St. Mary's Church (Beaverville, Illinois) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Mary's Church
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St. Mary's Church, Beaverville, IL
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 308 St. Charles Avenue Beaverville, Illinois |
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| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) |
| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | Joseph Molitor |
| Architectural style | Romanesque, Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 96000514 |
| Added to NRHP | May 2, 1996 |
St. Mary's Catholic Church is a beautiful church located in Beaverville, Illinois. People often call it the "Prairie Cathedral" or the "Cathedral of the Cornfields." This special Roman Catholic church was built between 1909 and 1911. It has two tall towers and a unique dome roof made of tiles. St. Mary's Church is the tallest and most famous building in Beaverville. In 1996, it was recognized as an important historical place and added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Building Design and Style
The famous architect Joseph Molitor from Chicago designed St. Mary's Church. He used a style called Romanesque Revival. This style often includes round arches and strong, heavy walls. The church was built using large blocks of limestone that have a rough outside surface.
Church Shape and Size
The church building has an L-shape. There is a smaller section at the back that forms the "leg" of the L. St. Mary's Church is the tallest building in Beaverville. It is also the most easily seen landmark in the village.
Main Entrance and Towers
The main entrance to the church is on its west side. There are three sets of double doors. Each door has a beautiful stained glass window above it. On both sides of the entrance, there are two tall towers. These towers are four stories high. The third and fourth floors of each tower are open. They have arched openings framed by decorative columns called pilasters. The third-floor openings have railings, and the fourth-floor openings have special wedge-shaped stones called keystones. They also have classical cornices, which are decorative ledges. Both towers have triangular tops called pediments.
Dome and Roofs
In the center of the church, there is an eight-sided section. This section is topped with a large dome roof. The roof is covered with red French clay tiles. Each side of the octagon is 52 feet long, and its base is 32 feet wide. At the very top of the dome, there is a small flat eight-sided area. An iron railing surrounds this area.
The other parts of the church have seven smaller roofs. These roofs are shaped like triangles, known as gable roofs. A smaller eight-sided roof covers the back wing of the church. All these roofs are also covered with the same red tiles. About 22,000 tiles were used to build all the roofs of the church.
Stained Glass Windows
Each side of the church's first floor has seven arched stained glass windows. Six of these windows on each side are the same size. A larger window is located at the base of the octagon. The second story of the octagon has three smaller windows on each side. The church's wing also has five more stained glass windows. Two of these are on each floor of the west side, and the fifth is on the east side's second story.
Church History
The St. Mary's church community started in 1857. At that time, the village of Beaverville was known as St. Marie. The church community opened its own school in 1895. The next year, they also started a convent, which is a home for nuns.
Building the New Church
Because more and more people joined the church, they needed a bigger building. So, construction on the current church began in 1909. The new church was officially opened in 1911. However, it took many years to pay off all the money owed for building the church. The debt was finally paid in 1945.
Decorations and Renovations
After the church's debt was cleared, the community decorated the inside of the church. But many of these beautiful decorations were changed or removed during renovations in the 1970s. The church's elementary school closed in 1965, and the high school closed in 1969. Even though the schools are closed, church services are still held in St. Mary's Church today.
