Pro-Cathedral of St. Peter

History & Significance

Cathedral · Est. Dedicated May 25, 1834

St. Peter's, dedicated on May 25, 1834, was the first Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia, built on land secured by Bishop Dubois with funds raised by Father O'Brien for an early congregation largely of Irish immigrant canal workers. From the erection of the Diocese of Richmond in 1850 until the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was completed in 1906, it served as the diocesan cathedral and seat; Bishop (later Cardinal) James Gibbons led the diocese from it in the 1870s, and St. John Neumann ministered to German immigrants in its basement. In 2020 it was designated a pro-cathedral during the Diocese of Richmond's bicentennial, and it remains an active parish.

Neoclassical, modeled on the Church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule in Paris

• •First Catholic church in Richmond, Virginia, dedicated May 25, 1834
• •Served as the cathedral and seat of the Diocese of Richmond from 1850 to 1906
• •Designated a pro-cathedral in 2020 for the Diocese of Richmond's bicentennial
• •Added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1969
• •Cardinal James Gibbons led the diocese from it in the 1870s; St. John Neumann ministered there