Cathedral of Saint Paul, MN

The current Cathedral is the fourth building. The first was a log chapel built in 1841. After a renovation doubled its size in 1851, it was proclaimed as the Cathedral of Saint Paul. It quickly outgrew its population, and a new brick Cathedral was built to be soon superseded by another larger brick Cathedral in 1858. As the parish continued to grow, planning began on a fourth structure. The first mass was celebrated in the current cathedral on Palm Sunday 1915 by Archbishop Ireland. The interior would continue to be improved and updated in the following years. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1958. According to its web site “The Rite of Consecration is not often performed, and a church must meet strict canonical requirements: it must be durably constructed, monumental in character, substantially complete and there must be absolute certainty that the building will never fall out of the hands of the Church. When this solemn ceremony was performed, it raised the Cathedral to a higher level of prestige. The Cathedral of Saint Paul is now formally recognized as an “edifice of merit,” worthy of assuming its place among the premier houses of worship in America.“

We visited on October 2nd, 2022 and were immediately awed by the beauty of the building and the cityscape surrounding it. Adorned by several sculptures, the building’s facade took 4 years to complete. The cathedral’s 306ft dome towers over the city to which it gave its name. There was a race passing in front of the cathedral that day and road were closed to facilitate it. We returned in the evening to see it at night. Such an impressive structure!

Reference Cathedral of Saint Paul Web Site