Calvary Cemetery

Known for its dramatic and unusual monument styles and architectural features, including angels of all sizes, Calvary is a repository of history of both the City of St. Paul and the Catholic Church in this area.

The oldest of our cemeteries, Calvary Cemetery was established by Bishop Cretin and other early church leaders to serve the largely Catholic community in St. Paul’s early days.

Since 1856, more than 103,000 burials have taken place at Calvary, located on a scenic bluff overlooking downtown St. Paul. In addition to the cemetery’s in-ground burial sites, the Calvary Mausoleum complex offers both crypt spaces and cremation niches.

Monuments of some of the young city’s most prominent early families can be found at Calvary, including Louis Robert, a fur trader who built the city’s first home, and Eugene Larpenteur, whose large farm was located on the site of the state fairgrounds. U.S. Supreme Court justice Pierce Butler, French-born architect E.L. Masqueray and Fredrick McGhee, St. Paul’s first black lawyer, are among the many leaders buried at Calvary.

Calvary is one of the oldest and most historically significant cemeteries in the Twin Cities area. The Archdiocese’s early bishops and archbishops — Cretin, Dowling, Grace and Ireland — are all buried at Calvary. Archbishop Ireland’s sister, Mother Seraphine, who founded the College of St. Catherine, is among the hundreds of nuns and priests buried in special sections for religious orders.

In May 2005, Calvary observed its 150th anniversary with a community-wide celebration.

Each Memorial Day, the public is welcome to a special Mass at Calvary, followed by refreshments.

Calvary Cemetery is a place for generations of family and history at your doorstep.

Larry Sime, Calvary Cemetery Patron

CALVARY CEMETERY INFO

HOURS

CEMETERY GROUNDS
7 days a week, from dawn to dusk.

OFFICE HOURS
While the office at Calvary is closed, we are available by phone Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm.

CEMETERY MAP

ADDRESS

753 Front Ave.
Saint Paul, MN 55103

DIRECTIONS

From Hwy 94 in St. Paul, exit Lexington Parkway. Travel north one mile to Front Ave. Turn right (east) on Front Ave. Calvary is one half mile on right.

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