Ste. Anne de Détroit, founded July 26, 1701, is the second oldest continuously operating
Roman Catholic parish in the
United States. The current Gothic Revival cathedral styled church, built in 1886, is located at 1000 Ste. Anne St. in
Detroit,
Michigan near the Richard-Hubbard neighborhood area, the
Ambassador Bridge, and the
Michigan Central Station. Historically, the parish community has occupied eight different buildings. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Ste. Anne's church was the first building constructed in
Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, which later grew into the city of Detroit.
Cadillac and
French settlers arrived at the bank of the
Detroit River on July 24, 1701. Construction began on a church on July 26, 1701, the feast day of
Saint 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
Francois Vaillant, a
Jesuit, were the two priests who accompanied the group. A fire in 1703 destroyed part of the fort including the church, the rectory and the baptismal records. A new church building was built in 1704 and 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.
(Wikipedia)