Saints Peter and Paul Church, Detroit, Michigan
Encyclopedia
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, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.
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. Francis Letourneau drew the plans, and Peter Kindenkens supervised the construction. Construction was completed over four years, as the Bishop paid for each stage of construction with cash. The church was consecrated on June 29, 1848 and Bishop Lefevere used the church as his cathedral until his death in 1869. The original parishioners were predominantly Irish, with some French families attending.
Lefevere's successor, Caspar Borgess, continued to use the church as his cathedral until 1877, when he gave the title to the building to the Jesuit Order with the intention of starting Detroit's first Catholic college. The Jesuit college eventually became the University of Detroit-Mercy, and UDM's law school still occupies the building adjacent to the church.
The church was altered in 1879 and 1882, completely renovated in 1892, and remodeled again in 1911. A chapel was added to the rear of the building in 1918. Although these alterations changed the look of the church, the original plan has been substantially preserved. The church is still in use, offering daily masses.
. The cupola was originally intended to support a tall spire but this spire was never built. There is a central entrance pavilion, set between arched windows and Ionic pilasters. The pilasters continue along the side, separating the side elevation into seven bays with tall, rounded arch windows. A heavy frieze conceals the sloping roof.
The interior of the church has hand carved oak confessionals, a barrel vaulted ceiling painted with frescoes, and an extraordinary carerra marble alter designed by Gustave Adolph Mueller. These details were added during later renovations; the organ case is the only surviving original element.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is the oldest existing church in the city of Detroit, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.
History
Peter Paul Lefevere
Peter Paul Lefevere, or Lefebre, born as Pierre-Paul Lefevere , was a 19th century Belgian born bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States...
, the leader of the Detroit Catholic church, began construction on Saints Peter And Paul Church; the cornerstone is dated June 29, 1844. Francis Letourneau drew the plans, and Peter Kindenkens supervised the construction. Construction was completed over four years, as the Bishop paid for each stage of construction with cash. The church was consecrated on June 29, 1848 and Bishop Lefevere used the church as his cathedral until his death in 1869. The original parishioners were predominantly Irish, with some French families attending.
Lefevere's successor, Caspar Borgess, continued to use the church as his cathedral until 1877, when he gave the title to the building to the Jesuit Order with the intention of starting Detroit's first Catholic college. The Jesuit college eventually became the University of Detroit-Mercy, and UDM's law school still occupies the building adjacent to the church.
The church was altered in 1879 and 1882, completely renovated in 1892, and remodeled again in 1911. A chapel was added to the rear of the building in 1918. Although these alterations changed the look of the church, the original plan has been substantially preserved. The church is still in use, offering daily masses.
Description
Saints Peter And Paul Church is a basilica-style church, made with walls of painted brick. The front facade is gabled and topped by a short square cupolaCupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
. The cupola was originally intended to support a tall spire but this spire was never built. There is a central entrance pavilion, set between arched windows and Ionic pilasters. The pilasters continue along the side, separating the side elevation into seven bays with tall, rounded arch windows. A heavy frieze conceals the sloping roof.
The interior of the church has hand carved oak confessionals, a barrel vaulted ceiling painted with frescoes, and an extraordinary carerra marble alter designed by Gustave Adolph Mueller. These details were added during later renovations; the organ case is the only surviving original element.