Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church
Encyclopedia
Ste. Anne de Détroit, founded July 26, 1701, is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States
. The current church, built in 1886, is located at 1000 Ste. Anne St. in Detroit, Michigan
near the Richard-Hubbard neighborhood area, the Ambassador Bridge
, and the Michigan Central Station
. Historically, the parish community has occupied eight different buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1976. The main entry to the Church faces a grand tree-lined, bricked plaza. The present parish is largely Hispanic.
, which later grew into the city of Detroit. Cadillac
and French
settlers arrived at the bank of the Detroit River
on July 24, 1701. Construction began on a church on July 26, 1701, the feast day of Saint Anne
. The parish was founded and named by the settlers in honor of the patron of France
, Saint Anne, mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus
. Nicholas Constantine del Halle, a Franciscan
, and Francois Vaillant, a Jesuit
, were the two priests who accompanied the group. Vaillant returned east in the fall.
A fire in 1703 destroyed part of the fort including the church, the rectory and the baptismal records. A new church building was built in 1704 and the oldest surviving church records date to this time with the first record on February 2, 1704 being the baptism of a child born to Cadillac.
Father del Halle was kidnapped by Native Americans and, after his release, as he walked back to the fort, he was shot and killed by an Indian. His remains were buried under the altar and have been moved four times to new church buildings since.
Father Cherubin Deniau began work on a larger church in 1708. This church was outside the palisade and was burned in 1714 by the settlers during a Native American attack as they feared it would offer cover to the attackers.
The parish did not have a church building for many years after this although one might have been built by Father Bonaventure Lienard, who was priest there between 1722-1754. Father Simple Bocquet began a new church building in 1755, within a year after he arrived. Bocquet stayed nearly 30 years during which time Detroit passed from French to British ownership and then to American. An Anglican wedding is even recorded in the Catholic Church records during this period.
Father Gabriel Richard
arrived at Ste. Anne's in 1796. While the local priest, he helped start the school which evolved into the University of Michigan
, started primary schools for white boys and girls as well as for Indians, as a territorial representative to U.S. Congress helped establish a road-building project that connected Detroit and Chicago
, and brought the first printing press to Michigan which printed the first Michigan newspaper. After his death in 1832, Richard was interred under the altar of Ste. Anne's.
In 1805, most of Detroit including the church was destroyed in an accidental fire. A new building was not begun until 1818 and was not completed until 1828. This church was at a new location outside the grounds of the old fort and was designed by Leon Coquard, a parishioner. Between 1833 and 1844, Ste. Anne's was designated as the cathedral
church of the entire Northwest Territory
(until replaced by a new Detroit church, Saints Peter and Paul Church).
In 1817, many of the remains in the old cemetery were moved to the new St. Anne's. In the 1860s, many were again moved to Mount Elliott Cemetery, including the remains of Colonel Jean François Hamtramck
. In the 1860s, the 1818 church building was demolished with the furnishings and even the cornerstone split between the new Ste. Anne's and the new parish of St. Joachim
, named after Ste. Anne's husband.
style with flying buttresses, displaying the French influence. The Church faces a landscaped grand brick plaza and the main entrance on the north facade includes four gargoyles. Ste. Anne's displays the oldest stained glass in the city, located near the Ambassador Bridge
.
The 1818 church altar and Richard's remains are installed in a side chapel of the present Church. Other pieces of the 1818 church installed in the 1886 one include the communion rail, statue of Ste. Anne and the church bell. The 1886 Ste. Anne's is a Neo-Gothic building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Both parishes continued French traditions. Increased immigration and housing changes made Ste. Anne's into a primarily Irish parish by the 1920s, and soon thereafter a Hispanic
one. The first sermon in Spanish
was given in 1940; the last sermon in French
in 1942. A Spanish-speaking priest was assigned in 1946. The parish remains largely Hispanic.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The current church, built in 1886, is located at 1000 Ste. Anne St. in Detroit, Michigan
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"....
near the Richard-Hubbard neighborhood area, the Ambassador Bridge
Ambassador Bridge
The Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States...
, and the Michigan Central Station
Michigan Central Station
Michigan Central Station , built in mid-1912 through 1913 for the Michigan Central Railroad, was Detroit, Michigan's passenger rail depot from its opening in 1913 after the previous Michigan Central Station burned, until the cessation of Amtrak service on January 6, 1988...
. Historically, the parish community has occupied eight different buildings. It 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...
in 1976. The main entry to the Church faces a grand tree-lined, bricked plaza. The present parish is largely Hispanic.
