St. Michael's in Chicago

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Not to be confused with St. Michael's Church, Old Town, Chicago.

St. Michael's in Chicago, referred to in Polish as Kościół Świętego Michała is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in, Chicago, Illinois. It is a prime example of the so-called 'Polish Cathedral style' of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with Immaculate Conception, it is one of the two monumental Polish churches dominating over the South Chicago skyline.

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[edit] History

Founded in 1892 as a Polish parish in Chicago to relieve overcrowding at Immaculate Conception. Bishop Paul Rhode, the first Polish auxiliary bishop in Chicago, served as pastor from 1897 until he was named bishop of Green Bay in 1915. The parish continued to serve Polish steel workers until the steel mills closed in the 1980s. Today the parish as well as the neighborhood are predominately Latino.

[edit] Architecture

The church was built between 1907 through 1909 designed by William J. Brinkmann. The Neogothic edifice is one of only three Polish churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago built in this style. The Gothic Revival façade, the choice of brick as well as the uneven steeples are an architectural homage to the Marian Basilica in Cracow. U.S. Steel donated the steel for the structure since 90% of the parishioners worked at the mills. The main altar reredos is constructed of butternut and bird's eye maple wood, as are the two side altars. The central statue of Michael the Archangel defeating Lucifer, the two incensing angels and the statues on the side altars were sculpted and painted by hand. The beautiful and rare communion rail is carved in oak with a white marble top. The interior of the church can seat approximately 2,000 people.

Interesting to music enthusiasts is the grand piano which belonged to famed composer, Ignace Jan Paderewski.

A shrine to the Black Madonna of Częstochowa , the National Patron of the people of Poland, is located in the sanctuary and was constructed in Poland in the early 1960s.

The magnificent stained glass windows were made by F. X. Zettler of Munich, Germany. Of special note are the two transept windows on the East and West sides of the church. They are the largest and according to some also the most beautiful stained glass windows in the Archdiocese of Chicago. The eastern transept window depicts the Pentecost event, while the western transept window depicts Saint Michael the Archangel at the last judgement.

[edit] St. Michael's in church architecture books

St. Michaels is featured in a number of books on church architecture, among them "Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage" by George A. Lane (Loyola Press 1982), "Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago" by Denis R. McNamara (Liturgy Training Publications 2005) and "The Archdiocese of Chicago: A Journey of Faith" by Edward R. Kantowicz (Booklink 2007).

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