St. Peter's Catholic Church (Council Bluffs, Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Peter’s Church and Rectory
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1 Bluff St. Council Bluffs, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1887 (church) 1895 (rectory) |
| Built by | Wickham Bros. |
| Architect | Mathias Schnell |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 92000923 |
| Added to NRHP | July 24, 1992 |
St. Peter's Catholic Church is a special church building in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. It's part of the Diocese of Des Moines, which is like a big family of Catholic churches in that area. This church and its nearby rectory (where the priests live) are so important that they were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. This list helps protect old and important buildings.
Contents
The Story of St. Peter's Church
How the Church Began
The idea for St. Peter's Church started in 1884 with a group of German women. They wanted a Catholic church for the German community in Council Bluffs. These women formed a group and collected 25 cents from each member every month. At that time, they went to St. Francis Xavier Parish, which was mostly Irish.
In 1886, German Catholic men also organized to help build their own church. The local Bishop, Henry Cosgrove, and Father B.P. McMenony from St. Francis Xavier, both agreed with their plan. The new church community, called a parish, officially started on April 25, 1887.
Building the Church and Other Buildings
Because there weren't many German-speaking priests available, Benedictine monks from St. Benedict's Abbey in Kansas came to serve the new parish.
A man named Mathias Schnell from Illinois designed the church. Wickham Brothers, a company from Council Bluffs, built it. The church was finished in 1887 and cost $11,126.
The next year, the men of the parish built a wooden schoolhouse for the parochial school, which is a church-run school. By the end of 1888, a wooden convent was built for the Benedictine Sisters. These Sisters taught at the school.
Later, in 1924, both the school and the convent were replaced. New brick buildings were constructed to serve as both the school and the convent. The brick rectory, where the priests lived, was finished in 1895. Wickham Brothers also built the rectory.
Changes Over the Years
When the Diocese of Des Moines was created in 1911, St. Peter's became part of it. For a long time, St. Peter's was known as an "ethnic parish." This meant it mainly served people from a specific background, in this case, German families.
In 1974, Bishop Maurice John Dingman decided to combine St. Peter's with St. Francis Xavier Parish. The St. Francis church building was taken down, but the St. Peter's building was kept for the combined parish. In 1975, priests from the Des Moines diocese took over from the Benedictine monks.
On July 24, 1992, the church and rectory were officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. This recognizes their importance in history and architecture.
The Look of St. Peter's Church
Church Design and Features
The church building is designed in a style called Gothic Revival. This style was popular in the late 1800s and looks a bit like old European cathedrals.
The front of the church is symmetrical, meaning both sides match. It has a tall, central bell tower that is 100 feet (30 meters) high. The tower has a pointed top called a spire. The sides of the church have six sections, called bays. These sections are separated by alternating buttresses (supports on the outside) and pilasters (flat columns).
Each bay has a tall, narrow window with a pointed top, known as a lancet window. The back of the church, called the apsidal end, also has three lancet windows placed high up. You can see decorative brickwork, called corbeling, near the roofline. The only change made to the outside of the church was adding an entrance for people with disabilities.
Inside, the church has three main sections, called naves, separated by columns. In 2001, the inside of the church was updated. The statues and paintings, called frescoes, were made even more beautiful. A new parish hall was completed in 1999, and an office addition was finished in 2006.
The Rectory and Shrine
The rectory, where the priests live, is a two-and-a-half-story brick house. It has a large porch on the front. Its windows have rounded tops, and there's a half-moon shaped window called a lunette window. It also has decorative brickwork, called a frieze, near the roof.
Between the church and the rectory, there is a special shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Grace. It was built around 1958 by Father J.J. Hannan.
