St. Wenceslaus in Chicago
Encyclopedia
St. Wenceslaus - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
located in, Chicago
, Illinois
.
One of the many Polish
churches visible from the Kennedy Expressway
, it is, along with St. Hyacinth Basilica, one of two monumental religious edifices that dominates the Avondale
skyline. It is well-known for its unique architecture, as well as being the site where photographer and historic preservationist Richard Nickel
was married.
Although the historic church is a stop for many of the tourists visiting the landmark Villa District
, this majestic Romanesque
-Art Deco
hybrid is actually a few blocks south of the district's formal boundaries. St Wenceslaus is accessible via the Blue Line
's Addison
street station.
parish to relieve overcrowding at St. Hyacinth parish, which first met in a small wooden frame structure at Roscoe Street and Lawndale Avenue. The present church was built in 1942 and was the first church to be consecrated by the newly appointed Cardinal Samuel Stritch in the Archdiocese of Chicago. One of Chicago's Polish Patches, the Polish
term for the surrounding neighborhood, Wacławowo derives from the Polish
name for the church's patron, Wenceslaus I of Bohemia. In recent years, the ethnic character of St. Wenceslaus parish has undergone a gradual change from an exclusively Polish
parish to one that is multicultural and multiracial, as the neighborhood first witnessed an influx of Hispanic
and Filipino
immigrants during the 1990s and later began to experience minor pockets of gentrification
. Today Mass is celebrated in three languages: English
, Polish
and Spanish
. St. Wenceslaus has been administered by the Congregation of the Resurrection since July 2000.
On June 10, 1950 Richard Nickel
, an American
photographer and historian best known for his efforts to preserve and document the buildings of architect Louis Sullivan
married Adrienne Dembo, a young Polish-American girl at St. Wenceslaus.
St. Ladislaus
in Portage Park
was originally a mission of St. Wenceslaus in what was then a primarily rural area annexed to Chicago
.
era, including Queen of Angels in Chicago
, St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier churches in Wilmette, and St. Bernardine in Forest Park
. It is considered to be "one of the best examples of the fusion of Art Deco
stylings with medieval European architecture
in the city of Chicago
."
The building's overall design is a fusion of Byzantine
and Romanesque
elements with a host of Art Deco
features that were current at the time of construction. The church is encased in walls of pressed brick trimmed with Indiana Limestone
, some of it adorned with carved ornament to highlight the building's sacred function. At the point where the nave
narrows to the apse
, a campanile
arises, designed to direct the attention of the viewer to the purpose of the edifice.
Two monumental angel
sculptures loom over the façade
of the main entrance, which leads into a spacious and commodious narthex
or vestibule
whose walls are lavishly lined with "Notre Dame" and "Oriental" marble
on a base of Red Levanto, while the floor is paved in ceramic tiles. Beyond the narthex is the spacious and well-lit nave
which can accommodate a congregation of up to twelve hundred worshipers. To a height of ten feet above the floor and against the entire exterior wall a wainscot
of rich American Black walnut has been installed, a wood known for its exceptional beauty and sturdiness. The wainscot rests on top of a continuous base of "Windham Verde Antique" marble, and is indented by four confessionals and in the forward part of the nave four votive shrines that are set up against the wall. The aisles are paved in ceramic tiles while the pews are carved out of the same American Black walnut.
The apse
or sanctuary is enclosed behind a heavy rail of rich "Breccia Orientale" penetrated at regular intervals with a lattice of brilliant bronze
. A floor of "Oriental" and "Florida Deep Rose" marbles leads to the predella
or platform of the church's dominant feature, the main altar
. The church is designed to direct the eye to the central altar and its crucifix
, set against a huge background or reredos
of inlaid wood
. The reredos was formed by inlaying some twenty-five precious woods on a foundation of Honduras mahogany
rising to a height of thirty-seven feet above the sanctuary floor is the setting for the huge crucifix
, which is cut from a mammoth block of bluish-black "Port D'Oro" marble.
The main altar from which this featured crucifix arises is a permanent altar in the liturgical sense that it rests on its own foundation, as is required by Roman Catholic liturgical law. The side, or votive altars are similarly constructed. The altar table rests on a predella or stylobate of "Verde Nicoli", the top platform which is inlaid with "Red Verona" and "Rose Coral" marbles. The sacrificial table or mensa is light colored "Trani" surmounted by a tabernacle
of "Rose Coral" marbles. The votive or side altars conform and hence are in harmony with the principal altar, both in color and in form
The church's interior features a distinct historicizing Art Deco
motif with a color scheme of light pastel
tints, which includes the church's impressive stained glass
windows. Although the church is filled with depictions of Polish
Saints and folkloric motifs, it is much more subdued in comparison with Chicago
's more well-known Polish Cathedrals. The church's most well-known asset, a set of mosaic
stations of the cross
that were executed in the Vatican City
in Rome
, line the sides of the building's interior. All the furnishings of the church such as altars, pulpit, pews and the like were executed from designs by the original architects at the expressed wish of Monsignor Czastka who was the pastor at St. Wenceslaus at that time in order to present a consistent and harmonious edifice.
