Saints Peter and Paul Jesuit Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 629 East Jefferson Avenue 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 designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971.[1][2]
History
In 1844, Bishop Peter Paul Lefevere, who served as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Detroit, began construction on Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral; 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 as the cathedral church of the diocese. The original parishioners were predominantly Irish, with some French families attending.[4]
Following Lefevere's death, under Caspar Borgess, the second Bishop of Detroit, the church remained the cathedral until 1877,[5] when he gave the title to the building to the Jesuit Order with the intention of starting Detroit's first Catholic college. The church then became SS. Peter & Paul Jesuit Church.[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 Sunday and some weekday masses.[3]
Description
Saints Peter and Paul Church is a three-aisled church, built of Detroit common brick.[2] The front façade is gabled and topped by a short square belfry.[2] The tower was originally intended to support a tall spire, which 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 surmounts the walls.[6]
The interior of the church features hand-carved oak confessionals, a barrel vaulted ceiling painted with murals of the apostles,[4] and an extraordinary Carrara marble altar designed by Gustav Adolph Mueller and featuring a bas relief of the crucifixion by Joseph Sibbel.[5] These details were added during later renovations; the organ case is the only surviving original element.[6]
