While the building only stood for around two decades, it left a lasting impact as the eponym of the capital city of Minnesota, Saint Paul.

In 1840, Catholic missionary Father Lucien Galtier was sent by Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque to minister to the French Canadians in Minnesota.

[3] The location decided upon was the bluff above the "Pig's Eye" riverboat landing downriver from Fort Snelling, consisting of portions of property owned by nearby farmers Benjamin Gervais and Vital Guerin.

[8] The south-facing[1] chapel, dedicated to the Apostle Paul, was built in October 1841 using red and white oak logs secured by wooden pins.

[9] Dedicated on November 1, 1841, the chapel was the first house of worship to be erected within the current city limits, with its cemetery being approximately at the present corner of Third and Minnesota streets.

[4]: 43–44  In the winter of 1847/1848, a bell from the steamship Argo, which had sunk north of Winona, was presented to Ravoux by Henry M. Rice and hung in a belfry beside the chapel.

[11][7][12] When Joseph Crétin was appointed as the bishop of the newly established Diocese of St. Paul in July 1851, the log chapel became the first cathedral.