Basilica of Saint Stanislaus Kostka (Winona, Minnesota)
|
Church of St. Stanislaus--Catholic
|
|
The basilica in 2015
|
|
 
|
|
| Location | 625 E. 4th Street, Winona, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°2′49″N 91°37′20″W / 44.04694°N 91.62222°WCoordinates: 44°2′49″N 91°37′20″W / 44.04694°N 91.62222°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1894–5 |
| Architect | Charles G. Maybury & Son |
| Architectural style | Polish Cathedral style |
| NRHP Reference # | 84000251 |
| Added to NRHP | November 8, 1984 |
The Basilica of Saint Stanislaus Kostka (Polish: Bazylika Świętego Stanisława Kostki) is a historic church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona in Winona, Minnesota, United States, and a prominent fixture on the city's skyline. Within the diocese it is better known as Saint Stan's. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as Church of St. Stanislaus—Catholic and was designated as a Minor Basilica of the Roman Catholic Church on November 10, 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI.
The congregation dates back to April 2, 1871, when leaders of Winona's Kaszubian Polish community formally declared its intent to organize a parish under the patronage of St. Stanislaus Kostka. Prior to this they had been attending Mass at either the "Irish" (Saint Thomas) or the "German" (Saint Joseph) Catholic church, but they wished to worship in their own language and to be led by a Kashubian or Polish pastor. Accordingly, a small wooden sanctuary was constructed at the corner of Fourth and Carimona Streets in 1872.
From its very beginning, the new Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish served as the religious and the civic center for Winona's Kaszubian Poles. The first permanent pastor was the Reverend Joseph Juskiewicz, who was succeeded in January 1875 by the Reverend Alexander Michnowski. In 1875 the Reverend Jan Romuald Byzewski (1842–1905), a Kaszubian-born Franciscan forced to emigrate from German Poland due to the Kulturkampf, arrived and served as pastor until 1890.
Winona grew rapidly during the 1880s and 1890s, and the continuation of the Kaszubian diaspora played a major part of this population boom. By 1893, Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish had completely outgrown its old sanctuary. Creation of a satellite Polish parish on Winona's West End was considered; indeed, such a parish, Saint Casimir, would be established in 1906. But as a matter of religious and civic pride, the parishioners of Saint Stanislaus Kostka decided to build a larger, grander 1800-seat structure on the site of their present church.
...
Wikipedia