St. Peter Cathedral is a large

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

located on Baraga Avenue in

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquett ...

. As the mother church of the Diocese of Marquette, it is one of the most notable marks of Catholic presence in the Upper Peninsula. The cathedral was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2012.

History

The current church is nothing like it first was, when a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest named Father Jean-Baptiste Menet began holding services on the site in a small

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...

. 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 See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

should be moved to Marquette from

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie is a cross-border region of Canada and the United States located on St. Marys River, which drains Lake Superior into Lake Huron. Founded as a single settlement in 1668, Sault Ste. Marie was divided in 1817 by the establishment of ...

. 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

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

ists 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 Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

walls: a few minutes after four a.m. on November 3, 1935, the building again erupted in flames. The parish celebrated

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

in 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 Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

work and Romanesque columns, as well as an extended

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and domes on the tops of the

steeples In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

. This church is one of around 200, including at least three other cathedrals, that incorporates the work of

architectural sculptor Architectural sculpture is the use of sculptural techniques by an architect and/or sculptor in the design of a building, bridge, mausoleum or other such project. The sculpture is usually integrated with the structure, but freestanding works that a ...

Corrado Parducci.Carlson, Dale and Einar Kvaran, ''Corrado Parducci: A Field Guide to Detroit’s Architectural Sculptor'', Dale A. Carlson, Berkley, MI 2020, Second edition, p. 73

Burials

* Frederic Baraga *

Ignatius Mrak Ignatius Mrak (October 16, 1810 – January 2, 1901) was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Saulte Saint Marie and Marquette from 1869 to 1879. Biography Early life Ignatius Mrak was born on Octob ...

John Vertin John Vertin (July 17, 1844 – February 26, 1899) was a Slovenian-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie and Marquette in Michigan, from 1879 until his death in 1899. ...

* Frederick Eis *

Francis Joseph Magner Francis Joseph Magner (March 18, 1887 – June 13, 1947) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan from 1941 to 1947. Biography Early life Francis Magner was born on Ma ...

Thomas Lawrence Noa Thomas Lawrence Noa (December 18, 1892 – March 13, 1977) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan from 1947 to 1968. He previously served as coadjutor bishop of the Dioc ...

* Mark Francis Schmitt

Images

Image:Marquettecathedral.jpg, St. Peter Cathedral - southeast view

References

External links

Official Cathedral SiteDiocese of Marquette Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter Cathedral, Marquette Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette Peter Cathedral, Marquette Buildings with sculpture by Corrado Parducci Buildings and structures in Marquette, Michigan Tourist attractions in Marquette County, Michigan Roman Catholic churches completed in 1890 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1938 Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Marquette County, Michigan 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

History

Burials

Images

See also

References

External links