The current church is nothing like it first was, when a
Jesuit priest named Father Jean-Baptiste Menet began holding services on the site in a small
log cabin. Upon Bishop
Frederic Baraga’s visit to the site, it was determined that a larger, more prominent church should be built, and that eventually the
see should be moved to Marquette from
Sault Ste. Marie. Construction began in 1864, with Baraga himself laying the cornerstone. Two years later he
dedicated the building, but he did not live to see his beloved cathedral catch fire. Some have suggested that this first fire, on October 2, 1879, was caused by Irish
arsonists who were enraged that Father John Kenny had been removed as pastor. Though the building was destroyed, the congregation's resolve was fervent as ever, and plans were made to continue meeting in the basement before a new cathedral could be erected. It took nine winters to complete the new building. The church also faced another tragic fire which destroyed everything except the
sandstone walls: a few minutes after four a.m. on November 3, 1935, the building again erupted in flames. The parish celebrated
Mass in the high school auditorium for several months until the cathedral could be restored. Extensive work and money was put into its reconstruction and beautification, including elaborate
marble work and
Romanesque columns, as well as an extended
nave and domes on the tops of the
steeples. This church is one of around 200, including at least three other cathedrals, that incorporate the work of
architectural sculptor Corrado Parducci. ==Burials==