Saints Peter And Paul Church, Detroit

The Saints Peter And Paul Church is a Roman Catholic church located at 629 East Jefferson Ave in Detroit. It is the oldest existing church in the city of Detroit. In 1844, Bishop Peter Paul Lefevere, the leader of the Detroit Catholic church, began construction on Saints Peter And Paul Church; the cornerstone is dated June 29, 1844. Construction was completed over four years, as the Bishop paid for each stage of construction with cash. The church was consecrated on June 29, 1848 and Bishop Lefevere used the church as his cathedral until his death in 1869. The original parishioners were predominantly Irish, with some French families attending.

Lefevere's successor, Caspar Borgess, continued to use the church as his cathedral until 1877, when he gave the title to the building to the Jesuit Order with the intention of starting Detroit's first Catholic college. The Jesuit college eventually became the University of Detroit-Mercy, and UDM's law school still occupies the building adjacent to the church. The church was altered in 1879 and 1882, completely renovated in 1892, and remodeled again in 1911. A chapel was added to the rear of the building in 1918. Although these alterations changed the look of the church, the original plan has been substantially preserved. The church is still in use, offering daily masses.