Saints Peter and Paul Church faces Washington Square from Filbert Street. The current building, finished in 1924, is a twin-spired church long known as the Italian Cathedral of the West for the North Beach Italian community it served.
Joe DiMaggio grew up in North Beach and was photographed on the steps after his 1939 first marriage. He and Marilyn Monroe posed here for photographs after their 1954 civil ceremony at City Hall, though the church did not perform the wedding because DiMaggio had been divorced. The facade carries a line from Dante’s Paradiso in Italian. Mass is offered in English, Italian, and Chinese.
Part of a self-guided walking tour
