St. Francis Xavier College Church

Last updated

St. Francis Xavier College Church
St. Francis Xavier College Church - St. Louis 01.jpg
The College Church in 2018
Location map USA St. Louis.png
Red pog.svg
USA Missouri location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationLindell and N. Grand Blvds., St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates 38°38′13″N90°13′59″W / 38.63694°N 90.23306°W / 38.63694; -90.23306
Arealess than one acre
Built1884-1898
ArchitectThomas Walsh
Henry Switzer
Architectural style Gothic Revival
Part of Midtown Historic District (St. Louis) (ID78003392 [1] )
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 7, 1978
Designated STLL1976

St. Francis Xavier College Church is a Catholic church in the Midtown neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The church was built by the Society of Jesus in 1836: the current building dates from 1884. [2] It serves as a parish church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis and for the Saint Louis University community. It is a contributing property in the Midtown Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places and it is listed as a City Landmark in St. Louis.

Contents

History

Interior of the church in 1910 Interior of St. Francis Xavier College Church in 1910.jpg
Interior of the church in 1910
Interior of the church today St. Francis Xavier College Church interior 01.jpg
Interior of the church today

The parish was established in 1836 when St. Louis Bishop Joseph Rosati, C.M. permitted the Jesuits to establish a parish at their college. It was St. Louis' first English-speaking parish. [3] The congregation initially met in the college's student chapel, which was dedicated to St. Aloysius Gonzaga. The chapel was located on Washington Avenue between Ninth and Tenth Streets. As the parish grew, plans for its own building were begun. The cornerstone for the first church was laid on April 12, 1840, by Bishop Rosati. It was located at the intersection of Ninth Street and Christy (Lucas) Avenue. While from its beginning the church was dedicated to St. Francis Xavier it has always been popularly called the College Church. [3]

Saint Louis University moved to its present location on Grand Boulevard in 1867. Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick gave permission in 1879 for the College Church to move to the new campus. Plans for the current church were drawn up by St. Louis architect Thomas Walsh. He had previously designed DuBourg Hall, which served as the only university building for several years. [3] Excavation for the new church began on June 8, 1884, and the cornerstone was laid by Coadjutor Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan. He was assisted by Bishops William H. Gross, C.Ss.R. of Savannah and Joseph Dwenger, C.Pp.S. of Fort Wayne. By the end of the year, the lower church was completed and a roof built over it. It served the parish as its church until the upper church was completed.

The upper church was built as finances allowed. The original architect, Walsh, died before it could be built. Henry C. Bronsgeest, S.J., the parish pastor, hired Chicago architect Henry Switzer to complete the church. Bronsgeest had the upper church modeled after St. Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Ireland. [4] The church was completed in 1898, with the exception of the spire on top of the tower. It was completed in 1914 and bells were placed in the tower at the same time. [5] The windows were created by Emil Frei Jr., and they were installed from 1929 to 1938. [4] George and Anna Backer provided the funding for the windows.

The church was listed as a City Landmark in St. Louis in 1976. [5] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the Midtown Historic District in 1978. [1] A major renovation of the church was completed in 1990.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Missouri, USA

The Archdiocese of St. Louis is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the City of St. Louis and the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis, Warren, and Washington. It is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province containing three suffragan sees: Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, the Diocese of Jefferson City, and the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of St. Louis, King of France</span> Church building in St. Louis, Missouri, US

The Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, formerly the Cathedral of Saint Louis, and colloquially the Old Cathedral, is a Catholic church in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the first cathedral west of the Mississippi River and until 1844 the only parish church in St. Louis. It is one of two Catholic basilicas in St. Louis and both are named for King Louis IX of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Iowa, USA

The Archdiocese of Dubuque is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Raphael's Cathedral (Dubuque, Iowa)</span> Church in Iowa, United States

St. Raphael's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral and a parish church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque located in Dubuque, Iowa. The parish is the oldest congregation of any Christian denomination in the state of Iowa. The cathedral church, rectory, former convent, and former parochial school building are contributing properties in the Cathedral Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Francis Xavier Church, Liverpool</span> Church in Liverpool, England

St Francis Xavier's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Salisbury Street, Everton, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active parish church in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and the Pastoral Area of Liverpool North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Patrick's Old Cathedral</span> Catholic parish church in Manhattan, New York

The Basilica of Saint Patrick's Old Cathedral, sometimes shortened to St. Patrick's Old Cathedral or simply Old St. Patrick's, is a Catholic parish church, a basilica, and the former cathedral of the Archdiocese of New York, located in the Nolita neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Built between 1809 and 1815 and designed by Joseph-François Mangin in the Gothic Revival style, it was the seat of the archdiocese until the current St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan opened in 1879. Currently, liturgies are celebrated in English, Spanish, and Chinese. The church is at 260–264 Mulberry Street between Prince and Houston streets, with the primary entrance on Mott Street. Old St. Patrick parish merged with Most Precious Blood parish, and the two churches share priests and administrative staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Indiana, United States

