I like posting photos of churches around Michigan since in many places churches are central to the community, it’s where people are married, baptized, and remembered at the end of their life. When I posted a photo of St. Stephens church in Hamburg the historical Marker said it was the oldest church building still operating in Michigan. But it got me to do some research to find out what the oldest church in Michigan is. When I found Ste Anne de D’etroit and read it’s history it struck me how important this church is, not only to the local community, but to the state of Michigan.
founded July 26, 1701, Ste. Anne’s original church was the first building constructed in Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, which later grew into the city of Detroit. Ste Anne’s is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States with parish records dating back to 1704. From 1833 to 1844, Ste. Anne’s was the Cathedral Church for the diocese of Michigan and the Northwest. The church also has the oldest stained glass in Detroit.
In the Early 1800s Father Gabriel Richards, started a school that evolved into the University of Michigan. Started the First newspaper The Michigan Essay or Impartial Observer. From 1823 to 1825 Richard was Michigan Territory’s delegate to the United States Congress. As a delegate, he was instrumental in gaining support for the Territorial Road, which linked Detroit and Chicago