History
Ste. Anne's church was the first building constructed in Fort Pontchartrain du DétroitFort Detroit
Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Détroit was a fort established by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. The location of the former fort is now in the city of Detroit in the U.S...
, which later grew into the city of Detroit. Cadillac
Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac
Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac was a French explorer and adventurer in New France, now an area of North America stretching from Eastern Canada in the north to Louisiana in the south. Rising from a modest beginning in Acadia in 1683 as an explorer, trapper, and a trader of alcohol...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
settlers arrived at the bank of the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
on July 24, 1701. Construction began on a church on July 26, 1701, the feast day of Saint Anne
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
. The parish was founded and named by the settlers in honor of the patron of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Saint Anne, mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Nicholas Constantine del Halle, a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
, and Francois Vaillant, a Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, were the two priests who accompanied the group. Vaillant returned east in the fall.
A fire in 1703 destroyed part of the fort including the church, the rectory and the baptismal records. A new church building was built in 1704 and the oldest surviving church records date to this time with the first record on February 2, 1704 being the baptism of a child born to Cadillac.
Father del Halle was kidnapped by Native Americans and, after his release, as he walked back to the fort, he was shot and killed by an Indian. His remains were buried under the altar and have been moved four times to new church buildings since.
Father Cherubin Deniau began work on a larger church in 1708. This church was outside the palisade and was burned in 1714 by the settlers during a Native American attack as they feared it would offer cover to the attackers.
The parish did not have a church building for many years after this although one might have been built by Father Bonaventure Lienard, who was priest there between 1722-1754. Father Simple Bocquet began a new church building in 1755, within a year after he arrived. Bocquet stayed nearly 30 years during which time Detroit passed from French to British ownership and then to American. An Anglican wedding is even recorded in the Catholic Church records during this period.
Father Gabriel Richard
Gabriel Richard
Father Gabriel Richard was a French Roman Catholic priest who became a Delegate from Michigan Territory to the U.S. House of Representatives....
arrived at Ste. Anne's in 1796. While the local priest, he helped start the school which evolved into the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, started primary schools for white boys and girls as well as for Indians, as a territorial representative to U.S. Congress helped establish a road-building project that connected Detroit and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and brought the first printing press to Michigan which printed the first Michigan newspaper. After his death in 1832, Richard was interred under the altar of Ste. Anne's.
In 1805, most of Detroit including the church was destroyed in an accidental fire. A new building was not begun until 1818 and was not completed until 1828. This church was at a new location outside the grounds of the old fort and was designed by Leon Coquard, a parishioner. Between 1833 and 1844, Ste. Anne's was designated as the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
church of the entire Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
(until replaced by a new Detroit church, Saints Peter and Paul Church).
In 1817, many of the remains in the old cemetery were moved to the new St. Anne's. In the 1860s, many were again moved to Mount Elliott Cemetery, including the remains of Colonel Jean François Hamtramck
Jean François Hamtramck
Jean-François Hamtramck was a French-Canadian from Quebec who joined the Continental Army and became a decorated officer in the American Revolutionary War....
. In the 1860s, the 1818 church building was demolished with the furnishings and even the cornerstone split between the new Ste. Anne's and the new parish of St. Joachim
Joachim
Saint Joachim was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. The story of Joachim and Anne appears first in the apocryphal Gospel of James...
, named after Ste. Anne's husband.
Architecture
Architects Leon Conquard and Alert E. French designed Ste. Anne de Détroit Catholic Church (1887) in the Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style with flying buttresses, displaying the French influence. The Church faces a landscaped grand brick plaza and the main entrance on the north facade includes four gargoyles. Ste. Anne's displays the oldest stained glass in the city, located near the Ambassador Bridge
Ambassador Bridge
The Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States...
.
The 1818 church altar and Richard's remains are installed in a side chapel of the present Church. Other pieces of the 1818 church installed in the 1886 one include the communion rail, statue of Ste. Anne and the church bell. The 1886 Ste. Anne's is a Neo-Gothic building that is 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...
.
Both parishes continued French traditions. Increased immigration and housing changes made Ste. Anne's into a primarily Irish parish by the 1920s, and soon thereafter a Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
one. The first sermon in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
was given in 1940; the last sermon in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in 1942. A Spanish-speaking priest was assigned in 1946. The parish remains largely Hispanic.
See also
- Archdiocese of Detroit
- Architecture of metropolitan DetroitArchitecture of metropolitan DetroitThe architecture of metropolitan Detroit, Michigan continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The city's historic Art Deco skyscrapers blend with...
- History of Detroit