) • John Ubel (2012–2024) ==See also==