Saint Raphael's Cathedral (Madison, Wisconsin)
Coordinates: 43°04′20.26″N 89°23′10.48″W / 43.0722944°N 89.3862444°W
Saint Raphael's Cathedral parish is the Cathedral parish for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison and is located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin at 222 West Main Street. In March 2005, the Cathedral building located at 204 W. Main St. was heavily damaged in a fire and was demolished. The parish community remained active, and intends to rebuild the cathedral. As of October 2015, no plans have been announced for the rebuilding. In late 2012, a park was constructed on the former site, called Cathedral Square or Cathedral Place, and features a Way of the Cross.
In the early 1840s, immigrants from Ireland settled in what would later become Madison. They were soon organized into a parish named after the Archangel Raphael. On August 15, 1842, Mass was offered for the first time by Father Martin Kundig. The land upon which the parish buildings and a later parking lot would be built was donated by Governor James Duane Doty, a close friend of Father Samuel Mazzuchelli.
From 1842 until 1853, the parish did not have a church of its own. Mass was often celebrated in homes and in the state capitol. In 1853, Father Francis Etchmann began constructing the most recent church building. The cornerstone was laid on May 28, 1854 by Bishop John Henni of the Diocese of Milwaukee. He dedicated the new building because the parish was under his jurisdiction at the time. The spire and bells were added in 1885.
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