St. Peter's Cemetery of Lewiston
Originally known as the French Cemetery, St. Peter’s Cemetery was established on July 1, 1876, with the acquisition of eight acres of land on the Switzerland Road. The first interment, on July 2nd of that year, was Joseph Gaudios Laroche, 10-month-old son of Joseph Laroche and Celine Ferland. Cemetery records indicate, however, that there were 172 interments between 1870 and July 1, 1876, in what was then known as Le Cimietière de la Congrégation Canadienne.
With the arrival of the Society of Dominican Fathers in 1881, the cemetery along with all properties and undertakings of St. Peter’s Parish fell under their administration.
The Dominican Fathers owned and operated St. Peter’s Cemetery from 1881 until December 31, 1994, when it was turned over to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland.
The part of the cemetery known as the “Monument Section” lies between Switzerland Road and Deer Road and is often referred to as the “old cemetery.” This area is made up of over 4,000 multi-grave lots.
The “Shrine Section” was consecrated by the Bishop Daniel Feeney, DD, in August 1954. There are over 9,000 graves among the eight sections in this newer part of the cemetery.
In May 1972, Bishop Edward O’Leary, DD, presided over the dedication of the first of our two mausoleum chapels. A second chapel was later added in 1984. In total, there are 600 crypt spaces and almost 700 niche spaces between the two chapels.
At the rear of the original chapel is a beautiful stained-glass window designed and executed by Franz Shroeder in Munich, Germany. This chapel is also the home of three hand carved Lindenwood statues designed by Leopold Moroder of Ortisie in Northern Italy.
The bell tower contains three electro-mechanical Campanile bells which produce sounds equivalent to 16,900 pounds of cast bronze bells.
In 2014, Bishop Robert Deeley blessed and dedicated the St. Louis Mausoleum. Adjacent to our chapel, the St. Louis Mausoleum is an outdoor structure containing 140 crypt spaces and 284 niche spaces.
The most recent addition to the cemetery is the Garden of the Apostles which is located behind the chapel and is dedicated solely for cremation burial and inurnment. Cremation benches, free-standing columbaria, and double niche monuments highlight this beautiful area.
Over the years, the cemetery has grown to over 70 acres of developed land, and over 45,000 burials have taken place.
Please contact a family service advisor at 207-782-8721 to update your contact information or to receive information on pre-planning your own cemetery arrangements. We are open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact Us
St. Peter's Cemetery
217 Switzerland Road
Lewiston, ME
207-782-8721
Resources
Genealogy - St. Peter Cemetery burial database
Find A Grave (External link) - Information on burial locations and pictures of headstone and markers at St. Peter's Cemetery which have been uploaded by volunteers. This is an independent website and is not affiliated with the cemetery.
