Church of St. Joseph-Catholic (Browerville, Minnesota)

Church of St. Joseph--Catholic
Location Main St. between 7th and 8th Sts., Browerville, Minnesota
Coordinates 46°5′12″N 94°52′4″W / 46.08667°N 94.86778°WCoordinates: 46°5′12″N 94°52′4″W / 46.08667°N 94.86778°W
Area 2.3 acres (0.93 ha)
Built 1907
Architect Boehme & Cordella
Architectural style Chicago, Other, Southern German Baroque
Governing body Private
NRHP Reference # 85001996[1]
Added to NRHP September 5, 1985

Church of St. Joseph-Catholic (Christ the King Catholic Church) is a historic church on Main Street between 7th and 8th Streets in Browerville, Minnesota. The church was built by Polish immigrants who came to America as part of a migration movement between the American Civil War and World War I. Polish immigrants established their parish churches as the centers of life in their communities and resented outside interference.[2] The Polish community had split from the German congregation in 1895 in a dispute over the financing of a school built in 1890. Construction began on the church in 1907 and was completed in 1909.[3]

The exterior has a 70 feet (21 m)-tall tower, topped with a drum surrounded by eight columns, with an onion dome and cross on the very top. The tower has an emblem of an eagle, a Polish national symbol.[3] It has a Gethsemane rock grotto designed by award-winning sculptor Joseph Kiselewski, and a Black Madonna, a traditional Polish cultural object.[4]

The parish eventually merged with the German parish in 1980, after declining membership. The combined parish was named Christ the King.[3] The building was added to the National Register in 1985.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  2. ↑ John Radzilowski (Spring 2002). "Out on the Wind: Life in Minnesota's Polish Farming Communities". Minnesota History (Minnesota Historical Society).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Alan K. Lathrop (2003). Churches Of Minnesota: An Illustrated Guide. University of Minnesota Press. p. 15. ISBN 0816629099.
  4. ↑ John-Brian Paprock and Teresa Peneguy Paprock (2004). Sacred Sites of Minnesota. Black Earth, Wisconsin: Trails Books. p. 139. ISBN 1-931599-26-2.