St. Peter's Church (Brownsville, Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
St. Peter's Church is a historic Catholic church in Brownsville, Pennsylvania
, in the Diocese of Greensburg
. The first Catholic parish in Fayette County
, it is the oldest continuously operating parish in Western Pennsylvania. It is also believed to have been the spot on which the first religious service of any kind offered west of the Allegheny Mountains
was held. On July 1, 1754, French troops on their way to capture Fort Necessity from the British climbed the bank from the Monongahela River
with their Chaplain Rev. Denys Baron and prayed for victory. That mass of the French troops is depicted in one of the stained glass windows in the church.
The stone Gothic Revival
church building on Church Street is a landmark. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
The church was established in 1843 to serve the burgeoning Irish American
population. At the time, Brownsville was an important gateway to the West and South due to its location on the National Road
, and believing it, not Pittsburgh
, would become the seat of the episcopal see
, the founders built the church to be a future cathedral
. The pulpit
is located to the left of the altar, as in a cathedral, and the crypt
includes space for the tombs of bishops.
The stained glass windows, which feature 32 different shades of blue depict Catholic history from 1754 to 1843.
Brownsville, Pennsylvania
Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, officially founded in 1785 located 35 miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River...
, in the Diocese of Greensburg
Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg
The Diocese of Greensburg is a Roman Catholic diocese centered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania that has 85 parishes in Armstrong, Fayette, Indiana, and Westmoreland counties in Western Pennsylvania. The diocese was founded on March 10, 1951, and is currently in the process of reorganization...
. The first Catholic parish in Fayette County
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the2010 census, the population was 136,606. The county is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, it is the oldest continuously operating parish in Western Pennsylvania. It is also believed to have been the spot on which the first religious service of any kind offered west of the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
was held. On July 1, 1754, French troops on their way to capture Fort Necessity from the British climbed the bank from the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
with their Chaplain Rev. Denys Baron and prayed for victory. That mass of the French troops is depicted in one of the stained glass windows in the church.
The stone Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church building on Church Street is a landmark. It was added to 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...
in 1980.
The church was established in 1843 to serve the burgeoning Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
population. At the time, Brownsville was an important gateway to the West and South due to its location on the National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
, and believing it, not Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, would become the seat of the episcopal see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
, the founders built the church to be a future cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
is located to the left of the altar, as in a cathedral, and the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
includes space for the tombs of bishops.
The stained glass windows, which feature 32 different shades of blue depict Catholic history from 1754 to 1843.
Cemetery
Another unique feature of St. Peter's is its cemetery. In addition to its unique inscriptions on the headstone, the Cemetery has been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not as the only cemetery with heated graves. The boiler that heated the church was located in a separate building across the street and the pipes running under the cemetery to the church created a significant enough amount of heat to even melt snow on the grave sites.Notable Burials
- Jacob Bowman-established Nemacolin Castle
- Parents of James G. BlaineJames G. BlaineJames Gillespie Blaine was a U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time Secretary of State...
, a Brownsville native who narrowly lost the 1884 United States presidential election to Grover ClevelandGrover ClevelandStephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents... - Thomas BrownThomas Brown (businessman)Thomas Brown, was the colonial era husbandman, businessman, and land speculator who along with his brother Basil acquired the bulk of the lands towards the end of the American Revolution from non-other than the somewhat infamous Thomas CresapColonel Cresap had worked with Delaware Chief Nemacolin...
-Colonial businessman and founder of Brownsville