Polish Cathedral style

"Polish Cathedral" redirects here. For cathedrals that are Polish, see List of cathedrals in Poland.
Holy Trinity Church, Chicago, Illinois

The Polish Cathedral architectural style is a North American genre of Catholic church architecture found throughout the Great Lakes and Middle Atlantic regions as well as in parts of New England.[1] These monumentally grand churches are not necessarily cathedrals, defined as seats of bishops or of their dioceses.

Polish Cathedral churches generally have large amounts of ornamentation in the exterior and interior, comparable only to the more famous Churrigueresque or Spanish Baroque style.[2] The decorations used reflect the tastes of the Polish immigrants to these regions in both the symbols and statuary of saints prominently displayed throughout. Additionally there is a heavy proclivity towards ornamentation drawn from the Renaissance and Baroque periods as well as modeling designs after famous churches in Poland.[3] The claim of different 'architectural styles' of Europe ascribed to these churches is misleading, as most of them are already labeled by art historians as examples of Eclecticism and Historicism, characterized by the various Architectural Revivals found in styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These churches exhibit a mixture of architectural traits from numerous past eras characteristic of Europe and the Americas.

A unique synthesis

St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Main and Side altars of The Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus Cleveland, Ohio

Skerrett says Polish churches surpassed other immigrants’ churches in size. Their style promoted the immigrants' vision of Polish identity.[4]

Kantowicz writes in The Archdiocese of Chicago: A Journey of Faith: "The preference of the Polish League for Renaissance and Baroque forms seems more clear cut. The glory days of the Polish Commonwealth came in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when it formed the largest state in Europe… The architectural style of Chicago's Polish churches in Chicago reflect this, particularly the magnificent edifices of Worthmann and Steinbach built along Milwaukee Avenue on the Northwest Side, reflected the renaissance glory of Polish Catholicism".

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Polish Hill in Pittsburgh

Peter Williams in his book Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States on p. 179 writes,"[I]n Detroit and Chicago especially, a distinctive genre of church building emerged among Polish communities, the "Polish Cathedral." Where most Catholic churches were built in grander or humbler variations and Gothic and Romanesque themes popular across the country, the ambitious prelates in the Great Lakes Polonias often chose to make monumental statements in the Renaissance style of their mother country. The scale of these structures was often enormous, both in the great size of these parishes and the episcopal ambitions of their clerical leaders… Still visible from the freeways, many of these "cathedrals" such as St. Stanislaus Kostka in Chicago now serve African-American or Latino constituencies while others have been closed by their Archbishops as no longer economically viable.

St. John Cantius Roman Catholic Church, Chicago, Illinois

The churches are major tourist attractions in Chicago, with tours devoted exclusively to them.[5][6] In May 1980 the Chicago Architecture Foundation's ArchiCenter held an exhibit on these treasures titled Chicago's Polish Churches.

These ornate temples were largely built by the working poor in these regions in the era spanning the period from the end of the American Civil War until the end of World War II.[7][8]

Criticism by other religious groups

These stylistically exaggerated churches were criticized by many of Chicago's Protestant elites as "ostentatious" in comparison with the "plainer" style in vogue for Protestant houses of worship.[9] Catholic Church authorities such as John Lancaster Spalding, the first Bishop of Peoria, responded by comparing the churches financed by the immigrants to the pyramids of Egypt built by slaves.[9]

The need for identity was evident in the unique architecture of the Polish Cathedral Style. It was often associated with the religious order of the Congregation of the Resurrection, in addition to the architectural stylings of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.[10][11] Both in scale and scope, these edifices were attempts to contradict the marginal status in which the Polish immigrants found themselves. As a stateless people whose culture was systematically attacked in its homeland during the years of partition, they also had a low position on the economic ladder in the turn of the century industrial centers to which they had immigrated.[12] The construction of these churches greatly influenced the development of neighborhoods that surrounded them. World views brought by the Polish immigrants from the Old World, as well as their creative adaptation into the New World, shaped the landscape of the rapidly growing industrial regions to which they came.[13]

