Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (New Ulm, Minnesota) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
The cathedral in 2024.
Location in Minnesota
44°19′05″N 94°28′06″W / 44.3181°N 94.4682°W / 44.3181; -94.4682
Location	605 N. State Street New Ulm, Minnesota
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic Church
History
Status	Cathedral/Parish
Founded	1858
Architecture
Style	Neo-Baroque
Completed	1893
Specifications
Number of spires	One
Materials	Brick
Administration
Diocese	New Ulm

The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is a beautiful Catholic church located in New Ulm, Minnesota, in the United States. It is a special church because it is the main church, or cathedral, for the Diocese of New Ulm. A diocese is like a church district, and the cathedral is where the bishop, a church leader, has his main seat.

History of the Cathedral
Images for kids
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History of the Cathedral

Early Days of the Church

The Catholic community in New Ulm started in the mid-1800s. A priest named Rev. Franz Weninger, from the Society of Jesus, helped begin this community. The very first church building was made of wood and started in 1858.

However, this first church was never finished. During a conflict in 1862, the people defending New Ulm destroyed it. They did this to prevent members of the Dakota people from using it as a shield.

Building a New Church

After the conflict ended, a man named Michael Lauterbach gave two pieces of land to Bishop Thomas Grace. This land was for building a new church. The first stone, called a cornerstone, for this new church was placed on September 1, 1866.

In 1868, Rev. Alexander Berghold became the first full-time priest in New Ulm. The new church was dedicated, or officially opened, by Bishop Grace on December 11, 1870. This church was 36 feet wide and 97 feet long. Sadly, a powerful tornado destroyed this building on July 15, 1881.

The Current Cathedral

People began raising money for a new church, and by September 1888, they had enough. A.C. Ochs signed a contract to build the church we see today on March 29, 1890. The cornerstone for this building was laid on May 4, 1890.

The tall steeple of the church was finished in 1893. The beautiful decorations inside were completed in 1903. The church's style is called Baroque, which means it has lots of fancy details. The walls are decorated with paintings of many saints, angels, and scenes from the life of Christ. These paintings use dark colors with shiny gold accents.

In the apse, which is a rounded part at the end of the church, there is a large painting of the Holy Trinity and the Twelve Apostles. Alexander Schwendinger was in charge of decorating the inside, and he worked with Christ Heller and Anton Gag. In 1940, two side entrances were added to the church. A special floor called terrazzo was also put in at that time.

Becoming a Cathedral

The Diocese of New Ulm was created by Pope Pius XII on November 18, 1957. When this happened, Holy Trinity Church was chosen to be the new diocese's main church, or cathedral. Msgr. Alphonse James Schladweiler from St. Paul became the first Bishop of New Ulm. He was officially made bishop right there in Holy Trinity Cathedral.

In 1987, the cathedral was updated again. The lower part of the church was changed into a community hall. This hall was named in honor of a past priest, Msgr. Antony Leifeld.