Most St. Paulites can not identify this chapel. It is on the grounds of Oakland Cemetery.  The cemetery was started in 1853. This chapel is a replacement of the original and was built in 1924.  It isn't the oldest or biggest church in St. Paul by a long shot but it is beautiful especially in the fall.  For the photographers out there I have to say Oakland is a great place for photography. There are huge oak trees everywhere and some wonderful tombstones and vaults. 

For a couple of years I was featuring photographs of local historic churches here on this site every Saturday.  Sadly I had to stop because the site became the go to place for persons in Minnesota, Wisconsin and even Iowa who were looking to buy or sell churches. I tried to find a qualified commercial Realtor to help me but sadly i could not. I had no idea that churches are bought and sold on a regular basis. I have some commercial real estate experience but not enough so that I could be of much value to a buyer or seller.

With that said . . and I hope I don't get too many requests from people looking to buy a church because this one is not for sale . . here is St. Johns Lutheran Church . It was built in the mid 1850's and is located in Stillwater Minnesota.  I love our grand huge churches here in St. Paul but I also love the little country churches I find here and there in the small towns surrounding St. Paul.

I have always liked the color of the new spring leaves and took this photo yesterday of the steeple on The House of Hope Presbyterian church on Summit ave. in St. Paul.  The leaves are still small and the color is so vibrant.

This is a beautiful time of year and one day we may have average temperatures and be able to get out and enjoy it. I don't get to enjoy the weather much on Saturday's in the spring.  The weekend is the busiest part of the week. I will be out showing houses today. maybe even your house if it is on the market.

I used to write about a local historic church every Saturday. It has been a hobby of mine for years to photograph them and I do that in the twin cities and all over the country when ever I have the opportunity.  Unfortunately it is hard to find information about many of them. The churches that do have web sites rarely have information about the building. Some can be found on the historic registers but not all.  They are built by one denomination and half a century later sold to another and then in some cases they change hands every decade or so after that. 

The history of the building becomes unimportant and gets lost in the shuffle.  It would be nice to have one web site that has all the churches on it and a place where buyers and sellers can get information. There seems to be an underserved market for people looking to buy or sell churches.  I am not sure I am ready to take on that project but I continue to take my photos and collect information.

The church in the picture couldn't be found on the Internet. It looks like it was built in the 1800's but I am not sure. It is located on highway 61 blvd just east of the 316 shoer cut to Hastings from Welch Village, MN

This from Dave, one of our readers:

Here's the Minnesota Historical Society's National Register of Historic Places summary for the Cross of Christ Lutheran Church which was originally the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Welch when built in 1878, according NRHP data extracted by waymarking.com.

Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, located at 1936 Standford, Avenue, St. Paul, MN. The building was built in 1938 .  Thee architectural style is Gothic,  but it is unusual in that it has no steeple and the exterior is made of seven kinds of granite.

It is very colorful, with beautiful stained glass windows.  The interior was renovated in 2002. The parish has a school next door.

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1935 St. Clair Avenue, St. Paul, MN

This building is not on the national register and I am unable to find a complete history.  It was built in 1926.  The church is about the same age as many of the homes in the immediate area.

A friend of mine keeps asking me when I am going to start posting "Saturday’s" church again.  I guess today is the day and we do have a special guest, St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, and she is a beauty.  Another Cass gilbert creation, built in 1893.

Made of limestone, in the Gothic Style, and modeled after and English Parish church.    The church cost $25,000 to build and was a gift from Mrs. Theodore Eaton of New York.

The church is located at 901 Portland Avenue, St. Paul, MN.  Kind of hidden behind William Mitchel law school.