Holy Name Cathedral is often considered the king of Chicago’s Catholic churches (it is, after all, the seat of Archdiocese of Chicago). But I’d argue that St Michael in Old Town Parish challenges Holy Name in beauty and grandeur.
The church’s first building, a wood-frame structure built in 1852 for just under $750, has been rebuilt twice – first in 1866 with red sandstone bricks and again in 1871 after the Chicago Fire, which left only the front walls standing. Lucky for Chicagoans, the church has been well kept since then.
Its 290-foot spire, visible from the Sedgwick el platform, is its most imposing feature, but some of its details are equally noteworthy. A nine-foot statue of Saint Michael stands above the main entrance. When I looked up at it yesterday afternoon, a local resident walking her two golden retrievers told me that a falcon is nesting its eggs below the statue’s feet.
Inside, the church is no less impressive, with an ornate Romanesque altar, resplendent stained glass and a pipe organ with 2,200 pipes. A member of the church saw me gazing at a wood-carved image of the Last Supper and flipped a switch so I could see it lit up.
Since we’re noting the Old Town Triangle’s distinctive religious institutions, I should also mention Midwest Buddhist Temple, 435 W Menomonee. The current building, dedicated in 1971, holds services and cultural events.
One of the great oddities of the Chicago Archdiocese is that Holy Name Cathedral, the “headquarters” parish, is niether the biggest nor the most architecturally impressive Catholic Church in the diocese or even the city. Compared to St. Michael’s, St. Mary of the Angels in Bucktown, St. Hyacinth in “Old Polonia” and numerous others, Holy Name is decidedly unimpressive in both size and aesthetics. It’s even pretty small potatoes compared to, for example, St. Raymond’s Cathedral in Joliet. How this nice-but-not-spectacular building became the favored church of the archbishop’s office can perhaps be explained only by the many Biblical admonishments that “the last shall be first, and the first, last,” etc.
Please don’t ever compare St. Mary of the Angels with St. Michaels ever again. While it’s easily one of Chicago’s most beautiful churches, and factually, the Diocese’s largest, the brand of Catholicism is a little twisted, if you know what I mean? Like, as in, priests limping, European immigrants fainting, and people let to feel completely guilty for eating something sweet, like, say, a popsicle. You know that little book, that little Da Vinci Code? Bingo!
St. Mary’s is a great place, except for the summer when it hits 102 and they open up the windows because there’s no air. Or, those little radiant pipes running in between pues that get a little hot during the winter. Okay, enough complaining. A great great church with good parishoners and clergy alike.
Years back there used to be a saying to the effect that you knew you lived in the Old Town Triangle if you could hear the bells of St Michael’s.
Chuck – I guess you’re alluding to the fact that the current SMA parish is part of the controversial Opus Dei group. But I think the poster was speaking strictly about architecture, not population.
Anon, I spoke to the point of architecture as well. It’s an incredible building, inside and out. And yes, I was alluding to the OD connection. I had gone to church over there on quite a few occassions, only because it was close and they had a 7:15 mass on Sunday nights. Coincidentally, after being made to feel guilty about the mere act of waking up in the morning by the pastor of St. Mary’s, I made a point of getting over to St. Michaels.