| St. Wenceslaus Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
  St. Wenceslaus Church | |
| 41°56′36″N87°43′11″W / 41.9432°N 87.7196°W /41.9432; -87.7196 | |
| Location | 3400 North Monticello Avenue Chicago,Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | St. Wenceslaus's Parish |
| History | |
| Founded | June 1912 (1912-06) |
| Founder | Polish immigrants |
| Dedication | St. Wenceslaus |
| Dedicated | June 7, 1942 (1942-06-07) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | For Polish immigrants |
| Architect(s) | McCarthy, Smith and Eppig |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Byzantine &Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | March 27, 1940 (1940-03-27) |
| Completed | 1942 (1942) |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick |
St. Wenceslaus (Polish:Kościół Świętego Wacława) is a church of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located at 3400 North Monticello Avenue in theAvondale neighborhood ofChicago,Illinois, USA.
One of the manyPolish churches visible from theKennedy Expressway, it is along withSt. Hyacinth Basilica, one of two monumentalreligious edifices that dominate theAvondale skyline. It is well-known for its unique architecture, as well as being the site where the photographer and historic preservationistRichard Nickel was married.[1]
Although the historic church is a stop for many tourists visiting thelandmarkVilla District, this majesticRomanesque-Art Deco hybrid is actually a few blocks south of the district's formal boundaries. St Wenceslaus is accessible via theBlue Line'sAddison street station.
St. Wenceslaus was founded in 1912 as a Polish parish to relieve overcrowding atSt. Hyacinth parish, which first met in a small wooden frame structure at Roscoe Street and Lawndale Avenue. The present church was built in 1942 and was the first church to be consecrated by the newly appointed CardinalSamuel Stritch in theArchdiocese of Chicago. One of Chicago'sPolish Patches, thePolish language term for the surrounding neighborhood,Wacławowo derives from the Polish name for the church's patron,Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia. In recent[when?] years, the ethnic character of the parish has undergone a gradual change from an exclusively Polish to one that is multicultural and multiracial, as the neighborhood first witnessed an influx ofHispanic andFilipino immigrants during the 1990s and later began to experience minor pockets ofgentrification. Today, mass is celebrated in three languages: English, Polish and Spanish. St. Wenceslaus has been administered by theCongregation of the Resurrection since July 2000.
On June 10, 1950,Richard Nickel, an American photographer and historian best known for his efforts to preserve and document the buildings of the architectLouis Sullivan, married Adrienne Dembo, a youngPolish-American girl, at St. Wenceslaus.
St. Ladislaus inPortage Park was originally a mission of St. Wenceslaus in what was then a primarily rural area annexed to Chicago.
The church was designed by the firm ofMcCarthy, Smith and Eppig, a firm that worked extensively with CardinalGeorge Mundelein and produced numerousChicago area Catholic churches during theGreat Depression era, including Queen of Angels in Chicago, St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier churches inWilmette and St. Bernardine inForest Park. It is considered to be "one of the best examples of the fusion of Art Deco stylings withmedieval European architecture in the city of Chicago".[2]
The building's overall design is a fusion ofByzantine and Romanesque elements with a host of Art Deco features that were current at the time of construction. The church is encased in walls of pressed brick trimmed withIndiana limestone, some of it adorned with carved ornament to highlight the building's sacred function. At the point where thenave narrows to theapse, acampanile arises, designed to direct the attention of the viewer to the purpose of the edifice.
Two monumentalangel sculptures loom over thefaçade of the main entrance, which leads into a spacious and commodiousnarthex orvestibule whose walls are lavishly lined with Notre Dame and Orientalmarble on a base of Red Levanto, while the floor is paved inceramic tiles. Beyond the narthex is the spacious and well-litnave which can accommodate a congregation of up to 1,200 worshipers. To a height of ten feet above the floor and against the entire exterior wall awainscot of rich American black walnut has been installed, a wood known for its exceptional beauty and sturdiness. The wainscot rests on top of a continuous base of Windham Verde Antique marble, and is indented by four confessionals and in the forward part of the nave four votive shrines that are set up against the wall. The aisles are paved in ceramic tiles while the pews are carved out of the same American black walnut.
Theapse or sanctuary is enclosed behind a heavy rail of rich "breccia orientale" penetrated at regular intervals with a lattice of brilliantbronze. A floor of oriental and Florida deep rose marbles leads to thepredella or platform of the church's dominant feature, the mainaltar. The church is designed to direct the eye to the central altar and itscrucifix, set against a huge background orreredos ofinlaid wood. The reredos was formed by inlaying some 25 precious woods on a foundation of Hondurasmahogany rising to a height of 37 feet above the sanctuary floor as the setting for the huge crucifix, which is cut from a mammoth block of bluish-black Port D'Oro marble.
The main altar from which this featured crucifix arises is a permanent altar in the liturgical sense that it rests on its own foundation, as is required byRoman Catholic liturgical law. The side, or votive altars are similarly constructed. The altar table rests on a predella or stylobate of Verde Nicoli stone, the top platform which is inlaid withred Verona and rose coral marbles. The sacrificial table or mensa is light coloredpietra di Trani surmounted by atabernacle of rose coral marbles. The votive or side altars conform and hence are in harmony with the principal altar, both in color and in form
The church's interior features a distinct historicizing Art Deco motif with a color scheme of lightpastel tints, which includes the church's impressivestained glass windows. Although the church is filled with depictions of Polishsaints and folkloric motifs, it is much more subdued in comparison to Chicago's more well-knownPolish cathedrals. The church's most well-known asset, a set ofmosaicStations of the Cross that were executed in theVatican City inRome, line the sides of the building's interior. All of the furnishings of the church such as altars, pulpit and pews were executed from designs by the original architects at the expressed wish of Monsignor Czastka who was the pastor at St. Wenceslaus at that time in order to present a consistent and harmonious edifice.
The Purgatorial shrine was painted byJan Henryk De Rosen who famously decorated the interior of theArmenian Cathedral in L'viv. Next to it is a recently[when?] installed figure ofSanto Niño de Cebú, a devotion to the Child Jesus popular in thePhilippines.
Much of the intricate painted ornamental designs that appeared throughout the church were not saved while painting during a recent[when?] renovation of the church because of a lack of parish funds.
