History & Significance
Cathedral · Est. Parish 1842; brick church on present site dedicated 1866; designated cathedral 1887
The Cathedral of Saint Peter in Belleville, Illinois, traces to an 1842 wood-frame parish; a brick church on the present site was dedicated in 1866. When Pope Leo XIII established the Diocese of Belleville in 1887, St. Peter's was designated its cathedral. After a destructive fire on January 4, 1912 left only the exterior walls and bell tower, it was rebuilt in Gothic style by architect Victor Klutho of St. Louis, modeled after Exeter Cathedral in England. It remains the seat of the Diocese of Belleville and the largest cathedral in Illinois.
Gothic Revival, modeled after the Cathedral of Exeter, England
- •Seat and mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville, established by Pope Leo XIII in 1887
- •Originated as an 1842 wood-frame parish; brick church on the present site dedicated in 1866
- •Rebuilt after the January 4, 1912 fire by architect Victor Klutho of St. Louis
- •Gothic design modeled after the Cathedral of Exeter in England; described as the largest cathedral in Illinois
- •Relics of Saint Maria Goretti were displayed at the cathedral in 2015
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