Church Of St. John The Baptist (Virginia, Minnesota)
The parish moved to a new building on the same block, the Holy Spirit Catholic Church, in the 1970s. The Church of St. John, little used for years, was demolished in December 2018 to make room for a playground and expanded parking lot for the adjacent parochial school.
Description
The red brick structure contains Gothic Revival elements, with six arched windows on each of the sides and arched windows flanking the main entrance. The steeple above the main entrance has Jacobean styling.
History
The church was built in 1924 and became the center of religious and social life for the Polish immigrants in the city of Virginia. It was consecrated by the first Polish bishop in the United States, Paul Peter Rhode. The church was also used by nonreligious Polish organizations, including the Polish National Alliance.
See also
- List of Catholic churches in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Louis County, Minnesota
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Skrief, Charles (1979-09-10). National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Old Polish Church. National Park Service. Retrieved 2019-09-29. With two accompanying photos from 1979
- ^ "Church of St. Joseph (Catholic)". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ Riebe, Angie (2019-02-04). "Old church demolition saddens, improves Catholic community". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
- ^ "Old church demolition saddens Catholic community".