St. Louis, King of France, was founded in 1868 to serve the French-speaking Catholics of St. Paul. This church was dedicated by Bishop Thomas L. Grace on December 20, 1868. When this church became too small, a new building was sought. In 1881, the community purchased the former Universalist Church at
Wabasha and Exchange Streets. This served the community for twenty-eight years, until Archbishop Ireland invited the Marist Fathers to take over leadership of the parish, and commissioned Emmanual Masqueray, designer of the Cathedral, to build a new church. Completed in 1909, the handsome, twin-towered, Romanesque building is one of the architectural masterpieces of the Archdiocese. Its ornate interior features columns of polished Minnesota granite. A magnificent organ by Casavant Freres
was installed in 1998 and is used for organ recitals as well as service music.