Historic Church of St
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A Brief History First Settlers We invite you to assist us in preserving the A Tour of the The original inhabitants of this area were the Dakota Historic Church of St. Peter. If you are able to Native Americans. give a free will offering, please fill out the 17OO's - Europeans, mainly French, begin to visit Historic Church here. form below andtvrn it in to the Parish Office, 1,820 - Fort Snelling is completed. mailtt to the address below, or contactthem of St. Peter 1,837 A census lists 157 settlers in the area, with at 651-452-4550. - ttmeeting 75 living in '(Mendota r" meaning of the waters," as it overlooks the junction of the Thank you for your contributionl Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. 1852 - The St. Peter River is renamed its aboriginal ttsky-tinted Historic Church of St. Peter name r "Minnesotar" or waters." 1839 - Bishop Mathias loras visits Mendota, which 1405 Hwy 13 sits at the edge of the new f)iocese of PO Box 50679 Dubuque, in Iowa Territory. Mendota MN 55150-0679 St. Peter's Parish 1,840 - Bishop Loras sends Father Lucien Galtiery 29 years old and newly ordained, to minister to the arca and he establishes St. Peter's Parish. The first recorded burial takes place in the HISTORIC CHURCH OF SAINT PETTR cemetery (across present-day Highway 13). MEMORIAL AND PRESERVATION RJND l84l Jean Baptiste Faribault gives Fr. Galtier a building to use for a home and a church. The roof,made of dirt and bark, collapses one year later. No one is injured. Enclosed is a contribution 1,842 - Fr. Galtier has a larger structure built on this in the amount of $- site and personally builds an altar for it. That for Built in 1853 original altar is displayed in our 2OO5 (This church's Gathering Space. contribution may be dedicatedtowards a memorial of a 1,841-44 - Father Augustine Ravoux, a classmate of deceased, wedding or birthday anniversary, birth, gift, etc. Restored in 1978 Father Galtier, travels throughout Minnesota Please indicate.) and ministers to the Dakota Native Americans, whom he loves and admires. He learns to Send acknowledgement to: speak their language and translates a catechism, prayers, and several hymns and canticles for them. Name 7844 Fr. Ravoux becomes the pastor of St. Peter's. Address '1,849 Minnesota Territory is created, including St. Peter's Catholic Church Mendota in its large expanse. City Slate _ Zip _ Mendota, Minnesota 1850 The f)iocese of St. Paul is established. The Bishop for St. Peter's Parish is now just seven From: miles away, instead of 25O miles away in Dubuque. 1853 Fr. Ravoux has this church built from Name limestone dug out of a nearby quarry, with a Address ?rrbhl roof made of hand split shingles. The new City State church cost $4,425.80. _ Zip 1858 - Minnesota becomes a state. 1976-78 - Fr. Ravoux's church is restored and For more Historic Church information becomes known as the Historic Church. please call 651 -452-4550. Steeple Changes type seats, a balcony, and even eliminated the The steeple you see now is the fourth steeple middle aisle. At one time they could seat over that has topped this church. The first, a shorter 400 people in this church. and bell-less steeple with a wooden cross2 was destroyed in a wrnd storm in 1881. The second Restoration was built taller and wrth a bronze bell, but was By-1.975,the church was in verybad condition again destroyed in a storm in 1951. While the and had to be closed for repairs. The entire third steeple was being built, the church bell interior was restored to the state that it was in at was hung in a tree so that it could still be used about the year 1890. The altar, the statues, the to call people to Mass. The third steeple was pews2 the center aisle, the two wooden prie- completed in 1953 and dedicated as part of the dieus (kneelers), the candlesticks, and the The Historic Church of St. Peter, bullt in 1,853, church's Centennial Celebration During the Stations of the Cross are all just about as they is the oldest continually used church in church renovations in the \970's,repairs to the were atthattime. Minnesota. It was declared a Historic Site by the third steeple were delayed to reduce expenses, U.S. Department of the Interior in 1935. but an indivtilml came to the rescue and In the sacristy, the cabinet for the vestments donated a new, taller cupola and steeple. This datesback to 1865. The stained glass windows Today,Mass is celebrated here Monday throtgh current steeple, styled after the second steeple, were installed in 7904. The window opening Ffiday at I a.m. Many parish weddings and contains the same bronzebell that was installed over the main door was rediscovered during the funerals also take placehere. in the 1880's. renovation in the 7970's, andnew glass was put in when the new steeple was addedin 1978,the year that the churchwas rededicated. Outside our Histonc Clrrurch The original cht;rrch cost $+,+Z5.SO. The F-lags and Ferries renovation, which was funded by help from In the mid-18o0's, the outside of the church many people and foundations both within and looked very much as it does today, but the outside the pafish, cost over $280,000. surroundings were very different. The bishop at the time lived down the river in St. Paul. Since there were no telephones and no buildings in the way, when the bishop wanted Fr. Ravoux (the Yicar General for the new Diocese of St. Paul) to come to see him, he just hung a flag out the window. Fr. Ravoux would see it and take a ferry over the bishop's residence. A ferry Father Lucien Galtier to First Pastor of St. Peter's crossing was in seryice until the Mendota Bridge was built in 1926. Horse Parking Inside our Histonc Church Instead of parHng spots, there were hitching posts for horses and sometimes disagreements Inside the church, many changes have taken over whose horse was supposed to be parked place through the years. 'q,rhere. At one time, there was a stable for IY. Augustine Ravoux horses, but itburned down in the 1940's. There Seating Second Pastor of St. Peter's was also a sidewalk connecting the church to Today, the church seats 250 people. At different Responsible for the building of the Historic Church downtown Mendota?s business district. times, to make more seating they put in opera-.