St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (Maria Stein, Ohio) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Maria Stein Catholic Church and Rectory
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Front and side of the church
Location in Ohio Show map of Ohio Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	St. John's Rd. and State Route 119
Nearest city	Maria Stein, Ohio
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1889
Architect	Adolphus Druiding; Contractor: Anton DeCurtins
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
MPS	Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio TR
NRHP reference No.	79002828
Added to NRHP	July 26, 1979

The St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is a very old and important Roman Catholic church located in Maria Stein, Ohio. It's in Marion Township, Mercer County, United States. This church is still used today by a group of people who worship there. It's also known as a historic site because it's a great example of Romanesque Revival architecture from the late 1800s.

A Look at the Church's History

Church interior as viewed from the loft

The area where St. Johns is located started as a community in 1833. Later, a railway line was built through a nearby small town called Maria Stein. Since these two places were very close, about half a mile apart, businesses moved closer to the railway. Eventually, St. Johns and Maria Stein joined together and became known as Maria Stein.

Many Catholic families from northern Europe came to live in this part of Ohio in the early 1800s. This happened because of the work of a religious group called the Society of the Precious Blood. Their main base was the Maria Stein Convent, which was less than a mile north of St. Johns. The town of Maria Stein got its name from this convent.

The St. John the Baptist Parish started in St. Johns in 1837. Priests from the Society of the Precious Blood, who lived in Minster, founded it. At first, a small church made of logs was built for the people to worship in. But more and more people joined the church, and the log building became too small. So, a new church made of brick was built to replace it. As the number of members kept growing, more parts were added to the brick church. By the 1880s, the church decided to build a completely new and even bigger building. This new church, which is the one you see today, was built between 1888 and 1894. It used 135,000 bricks!

Today, St. John's is still an active church in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It's part of a group of Catholic churches in the area. This group includes Precious Blood parish in Chickasaw, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin parish in Cassella, St. Rose parish in St. Rose, and St. Sebastian parish in Sebastian. All these churches are part of the St. Marys Deanery.

The Church's Design and Look

St. John the Baptist Church before some outside changes

The current St. John's Church was finished in 1888. Its design is considered one of the best among churches in Mercer County. It has a very large tower that was planned to hold four clocks. The church uses a lot of sandstone to decorate the corners of its brick walls. You can enter the church through three doors at the bottom of the tower.

The church sits on a strong stone foundation. Its roof is shaped like a gable and is covered with asphalt. Inside, many round lancet windows made of stained glass let in light. The windows in the sacristy, a special room, are a beautiful deep blue. The inside of the church is very fancy, with detailed altars and a reredos (a screen behind the altar) built in the Romanesque Revival style.

In the 1960s, some of the outside decorations were removed during a renovation. This included the tops of the side pillars and trim around the windows and tower. However, the inside of the church has mostly stayed the same.

Experts who study old buildings have sorted the churches built by the Precious Blood Society in western Ohio into four groups. St. John's is a good example of the third group. These churches usually have a Gothic Revival style with one main tower. The church was designed by Adolphus Druiding, an architect from Chicago who was born in Germany. It was built by Anton DeCurtins from nearby Carthagena.

Other Buildings Nearby

The church parish has also run two different Catholic schools. One was a high school building, built in 1930, which is now gone. It was across the road from the church. After being a high school for some years, it became an elementary school. There was also an even older school connected to St. John's Church, but we don't know exactly when it started or closed. In 1907, about 200 students attended this school. They were taught by the Sisters of the Precious Blood.

Right next to the church, on its east side, is a rectory, which is where the priests live. It was built in 1906. The DeCurtins Brothers designed it using a mix of building styles. Its walls are made of brick, and the square building sits on a stone foundation. The roof is made of slate and has several dormer windows. Besides these buildings, the church also has a cemetery next to it.

Keeping History Alive

St. John the Baptist Church at twilight, seen from the Shrine of the Holy Relics park.

In 1977, St. John's Church and its rectory were looked at by the Ohio Historic Inventory. This program helps find and protect old buildings. Both buildings were found to be in good condition and safe from damage. Two years later, in 1979, the church and rectory were officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. This happened because of their important architectural design.

More than thirty other buildings in western Ohio, also connected to the Society of the Precious Blood, were added to the National Register at the same time. These historic buildings, including churches and other church-related structures, give their name to a special area of rural western Ohio called the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches." St. John's Church is right in the middle of this area, which has many Catholic people. It's only about half a mile from the Maria Stein Convent, which is the center of this region.