Old Cathedral Complex
About this property
The St. Francis Xavier Cathedral (also known as the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, or simply "The Old Cathedral"; French: Basilique Saint-François-Xavier de Vincennes) is a historic Catholic church in Vincennes, Indiana, under the Diocese of Evansville. Named for Francis Xavier, the 16th-century Jesuit missionary, it is located opposite George Rogers Clark National Historical Park at 205 Church Street, within the Vincennes Historic District. Jesuit missionaries established St. Francis Xavier parish around 1734 on land donated by the King of France, making it the oldest Catholic parish in Indiana; its earliest parish records date from 1749. The present Greek Revival-style basilica church, built on or near the site of two earlier Catholic churches, dates from 1826. In 1834, when Pope Gregory XVI erected the Diocese of Vincennes, St. Francis Xavier was elevated to a cathedral and served as the seat of the episcopal see from 1834 to 1898. On 14 March 1970 Pope Paul VI elevated St. Francis Xavier Cathedral to the status of minor basilica, "an honor reserved for only the most historic churches." Between 1834 and 1898 two of St. Francis Xavier's priests became bishops (Benedict Joseph Flaget, Bishop of Bardstown, and Célestin de la Hailandière, Bishop of Vincennes), and several served as vicars general or seminary rectors. Between 1837 and 1882 seventy-five priests were ordained at St. Francis Xavier, including Michael E. Shawe, the first priest ordained in Indiana. Bishop John Stephen Bazin's episcopal consecration at St. Francis Xavier in 1847 was the first to be conducted in the state. The remains of the first four Bishops of Vincennes (Simon Bruté, de la Hailandière, Bazin, and Jacques Maurice de St. Palais) are buried in St. Francis Xavier's crypt. The basilica was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Old Cathedral Complex listed on the National Register?
Old Cathedral Complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 16, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Old Cathedral Complex?
Old Cathedral Complex is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Old Cathedral Complex?
The period of significance for Old Cathedral Complex is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Old Cathedral Complex?
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