St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church is a parish of the
Roman Catholic Church located at
Taos
Taos or TAOS may refer to:
Places
* Taos, Missouri, a city in Cole County, Missouri, United States
* Taos County, New Mexico, United States
** Taos, New Mexico, a city, the county seat of Taos County, New Mexico
*** Taos art colony, an art colo ...
,
Cole County, Missouri,
United States, in the
Diocese of Jefferson City
The Diocese of Jefferson City ( la, Dioecesis Civitatis Jeffersoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the state of Missouri in the United States, The diocese consists of 38 counties in mainly rura ...
. It is noted for its historic
parish church and
rectory
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage.
Function
A clergy house is typically ow ...
.
History
Fr. Ferdinand Helias came to the area in 1838 to minister to
German immigrants who had settled in the area. Shortly thereafter, funds were raised for a church and school. A log church was erected in 1840 and dedicated to St.
Francis Xavier. The
cornerstone for a permanent stone church was laid on April 6, 1844, and construction was completed the following year.
Under Fr. Helias' successor, Fr. John Gruender, plans were drawn up for new church, as the congregation had outgrown the first rock church. This structure was completed in 1883 and remains in use today.
Architecture
The historic
Romanesque Revival style
church was built in 1883 of locally made brick and locally quarried stone. It features a centered
bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
with a polygonal steeple that reaches 190 feet in height, containing three bells cast in
St. Louis by the Henry Stuckstede Foundry. A thirteen-register pipe organ was installed in 1898.
The rectory was built in 1923. It is a 2½-story,
Tudor Revival style with a steeply pitched hipped roof with cross gables. It features bands of narrow windows and some faux half timbering.
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The church and rectory were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
[
]
References
External links
*
St. Francis Xavier School
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri
Romanesque Revival church buildings in Missouri
Tudor Revival architecture in Missouri
Churches completed in 1883
Houses completed in 1923
Churches in Cole County, Missouri
National Register of Historic Places in Cole County, Missouri
Religious organizations established in 1838
Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City
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