List of churches built in the "Polish Cathedral" style

Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in the city of Chicago
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Church of St. Adalbert Lower West Side Neoclassical
2. Church of St. Barbara Bridgeport Renaissance
3. Covenant Presbyterian Church of Chicago (formerly All Saints Polish National Catholic Cathedral) Bucktown Gothic
4. Church of St. Hedwig Logan Square Renaissance Revival
5. Holy Innocents Church West Town Romanesque with Byzantine flourishes
6. Church of the Holy Trinity West Town Renaissance
7. Basilica of St. Hyacinth Avondale Renaissance
8. Church of Immaculate Conception South Chicago Renaissance
9. Church of Our Lady of Tepeyac (formerly St. Casimir) Lower West Side Baroque
10. Church of St. John Cantius West Town Baroque
11. Church of St. John of God (CLOSED IN 1992) Back of the Yards Baroque
12. Church of St. Joseph (Shrine) (Back of the Yards) Baroque
13. Church of St. Josaphat Lincoln Park Romanesque
14. Church of St. Mary of the Angels Bucktown Neoclassical
15. Church of St. Mary of Perpetual Help Bridgeport Romanesque-Byzantine
16. Church of St. Michael the Archangel South Chicago Gothic
17. Salem Baptist Church of Chicago (formerly St. Salomea) Pullman Gothic
18. Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka West Town Renaissance
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Chicago's suburbs
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Church of St. Andrew's Calumet City Renaissance
2. Church of Ss. Cyril and Methodius Lemont Renaissance
3. Church of St. Mary of Częstochowa Cicero Gothic
Outside Chicago
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Detroit and suburbs, Michigan
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Wyandotte Renaissance
2. Church of St. Florian Hamtramck Gothic
3. St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Roman Catholic Church (now Promise Land Missionary Baptist Church) Detroit-east side, Michigan Romanesque
4. St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church (now The Polish-American Historical Site Association) Detroit, Michigan-east side Canfield Ave Gothic Revival
5. Sweetest Heart Of Mary Roman Catholic Church Detroit, Michigan-east side Canfield Ave Gothic Revival
6. St Francis D'Assisi Roman Catholic Church Detroit, Michigan SW side Italian Renaissance
7. St Hyacinth Roman Catholic Church Detroit, Michigan east side Byzantine Romanesque
8. St Hedwig Roman Catholic Church Detroit, Michigan SW side
9. St Casimir Roman Catholic Church, Torn down in 1967. Twin of St Mary of Perpetual Help Chicago Detroit, Michigan SW side Romanesque Byzantine
10.St John Cantius-closed in 2009 Detroit-Delray Romanesque
11.St Josephat Detroit, Michigan east side Canfield Ave Romanesque and Gothic Revival
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Basilica of St Adelbert Grand Rapids, Michigan Romanesque with Byzantine influence
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Bay City, Michigan
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. St. Stanislaus Kostka Bay City, Michigan-south side Gothic Revival
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Cleveland, Ohio
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus Slavic Village Gothic architecture
2. Church of St. John Cantius Tremont Baroque
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Church of St. Stanislaus South Side Renaissance
2. Church of St. Adalbert South Side Romanesque Revival
3. St. Josaphat Basilica South Side Baroque
4. Church of St. Casimir Riverwest Baroque
5. Church of St. Vincent de Paul South Side Romanesque
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church Strip District Romanesque
2. Immaculate Heart of Mary Polish Hill Baroque
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Church of St. John Cantius Bridesburg Gothic
2. Church of St. Adalbert Port Richmond Gothic
3. Church of St. Laurentius Fishtown Gothic
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Winona, Minnesota
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka (downtown Winona) Romanesque
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Chicopee, Massachusetts
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Basilica of Saint Stanislaus Chicopee Center (Cabotville) Baroque Revival
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Buffalo, New York
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. St. Stanislaus - Bishop & Martyr Church East Side, Buffalo Romanesque Revival
2. St. Adalbert's Basilica East Side, Buffalo Romanesque Revival
3. Corpus Christi R. C. Church Complex East Side, Buffalo Romanesque Revival
4. Church of the Assumption Black Rock, Buffalo Gothic
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Syracuse, New York
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1. Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Syracuse Westside, Syracuse Gothic Revival
Churches in the 'Polish Cathedral' style in Baltimore, Maryland
Church Location Dominant Architectural Theme
1.Holy Rosary Church Upper Fells Point Romanesque
2.St. Casimir Church Canton Romanesque

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Williams, Peter W., "Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States" pp. 157, 179–180 University of Illinois Press; Reprint edition (2000)
  2. ↑ "Polish churches along the Kennedy Expressway" by Lilien, Marya, pp. 18–29, Spring 1980
  3. ↑ The Archdiocese of Chicago: A Journey of Faith by Kantowicz, Edward pp. 27–29, Booklink, Ireland 2006
  4. ↑ SKERRETT, Ellen. "Parish and Neighborhood in Polonia". Sacred Space. Catholicism, Chicago Style. p. 153. In terms of sheer size and monumentality, Polish Catholic churches on the Near Northwest Side surpassed the parish churches constructed by most German, Bohemian and Irish congregations. The architectural style promoted by the Resurrectionists used Renaissance and Baroque forms molded to distinctively promote their vision of Polish history and identity.
  5. ↑ Polish Spires and Steeples Tour"
  6. ↑ Chicago Special Interest: "Polish cathedral"
  7. ↑ Chicago's Polish Downtown Victoria Granacki in association with the Polish Museum of America pp. 7–11, 14–16, 18–23 Arcadia Publishing 2004
  8. ↑ Williams, Peter W., "Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States" p. 178 University of Illinois Press; Reprint edition (2000)
  9. 1 2 Catholicism, Chicago Style by Skerrett, Ellen, Kantowicz Edward R., and Avella, Steven M., p. 147 Loyola University Press 1993
  10. ↑ Ethnic Chicago: A Mulicultural Portrait edited by Melvin G. Holli and Peter D'A Jones pp. 178–179, 595–596 William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company 1995
  11. ↑ Swiderski, Klara and Robert, "Basilica of St. Hyacinth: Inside Religion" pp. 3–8 Ex Libris Galeria Polskiej Ksiazki (2005)
  12. ↑ Piatkowska Danuta Polskie Kościoły w Nowym Jorku (The Polish Churches of New York [in Polish]), pp. 19–27, 559-561 Wydawnictwa Swietego Krzyza, 2002
  13. ↑ Catholicism, Chicago Style by Skerrett, Ellen, Kantowicz Edward R., and Avella, Steven M., pp. 139–140, 146–150, 152–162 Loyola University Press 1993

External links

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