Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
nunnery
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican C ...
Idaho County
Idaho County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho, and the largest by area in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,541. The county seat is Grangeville. Previous county seats of the area were Florence
Florence ( ; it ...
,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
. Founded by three
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
who immigrated in 1882, it was designated the
motherhouse
A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior
In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...
for the
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
in 1909. Its main building and chapel were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
as St. Gertrude's Convent and Chapel in 1979.
History
The community traces its history to Mother Johanna Zumsteinn and Sisters Magdalene Suter and Rosalia Ruebli, who left
Sarnen
, neighboring_municipalities= Alpnach, Entlebuch (LU), Flühli (LU), Giswil, Hasle (LU), Kerns, Sachseln
, twintowns =
Sarnen is a small historic town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Obwalden situated on the northern shores of ...
on September 26, 1882, eventually reaching
Gervais, Oregon
Gervais is a city in Marion County, Oregon, Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,464 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The city is named for settler ...
. They established convents and schools in Uniontown and
Colton, Washington
Colton is a town in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 418 at the 2010 census.
History
Colton was first settled in 1879 by J.A. Cole, and was founded in 1882 by J.B. Stanley. Colton was incorporated in 1890 however it ...
, and staffed schools in Cottonwood and
Genesee, Idaho
Genesee is a city in Latah County, Idaho, United States. The population was 955 at the 2010 census, up from 946 in 2000. In 1909, John Uhlenkott, whose two daughters had both joined the convent, invited the sisters to relocate to Cottonwood and start a school, donating 10 acres for the purpose on a promontory overlooking the town.
Jakob Engelbert Gier of
Mt. Angel, Oregon
Mt. Angel is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is northeast of Salem, Oregon, on Oregon Route 214. The population was 3,748 at the 2010 census. Mt. Angel is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Mt. Ange ...
was commissioned to design the chapel and convent building. A German immigrant, Gier had designed St. Mary's Church in Mount Angel, and may have become known to the nuns during their time in
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. Construction began in 1919 and was completed in 1924. Given the labor shortage in the area following
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, some of the resident nuns helped quarry and transport the stone to the building site.
The community continued to operate schools throughout Idaho over the next half-century, including St. Gertrude's Academy in Cottonwood, which closed in 1970.
The former campus is now home to Prairie Junior/Senior High School. The community celebrated its centennial in 2009.
Architecture
The historic structure consists of a basilican
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
plus a
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
wing. The chapel has two high corner towers capped by
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
roofs of red shingle tile and gold crosses. With . The towers house bells honoring the
Sacred Heart
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...
and saints
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
,
Michael (archangel)
Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...
, and
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...
. The statue in the niche between the towers depicts the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The two-foot-thick walls of local blue porphyry are characteristic of the
Romanesque Revival style
Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
. The structure rests on a three-quarter-story stone foundation, with a grand stairway leading to the
balustraded
A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its cons ...
front entry porch, presenting an imposing view. The chapel is divided along its length into seven bays supported by abbreviated buttresses, with a two-story arched window and oval window above in each bay, with surrounds of locally-made brick. The statue in the niche above the chapel's rear entry is of Saint Gertrude of Helfta, to whom the nunnery is dedicated.
The chapel's interior is richly decorated with hand-carved pieces. The high altar, a gift from a brother of one of the founding sisters, was built in 1928 in
Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen (Swabian German, Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen (district), Sigmaringen district.
Sigmaringen is renowne ...
, Germany, "by a company whose master recently had been awarded the insignia "Pro Papa Et Ecclesta" (for the Pope and Church) for outstanding service to the cause of religious art. This distinction is rarely conferred and this man was, as far as is known, the only one so honored in Germany up to that time." The side shrines were preserved from the original wooden building, purchased from the Philips Company of Dubuque, Iowa, in 1909. The emblems of the
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith".
The creed most likely originated in 5th-century Ga ...
and other paintings on the chapel's ceilings and walls were painted by Alex Linenberger and Associates of
Hays, Kansas
Hays is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Kansas, United States. The largest city in northwestern Kansas, it is the economic and cultural center of the region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 21,116. It is ...