The Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault is the oldest

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. Built 1862–1869, it was the first church in the

Episcopal Church in the United States of America The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...

designed as a cathedral. The architect was

James Renwick Jr. James Renwick Jr. (November 11, 1818 – June 23, 1895) was an American architect known for designing churches and museums. He designed the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C., and St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan), St. Patric ...

, who also designed St. Patrick's Cathedral in

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, the

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Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and a very similar church, the Christ Church by the Sea in

Colón, Panama Colón () is a city and Port#Seaport, seaport in Panama, beside the Caribbean Sea, lying near the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's se ...

.Jewel of Colon regains its beauty
/ref> On August 10, 1979, the cathedral and its guild house were added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. On February 19, 1982, there was a boundary increase to add the bishop's residence to the National Register. Our Merciful Saviour was founded by Bishop

Henry Benjamin Whipple Henry Benjamin Whipple (February 15, 1822 – September 16, 1901) was the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota, who gained a reputation as a humanitarian and an advocate for Native Americans. Summary of his life Born in Adams, New York, he w ...

, who is buried beneath the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

. In 1941 St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in

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was dedicated as the seat of the bishop for the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, but the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour retains its status as a full cathedral as well.

National Register listings

Original

*Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour ** *(added 1979 - Building - #79001253) *Also known as See Also: Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour and Guild House *515 2nd Ave., NW, Faribault *Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering *Architect, builder, or engineer: Renwick & Co. *Architectural Style: Gothic Revival *Area of Significance: Architecture, Religion *Period of Significance: 1850-1874 *Owner: Private *Historic Function: Religion *Historic Sub-function: Religious Structure *Current Function: Religion *Current Sub-function: Religious Structure

Boundary increase

Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour Guild House

*Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour and Guild House (Boundary Increase) ** *(added 1982 - Building - #82003009) *Also known as See Also:Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour *515 2nd Ave., NW, Faribault *Historic Significance: Person, Event, Architecture/Engineering *Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown *Architectural Style: Late Victorian *Historic Person: Whipple, Bishop Henry Benjamin *Significant Year: 1894 *Area of Significance: Architecture, Religion *Period of Significance: 1875-1899 *Owner: Private *Historic Function: Religion *Historic Sub-function: Church Related Residence *Current Function: Religion *Current Sub-function: Church Related Residence

References

*Alan K. Lathrop. ''Churches of Minnesota: an Illustrated Guide''. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis: 2003.

External links

Cathedral of Our Saviour websiteEpiscopal Diocese of Minnesota website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathedral Of Our Merciful Saviour 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Buildings and structures in Faribault, Minnesota Cathedrals in Minnesota Churches completed in 1869 Churches in Rice County, Minnesota Our Merciful Saviour Episcopal church buildings in Minnesota James Renwick Jr. church buildings Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1869 establishments in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Rice County, Minnesota

National Register listings

Original

Boundary increase

See also

References

External links