St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church (Ottumwa, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport
. The church building is located on the corner of 4th and Court Streets in downtown Ottumwa
, Iowa
United States
. It is part of the Central Park area, which is the civic center of the community. It includes: the Wapello County Courthouse
, the Ottumwa Public Library
, and the Ottumwa City Hall. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as St. Mary of the Visitation Church and Rectory.
of the Diocese of Dubuque
sent the Rev. Jean Villars from St. John the Evangelist
in Keokuk
to purchase two lots for the church and rectory and a larger piece of land for a cemetery in Louisville, as Ottumwa was known at the time. The price paid for the property was $1,100. He organized the congregation and supervised the building of a small brick church. Rev. Alexander Hattenberger was sent to be pastor of the entire Des Moines Valley in 1850. He was the first priest to celebrate Mass in what would become Des Moines. However, he found the assignment too difficult and in 1853 he was transferred to St. Joseph’s Church
in Fort Madison
. He was replaced by a newly ordained priest, the Rev. John Kreckel, who stayed in Ottumwa until his death in 1899. Not only was he responsible for Ottumwa and Wapello County, but his territory also covered Jefferson
, Van Buren, Keokuk
, Mahaska
, Polk
, Jasper
, Marion
, Monroe
, Davis
, Appanoose
, Wayne
and Decatur
Counties. He founded churches in Eddyville
, Georgetown
, and Bauer
.
A new and larger church building was constructed of stone in 1860 on the site of the present church. Two other parishes were established in Ottumwa, which reduced St. Mary’s in size. St. Patrick’s was established on the south side of town in 1879. Both parishes became part of the Diocese of Davenport when it was established in 1881. Ottumwa’s third parish, Sacred Heart, was started on the east side of town in 1897. It closed in the 1990s. The number of Spanish speaking people have moved into the Ottumwa area, and Masses are celebrated in Spanish at St. Mary’s.
. He designed the building in the Late Gothic Revival
style, which was popular at the time. The building features an asymmetrical facade with a corner bell tower. The exterior is constructed of blocks of Bedford limestone
. The tower is crenellated across the top, and features finials on three of the corners and a copper covered lantern topped by a cross on the fourth.
The main entrance of the church is deeply recessed within a Gothic arched opening. The original wooden doors matched the tympanum
area's inset panels above the doors. The doors were replaced to meet fire code. On either side of the front doors is a carved fleur-de-lis
, a symbol of purity that is used to represent the Blessed Virgin Mary under whose patronage the church is dedicated.
The interior reveals a traditional Latin Cross floor plan. The long, narrow nave
ends in the altar area. Before the altar is the transept
wing that forms the cross. Two side aisles flank the main nave and are separated from the nave with gothic arches. The interior walls are constructed of tannish-brown brick, highlighted by inset carved stone panels. The altar area was simplified following the Second Vatican Council
. The ceiling is built on large wooden trusses that hold up ornately painted ceiling panels.
Large stained glass clerestory windows line the walls of the main nave and depict different saints. Narrow windows light the side aisles. All of the windows in the church were created by Emil Frei, Inc. of St. Louis, Missouri
. The light fixtures were designed and constructed by the Beardslee Chandelier Company of Chicago, Illinois. A large pipe organ
was placed in the church in the 1990s.
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 building is located on the corner of 4th and Court Streets in downtown Ottumwa
Ottumwa, Iowa
Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,998 at the 2000 census. It is located in the southeastern part of Iowa, and the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River....
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Central Park area, which is the civic center of the community. It includes: the Wapello County Courthouse
Wapello County Courthouse
The Wapello County Courthouse in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States was built in 1894. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and...
, the Ottumwa Public Library
Ottumwa Public Library
The Ottumwa Public Library in downtown Ottumwa, Iowa, United States was built in 1901. It is part of the Central Park area, which is the civic center of the community. It includes the Wapello County Courthouse, Ottumwa City Hall and St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church...
, and the Ottumwa City Hall. The church 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 of the Visitation Church and Rectory.
