Saints Peter and Paul Church, Detroit, Michigan
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Saints Peter And Paul Church
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Church in 2008
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| Location: | 629 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit, Michigan |
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| Coordinates: | 42°19′55″N 83°2′18″W / 42.33194°N 83.03833°WCoordinates: 42°19′55″N 83°2′18″W / 42.33194°N 83.03833°W |
| Built: | 1848 |
| Architect: | Francis Letouneau, Peter Kindenkins |
| Architectural style: | Romanesque Revival |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 71000431[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | September 03, 1971 |
| Designated MSHS: | January 22, 1971[2] |
The Saints Peter And Paul Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 629 East Jefferson Ave in Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest existing church in the city of Detroit,[2] and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.[1][2]
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[edit] History
In 1844, Bishop Peter Paul Lefevere, the leader of the Detroit Catholic church, began construction on Saints Peter And Paul Church; the cornerstone is dated June 29, 1844.[3] Francis Letourneau drew the plans, and Peter Kindenkens supervised the construction.[2] Construction was completed over four years, as the Bishop paid for each stage of construction with cash.[4] The church was consecrated on June 29, 1848 and Bishop Lefevere used the church as his cathedral until his death in 1869.[4] The original parishioners were predominantly Irish, with some French families attending.[4]
Lefevere's successor, Caspar Borgess, continued to use the church as his cathedral[5] until 1877, when he gave the title to the building to the Jesuit Order with the intention of starting Detroit's first Catholic college.[3] The Jesuit college eventually became the University of Detroit-Mercy, and UDM's law school still occupies the building adjacent to the church.[3]
The church was altered in 1879 and 1882, completely renovated in 1892,[2] and remodeled again in 1911.[6] A chapel was added to the rear of the building in 1918.[6] Although these alterations changed the look of the church, the original plan has been substantially preserved.[2] The church is still in use, offering daily masses.[3]
[edit] Description
Saints Peter And Paul Church is a basilica-style church, made with walls of painted brick.[2] The front facade is gabled and topped by a short square cupola.[2] The cupola was originally intended to support a tall spire but this spire was never built.[4] There is a central entrance pavilion, set between arched windows and Ionic pilasters.[2] The pilasters continue along the side, separating the side elevation into seven bays with tall, rounded arch windows.[2] A heavy frieze conceals the sloping roof.[6]
The interior of the church has hand carved oak confessionals, a barrel vaulted ceiling painted with frescoes,[4] and an extraordinary carerra marble alter designed by Gustave Adolph Mueller.[5] These details were added during later renovations; the organ case is the only surviving original element.[6]
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Saints Peter and Paul Church (Detroit, Michigan) |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Saints Peter and Paul Church "Saints Peter and Paul Church". Michigan State Housing Development Authority. January 22, 1971. http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/16250.htm Saints Peter and Paul Church. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- ^ a b c d History page "History". Saints Peter and Paul Jesuit Church. http://www.sspeterandpauljesuit.org/history.html History page. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Saints Peter and Paul Church". City of Detroit Planning and Development Department. http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/historic/districts/peter-paul_church.pdf\.
- ^ a b "Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church". Detroit1701.org. August 2002. http://detroit1701.org/St.%20Peter%20and%20Paul.html. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Hill, Eric J.; Gallagher, John; American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter (2002). AIA Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0814331203, p. 30. http://books.google.com/books?id=sZGskamYzjUC.
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