Religious Architecture in Minnesota
Authored by Iris Steiner-Manning and Sebass Cherian in 2024
Watt Munisotaram Main Campus
The largest Cambodian Buddhist temple in the United States is in rural Hampton, Minnesota.
Cathedral Interior
The interior of the St. Paul Cathedral was intended to inspire awe in its viewers. Its massive dome is the highest structure in the city.
Hindu Temple Maple Grove
The Hindu Temple of Minnesota was constructed to unite Minnesota's Hindu community. Before the temple was formed, they had no formal place of worship to gather in.
Mandir
This building's architecture makes it appear to be a church, but since 2014 it has been the home of a Hindu temple known as Minnesota Hindu Milan Mandir. Although they modified the window from the interior, temple leaders kept the cross visible from the exterior to emphasize that people of all faiths are welcome.
Architecture is one of many ways religious groups express themselves, both to outsiders and to their communities. Minnesota is full of different kinds of religious architecture, and each building tells a complex story about the people it serves.
Some Minnesota communities have built large, dramatic structures that solidify their presence in the state. The Cathedral of St. Paul, which looms over the city from a hilltop, was a way for Catholics to establish themselves. Built almost one hundred years later, the Cambodian Buddhist Watt Munisotaram serves a similar role and creates a peaceful home for a community of refugees. These purposefully built buildings demonstrate the hopes and histories of their faith communities.
However, since constructing grand buildings from scratch is extremely expensive, many religious communities in Minnesota have had to create their own religious spaces in pre-existing buildings built for other purposes. The ways in which religious communities have interacted with the spaces they've repurposed can provide insight into how the histories and faiths of those communities fit into the wider social fabric of Minnesota.
