Church of the Immaculate Conception (Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana)
| Church of the Immaculate Conception | |
|---|---|
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| Basic information | |
| Location |
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana United States
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| Geographic coordinates | 39°30′38″N 87°27′38″W / 39.5106°N 87.4606°WCoordinates: 39°30′38″N 87°27′38″W / 39.5106°N 87.4606°W |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church |
| District | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis |
| State | Indiana |
| Country | United States of America |
| Year consecrated | 1907 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Chapel for the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods |
| Status | active |
| Website | http://www.spsmw.org |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | D. A. Bohlen and Son, Indianapolis |
| Architectural type | Chapel |
| Architectural style | Classical revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1886 |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | West |
| Length | 154 feet (47 m) |
| Width | 72 feet (22 m) |
| Width (nave) | 90 feet (27 m) |
| Spire(s) | 1 |
| Materials | Indiana limestone |
The Church of the Immaculate Conception on the motherhouse grounds of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is a large Italian Renaissance Revival-style church constructed of Indiana limestone at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. The cathedral-like structure, which is the fourth church/chapel of the Sisters of Providence since their arrival at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1840. Construction for the church began in 1886; its exterior was completed in 1891 and the interior was completed in 1907. The church was consecrated on October 23, 1907, and continues to serve as a place of daily worship services that are open to the public. The church also houses the shrine and tomb of Saint Mother Théodore Guérin, foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel (1905) was erected in the crypt beneath the church.
The church's interior was renovated in 1986, but the sanctuary retains much of its early decoration, including Georgian marble columns, Numidian marble walls, a semi-dome ceiling, Stations of the Cross, stained glass windows, religious paintings by Tadeusz Żukotyński, a sculpture by Harry Breen, and other works of art. Its Casavant Frères pipe organ dates from 1953. Carrara marble from the reredos (high altar) was used to create an altar, lectern, and a presider's chair in 1986.
When the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods arrived in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana in 1840, there was no church on the site, and a log cabin served as its first chapel. Saint Mother Théodore Guérin, the foundress of the order, described the primitive chapel to friends in France, "The Church! Yes, dear friends, that is the dwelling of the God of the Universe, in comparison with which the stables wherein you shelter your cattle are palaces!" The log chapel was dismantled in 1853. The second chapel, a room in the new Providence motherhouse (1853), served the Sisters of Providence until 1863, when a simple frame chapel designed by Indianapolis architect Diedrich A. Bohlen was completed. Although Bohlen's frame chapel was large, capable of seating 300 people, it was only intended to be a temporary structure until a more substantial church could be erected at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
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