Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
front of the church today (contemporary photo)
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is located in Minnesota
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
44°59′12.3″N 93°15′27.1″W / 44.986750°N 93.257528°W / 44.986750; -93.257528
LocationOne Lourdes Place
Minneapolis, Minnesota
CountryUnited States
DenominationRoman Catholic
Previous denominationUniversalist
Websitewww.ourladyoflourdesmn.com
History
Former name(s)First Universalist Church
StatusParish church
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationNRHP
Architect(s)Carl F. Struck (parsonage)
Architectural typeGreek Revival; French Provincial; Gothic Revival
Years built1854–1857
Clergy
Pastor(s)Fr John M. Bauer[1]
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Part ofSt. Anthony Falls Historic District (ID71000438[2])
Added to NRHPMarch 11, 1971

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish church of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis located in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States.[3] It was built on the east bank of the Mississippi River in today's Nicollet Island/East Bank neighborhood; it is the oldest continuously used church building in the city and is part of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District.[4]

History

old photo without the tower
The First Universalist Church in 1857

The oldest church building in Minneapolis, Our Lady of Lourdes has been in continuous use since the mid-19th century. The First Universalist Society of St. Anthony erected the building in Greek Revival style as a meeting hall between 1854 and 1857 as the First Universalist Church where they worshipped until 1877.[4] A congregation of Catholic French Canadians acquired the church in 1877 and named it in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary who had recently appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in France as Our Lady of Lourdes. One of many churches throughout the world named for the appearances in Lourdes, Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis was the first in the U.S. with this name.[5] The Catholic parish made significant additions to the building between 1880 and 1883, adding a transept, apse and front bell tower with three steeples; a front vestibule was added in 1914.[4]

Near the birthplace of Minneapolis, the church stands near the Pillsbury "A" Mill and the only natural waterfall on the Mississippi River. The building is not listed as a National Historic Landmark but it is the subject of Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) drawings and photographs created in 1934.[6]

The parish school spoke French until about 1917 when the congregation dwindled and by 1945 the priests gave sermons only in English. The church survived extinction when the Minneapolis City Council persuaded bishops of the diocese to stop plans to close and board it up in 1968. Our Lady of Lourdes is now one of 85 contributing properties of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District which is on the National Register of Historic Places.[2][7]

Architecture

The architecture is an unusual combination of architectural styles. The Universalists constructed the original building of limestone quarried at nearby Nicollet Island in Greek Revival style based on a Greek temple (shown below at left). Their design was 3,000 square feet (280 m2) and built at a cost of $15,000. In the 1880s, the Catholic congregation added a V-frame beam truss, the steeple, the transept, bell tower, sacristy and vestibule in French Provincial and Gothic Revival style. The design for the circular nave comes from the Chapel Royale at Versailles.[8][9]

Today

The church teaches Catholic beliefs, the morality and model for conduct taught by Jesus, the sacraments and prayer. Members believe in caring for the ill and those who are physically unable to attend services. The parish offers classes called faith formation for all ages.[10]

To support the continuing restoration of their church, the congregation produces and sells French Canadian tourtières, a savory meat pie.[11] Parishioners have protected the stained glass, building exterior, and the Blessed Virgin's grotto above the front entrance, and have restored the interior, renovated the rectory and added carillon bells.[5] Guided tours are offered by appointment.[9] The address was at one time Prince Street and is now called Lourdes Place.

  • The inside of the church in 2015
    The inside of the church in 2015
  • Drawing made for the 1934 HABS
    Drawing made for the 1934 HABS

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (Minneapolis, Minnesota) (category)
  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. "Parishes". Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota Historical Society Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-87351-540-5.
  5. ^ a b Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (n.d.). "History". Archived from the original on February 6, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
  6. ^ Historic American Buildings Survey (1934). "Survey number HABS MN-29-10". Retrieved April 2, 2007.
  7. ^ Minnesota Historical Society (2001). "First Universalist Church/Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church". Retrieved March 30, 2007.
  8. ^ Emporis (2007). "Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ a b "Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church". Yahoo! Travel. 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
  10. ^ Faith Formation Archived 2007-04-16 at the Wayback Machine, and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (n.d.). "Pastoral Ministry". Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
  11. ^ Information Archived 2007-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church (n.d.). "Pastoral Ministry". Archived from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved March 30, 2007.