OLDEST - Standing Church West of the Mississippi River - Old St. Ferdinand Shrine - Florissant, Missouri - Superlatives on Waymarking.com

St. Ferdinand's parish was established in 1789 and soon became the community center. The present church was constructed in 1821 and is believed to be the oldest Catholic church in the upper Louisiana territory.

Old St. Ferdinand Shrine, with its wings, forms a group of buildings of unusual historical and architectural importance. The convent wing, built in 1819, is one of the few brick buildings in Missouri of this age and is almost in its original condition. It is considered one of the best examples in brick of the Federal style of architecture in the state. All of the buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a cultural inventory of our nation's irreplaceable resources, and form St. Ferdinand's Shrine Historic District.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, one of Missouri's foremost pioneer women, canonized July 3, 1988, lived in the convent from 1819 to 1827 and again from 1834 to 1840. Here she established the first school in Florissant." ~ St. Louis Catholic Archdiocese

St. Ferdinand ceased as a parish church in 1955. Old St. Ferdinand Shrine and Historic Site is owned, preserved, maintained and protected by Friends of Old St. Ferdinand, Inc., a non-profit organization founded in 1959

The shrine is open for tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 pm and 4 pm.

Type of documentation of superlative status: Website listed below Location of coordinates: At entry of church building Web Site: [Web Link]

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