kids encyclopedia robot

St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
St. Mary's Church and Rectory
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property
St marys iowa city.jpg
St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa) is located in Iowa
St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa)
Location in Iowa
St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa) is located in the United States
St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa)
Location in the United States
Location 220 E. Jefferson St.
Iowa City, Iowa
Area approximately 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built 1867
Built by Hugh Gilles
A. Groebel
J.J. Hotz
Part of Jefferson Street Historic District (ID04001097)
NRHP reference No. 80001454
Added to NRHP February 8, 1980

St. Mary's Catholic Church, also called St. Mary of the Visitation Church, is a historic church in Iowa City, Iowa. It belongs to the Diocese of Davenport. The church building and its rectory (the priest's home) were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. They are also part of the Jefferson Street Historic District. The very first rectory for St. Mary's is also on the National Register. It is now a private home located a few blocks away.

History of St. Mary's Church

FRMazzuchelli
Rev. Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, OP
St marys rectory iowa city
The first rectory building

The first Catholic Mass in what is now Iowa City happened on December 20, 1840. A missionary priest named Rev. Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli led the service. Twenty-eight people attended in a building that was both a home and a hotel. Today, the University of Iowa’s School of Business stands on that spot. The day before, Father Mazzuchelli bought the land where the church and current rectory are now.

St. Mary's parish was officially started by Father Mazzuchelli in 1841. He designed a small wooden church building. The first stone for this building was placed on July 12, 1841. Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque oversaw this event. The church, named St. Mary of the Assumption, was mostly finished by 1842.

Many priests visited to celebrate Mass in the new church. By 1844, the parish had grown to about 70 families. Rev. Anthony Godfert became the first full-time pastor. A year later, he started St. Joseph Cemetery. After Godfert left in 1846, visiting priests served the parish again. In 1848, Rev. F.B. Poyet became pastor, and the parish has had a pastor ever since.

In the 1850s, the parish started its first choir. A balcony was added inside the church. The first rectory was built in 1853 when Rev. Mathias Hannon was pastor. During this time, many German and Bohemian immigrants joined the church. In 1862, St. Francis Xavier Church was started for Bohemian immigrants. When that church burned down in 1869, those families returned to St. Mary's.

Rev. William Emonds became pastor in 1858. He served for 32 years. During his time, Catholic education grew, and the current church was built. He also helped start 44 other parishes and built churches in many of them.

Building the Current Church

Father Emonds first made the old church bigger, but it was clear a new one was needed. The first stone for the current church was laid on October 27, 1867. Hugh Gilles and A. Groebel were hired to build it. The new church was built around the old one while people still worshipped inside. Once the new roof was on, the old building was taken down.

It took two years to build the church. The tall spire (the pointed top) was finished later. When the church was dedicated, it already had the main altar, pews, pulpit, and stained glass windows. Bishop John Hennessey dedicated the new church on August 15, 1869. It was named St. Mary of the Visitation Church. This was the first church in the Diocese of Dubuque to be "consecrated," meaning officially set apart for sacred use. The church cost $75,000 to build. The tower was finished in 1873, and the spire and cross were added in 1874. A set of 17 bells, called a carillon, was added to the tower in 1885.

Growth and Changes

St. Mary's parish was divided as other churches were built in Iowa City. St. Patrick's was founded in 1872. St. Wenceslaus was started in 1891 for the Bohemian community. St. Thomas More began in 1944 as a Newman Center for college students before becoming its own parish.

The parish became part of the Diocese of Davenport when it was created in 1881. In 1891, the old rectory was moved four blocks away. The next year, the current rectory was built. It was designed to match the church and cost $8,000.

The church building was updated in 1908. This work included adding sixteen buttresses (supports) to make the building stronger. A new cross and spire were built, and a basement was dug under the church. The inside of the church was redecorated. J.J. Hotz, a local builder, did the buttressing. The church was redecorated again in 1941 for its 100th anniversary. The current pews were added then.

After the Second Vatican Council (a big meeting of Catholic leaders in the 1960s), some changes were made to church services. A new altar was added so the priest could face the people. Masses were now said in English instead of Latin. More updates happened in the early 1980s. The pipe organ was rebuilt in 1981. A parish hall was built in the church basement in 1982. The church interior was redecorated in 1983. This included removing the communion rail, adding new carpet, and changing the altar and other furniture. The tabernacle (where the Eucharist is kept) was moved to a side altar. Around 2000, the church was redecorated again. The baptismal font was moved near the front door, and new carpet was installed.

