St. Barbara Church (Chicago)

For other uses, see St. Barbara's Church (disambiguation).

St. Barbara Church
St. Barbara Church
Location	Chicago
Country	USA
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	St. Barbara Parish
History
Founded	1909
Founder(s)	Polish immigrants
Dedication	St. Barbara
Dedicated	1914
Consecrated	()
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	For Polish immigrants
Architect(s)	Worthmann and Steinbach
Architectural type	Church
Style	Polish Cathedral style
Groundbreaking	1912 (1912)
Completed	1914 (1914)
Specifications
Materials	Brick

St. Barbara's in Chicago (Polish: Kościół Świętej Barbary) - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in Chicago, Illinois, at 2859 South Throop St.

It is a prime example of the so-called "Polish Cathedral style" of churches in both its opulence and grand scale. Along with St. Mary of Perpetual Help, it is one of two monumental religious edifices that dominate the Bridgeport neighborhood's skyline.

History

Founded in 1909 as a Polish parish to relieve overcrowding at St. Mary of Perpetual Help. Reverend Anthony Nawrocki, brother of St. Mary's pastor Stanislaus Nawrocki was the first pastor, thus the founding of the parish was literally a family affair in both the literal and figurative sense.

Architecture

The church was designed by the firm of Worthmann and Steinbach who built many of the magnificent Polish Cathedrals in Chicago. The Renaissance style edifice was completed in 1914, it is one of the few octagonal houses of worship in the archdiocese. There are 25 stunning stained glass windows, depicting the Gospel, and the lives of the saints.

See also

• Polish Cathedral style churches of Chicago
• Polish Americans
• Poles in Chicago
• Roman Catholicism in Poland

External links

• PGSA - St. Barbara Church History
• Archdiocese of Chicago
• http://www.myschoolpages.com/schools/stbarbaraelementary/about.cfm
• http://stbarbarachicago.org/