History
The
cornerstone of Sts. Peter and Paul
church is dated June 29, l844
making it the oldest church
building in the city of Detroit.
It
was
completed and consecrated as Detroit's
Catholic
Cathedral on June 29, l848. The
builder of the church was Bishop
Peter Paul Lefevere (1841-1869), a
French-speaking Belgian. His body
was buried in the building until
l939. The
church was designed in
post-classical basilica style by
Vicar-General Peter Kindekens and
Francis Latourneau.
It measures 80 feet by 180
feet. The
exterior of the church, the
frescoes above the high altar
(painted by Angelo Paldi), and the
baptismal font date to 1848. Bishop
Lefevere’s successor, Bishop
Caspar Henry Borgess (1871-1887),
gave the title to the building to
the Jesuit Order (Society of
Jesus) in l877 as part of an
agreement to start Detroit's
first Catholic
College,
which became the University of
Detroit-Mercy. The law school of
the university still is adjacent
to the church.
The church is last used as
a cathedral on September 14, 1877.
The first
renovation since the 1850s began in
1892. Two
additional doors are added to the
front of the building; new
confessionals and pews are
installed; and heating and lighting
of the church are introduced. The
tribune or “Prayer box”, above the
side chapel is built to allow
Jesuits in the adjoining rectory (currently
the University of Detroit Law
School) to enter the church with
ease and participate in worship
services without obstructed views. The Fleitz
Memorial Altar is consecrated in
1908 and entrusted with a relic of
St. Francis Borgia.
The major renovation of 1917
included the additions of the marble
vestibule (as previously there was
none) and its marble floors, the
marble wainscoting around the
church, the two spiral staircases
leading to the balcony, the marble
communion rail, a new marble pulpit
(which replaced a wooden one), and
new windows. The
renovation of 1998 resulted in a new
roof, a new courtyard door and
handicapped ramp, a hot water
boiler, new sound system, a new
wooded altar, ambo table and
Sanctuary chairs (all made of 100
year old oak), the painting in the
church and the restoration of the
baptismal font.
In its 150 plus
years of existence, the church has
served a wide variety of Detroit's
citizens, and is an active partner
in the reconstruction of the
downtown area. The church is
now totally owned and operated by
the Jesuit Order in the
Metro-Detroit area.
LOCATION:
The church is situated on East
Jefferson
Avenue,
next to the University of
Detroit-Mercy Law School, one-block
West of I-375, and across the street
from the Renaissance
Center.
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