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St. Patrick's Parish Complex is a historic church building, with associated rectory and cemetery, located at Northfield Church and Whitmore Lake Roads in
In the early 19th century, a number of
Northfield Township, Michigan
Northfield Township is a civil township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,514 at the 2020 census.
Communities
* Emery is an unincorporated community located within the township at . Emery was settled as e ...
, near the city of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1982 and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1976. The complex is significant both because of its historical association with the early Irish Catholics
Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
in the area, and because of the architecturally important Gothic revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
church.
History
In the early 19th century, a number of Irish Catholics
Irish Catholics () are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland, defined by their adherence to Catholic Christianity and their shared Irish ethnic, linguistic, and cultural heritage.The term distinguishes Catholics of Irish descent, particul ...
began settling in this area of Michigan. In 1829, Kilkenny
Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
, Ireland native Father Patrick O'Kelly was dispatched to the area to minister to the growing community. The property upon which the present church now stands was purchased in 1831, and a log structure was constructed to serve as the first parish church. The parish was originally named "St. Brigid," and is the oldest English-speaking Catholic parish in the state.
Construction on the current church building was begun in 1875 and completed in 1878; the parish was renamed "St. Patrick's" at that time. A rectory was added in 1889–90. In 1917, a tornado badly damaged both the church and the rectory; both were rebuilt. The church is still used for weekly services.
Description
The St. Patrick's Parish complex contains a church with associated cemetery and rectory. The church is a red brickGothic revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...
structure on a rough-hewn stone foundation. The façade of the church is symmetric, with a square central tower surmounted by an octagonal spire. The entrance is through a gabled projection at the base of the tower. A lancet window
A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...
pierces the tower, and similar windows run along the building sides.
The nearby rectory is a two-story center entrance brick structure.
References
Further reading
* *External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Patricks Parish Complex Roman Catholic churches completed in 1878 Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Gothic Revival church buildings in Michigan Churches in Washtenaw County, Michigan Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Washtenaw County, Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Washtenaw County, Michigan 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Buildings and structures in Ann Arbor, Michigan