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 let ...

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 denominatio ...

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 Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

. 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 ...

in 2012.

History

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 Irenaeus Frederic Baraga (June 29, 1797 – January 19, 1868; sl, Irenej Friderik Baraga) was a Slovenian Roman Catholic missionary to the United States and a grammarian by and author of Christian poetry and hymns in Native American langua ...

’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 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 eleme ...

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. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

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

Corrado Parducci Corrado Giuseppe Parducci (March 10, 1900 – November 22, 1981) was an Italian-American architectural sculptor who was a celebrated artist for his numerous early-20th century works. Early life and education Parducci was born in Buti, Italy, a ...

.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

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 *

Frederick Eis Frederick Eis (January 20, 1843 – May 5, 1926) was a German-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Sault Sainte Marie-Marquette in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from 1899 to 1922. Biography Ea ...

* Francis Joseph Magner * Thomas Lawrence Noa * 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