St.Ladislaus is a
Roman Catholic church in
South Norwalk,
Connecticut, part of the
Diocese of Bridgeport
The Diocese of Bridgeport is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church located in the southwestern part of the state of Connecticut, and its boundaries are the same as that of Fairfield County, Connecticut. Ther ...
.
History
St. Ladislaus Church was established in 1907 to serve a
Hungarian congregation. Many immigrants from
Hungary had arrived in South Norwalk in the late 19th century. The church still conducts some
Hungarian language services in addition to services in English and Spanish
.
Buildings
The church building, which was completed in 1912, is patterned after a church in the
Kőbánya district of
Budapest that is dedicated to
St. Ladislaus.
[Rob Wright]
Two Churches Serve Hungarian Residents
'' The Hour'', January 25, 1985
The
Romanesque Revival-style church was designed by distinguished Hungarian architect
Ödön Lechner,
[Our History]
St. Ladislaus Catholic Church website, accessed January 24, 2011 marking one of the few times that an American Roman Catholic church was designed by a European architect. The sanctuary features
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 made in
Germany. One of the windows adjacent to the
altar depicts St. Ladislaus leading his armies during the
Crusades. The image in the window on the opposite side of the altar shows
St. Stephen of Hungary handing the
crown of Hungary to
Mary and
baby Jesus.
[ The church's steeple, which has a distinctive ]octagon
In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon.
A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whi ...
al base, is a local landmark that has been a reference point for fishermen on Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
and for World War II aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
s.[
The church's interior was renovated in 1977 and 1983.][ The steeple was toppled during a storm in March 2010, but was taken to a restoration company for repairs and was expected to be replaced.][Schools closed today as region cleans up from weekend storm]
'' The Hour'', March 15, 2010St. Ladislaus, which lost its steeple in recent nor'easter, prays for those that have lost much more this year
'' The Hour'', March 29, 2010
References
External links
St. Ladislaus Catholic Church
Diocese of Bridgeport
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Ladislaus Church (South Norwalk, Connecticut
Hungarian-American culture in Connecticut
Romanesque Revival church buildings in Connecticut
Roman Catholic churches in Norwalk, Connecticut
Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport
Art Nouveau church buildings in the United States