Sacred Heart-Gros Cap Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sacred Heart-Gros Cap Church
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 Location in Michigan
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| Location | N903 Gros Cap Rd. Moran Township, Michigan |
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| Built | 1918-1919 |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000217 |
| Added to NRHP | May 3, 2016 |
The Sacred Heart-Gros Cap Church is an old church building in Moran Township, Michigan. It is located on Gros Cap Road. This church is special because it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. This means it's an important historical building that should be protected.
Contents
A Church for the Community
The area around Gros Cap, Michigan, was mostly empty until about 1840. Then, a small group of people started living there. Many of them were fishermen. The community slowly grew bigger over the years. By 1892, Gros Cap was large enough to have its own post office.
People living in Gros Cap who were Catholic had to travel to a mission in St. Ignace for church services. They usually went by boat. Sometimes, a priest from St. Ignace would visit Gros Cap. He would hold church services in the local town hall.
Building the Church
In 1917, the people of Gros Cap decided they needed their own church. They met together to raise money for it. Someone even donated land for the church building. Construction started in 1918 and was finished in 1919.
The new church was a "mission" of the St. Ignace church. This means the same priest from St. Ignace would come to Gros Cap to lead services. The church was used by the community until 1967, when it closed.
Saving the Church
In 1979, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette gave the church building to Moran Township. They had one condition: the township had to promise to keep the church safe as a historic landmark. The township agreed and worked to fix up the building.
What the Church Looks Like
The Gros Cap church is a rectangular building made of wood. It has a pointed roof, which is called a "gabled" roof. The outside walls are covered with white wooden boards called clapboard.
Front of the Church
The front of the church looks balanced and even. It has a square tower that sticks out from the middle. This tower has a double door for the main entrance. Above the doors, there is a beautiful stained glass window shaped like a pointed arch.
Higher up on the tower, there are three small round windows, one on each side. The tower ends in an eight-sided point with a cross on top.
Windows and Inside
On each side of the tower, there are two tall, narrow windows. These are called "lancet" windows and are also filled with stained glass. They are shaped like pointed arches, just like the one above the doors. Eight more of these windows line each side of the church. All the windows have green wooden trim around them.
Inside the church, you can find a wooden altar and a piece of art behind it, both in a Gothic style. There is also a wooden rail in front of the altar, wooden pews (church benches), a confessional (a small room for confessions), and a gallery at the back.