The Purgatorial shrine was painted by Jan Henryk De Rosen
who famously decorated the interior of the Armenian Cathedral in L'viv. Next to it is a recently installed figure of Santo Niño de Cebú
, a devotion to the Child Jesus popular in the Philippines
.
Unfortunately, much of the intricate painted ornamental designs that appeared throughout the church were not saved while painting during a recent renovation of the church because of a lack of parish funds.
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
located in, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
One of the many Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
churches visible from the Kennedy Expressway
Kennedy Expressway
The John F. Kennedy Expressway is a long highway that travels northwest from the Chicago Loop to O'Hare International Airport. The expressway is named for the 35th U.S. President, John F. Kennedy. The Interstate 90 portion of the Kennedy is a part of the much longer I-90...
, it is, along with St. Hyacinth Basilica, one of two monumental religious edifices that dominates the Avondale
Avondale, Chicago
Avondale is one of 77 officially designated Chicago, Illinois community areas. It is located on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Its main borders are the North Branch of the Chicago River, Diversey Avenue, Addison Street, Pulaski Road and the Union Pacific/Northwest rail line; bisecting the community...
skyline. It is well-known for its unique architecture, as well as being the site where photographer and historic preservationist Richard Nickel
Richard Nickel
Richard Stanley Nickel was an American photographer and historian of Polish descent best known for his efforts to preserve and document the buildings of architect Louis Sullivan.-Early life:...
was married.
Although the historic church is a stop for many of the tourists visiting the landmark Villa District
Villa District
The Villa District, also known as Villa Historic District, is a historic district in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is located on Chicago's Northwest Side within the community area of Irving Park. Its borders are along Pulaski Road to the west, the Union Pacific/Northwest rail line to the north, Hamlin...
, this majestic Romanesque
Romanesque 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,...
-Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
hybrid is actually a few blocks south of the district's formal boundaries. St Wenceslaus is accessible via the Blue Line
Blue Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Blue Line consists of a long trunk line in the Chicago Transit Authority's rapid transit system which extends through Chicago's Loop from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee-Dearborn subway, and across the West Side to its...
's Addison
Addison (CTA Blue Line)
Addison is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Blue Line. It is also the only station whose coordinates are equal. It is the first station in the median of the Kennedy Expressway....
street station.
History
St. Wenceslaus was founded in 1912 as a PolishPoles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
parish to relieve overcrowding at St. Hyacinth parish, which first met in a small wooden frame structure at Roscoe Street and Lawndale Avenue. The present church was built in 1942 and was the first church to be consecrated by the newly appointed Cardinal Samuel Stritch in the Archdiocese of Chicago. One of Chicago's Polish Patches, the Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
term for the surrounding neighborhood, Wacławowo derives from the Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
name for the church's patron, Wenceslaus I of Bohemia. In recent years, the ethnic character of St. Wenceslaus parish has undergone a gradual change from an exclusively Polish
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...
parish to one that is multicultural and multiracial, as the neighborhood first witnessed an influx of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
and Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
immigrants during the 1990s and later began to experience minor pockets of gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
. Today Mass is celebrated in three languages: English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. St. Wenceslaus has been administered by the Congregation of the Resurrection since July 2000.
On June 10, 1950 Richard Nickel
Richard Nickel
Richard Stanley Nickel was an American photographer and historian of Polish descent best known for his efforts to preserve and document the buildings of architect Louis Sullivan.-Early life:...
, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer and historian best known for his efforts to preserve and document the buildings of architect Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
married Adrienne Dembo, a young Polish-American girl at St. Wenceslaus.
St. Ladislaus
St. Ladislaus in Chicago
St. Ladislaus - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois.One of the many Polish churches on Chicago's Northwest Side, it is considered to be one of the more architecturally significant religious edifices in the Portage Park area, as well as one of...
in Portage Park
Portage Park, Chicago
Portage Park is located on the northwest side of the City of Chicago, Illinois and is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas of Jefferson Park and Forest Glen to the north, Dunning and the suburb of Harwood Heights to the west,...
was originally a mission of St. Wenceslaus in what was then a primarily rural area annexed to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Architecture
The church was designed by the firm of McCarthy, Smith and Eppig, a firm that worked extensively with Cardinal George Mundelein and produced numerous Chicago area Catholic churches during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
era, including Queen of Angels in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier churches in Wilmette, and St. Bernardine in Forest Park
Forest Park, Illinois
Forest Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in the United States. The population was 15,688 at the 2000 census...
. It is considered to be "one of the best examples of the fusion of Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
stylings with medieval European architecture
Medieval architecture
Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture common in Medieval Europe.-Characteristics:-Religious architecture:...
in the city of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
."
The building's overall design is a fusion of Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
and Romanesque
Romanesque 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,...
elements with a host of Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
features that were current at the time of construction. The church is encased in walls of pressed brick trimmed with Indiana 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....
