St. Mary Roman Catholic Church (Detroit) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Mary Roman Catholic Church
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Location | 646 Monroe Street Detroit, Michigan |
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| Architect | Peter Dederichs |
| Architectural style | Pisan Romanesque |
| Part of | Greektown Historic District (ID82002902) |
| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1982 |
St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, also known as the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a historic church in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in the city. The church was designed by Peter Dederichs, who was born in Germany. It was built for a community of German immigrants in the 1800s.
You can find St. Mary's at 646 Monroe Street. This area is now known as the Greektown Historic District in downtown Detroit. People often call it "Old St. Mary's Church." This helps avoid confusion with other churches named St. Mary's in Detroit or nearby towns like Royal Oak, Monroe, or Wayne.
The first church building was put up in 1841. Later, a school was built in 1868. This was the first of the new buildings for the church complex. A rectory (where the priests live) was added in 1876. The current church building was finished between 1884 and 1885. A convent (for nuns) was completed in 1922. The convent was taken down in the early 2000s. A new community center was built in its place. It was designed to look like the original 1841 church.
Since 1893, priests from the Spiritans or Holy Ghost Fathers have served St. Mary Parish. Before them, the Franciscan Fathers were there from 1872 to 1893. The Redemptorist Fathers served the church from 1847 to 1872.
The Church's Story
The church community started in 1834. Father Martin Kundig created it for German-speaking Catholic immigrants. These immigrants had settled in this part of Detroit. The first church was built in 1841 on land sold for just one dollar. Antoine and Monica Beaubien, who were early French settlers, sold the land. The building materials cost an extra $239. The Beaubiens also gave four bells for the new church.
The first stone for the current church building was placed in 1884. The church was completed in 1885. Peter Dederichs, the architect, was from Germany and trained there. He was also a member of St. Mary's Church. He designed another church nearby called Sacred Heart Church.
In the early 1900s, Father Joseph Wuest was the pastor of Old St. Mary's. He had three special cave-like areas, called grottos, built behind the church. One grotto is the Baptistry. It shows the scene of the Baptism of Jesus from the Bible. Next to it is a copy of the Shrine of Lourdes. This grotto has an altar where Mass is held every week. Older church members say Father Wuest collected the rocks for this grotto during a trip to Lourdes, France.
On the other side of the church is the third grotto. This one shows the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is where Jesus prayed the night before his crucifixion.
Rev. John A. Lemke was born in Detroit in 1866. His parents were Polish immigrants. He was baptized at St. Mary's in 1866. He studied at Detroit College and a seminary in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1889, he became the first Roman Catholic priest of Polish descent born in the United States. He sadly passed away from an illness in 1890.
St. Mary's school opened in 1844 with regular teachers. In 1852, the Christian Brothers started teaching the older boys. The School Sisters of Notre Dame taught the girls and younger boys. The school building was replaced in 1855. The current school building, designed by Pius Daubner, was built in 1868. The school continued to operate until 1966.
The church, school, and rectory were recognized as Michigan Historic Sites in 1979. Markers were placed at all three buildings.
Church Design and Features
The church is made of red brick. It is built in the Romanesque style, which is a type of architecture. It also has some Venetian design elements. The front of the church has two tall towers. Between these towers is a large round window called a rose window. The rectory and the former convent also used this Romanesque-Venetian style.
The church is about 176 feet (54 meters) long. The main part of the church, called the nave, is 80 feet (24 meters) wide. It reaches a height of 90 feet (27 meters).
A special part of the church's inside are the ten shiny granite columns. These columns separate the main aisle from the side aisles. Each column is made from a single piece of granite. They were actually meant for the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing. For reasons unknown, the Capitol did not use them. The church bought all ten columns for only $4,625. This made the total cost of building the church $81,210.
More to Explore
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
- Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
- Greektown Historic District
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Santa María (Detroit) para niños
