Old Cathedral/Basilica of St. Louis, King of France
A Confluence Attraction

Contact
(314) 231-3250

Participating Confluence Organization
National Park Service

Hours
Open daily for masses. Call for schedule.

Location
209 Walnut St.
St. Louis, MO 63102
On the grounds of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) near the Mississippi Riverfront in downtown St. Louis.

Directions
(By car) Located at the foot of Market Street at Memorial Drive. There is parking adjacent to the Cathedral.
(By bike) The nearest bike trail is the St. Louis Riverfront Trail, which terminates at the Gateway Arch (see the Trail description on this website). Proceed through the Arch grounds a short distance farther south to the Cathedral.

History and Features
The Basilica of St. Louis, King (popularly known as the Old Cathedral) is the oldest cathedral west of the Mississippi. The history of the Old Cathedral is closely tied to the history of the City of St. Louis. When Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau founded the City in 1764, Laclede dedicated this site for a church. St. Louis became a Diocese in 1826, and the cornerstone of this cathedral was laid in 1831. This building was the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of St. Louis until 1914, when the new Cathedral was completed in the City’s Central West End. In 1961, the Old Cathedral was recognized by the Pope as a Basilica, acknowledging its status as a "treasure of the universal church."