St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, also known as the Church of St. John in the Woods, is a historic church building located near

Welches, Oregon Welches is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located within the Mount Hood Corridor between Zigzag and Wemme along U.S. Route 26. It is one of the many communities that make up the Villages at Mount Ho ...

and originally located near

Zigzag, Oregon Zigzag is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located within the Mount Hood Corridor, between Rhododendron and Welches on U.S. Route 26. The community is part of a local type of government called a villa ...

. It was built as a mission church and

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

of the parish of St. Aloysius in Estacada. It became a mission of the parish of St. Michael the Archangel in

Sandy, Oregon Sandy is a city located in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, settled 1853 and named after the nearby Sandy River. Located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range, the city serves as the western gateway to the Mount Hood Corridor, a ...

when the latter was established in 1952. The historic church was built in 1937 in an Oregon

Rustic style Rustic architecture is a style of architecture in the United States, used in rural government and private structures and their landscape interior design. It was influenced by the American craftsman style. According to the National Park Service, � ...

and officially dedicated on September 6. After the widening of

U.S. Route 26 U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho and ...

in 1971, the church had to be moved from the property, after which an updated church building was erected.

Stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows and log pews from the 1937 building were removed and installed in the updated church, which opened in 1972. The log-cabin church building was added to 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 ...

in 1979.

History

The St. John the Evangelist Church was originally built in 1926 in

Zigzag A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular. In geometry, this pattern is described as a ...

and blessed on July 18, 1926. The church accommodated around 40 Catholic families and visitors in the Welches and Zigzag areas. The church had to be reconstructed in 1937 after the original building collapsed under snow. A log-cabin-style new structure was erected in 1937 by Henry Steiner, with help from his sons, John, Fred and Al and was blessed by Archbishop Howard on September 6, 1937. The rustic architecture featured diamond windows and stained glass, paired hinged doors, irregular half-round windows, and king-pin trusses. The church building continued to function until 1971 when Highway 26 was widened to four lanes, which impinged on approximately of the property. Due to land use regulations, the church building was relocated and used for a local theatrical group to put on plays. After the removal of the log-cabin church building, construction on a new church at the site began in 1972. The

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows and log pews of the former church building were salvaged and installed in the new church. This third incarnation of the church was blessed by Archbishop Dwyer on June 9, 1972. On December 21, 1979, the log-cabin church building was added to the

. As of 2008, the building was stored on a property separate from the present-day church in Welches.

References

External links

St. John Catholic Church
– official site of present-day church {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, Zigzag, Oregon Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Former Roman Catholic church buildings in Oregon Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Roman Catholic churches completed in 1937 Buildings and structures in Clackamas County, Oregon Log buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon 1937 establishments in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Clackamas County, Oregon 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States

History

See also

References

External links