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| St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church | |
|---|---|
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  St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church | |
| 41°50′9.4″N87°39′9.1″W / 41.835944°N 87.652528°W /41.835944; -87.652528 | |
| Location | 1039 West 32nd Street Chicago, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | St. Mary of Perpetual Help Parish |
| History | |
| Founded | 1882 (1882) |
| Founder | Polish immigrants |
| Dedication | Our Lady of Perpetual Help |
| Dedicated | August 16, 1885 (1885-08-16) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | For Polish immigrants |
| Architect | Henry Engelbert |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Romanesque Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1883 (1883) |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick |
St. Mary of Perpetual Help (Polish:Kościół Matki Bożej Nieustającej Pomocy) - historic church of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in theBridgeport neighborhood ofChicago,Illinois.
It is a prime example of the so-calledPolish Cathedral style of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along withSt. Barbara's in Chicago, it is one of two monumentalreligious edifices found in this nearSouth Side neighborhood.
Founded in 1882 as aPolish parish, it remained a parish for Polish workers in theUnion Stockyards until the yards closed in the early 1970s. In recent years the neighborhood has seen a growth in new housing and has seen an influx of new residents of many backgrounds and cultures.
St. Mary of Perpetual Help was built from the same or a similar plan as St. Casimir Church inDetroit in 1889, which was razed in 1961.[1]
The church designed byHenry Engelbert in a Romanesque-Byzantine style, was completed in 1889. The brick exterior hides a lavishly shaped and opulently decorated interior enriched withStations of the Cross andstained glass windows withPolish inscriptions. Three domes sail above, the central dome lit by a ring of lantern windows and towering 137 feet (42 m) over the neighborhood. Since 1999, the church has undergone extensive restoration of the original structure, the interior decoration byJohn A. Mallin in 1961 and the 1928Austin organ, Opus 1602.[2] The historic paintings in theShrineAltars which date to 1890, were recently restored by theArt Institute of Chicago. TheJoyful Mysteries are depicted in the "Shrine of our Blessed Mother", while the "Shrine of St. Joseph" holds paintings of theHoly Family, theFlight into Egypt and the Marriage of Joseph and Mary. Thenave is decorated with finescaliola work and a suspendedpulpit is topped by a wedding cakecupola. A newmosaic ofOur Lady of Perpetual Help by the Soprani Studios of Rome was recently[when?] installed, as well as the contents of atime capsule of precious historical documents.
