Old Mission State Park

Cataldo Mission

The Sacred Heart Church
Location Cataldo, Idaho
Area 22.9 acres (9.3 ha)
Built 1848
Architect Antonio Ravalli
Architectural style Greek Revival, Colonial, Other
NRHP Reference # 66000312[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHL July 4, 1961[2]

The Silver Valley's Old Mission State Park is a state park and National Historic Landmark in North Idaho, USA. It is also known as the Mission of the Sacred Heart or Cataldo Mission. It contains the church itself, the parish house, and the surrounding property. Built 1850-53, Mission of the Sacred Heart is the oldest standing building in Idaho.

History

In the early 19th century, the Coeur d'Alene Indians had heard of these powerful "medicine men" in black robes with a book and wanted some of these men for their own tribe. They sent men east to St. Louis, and in 1842 Father Pierre-Jean De Smet responded to the request and came to the area. Fr. Nicholas Point and Br. Charles Huet came and helped to pick a mission location. The first was along the St. Joe River, but was subject to flooding. In 1846 they moved it to the current location.

In 1850 the church was taken over by Italian Jesuit missionary Antonio Ravalli, who began designing the new mission building. He made sure that the building was constructed by the Indians themselves, so that they could feel part of the church. It was built using the wattle and daub method, and finished some three years later without using a single nail.

The mission was named after the Sacred Heart Of Jesus and the spot endearingly has been renamed the Coeur d'Alenes Old Mission State Park by the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. A misnomer locally is to refer to the whole Mission as the "Cataldo" mission. This term cropped up in the area due to the fame of Father Giuseppe Cataldo, a Sicilian priest born in the village of Terrasini, who spent most of his life in the frontier community and founded Gonzaga University. The nearest town to the Mission is Cataldo, Idaho.[3]

In time the mission became an important stop for traders, settlers, and miners taking on the role as a hospitality and supply station. It was also a working port for boats heading up the Coeur d'Alene River.[4]

In 1961 it was designated a National Historic Landmark,[5] and in 1966 it was put on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

In 1976 a major restoration of the church was chosen as Idaho State's Bicentennial Project to celebrate the nation's bicentennial.[3]

Mission area

Church

Example of the newspaper wallpaper and tin can metalwork

Though they had few materials to decorate the church, they used ingenious techniques to beautify it. The walls were decorated with fabric bought from the Hudson's Bay Company and hand-painted newspaper from Philadelphia that Fr. Ravalli had received in the mail. Tin cans were used to create an idea of chandeliers. Both wooden statues were carved by hand by Fr. Rivalli with nothing but a knife and we're intended to look like marble.[3] The blue coloring of the interior wood is not paint but a stain created by pressing local huckleberries into the wood.

Apse, in 1957

Parish house

After being burnt down, it was rebuilt in 1887. It is a two-story building, the upstairs used for sleeping quarters, and the downstairs for daily activities. It contains a smaller chapel, mostly used for daily mass.

Surrounding area

The surrounding property has two cemeteries, a nature trail, and a visitor's center.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Cataldo Mission". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  3. 1 2 3 Eberlein, Jake A. Wilderness Cathedral : The Story of Idaho’s Oldest Building, Mediatrix Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0692897652
  4. ↑ Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. "The Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park".
  5. ↑ National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL)

Coordinates: 47°32′57″N 116°21′40″W / 47.54917°N 116.36111°W / 47.54917; -116.36111

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