St. Francis de Sales Church (St. Louis)
| Saint Francis de Sales Oratory | |
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Saint Francis de Sales Oratory
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| Location | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | http://www.institute-christ-king.org/stlouis/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 1867 |
| Dedicated | May 24, 1868 (first church) November 26, 1908 (current church) |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Oratory |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places |
| Designated | November 2, 1978 |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1907-1908 |
| Demolished | 1896 (first church, by tornado) |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of St. Louis |
| Division | Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | Rev. Canon Michael K. Wiener |
| Vicar(s) | Rev. Canon Jean-Baptiste Commins |
| Sacristan |
Abbé Alex Barga |
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St. Francis de Sales Church
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| Location | 2653 Ohio St., St. Louis, Missouri |
| Coordinates | 38°36′15″N 90°13′33″W / 38.60417°N 90.22583°WCoordinates: 38°36′15″N 90°13′33″W / 38.60417°N 90.22583°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1907 |
| Architect | Klutho & Ranft |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival, Other, German-American Gothic Revl. |
| NRHP reference # | 78003393 |
| Added to NRHP | November 2, 1978 |
Abbé Alex Barga
St. Francis de Sales Church (the Oratory of Saint Francis de Sales) is a Roman Catholic Oratory located in south St. Louis, Missouri. It is the second largest church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis after the cathedral-basilica. The church is popularly known as the "Cathedral of South St. Louis."
The historic main church was designed in the neo-Gothic style. Its stained glass windows were crafted by the St. Louis glazier Emil Frei, Sr. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since 2005 the church has been operated by the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, which practices the Latin liturgy and emphasizes the liturgical arts, with a strong music program.
St. Francis de Sales parish was formed in 1867 to serve a growing German Catholic community, whose members, at that time, were attending the church of Saints Peter and Paul in Soulard. The cornerstone was laid on September 15, 1867. During the ceremony a stand collapsed due to vandals having sawed some of the supporting timbers the previous night. No one was seriously injured. Although the church was still under construction, the first Mass was celebrated that Christmas. The building was dedicated the following May, by which time the church had 800 members. It is dedicated in honor of Saint Francis de Sales (d. 1622), bishop and doctor of the Church. The parish developed schools on its campus for Catholic children of elementary and high school levels. For many years the sermon at Holy Mass was given in German, and classes at the school were conducted in German.
In 1903, Frederick George Holweck, German-American scholar, and church historian, returned as pastor to St. Francis De Sales, where he had earlier served as curate. As the original church had been destroyed by the great St. Louis Tornado of 1896, he was charged with building a new one to meet the needs of the growing parish. The building was completed in 1908.
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