St. Denis Catholic Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Denis Catholic Church
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 298 SR 126, North Whitefield, Maine |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1838 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000102 |
| Added to NRHP | October 29, 1976 |
St. Denis Catholic Church is a very old and important Roman Catholic church. You can find it at 298 Grand Army Road (also known as Maine State Route 126) in North Whitefield, Maine.
This church was built a long time ago, between 1833 and 1838. It's actually the third oldest Catholic church in all of New England! Because it's so special, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. People still use it today as part of the St. Michael Catholic Parish.
About St. Denis Church
The St. Denis Church is in a quiet, countryside area in North Whitefield, Maine. It's located right by a bend in State Route 126.
There are two main buildings here, both made of brick. The church building is on one side of the road, and a building called the parish hall is on the other side.
Church Building Details
The church itself is a single-story building with a pointed roof. It has a tall, square tower attached to its left side. The front of the church has three sections with tall, flat columns called pilasters. The main doors are below square windows.
The tower looks like an Italian campanile, which is a type of bell tower. It has columns at its corners and rises up to a clock section. Above that is an open area for bells, with two round-arched openings on each side. A flat roof sits on top of the tower.
Inside the church, you'll find decorations in an early style of Gothic Revival architecture. This style was popular for churches a long time ago.
A Look at History
The church community, or parish, started in 1818. It was first called "St. Dennis" parish. At first, they met in a wooden building on this same spot.
Between 1833 and 1838, the main part of the brick church you see today was built around that original wooden building. In 1850, the parish name was changed to "St. Denis" with just one "n."
The tall tower was added later, in 1861. The beautiful stained glass windows you can see inside were also added later in the 1800s. The parish hall, which is across the road, was built in 1871. The church had a big repair and cleaning project in 1997 to keep it looking good.
Joining Other Churches
On July 1, 2007, the St. Denis parish joined together with several other Catholic churches. These included St. Mary of the Assumption, St. Augustine, and St. Andrew in Augusta, and St. Joseph in Gardiner. Together, they formed a larger group called St. Michael Catholic Parish. This new parish now serves many towns in central Maine.
