National Register of Historic Places

St. Henry Catholic Church

St. Henry, Mercer County, Ohio
Listed
July 25, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79002829

About this property

St. Henry's Catholic Church is an historic Catholic church in St. Henry, Ohio, United States. Built in the late nineteenth century, it remains the home of a functioning congregation, and it has been recognized as a historically significant building because of its architecture. St. Henry Parish was established in 1839, two years after the village of St. Henry was founded. Served by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, it was named for Henry II, who reigned as Holy Roman Emperor during the eleventh century. At that time, there were few Catholics in St. Henry and the surrounding Granville Township; consequently, the congregation's first church building (erected in 1840) was a small frame structure. It was replaced by a brick church that was completed in 1854 at a cost of $7,000. By the 1890s, the membership of St. Henry's Church had grown to the point that a new church building was necessary. Construction began on the new structure in 1895; while much of the construction work was performed by parishioners, the design was the responsibility of German-born architect, Adolphus Druiding of Chicago. The contractors were the DeCurtins Brothers. Construction was finished in 1897, at a cost of approximately $100,000. An estimate in the early twentieth century pronounced the church the most costly in northwestern Ohio. The church is a Gothic Revival structure, built in the shape of a Latin cross. Its exterior consists of brick walls and a gabled roof, upheld by a stone foundation. The most prominent aspect of its exterior is a massive belfry and clock tower, approximately 200 feet (60 m) tall. Large rose windows illuminate the interior, which features painted and frescoed walls; the distance from the floor to the apex of the ceiling vault is 62 feet (19 m). The exterior design is similar to two other churches by Adolphus Druiding; St. Patrick (1891) in Toledo, OH and St. Michael (1890) in Rochester, NY. A major renovation project in the 1970s led to significant changes in the sanctuary, including the removal of frescoes by Austrian-born artist, Joseph Vittur, statues and its High Gothic altar., designed by the E.Hackner Co., LaCrosse, WI. Architectural historians have divided the Precious Blood-related churches of western Ohio into four generations. St. Henry's is typical of the churches of the third generation, which are generally Gothic structures with a single central tower. The church interior is adorned with Munich-style stained glass windows. Saint Francis beholding a vision of Jesus and the Virgin Mary Saint Aloysius receiving a vision of the Virgin Mary

Location

St. Henry, Mercer County, Ohio
40.41671, -84.63755

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Philothea Catholic Church and Priest House
Industrial
2.5 mi
St. Wendelin Catholic Church, School, and Rectory
Industrial
3 mi
St. Francis Catholic Church and Rectory
Industrial
3.4 mi
St. Aloysius Catholic Church
Industrial
3.8 mi
St. Charles Seminary and Chapel
Industrial
3.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was St. Henry Catholic Church listed on the National Register?

St. Henry Catholic Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 25, 1979.

What type of historic resource is St. Henry Catholic Church?

St. Henry Catholic Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for St. Henry Catholic Church?

The period of significance for St. Henry Catholic Church is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near St. Henry Catholic Church?

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