St. Raphael's Cathedral (Dubuque, Iowa)

St. Raphael’s Cathedral
Cathedral and rectory
Location	Dubuque, Iowa
Country	United States
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	cathedralstpats.org
History
Founded	1833 (parish)
Dedication	Saint Raphael
Dedicated	July 7, 1861
Architecture
Status	Cathedral/Parish
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	John Mullany
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1857
Completed	1861
Specifications
Length	160 feet (49 m)
Width	83 feet (25 m)
Height	85 feet (26 m) (church) 130 feet (40 m) (tower)
Materials	Brick Limestone
Administration
Archdiocese	Dubuque
Clergy
Archbishop	Most Rev. Michael Jackels
Rector	Rev. Tom Toale
St. Raphael’s Cathedral, Rectory, Convent and School
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
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Location	231 Bluff St. Dubuque, Iowa
Coordinates	42°29′41.18″N 90°40′2.52″W / 42.4947722°N 90.6673667°W / 42.4947722; -90.6673667Coordinates: 42°29′41.18″N 90°40′2.52″W / 42.4947722°N 90.6673667°W / 42.4947722; -90.6673667
Built	1870 (rectory) 1880s (convent) 1904 (school)
Architectural style	Italianate (rectory) Second Empire (convent) Neoclassical (school)
Part of	Cathedral Historic District (Dubuque, Iowa) (#85002501)
Added to NRHP	September 25, 1985

St. Raphael's Cathedral, Dubuque, Iowa, United States, is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The parish is the oldest congregation of any Christian denomination in the state of Iowa. It is a contributing property in the Cathedral Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Cathedral parish traces its origin to 1833, when the first group of settlers gathered for Mass. Father Charles Felix Van Quickenborne, a Belgian Jesuit, organized them into a parish. The parish did not have a regular church building yet, so the members met at various homes for mass. Father Quickenborne began planning for a church building, but left before the materials were assembled.

Father Charles Francis Fitzmaurice arrived in the area in 1834 and began working with the parish. He gathered materials and money to build the church, but he died during a cholera outbreak in the spring of 1835. He did not have a chance to begin work on the church building. For a time, the parishioners met in a log cabin that was set aside for worship.

The next pastor, Father Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, OP came to Dubuque later in 1835. He reorganized the parish, and dedicated it to the Archangel Raphael. Under his guidance, a stone church building was constructed. Father Mazzuchelli personally drew the plans for this building, which served for the next 25 years. It was located just south of the current Cathedral.