| Cathedral of Saint Paul | |
| Coordinates: | 44.9471°N -93.096°W |
| Country: | United States |
| Denomination: | Catholic Church |
| Sui Iuris Church: | Latin Church |
| Status: | Served as cathedral from 1851–1858 |
| Functional Status: | Demolished |
| Length: | 84feet |
| Width: | 44feet |
| Previous Cathedrals: | First |
The second Cathedral of Saint Paul was a Catholic church that served as the cathedral of the Diocese of Saint Paul in Minnesota from 1851 to 1858.
When Joseph Crétin was appointed as the bishop of the newly established Diocese of St. Paul in July 1851, a log chapel served as the first cathedral. However, even prior to Joseph Crétin's arrival as bishop, Augustin Ravoux urged him to purchase land for a new cathedral to serve the fast-growing population of St. Paul as the log chapel was proving too small. Ravoux ended up buying 22 lots at the intersection of Wabasha and Sixth streets for $900 for the purposed of building the new cathedral.
The new building was three stories, and by . Parallel to Sixth Street and with the front entrance facing Wabasha Street, it opened in November of 1851 with library, kitchen, and school facilities on the first floor; the church itself on the second floor; and offices and living quarters for Crétin and his staff. However, it still proved to be too small for the needs of the diocese, so Crétin started plans for a third cathedral in 1853.[1] [2]
The second cathedral building would serve as such until 1858, when the third cathedral was completed. After the building was no longer the cathedral, it still served as a school run by the Christian Brothers.[3] In 1862, Bishop Thomas Grace opened the Ecclesiastical Preparatory Seminary of St. Paul in the building. In 1867, that institution merged with the (by that time) coeducational cathedral school which operated in the same building.[2]