History
St. Mary of the Visitation Parish was established in 1849 when Bishop Mathias LorasMathias 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:...
of the Diocese of Dubuque
Roman 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. ...
sent the Rev. Jean Villars from St. John the Evangelist
Church of All Saints (Keokuk, Iowa)
The Church of All Saints is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in Keokuk, Iowa, United States, at 301 S. 9th Street. The church building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Peter Church, the name of the original...
in Keokuk
Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk is a city in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa and one of the county seats of Lee County. The other county seat is Fort Madison. The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Sauk Chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park...
to purchase two lots for the church and rectory and a larger piece of land for a cemetery in Louisville, as Ottumwa was known at the time. The price paid for the property was $1,100. He organized the congregation and supervised the building of a small brick church. Rev. Alexander Hattenberger was sent to be pastor of the entire Des Moines Valley in 1850. He was the first priest to celebrate Mass in what would become Des Moines. However, he found the assignment too difficult and in 1853 he was transferred to St. Joseph’s Church
Holy Family Catholic Church (Fort Madison, Iowa)
Holy Family Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The parish is the result of a merger between Saints Mary and Joseph Parish and Sacred Heart Parish in the city of Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. The parish maintains both of the former parish church buildings as worship...
in Fort Madison
Fort Madison, Iowa
Fort Madison, situated on the Mississippi River, is a city in and one of the county seats of Lee County, Iowa, United States. The other county seat is Keokuk. The population was 10,715 at the 2000 census...
. He was replaced by a newly ordained priest, the Rev. John Kreckel, who stayed in Ottumwa until his death in 1899. Not only was he responsible for Ottumwa and Wapello County, but his territory also covered Jefferson
Jefferson County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,843 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,594 housing units, of which 6,846 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Van Buren, Keokuk
Keokuk County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,511 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,931 housing units, of which 4,408 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Mahaska
Mahaska County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 22,381 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,766 housing units, of which 8,975 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Polk
Polk County, Iowa
Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 430,640 in the 2010 census, an increase from 374,601 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city of Iowa...
, Jasper
Jasper County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 36,842 in the county, with a population density of . There were 16,181 housing units, of which 14,806 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Marion
Marion County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 33,309 in the county, with a population density of . There were 13,914 housing units, of which 12,723 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Monroe
Monroe County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,970 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,884 housing units, of which 3,213 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Davis
Davis County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 8,753 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,600 housing units, of which 3,201 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Appanoose
Appanoose County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,884 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,633 housing units, of which 5,627 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Wayne
Wayne County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 6,403 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,212 housing units, of which 2,652 were occupied.-2000 census:...
and Decatur
Decatur County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 8,457 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,834 housing units, of which 3,223 were occupied.-2000 census:...
Counties. He founded churches in Eddyville
Eddyville, Iowa
Eddyville is a city in Mahaska, Monroe, and Wapello Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,024 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Georgetown
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (Georgetown, Iowa)
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in rural Monroe County, Iowa, United States, on U.S. Route 34, west of Albia, Iowa...
, and Bauer
St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Lacona, Iowa)
St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a former parish of the Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in rural Lacona, Iowa, United States, one mile east of the junction of County Road G 76 and SE 97th Street. The church building still stands and it is listed on the National Register of Historic...
.
A new and larger church building was constructed of stone in 1860 on the site of the present church. Two other parishes were established in Ottumwa, which reduced St. Mary’s in size. St. Patrick’s was established on the south side of town in 1879. Both parishes became part of the Diocese of Davenport when it was established in 1881. Ottumwa’s third parish, Sacred Heart, was started on the east side of town in 1897. It closed in the 1990s. The number of Spanish speaking people have moved into the Ottumwa area, and Masses are celebrated in Spanish at St. Mary’s.
Church Building
By the 1920s it was determined the church building was too small for the growing congregation, so plans were made to replace it with the current structure. The present St. Mary of the Visitation Church was designed by C.I. Krajewski, an architect from Dubuque, IowaDubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
. He designed the building in the Late Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style, which was popular at the time. The building features an asymmetrical facade with a corner bell tower. The exterior is constructed of blocks of Bedford limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
. The tower is crenellated across the top, and features finials on three of the corners and a copper covered lantern topped by a cross on the fourth.
The main entrance of the church is deeply recessed within a Gothic arched opening. The original wooden doors matched the tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
area's inset panels above the doors. The doors were replaced to meet fire code. On either side of the front doors is a carved fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
, a symbol of purity that is used to represent the Blessed Virgin Mary under whose patronage the church is dedicated.
The interior reveals a traditional Latin Cross floor plan. The long, narrow nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
ends in the altar area. Before the altar is the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
wing that forms the cross. Two side aisles flank the main nave and are separated from the nave with gothic arches. The interior walls are constructed of tannish-brown brick, highlighted by inset carved stone panels. The altar area was simplified following the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. The ceiling is built on large wooden trusses that hold up ornately painted ceiling panels.
Large stained glass clerestory windows line the walls of the main nave and depict different saints. Narrow windows light the side aisles. All of the windows in the church were created by Emil Frei, Inc. of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The light fixtures were designed and constructed by the Beardslee Chandelier Company of Chicago, Illinois. A large 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...
was placed in the church in the 1990s.