Remember when Bishop Mathias Loras sent Lucien Galtier to serve Catholics at Fort Snelling in 1840? That marked the beginning of St. Peter’s Catholic Church. Galtier then established St. Peter’s parish across the river from Fort Snelling in Mendota. It was at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers.
Before a church building existed, services occurred in Jean-Baptiste Faribault’s house. Tragedy struck when the house collapsed in 1842. Father Augustin Ravoux was almost killed. But the community persevered. They replaced the house with a log church. It was dedicated on October 2, 1842.
Ravoux became the pastor in 1844. He served until 1857. He split his time between the log chapels of Saint Paul and Saint Peter. He moved full-time to Mendota when Joseph Cretin became bishop. Cretin took control of Saint Paul’s cathedral log chapel in 1851.
As a full-time pastor, Ravoux was incredibly busy. He celebrated almost 500 baptisms. He also performed 100 weddings. Additionally, he oversaw 65 funerals in his first five-and-a-half years. The growing congregation needed more space. So, in 1853, the limestone Church of Saint Peter was built. It cost $4,425.
The old log building became the parish school. This lasted until it was torn down in 1896. It was removed to make way for a railroad line. The Sibley House then became the school until 1910. A larger bell tower was added to St. Peter’s Catholic Church in 1880. In 1903-1904, the parish made some changes. They reduced the size of the balcony. They also excavated under the floor for a heating plant. Stained glass windows were added in 1904. A storm destroyed the steeple in 1951. It was replaced in 1954. A new school building was constructed in 1956-1957.
In 1972, the school closed. Declining enrollment and the need for a larger sanctuary were the reasons. The school was converted into a church. The larger church building was completed in 1991. The historic St. Peter’s Catholic Church underwent major renovations in 1975. Disrepair threatened the church’s structural integrity. The renovations finished in 1978. They cost $284,000. The church was remodeled to look like it did in the 1890s. The 1954 steeple was removed. It was replaced with one like the late-19th-century bell tower. The floor was redone. Paintings on the walls were restored.
Today, the historic St. Peter’s Catholic Church remains standing. It is open for tours. It’s used for Eucharistic adoration, daily Mass, weddings, and funerals. It was the fifth Catholic church built in Minnesota. It is the oldest church of any denomination in continuous use in the state.
The Department of the Interior designated St. Peter’s Catholic Church a historic building in 1935. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This was as part of the Mendota Historic District in 1970.