Holy Cross Congregation worships in the oldest church building in Ste. Genevieve. Lutheranism was the second oldest Christian faith established in Ste. Genevieve, after the Roman Catholic faith. The congregation was founded in January, 1867, just after the Civil War, by a small group of German Lutherans living in and around Ste. Genevieve. For the first two years, they worshiped in homes or available halls. The trustees purchased the present church property from Francis A. and Louise Kempf for $660, and the congregation was incorporated in the Ste. Genevieve County Circuit Court on May 11, 1867, under the name "The German Lutheran Evangelical Church." Work on a church building began in early spring 1867, the building was roughly finished and occupied in 1869, and all the finishing touches were added by 1875. It was built from native materials, including a limestone rock foundation, hand-made brick, and wooden beams. Its $3,000 construction cost was a major undertaking for the small group, and Roman Catholic friends and neighbors helped financially. In 1868, the congregation received its first resident pastor, the Rev. Otte F. Voigt, and a German Lutheran elementary school operated within the church building from 1871 to 1890.