One of the earliest Russian Orthodox churches in Minneapolis, St. Mary’s was established in 1887 as an eastern-rite Catholic community by Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants. In 1971, the parish was raised to Cathedral status, which, in case you didn’t know, is kind of a big deal. But, regardless of your religious leanings, there’s no denying the ornate beauty of this majestic, historic property. Gilded iconography, gorgeous stained glass (we hear some of it was even gifted to the church by the czar of Russia!), and architectural eye candy galore. If you pop into the cathedral’s gift shop (yep, there’s a gift shop!) you can pick up a keepsake cross made from actual copper from the original dome. which was replaced in 2006.