Diocese of Belleville

The Diocese of Belleville was established on January 7, 1887, when Pope Leo XIII divided the Diocese of Alton, carving out the southernmost 28 counties of Illinois. Covering roughly 11,678 square miles of the Mississippi River bottomlands and the Shawnee Hills, it serves 106 parishes. The Cathedral of Saint Peter in Belleville dates to 1843 and was rebuilt after a fire in 1912 in the style of Exeter Cathedral. The Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville is one of the largest outdoor Marian shrines in North America.