.gif)
St. Hedwig's (Milwaukee)
Encyclopedia
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
) is a Roman Catholic parish located at 1702 N. Humboldt Ave. on Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
's East Side
East Side, Milwaukee
East Side is a neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, considered to be a cultural and trend-setting center of the city since at least the 1960s. Encompassing an area just north of downtown Milwaukee to Shorewood, bordered by the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan, the area encompasses residences,...
, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Roman Catholic archdiocese headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, as well as the counties of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, all...
.
Dedication
This church is dedicated to St. Hedwig (Jadwiga of PolandJadwiga of Poland
Jadwiga was monarch of Poland from 1384 to her death. Her official title was 'king' rather than 'queen', reflecting that she was a sovereign in her own right and not merely a royal consort. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, the daughter of King Louis I of Hungary and Elizabeth of...
), queen and saint of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
History
Polish immigrants congregated not only on Milwaukee’s south side, but also on its east side. Most of the settlers had come from Prussia and suffered through Otto Von BismarckOtto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
’s repressive Kulturkampf
Kulturkampf
The German term refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. The Kulturkampf did not extend to the other German states such as Bavaria...
. The area was known as the "Kepa", or "camp", because it had once had a military camp. In the beginning Polish residents from Milwaukee’s east side who wished to attend Mass in their native language made a long and arduous journey on foot to St. Stanislaus. Those who were not up to this task attended St. Mary’s on Broadway or St. John Nepomuc, a Bohemian church.
The Poles on Milwaukee's east side were energized by the construction of St. Stanislaus church on the south side, and 40 families met in 1871 to organize their own parish closer to home. A wooden church was erected on the corner of Brady and Humboldt and dedicated to St. Hedwig, who had been a queen of Poland.
In 1885, a major riot broke out in the church over the choice of an organist. Riots ensued and the police were called in to bring order. The priest resigned and the parish was closed by the Archdiocese for three months. A new pastor, Father Clement Rogozinski was appointed and his first Mass was said on December 11, 1885. Father Rogozinski had been born in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1835 and had been ordained in Łowicz in 1861, just as another national uprising was taking place against the Tsar. The provisional Polish government had chosen Rogozinski to administer the oath of allegiance to the rebels. After the uprising failed, Rogozinski tried to escape to Galicia, but was detained by the Russian police and imprisoned in Olomuniec for 11 months. After his release, he journeyed to America, finally settling in Milwaukee. Father Rogozinski, who was revered by the local Polish community for his patriotic efforts, brought a calming presence to the parish, and the wounds were healed.
As the parish grew, the original church structure proved to be too small, having been originally designed for only 200 parishioners. It was now bursting at the seams with nearly 600 area families wishing to attend Mass. Two lots were purchased from a Mr. Kowalski for $6000, and the parish borrowed an additional $15,000 to begin construction of a new church. In August 1886, excavation for the new church began. The clay around Milwaukee lacked iron, so the church was built in the cream colored brick known as "Cream City brick
Cream City brick
Cream City brick is a cream or light yellow-colored brick made from a clay found around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Menomonee River Valley and on the western banks of Lake Michigan...
", which was typical of Milwaukee structures at the time.
Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the ethnic mix of the neighborhood began to change. Poles left the area to be replaced by Irish, Italians, and Hispanics. In the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
the Brady Street area became the hub of Milwaukee's counterculture movement as the neighborhood continued to change.
On July 1, 2000, St. Hedwig’s was consolidated with Holy Rosary Church, formerly an Irish church, and St. Rita’s, founded by Italians, to form The Three Holy Women parish. It serves an ethnically and culturally diverse neighborhood.
Architecture
St Hedwig's was designed by local architect Henry Messmer. A RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
-influenced building, its decorative elements are drawn from Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
, eighteenth-century and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an motifs. The copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
-clad spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
of the central tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
recalls the eighteenth and nineteenth century churches of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. St. Hedwig's, like other Polish churches in Milwaukee, is characterized by arched windows and domical tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
s and spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
s.
External links
- The Polish Churches of Milwaukee
- Guide to Milwaukee 's Historic Buildings in Cream City Brick
- The Ethno-Religious Landscape of Milwaukee's East Village
Wisconsin°N date=July 2009°W