St. Barbara's in Chicago ( pl, Kościół Świętej Barbary) - historic church of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

located in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, at 2859 South Throop St. It is a prime example of the Polish Cathedral style of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with St. Mary of Perpetual Help, it is one of two monumental

religious Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

edifices that dominate the

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

neighborhood's skyline.

History

Founded in 1909 as a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

parish to relieve overcrowding at St. Mary of Perpetual Help. Reverend Anthony Nawrocki, brother of St. Mary's pastor Stanislaus Nawrocki was the first pastor, thus the founding of the parish was a family affair in both the literal and figurative sense. In 2016, rumors began circulating surrounding the impending "Renew My Church" program. Rumors became reality in 2019 when the Archdiocese decided to "merge" St. Barbara with St. Therese Chinese Catholic School. However, unlike other "merge" plans in Renew My Church, St. Therese assumed possession of St. Barbara's school campus, administration, and rectory quarters.

Architecture

The church was designed by the firm of

Worthmann and Steinbach Worthmann & Steinbach was a Chicago-based architectural firm that was active from 1903 through 1928. It was a partnership between Henry W. Worthmann (June 18, 1857 – April 11, 1946) and John G. Steinbach (b. 1878) The firm is best remembered ...

who built many of the magnificent Polish Cathedrals in Chicago. The

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

style edifice was completed in 1914, it is one of the few octagonal houses of worship in the archdiocese. There are 25 stunning stained glass windows, depicting the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

, and the

lives of the saints A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

Church in architecture books

* * * * *

External links

PGSA - St. Barbara Church History

Archdiocese of Chicago
* http://www.myschoolpages.com/schools/stbarbaraelementary/about.cfm * http://stbarbarachicago.org/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Barbara Church (Chicago) Bridgeport, Chicago Roman Catholic churches in Chicago Polish-American culture in Chicago Polish Cathedral style architecture Christian organizations established in 1909

History

Architecture

Church in architecture books

See also

External links