Not long after the construction of the second Cathedral of Saint Paul in 1851, Bishop Joseph Crétin realized it was too small for the growing community.

Construction of a third cathedral, at the corner of St. Peter and Sixth Streets in Downtown St. Paul, started in 1854.

[1] After having been delayed by the Panic of 1857 and Crétin's death—the foundation walls had not yet progressed beyond the water table at that time—the church was completed in 1858.

[3] The building still was too small for the needs of the diocese, and plans for a larger cathedral at a different site began to be developed.

Archbishop John Ireland took on the task and purchased land for a fourth cathedral in 1904 and construction began in 1907.