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Indiana in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Keely</span> Irish-American architect

Patrick Charles Keely was an Irish-American architect based in Brooklyn, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island. He was a prolific designer of nearly 600 churches and hundreds of other institutional buildings for the Roman Catholic Church or Roman Catholic patrons in the eastern United States and Canada, particularly in New York City, Boston and Chicago in the later half of the 19th century. He designed every 19th-century Catholic cathedral in New England. Several other church and institutional architects began their careers in his firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains</span> United States historic place

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains is a Catholic cathedral of the Latin Church in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. The basilica is a Greek revival structure located at 8th and Plum streets in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States. It is dedicated to Saint Peter's imprisonment and liberation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Paul Seminary</span> Catholic seminary system in Minneapolis, U.S.

The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women on Catholic theology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of Salvador</span>

The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador, officially dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ and named Primatial Cathedral Basilica of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the seat of the Archbishop of the city of Salvador, in the State of Bahia, in Brazil. The Archbishop of Salvador is also ex officioPrimate of Brazil. The structure was built by the Society of Jesus as part of a large Jesuit monastic and educational complex. The current church is the built on the site, and was consecrated in 1654. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Brazil in 1759 the school and church were transferred to the Archbishopric of Bahia. Archbishop Augusto Álvaro da Silva ordered the demolition of the existing cathedral of Salvador in 1933 to construct a tram line, and elevated the existing Jesuit structure to the status of basilica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church (St. Louis)</span>

St. Alphonsus Liguori "Rock" Catholic Church is an historic Black Catholic church in St. Louis, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrine of St. Joseph, St. Louis</span> Historic church in Missouri, United States

The Shrine of St. Joseph is a Catholic church in St. Louis, Missouri in Columbus Square. The church began in 1843 when the Jesuits founded the parish to serve the residential community consisting mostly of German immigrants. The church is the site of the only authenticated miracle in the Midwestern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Stanislaus Seminary</span> United States historic place

St. Stanislaus Seminary is a former Society of Jesus (Jesuits) seminary that was founded in 1823 on the outskirts of Florissant, Missouri within the current municipal limits of Hazelwood, Missouri. It was the longest continuously operated Jesuit novitiate in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Francis de Sales Oratory (St. Louis)</span> Historic church in Missouri, United States

St. Francis de Sales Church is a Roman Catholic Oratory located in south St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It is the second largest church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis after the cathedral-basilica. The church is popularly known as the "Cathedral of South St. Louis".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Francis Xavier Church (Parkersburg, West Virginia)</span> Historic church in West Virginia, United States

St. Francis Xavier Church is a historic church at 532 Market Street in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Library</span> Historic church in Indiana, United States

The St. Francis Xavier Cathedral is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Vincennes, Indiana, under the Diocese of Evansville. Named for Francis Xavier, a 16th-century Jesuit apostle, it is located opposite George Rogers Clark National Historical Park at 205 Church Street, within the Vincennes Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old St. Ferdinand Shrine</span> United States historic place

Old St. Ferdinand Shrine and Historic Site is located at no. 1 rue St. Francois, Florissant, Missouri, and is owned, preserved, maintained, and protected by the non-profit organization, Friends of Old St. Ferdinand, Inc. The Shrine and Historic Site consists of four historic buildings on their original locations: the 1819 convent, 1821 church, 1840 rectory, and 1888 schoolhouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church (Cape Girardeau, Missouri)</span> Historic church in Missouri, United States

The St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau, Missouri is a historic church at 131 South Main Street. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's of the Barrens Catholic Church (Perryville, Missouri)</span> Historic church in Missouri, United States

St. Mary's of the Barrens Church is a Catholic Church and former seminary in Perryville, Missouri. St. Mary's is the historic seat of the American Vincentians and since its establishment in 1818 has served as an educational institution, a Vincentian house of formation, and a Vincentian community residence. The complex of eight contributing buildings, one contributing site, and two contributing structures was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995 as St. Mary's of the Barrens Historic District. St. Mary's is the home of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "Timeline of Saint Louis University". Saint Louis University. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "College Church". Saint Louis University. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Early History". St. Francis Xavier College Church. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "St. Francis Xavier College Church - City Landmark #69". City of St. Louis. Retrieved October 10, 2014.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to St. Francis Xavier College Church, St. Louis at Wikimedia Commons