St. Patrick Church (Imogene, Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Patrick Church
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 304 3rd Street Imogene, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1915-1919 |
| Architect | Harry Lawrie |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival Romanesque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000360 |
| Added to NRHP | July 7, 1983 |
St. Patrick Church is a historic Catholic church located in Imogene, Iowa, a small town in the United States. It's a special place of worship for the local Catholic community, part of the Diocese of Des Moines. Because of its important history and beautiful design, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. This means it's recognized as a significant landmark worth protecting.
Contents
The Church's Story
Early Days and Irish Settlers
In 1869, many Irish immigrants started making their homes in southwestern Iowa. Ten years later, the town of Imogene was officially formed. Some young Irish men, who had been raising cattle for New Melleray Abbey near Dubuque, Iowa, stayed in the area. They helped build the railroad, which brought more people to this part of Iowa.
In 1876, Father Gerald Stack arrived to serve the Catholic families. He held church services in a schoolhouse and later in a home. In 1880, Father Stack officially started St. Patrick's as a "mission" church. This meant it was a smaller church connected to a larger one, St. Mary's parish in Shenandoah, Iowa.
The first church building in Imogene was a wooden one, built in 1881 for $1,800. That same year, the church in Imogene became part of the new Diocese of Davenport. A cemetery, Mount Calvary Cemetery, was bought south of town in 1883.
Father Hayes's Impact
St. Patrick's became its own independent church, called a "parish," in 1888. Father Edmund Hayes, from County Cork, Ireland, became its first resident priest, known as a "pastor." Father Hayes had a huge impact on both the church and the town. He was very well-known across Iowa.
Father Hayes was wealthy, having inherited money from his family. He used some of his own money to help the church. Soon after he arrived, a "rectory" (the priest's house) was built. The original church was made bigger, and then replaced with a brick church in 1892. A new rectory was built in 1904.
In 1906, a school called St. Patrick's Academy was built. Father Hayes helped pay for all these projects. In 1911, St. Patrick's became part of the new Diocese of Des Moines.
Fire and Rebuilding
On February 12, 1915, a fire sadly destroyed the brick church. Only the church bell and a statue called the Pietà were saved.
An architect from Omaha, Nebraska, Harry Lawrie, designed the church you see today. Construction began in August 1915 and finished on March 20, 1919. While the church was being built, services were held in a local hall and then in the new church's basement. The first service in the basement was on October 29, 1916.
The new church was even wired for electricity, even though electricity hadn't arrived in Imogene yet! Father Hayes donated the beautiful Carrara marble altars and the baptismal font as a memorial to his family. These were very valuable. He traveled all the way to Pietrasanta, Italy, to order them himself. Sadly, the first set of altars was on a ship that was sunk during World War I. So, the altars in the church today are his second choice. It took two years for the Italian sculptor Enrico Tonnegetti and his team to put the altars together.
After the church's building debt was paid off, it was officially dedicated on March 17, 1924. Father Hayes also helped bring electricity and streetlights to Imogene. He even helped start the town's waterworks and library. He passed away in 1928 and was buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery.
Church Design and Art
Outside the Church
St. Patrick's Church is about 130 feet long and 65 feet wide. Its outside walls are made of dark brick. The church combines two old building styles: Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival.
You can see Gothic features in the pointed arched windows and door frames. The stone around the large front window, the strong wall supports (called "buttresses") near the entrance, and the stone trim on the roof's triangular part (the "gable") are also Gothic. Even the hinges on the front doors look Gothic.
Romanesque features include the stone trim mixed with the brick, and stone bands that go around the building near the ground (the "water table"). The buttresses have decorative stone tops, and there's a round corner buttress. A tower on the corner has a castle-like top (a "battlement"). The front part of the church sticks out and has several gables, which is also Romanesque.
Inside the Church
Inside, the church has one main open space called a "nave." The ceiling is made of oak and rises 65 feet high. It's supported by six special wooden beams called "hammer beam trusses." Each beam is decorated with a four-leaf clover shape.
The main altar is made of white Carrara marble and has a statue of St. Patrick in its center. The altars on the sides have statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph. The altars are shiny, which makes the statues look different with their softer finish. A marble "altar rail" separates the altar area from the rest of the church. The bronze gates in the middle of the rail were added later.
The walls of the nave are lined with beautiful Stained glass windows. These windows show themes of love for God, country, and family. Italian glass artists created these windows, often commissioned by families in Imogene. The Stations of the Cross, which show scenes from Jesus's journey, are made of mosaic and marble and were brought from Venice, Italy. The Pietà statue, which Father Hayes donated in 1910, was saved from the old church fire and is still in the church today.
St. Patrick Academy
St. Patrick Academy was a school located next to the church. When it opened on September 9, 1907, it had 100 students! Because there were so many students, Father Hayes bought another building, a former German Lutheran Church, across the street. This building was used for the first and second grades.
The Sisters of Mercy taught at the school from 1907 to 1918. Later, Dominican Sisters taught there from 1920 to 1969. A new building for the sisters, called a "convent," was built across the street from the church in 1922, where the old Lutheran church had been torn down.
St. Patrick Academy closed in 1969. The Dominican Sisters stayed to help with the church's religious education program. The sisters left the parish in 1972, and the academy building was torn down that same year. Religious education classes then moved into the former convent, which is now called the Faith Center.
