History of the Shrine

The oldest Catholic congregation in St. Louis was founded in 1770. This congregation was located at what we know today as the "Old Cathedral" (below the Gateway Arch). It was originally a log church, then rebuilt in 1776, and later constructed of brick in 1821. The "Old Cathedral" we know today was built in 1834. This, then clearly shows, that the St. Ferdinand church building is older that the Old Cathedral by 14 years.

The Shrine is at the site of one of the earliest European settlements west of the Mississippi. Although Spain controlled the area, early settlers here were French farmers and fur trappers attracted to the fertile banks of nearby Coldwater Creek. The French called the valley “Fleurissant” which means “flowering” or “flourishing” while the Spanish called the tiny settlement “St. Ferdinand.” While it is not known when the first settlers came to the area, it is believed that the village was settled about the same time St. Louis was (1764). The king of Spain actually granted the village the site where the old church was built. The settlement was typical of French settlements at the time with a commons and common fields where the villagers did their farming.

Formal civil government came to the area in 1786 when Francois Dunegant served as civil and military commandant. A census held the next year indicated there were 40 people and seven plantations, according to Spanish archives.

The St. Ferdinand parish was established in 1789. For a number of years a log church served the community until the original portion of the existing church was constructed in 1821.

The convent was built in 1819, and Mass was said in its chapel for the first time on Christmas Eve of that year.

St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne, a member of the Religious Order of the Sacred Heart, an order which had been founded in 1800 in France, lived in the convent from 1819 to 1827 and from 1834 to 1840. (See more history about St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne.)

The cornerstone for the Church, a gift of Mother Duchesne, was laid in February of 1821. In August of that year, Mary Ann Layton became the first American to become a Religious of the Sacred Heart when she made her vows at the convent.

In June of 1823 the church was served by the Jesuits who established a seminary at the Bishop’s Farm, now St. Stanislaus. Four years later Father Peter DeSmet, later known as "Black Robe" to the Indians he served through his missionary work, was ordained at St. Ferdinand. He would later turn St. Louis into the "missionary gateway to the West."

In 1846 the Religious of Sacred Heart left St. Ferdinand and the following year the Sisters of Loretto were appointed to the parish. In 1880, the same year that the church was enlarged and a bell tower and altar was built, the nuns opened New Loretto Academy, a four-story brick building. In 1888 a parish school was built to educate the children of the growing parish.

The school served the community for many years, however in 1957 with a soaring population, a new St. Ferdinand Church was built several miles away. The Archdiocese of St. Louis begin talks of tearing down the old church complex. However by 1958 a group was formed to save the complex. The Friends of Old St. Ferdinand was presented with a deed of the property from the Archdiocese for the cost of $1.00. In 1979 the complex was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1988 with the canonization of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne it was designated Old St. Ferdinand Shrine by the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

A fire in 1966 caused extensive damage to the rectory but a restoration was undertaken immediately. Another fire in 1976 destroyed a brick building at the rear of the church, which was the last of those erected by the Sisters of Loretto.

The Shrine is operated and maintained by the Friends of Old St. Ferdinand, a non-profit agency.

St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne

St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne, a member of the Religious Order of the Sacred Heart, an order which had been founded in 1800 in France, lived in the convent from 1819 to 1827 and from 1834 to 1840.

Mother Duchesne came to the Florissant area from France and provided in her writing some of the best descriptions of early life in Missouri.

In 1825 she established a school for Indian girls and later, when she moved to St. Louis, she ran a school for the children of wealthy St. Louisans. The school she founded in St. Charles, Missouri in 1818 was the first free girls school west of the Mississippi.

The Catholic Church beatified Mother Duchesne in 1940 as the fourth saint in the United States. She was canonized a saint July 3,1988.

St. Rose Phillipine Duchesne

Tour Information

We welcome you to Old St. Ferdinand Shrine. We know you will enjoy your visit.

Old St. Ferdinand Shrine is the oldest Catholic church west of the Mississippi. When you walk through the buildings you will be walking on the same floors, walking the same stairs and sitting in the same pews that residents in 1819 used. You will be amazed at the original condition of the Shrine Campus.

Each visit consists of an informative tour of the Church, a tour of the Convent (all three floors) which was the home of St. Phillipine Duchesne for approximately 15 years, and a tour of the rectory – both floors. The tour is conducted with knowledgeable docents.

After the tour of the Church, Convent and Rectory, with time permitting, you will be able to visit the schoolhouse and enjoy our Book Fair. Also available is our Heart of the Oak Book Store. All tours take approximately one and a half hours.

There is no charge for tours, but donations are gladly accepted.

Our tours can be conducted for all ages – we give tours from first graders to senior citizens.

Lunch Available

We are also able to provide a lunch for you in the Shrine Scoolhouse. The cost of the tour and lunch is $15.00 per person.

Lunch includes a deli sandwich, pasta salad, green salad, dessert and beverages.

Please fill the form below and click the "Submit" button . We will get back with you via email or phone within 24 hours to confirm your reservation. If you do not hear from us, please call to confirm your reservation.

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