, some of it adorned with carved ornament to highlight the building's sacred function. At the point where the 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...
narrows to the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
, a campanile
Campanile
Campanile is an Italian word meaning "bell tower" . The term applies to bell towers which are either part of a larger building or free-standing, although in American English, the latter meaning has become prevalent.The most famous campanile is probably the Leaning Tower of Pisa...
arises, designed to direct the attention of the viewer to the purpose of the edifice.
Two monumental angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
sculptures loom over the façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of the main entrance, which leads into a spacious and commodious narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
or vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
whose walls are lavishly lined with "Notre Dame" and "Oriental" marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
on a base of Red Levanto, while the floor is paved in ceramic tiles. Beyond the narthex is the spacious and well-lit 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...
which can accommodate a congregation of up to twelve hundred worshipers. To a height of ten feet above the floor and against the entire exterior wall a wainscot
Wainscot
Wainscot is a term used in fantasy fiction to describe societies that are concealed and secretly working in the real world. It was first coined by The Encyclopedia of Fantasy in 1997....
of rich American Black walnut has been installed, a wood known for its exceptional beauty and sturdiness. The wainscot rests on top of a continuous base of "Windham Verde Antique" marble, and is indented by four confessionals and in the forward part of the nave four votive shrines that are set up against the wall. The aisles are paved in ceramic tiles while the pews are carved out of the same American Black walnut.
The apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
or sanctuary is enclosed behind a heavy rail of rich "Breccia Orientale" penetrated at regular intervals with a lattice of brilliant bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
. A floor of "Oriental" and "Florida Deep Rose" marbles leads to the predella
Predella
A predella is the platform or step on which an altar stands . In painting, the predella is the painting or sculpture along the frame at the bottom of an altarpiece...
or platform of the church's dominant feature, the main altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
. The church is designed to direct the eye to the central altar and its crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
, set against a huge background or reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
of inlaid wood
Marquetry
Marquetry is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furniture or even seat furniture, to decorative small objects with smooth, veneerable surfaces or to freestanding pictorial panels...
. The reredos was formed by inlaying some twenty-five precious woods on a foundation of Honduras mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
rising to a height of thirty-seven feet above the sanctuary floor is the setting for the huge crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
, which is cut from a mammoth block of bluish-black "Port D'Oro" marble.
The main altar from which this featured crucifix arises is a permanent altar in the liturgical sense that it rests on its own foundation, as is required by Roman Catholic liturgical law. The side, or votive altars are similarly constructed. The altar table rests on a predella or stylobate of "Verde Nicoli", the top platform which is inlaid with "Red Verona" and "Rose Coral" marbles. The sacrificial table or mensa is light colored "Trani" surmounted by a tabernacle
Church tabernacle
A tabernacle is the fixed, locked box in which, in some Christian churches, the Eucharist is "reserved" . A less obvious container, set into the wall, is called an aumbry....
of "Rose Coral" marbles. The votive or side altars conform and hence are in harmony with the principal altar, both in color and in form
The church's interior features a distinct historicizing Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
motif with a color scheme of light pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
tints, which includes the church's impressive stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows. Although the church is filled with depictions of Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
Saints and folkloric motifs, it is much more subdued in comparison with Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's more well-known Polish Cathedrals. The church's most well-known asset, a set of mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
stations of the cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
that were executed in the Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, line the sides of the building's interior. All the furnishings of the church such as altars, pulpit, pews and the like were executed from designs by the original architects at the expressed wish of Monsignor Czastka who was the pastor at St. Wenceslaus at that time in order to present a consistent and harmonious edifice.
The Purgatorial shrine was painted by Jan Henryk De Rosen
Jan Henryk de Rosen
Jan Henryk de Rosen was a Polish painter and patriot, who became well known for his mural and mosaic works, in exile and active in the United States after 1939.-Overview:...
who famously decorated the interior of the Armenian Cathedral in L'viv. Next to it is a recently installed figure of Santo Niño de Cebú
Santo Niño de Cebu
The Santo Niño de Cebú is a Roman Catholic figure of the Child Jesus highly similar to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Like the image's counterpart in Prague, the figure is clothed in expensive textile robes mostly donations from fervent devotees in the Philippines and abroad...
, a devotion to the Child Jesus popular in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Unfortunately, much of the intricate painted ornamental designs that appeared throughout the church were not saved while painting during a recent renovation of the church because of a lack of parish funds.
External links
See also
- Polish Cathedral stylePolish Cathedral styleThe Polish Cathedral architectural style is a North American genre of Catholic church architecture found throughout the Great Lakes and Middle Atlantic regions as well as in parts of New England...
churches of Chicago - Polish Americans
- Roman Catholicism in PolandRoman Catholicism in PolandEver since Poland officially adopted Latin Christianity in 966, the Catholic Church has played an important religious, cultural and political role in the country....