Basilica of St. Louis King, King of France (The Old Cathedral)

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Consecrated October 26, 1834 (parish roots to 1770)

The Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, known as the "Old Cathedral," was built 1831-1834 under Bishop Joseph Rosati, the first Bishop of the Diocese of St. Louis, who laid the cornerstone on August 1, 1831. Designed by architects George Morton and Joseph Laveille and consecrated October 26, 1834, it was the first cathedral west of the Mississippi River and, until the 1840s, the only parish church in St. Louis. Pope John XXIII elevated it to a minor basilica on January 27, 1961. It is a parish of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the seat having moved to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis in 1914.

Greek Revival, with a Doric portico of four Joliet-stone columns.

• •First cathedral west of the Mississippi River
• •Designated a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII on January 27, 1961
• •Cornerstone laid August 1, 1831 by Bishop Joseph Rosati; consecrated October 26, 1834
• •Parish of the Archdiocese of St. Louis; cathedral seat moved to the new Cathedral Basilica in 1914
• •Parish roots trace to a log church on land dedicated in 1764 by St. Louis founders Laclede and Chouteau