The parish council was started in 1969. From 1971 to 1980, two priests served as co-pastors. In 1986, the parish began tithing, giving a percentage of its income to charity. Around the same time, the parish offices moved out of the rectory to a house next to the church. In 1988, the church tower was rebuilt. In 1992, another house was added to the parish offices, and both buildings were updated for more space. The parish also hired its first youth minister. Today, about 1,700 families belong to St. Mary's parish.

Architecture of the Church and Rectory

St. Mary's Church interior - Iowa City, Iowa 01
The interior of St. Mary's Church.
St. Mary's Church interior - Iowa City, Iowa 02
The Moline pipe organ of St. Mary's Church.

The church is built from red brick on a stone foundation, with stone decorations. It has a Romanesque Revival style, seen in its round arches over entrances and windows. However, its tall, vertical shape also looks like Gothic Revival style. The sides of the church have seven sections, separated by buttresses. Each section has a stained glass window.

The front of the church has a tall, two-part bell tower with an octagon-shaped spire on top. The main entrance is at the base of the tower. There are also smaller entrances on each side. These entrances have round arches. Above the main entrance are two pairs of round arch windows. Above them is the bell chamber, which has a clock on each side of the tower. The church has a gable roof.

Inside, the church is a large open space without columns. The arches of the vaulted ceiling rise high on the walls. The tall wooden high altar has a painting of the Visitation. Statues of Saint Patrick and Saint Boniface stand on either side of the painting. Above the painting is a statue of Saint Anne with Mary as a child. The lower part of the altar has statues of the Four Evangelists.

The altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary was put in place in 1872. It has a main statue of Mary, with statues of Saints Bernard of Clairvaux and Bonaventure on the sides. Below them are carvings of Old Testament Prophets like Moses and David. The Saint Joseph altar was installed in 1900. It has a main statue of Joseph, with Saints Aloysius Gonzaga and Anthony of Padua on the sides.

The Moline pipe organ, still used today, was installed in 1883 in the back balcony. The Stations of the Cross are plaster carvings. Statues of the Twelve Apostles are along the side walls of the nave (the main part of the church).

The rectory is a wooden building covered with brick veneer. It has a pointed hip roof. Large gabled sections stick out on the east and south sides. The front of the house is not perfectly even. It has a window section on one corner and a large porch on the other. The porch has large semicircular brick arches that match the church's Romanesque Revival style.

St. Mary's School

Saint Mary's Convent - Iowa City
The former convent, now part of the Newman Center

In 1844, Father Godfert started the parish's first school in the church basement. Miss Norma O'Connor was the first teacher. The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary came to Iowa City in 1860 to teach at St. Mary's. They also opened a school for girls called St. Agatha's Seminary in 1861. In 1865, Father Emonds started St. Joseph Institute, a school for advanced learning. It closed around 1890.

In 1892, the parish bought land for a new school. The first stone for this new school was laid on September 11, 1892. The new school opened in 1893. Franciscan Sisters taught there until 1895, when the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary returned. In 1897, high school grades were added. This was the first Catholic high school in Iowa to be approved by the State University of Iowa.

In 1911, an addition was built onto the school, which included an auditorium and cafeteria. A convent (a home for the sisters) was also built. This convent was replaced by the current building, now part of the Newman Center, in 1926. The new convent cost $33,000.

St. Mary's and St. Patrick's high schools joined together in 1958 to form Regina High School. The St. Mary's School building started to get old and was closed in 1968. The elementary and junior high school students from St. Mary's then went to St. Patrick's school building. The sisters stayed in the St. Mary's Convent. In 1975, the St. Mary's school buildings and convent were sold to the diocese for use by the Newman Center. In the early 1990s, Regina High School got an addition, and the elementary and junior high grades moved there from St. Patrick's.

The school building had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as St. Mary's High School. It was removed from the list in 1997 after the buildings were torn down.

The Pipe Organ

The Moline pipe organ was installed in 1883. It is located in a balcony at the back of the church. It has three keyboards and many different sounds (stops). The organ was carefully restored in 2015, so it still sounds beautiful today.

kids search engine
St. Mary's Church and Rectory (Iowa City, Iowa) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.