Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit

Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit
Ste. Anne de Détroit
42°19′15″N 83°04′36″W
Location	Detroit, Michigan
Address	1000 St. Anne Street
Country	United States
Denomination	Catholic Church
Tradition	Roman Rite
Website	ste-anne.org
History
Status	Minor basilica Archdiocesan Shrine
Dedication	St. Anne
Dedicated	October 30, 1887 (1887-10-30)
Consecrated	April 29, 1886 (1886-04-29)
Architecture
Architect(s)	Albert E. French
Style	Classical Revival Late Gothic Revival
Administration
Archdiocese	Archdiocese of Detroit
Clergy
Archbishop	The Most Rev. Allen Vigneron
Rector	Rev. Msgr. Charles Kosanke
Priest(s)	Rev. John Herman
Laity
Organist(s)	Joe Moss

Basilica of Sainte Anne de Détroit (French: Basilique Sainte-Anne de Détroit) is located at 1000 St. Anne Street in Detroit, Michigan and serves the needs of Ste. Anne Parish. The parish founded by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and 100 French colonists of New France on July 26, 1701, is recognized as the second-oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States. The stunning Gothic Revival cathedral-styled basilica, masterfully designed by Albert E. French, is a testament to the parish's enduring legacy.

The basilica gained national recognition with its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In a notable honor, Pope Francis designated the church as a minor basilica on March 1, 2020, marking it as the 86th minor basilica in the United States and the third in Michigan.

The church nave

The main entrance opens onto a picturesque plaza, lined with grand trees and paved with historic brick. The structure's flying buttresses and facade's main entrance guarded by four imposing gargoyles pay homage to the parish's rich French heritage. Notably, the basilica boasts the oldest stained glass in the City of Detroit, adding to its historic significance and breathtaking beauty.

A side chapel attached to the basilica houses treasured relics from the past. The historic high altar from the 1818 stone church takes center stage, accompanied by the revered tomb of Rev. Gabriel Richard. Other artifacts carefully preserved in the basilica from the 1818 stone church include the ornate communion rail, the revered statue of Ste. Anne, and the iconic Beaubien Bell, a cherished church bell that continues to hold sentimental value.

History

Ste. Anne's church was the first building constructed in Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit. The vicinity developed as the city of Detroit. Cadillac and a party of French colonists arrived at the bank of the Detroit River on July 24, 1701. They began construction of a church on July 26, 1701, the feast day of Saint Anne (sainte Anne). The parish was founded and named by the settlers in honor of the patron of France, Saint Anne, mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. Nicholas Constantine del Halle, a Franciscan, and François Vaillant, a Jesuit, were the two priests who accompanied the group. Vaillant returned east to Quebec in the fall.

Local Native Americans set the church on fire in 1703; this destroyed part of the fort including the church, the rectory, and the baptismal records. A new church building was built in 1704. The oldest surviving church records date to this time, with the first record on February 2, 1704, being the baptism of a child born to Cadillac. Father del Halle was kidnapped by local Native Americans, likely the historic Ojibwe of the area. After his release, as he walked back to the fort, he was shot and killed by an Indian. His remains were buried under the altar of Ste. Anne's; they have been moved four times since to the succeeding new church buildings.

Father Chérubin Deniau was assigned to the parish and began work on a larger church in 1708. This church was outside the fort's palisade. It was burned in 1714 by settlers during a Fox attack, as they feared it would offer cover to the attackers. The parish did not have a church building for many years after this.

One may have been built by Father Bonaventure Liénard, who was priest here for more than three decades, between 1722 and 1754. Father Simple Bocquet is known to have begun construction of a new church building in 1755, within a year after he arrived. Bocquet served here for nearly 30 years; in 1763 Detroit was part of the French territory east of the Mississippi River ceded to British rule after the latter's victory in the Seven Years' War. After the American Revolutionary War and establishment of independence, the territory came under United States rule in the early 1800s. An Anglican wedding was recorded in the parish records during this period.

Father Gabriel Richard was called to Ste. Anne's in 1796. He helped start the school that eventually developed as the University of Michigan, started primary schools for white boys and girls as well as for Indians, and was elected as a territorial representative to the U.S. Congress. He helped initiate a road-building project that connected Detroit and Chicago. He also brought the first printing press to Detroit and started The Observer, the Michigan Territory's first newspaper. After his death in 1832, Father Richard was interred under the altar of Ste. Anne's.

In 1805, most of Detroit, including the church, was destroyed in an accidental fire. A new church building was not begun until 1818, and it was not completed until 1828. This church was built at a new location outside the grounds of the old fort but still near the Detroit River, which travelers and traders used. In 1833, Ste. Anne's was designated as the cathedral for the new Roman Catholic diocese of Detroit it served in this role until 1848. That year coadjutor bishop Peter Paul Lefevre moved the bishop's throne to St. Peter's Cathedral, today's Saints Peter and Paul Church. Around that time, the old St-Anne's parish registers were stolen. Because of this priceless loss, parish registers are no longer allowed to be freely and easily accessed by the public. Because the registers contain precious information about the founders and history of Detroit and Michigan, researchers have worked to make copies available through digital reproduction in the public domain.

In 1817, many of the remains in the old cemetery were moved to the churchyard of the new Ste. Anne's. In the 1860s, many were moved again to Mount Elliott Cemetery, including the remains of Colonel Jean François Hamtramck. In the 1860s, the 1818 church building was demolished. Furnishings and even the cornerstone were split between the new Ste. Anne's and the new parish of St. Joachim, named after Ste. Anne's husband.

See also

• List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
• List of cathedrals in the United States
• Ste. Anne's Parish Complex Historic District

Further reading

• Godzak, Roman (2000). Archdiocese of Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0738507972.
• Godzak, Roman (2004). Catholic Churches of Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0738532356.
• Godzak, Roman (2000). Make Straight the Path: A 300 Year Pilgrimage Archdiocese of Detroit. Editions du Signe. ISBN 978-2746801455.
• Tentler, Leslie Woodcock; foreword by Edmund Cardinal Szoka (February 5, 2008). Seasons of Grace: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0814343999.
• Tutag, Nola Huse; Hamilton, Lucy (1988). Discovering Stained Glass in Detroit. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0814318751.

External links

• Basilica website
• Ste. Anne Tricentennial page