St. Mary's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
Saint Mary's Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport
. The church is located in Davenport, Iowa
, United States
, at the corner of Fillmore and W. 6th Streets. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Complex. The designation includes the church building and rectory on the west side of Fillmore Street, and the school building operated by the parish and convent are on the east side. A former school building operated by the parish at 1334 W. 8th Street is also on the NRHP and is listed as St. Mary's Academy
.
in 1867. The parish served the 150 English speaking Catholic families who lived in the city’s west end because the priest at St. Kunigunda refused to do so. St. Mary’s complex was built two blocks to the west of St. Kunigunda, later renamed St. Joseph
. Bishop John Hennessy
laid the cornerstone of the church on July 21, 1867. The church property was on the northeastern section of St. Mary's Cemetery which was established by Bishop Mathias Loras
in 1849. The property for the cemetery was purchased from Judge C. G. R. Mitchell, who had also donated the land for St. Kunigunda. The church was built of red brick in the Romanesque Revival style, with a rectangular plan, decorative brickwork and a central bell tower. The rectory
was built at about the same time next to the church. The rectory is also built of red brick in the Colonial Revival style. The church was built for $25,000 and the parish paid $8,000 to build the rectory.
Rev. J.A.M. Pelamourgues
of St. Anthony’s Church
downtown Davenport was its first pastor. The first resident pastor was the Rev. Maurice Flavin who came to St. Mary’s on May 10, 1868, and continued to serve the parish until 1871 when he was replaced with his brother, the Rev. Michael Flavin. The parish became a part of the Diocese of Davenport when it was established on May 8, 1881.
In 1883 the church acquired a new pipe organ
that was built by the Moline Pipe Organ Co. One of the organist at the church was Célestine Fejérvary. She visited Europe ten years later and while she was in Belgium
she acquired a painting, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin for St Mary’s. It was painted by Guido Reni
, an 18th century court artist, and is a copy of a painting by Raphael
. The both the organ and the painting remain in the church.
In 1898 St. Mary’s helped establish a new parish in the northwest section of Davenport, Holy Family. The Redemptorists
started St. Alphonsus Church to serve the working class neighborhoods in the west end in 1908. From that year the parish boundaries for St. Mary’s were established.
The first school building used by the parish was built by Rev. Michael Flavin two blocks to the north of the church. The current school building was built by Msgr. J.P. Ryan directly across the street from the church. Initially, the Sisters of Mercy
taught in the school. They were followed by the Sisters of the Holy Cross
. The parish continued to support its own school until declining enrollments forced it to merge schools with neighboring St. Joseph parish. The merged school was named Holy Trinity and it continued into the 1990s when St. Mary’s ended the merger.
In the late 1980s the city’s Spanish speaking community came to St. Mary’s. Liturgies are now celebrated in both English and Spanish.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese...
. The church is located in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, at the corner of Fillmore and W. 6th Streets. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Complex. The designation includes the church building and rectory on the west side of Fillmore Street, and the school building operated by the parish and convent are on the east side. A former school building operated by the parish at 1334 W. 8th Street is also on the NRHP and is listed as St. Mary's Academy
St. Mary's Academy (Davenport, Iowa)
St. Mary’s Academy, located at 1334 W. 8th Street, in Davenport, Iowa, United States is an historic structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was built as a school building for St. Mary’s Catholic Church, which is also listed on the NRHP.-History:The structure was...
.
History
St. Mary's was established as a parish of the Diocese of DubuqueRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. It includes all the Iowa counties north of Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar, and Clinton counties. ...
in 1867. The parish served the 150 English speaking Catholic families who lived in the city’s west end because the priest at St. Kunigunda refused to do so. St. Mary’s complex was built two blocks to the west of St. Kunigunda, later renamed St. Joseph
St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Saint Joseph Catholic Church is a former parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, at the corner of Marquette and W. 6th Streets. It is listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of...
. Bishop John Hennessy
John Hennessy (Archbishop)
-External links:**...
laid the cornerstone of the church on July 21, 1867. The church property was on the northeastern section of St. Mary's Cemetery which was established by Bishop Mathias Loras
Mathias Loras
Bishop Mathias Loras was an immigrant French priest to the United States who later became the first bishop of the Dubuque Diocese in what would become the state of Iowa.-Early Life & Ministry:...
in 1849. The property for the cemetery was purchased from Judge C. G. R. Mitchell, who had also donated the land for St. Kunigunda. The church was built of red brick in the Romanesque Revival style, with a rectangular plan, decorative brickwork and a central bell tower. The rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
was built at about the same time next to the church. The rectory is also built of red brick in the Colonial Revival style. The church was built for $25,000 and the parish paid $8,000 to build the rectory.
Rev. J.A.M. Pelamourgues
J.A.M. Pelamourgues
Jean-Antoine-Marie Pelamourgues was a French missionary who was one of the first Roman Catholic priests to serve in the Diocese of Dubuque in the state of Iowa. He served as the first pastor of St. Anthony's Church in Davenport, Iowa from 1839-1868.-Early Life & Ministry:Pelamourgues was born in...
of St. Anthony’s Church
St. Anthony's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Saint Anthony's Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, at the corner of 4th and Main Streets. It is the first church congregation organized in the city of Davenport and the second, after St. Raphael's...
downtown Davenport was its first pastor. The first resident pastor was the Rev. Maurice Flavin who came to St. Mary’s on May 10, 1868, and continued to serve the parish until 1871 when he was replaced with his brother, the Rev. Michael Flavin. The parish became a part of the Diocese of Davenport when it was established on May 8, 1881.
In 1883 the church acquired a new pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
that was built by the Moline Pipe Organ Co. One of the organist at the church was Célestine Fejérvary. She visited Europe ten years later and while she was in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
she acquired a painting, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin for St Mary’s. It was painted by Guido Reni
Guido Reni
Guido Reni was an Italian painter of high-Baroque style.-Biography:Born in Bologna into a family of musicians, Guido Reni was the son of Daniele Reni and Ginevra de’ Pozzi. As a child of nine, he was apprenticed under the Bolognese studio of Denis Calvaert. Soon after, he was joined in that...
, an 18th century court artist, and is a copy of a painting by Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
. The both the organ and the painting remain in the church.
In 1898 St. Mary’s helped establish a new parish in the northwest section of Davenport, Holy Family. The Redemptorists
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Roman Catholic missionary Congregation founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori at Scala, near Amalfi, Italy for the purpose of labouring among the neglected country people in the neighbourhood of Naples.Members of the Congregation, priests and brothers,...
started St. Alphonsus Church to serve the working class neighborhoods in the west end in 1908. From that year the parish boundaries for St. Mary’s were established.
The first school building used by the parish was built by Rev. Michael Flavin two blocks to the north of the church. The current school building was built by Msgr. J.P. Ryan directly across the street from the church. Initially, the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
taught in the school. They were followed by the Sisters of the Holy Cross
Sisters of the Holy Cross
The Sisters of the Holy Cross headquartered on the same grounds as Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, is one of three Catholic congregations of religious sisters which trace their origins to the foundation of the Congregation of Holy Cross by the Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau,...
. The parish continued to support its own school until declining enrollments forced it to merge schools with neighboring St. Joseph parish. The merged school was named Holy Trinity and it continued into the 1990s when St. Mary’s ended the merger.
In the late 1980s the city’s Spanish speaking community came to St. Mary’s. Liturgies are now celebrated in both English and Spanish.