Church Of The Holy Family (Cahokia)
Description and history
The Church of the Holy Family stands in central Cahokia Heights, at the southeast corner of East 1st and Church Streets. The church campus includes three buildings: the 1799 church, a modern 20th-century sanctuary, and a parish house. The 1799 church is a log structure, measuring about 32 by 74 feet (9.8 m × 22.6 m). It is built out of heavy walnut timbers that were hewn into rectangular shape and mortised into a wooden sill resting on stone slabs. The timbers are each about 14 feet (4.3 m) long, one foot wide and six inches thick, and are set about one foot apart. The spaces between them are filled with what was termed pierrotage, a mixture of rubblestone and clay. Each of the walls slopes slightly inward as it rises, and is braced by diagonal timbers. The roof trusses are of walnut and oak, and give the roof a bell-cast appearance.
The only substantive alterations to the building have been relatively minor. Small wings were added in 1833, and in the 1890s the exterior was finished in wooden clapboards; the clapboards have since been removed. In 1949–1951 the structure's foundation underwent repairs, and some of its rotted members were replaced.
The congregation was established in 1699, when priests from Quebec (New France) arrived with Father Pinet to establish a mission. The mission was ended about 1768, and the fate of its building is not known. In 1783, Cahokia was integrated from Province of Quebec to the United States. Construction of this church began about 1786, not long after the arrival of Father Paul St. Pierre, and was formally consecrated on September 24, 1799. It remained in use by the congregation for worship until 1891, when a new stone church was built adjacent. The log church was then converted into a parish hall, a role it played until its restoration in 1949–51.
Each Sunday morning there is a Traditional Latin Mass starting at 9:00 A.M.
The Holy Family Church right next door has an English Mass starting at 10:00 A.M.
See also
- List of the oldest churches in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Clair County, Illinois
References
- ^ "National Register Information System – Church of the Holy Family (#70000851)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "Church of the Holy Family". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 3, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2007.
- ^ Green, Susan. Great Historic Places. Simon & Schuster, 1980
- ^ Waldinger, Mike (January 30, 2018). "The proud history of architecture in Illinois". Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- ^ "NHL nomination for Church of the Holy Family". National Park Service. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ "Log Church". Holy Family Cahokia. Retrieved October 11, 2021.