A Mystery Solved

I've been puzzled, for the past few months, by Holy Angels, in Sandusky. It's considered the oldest extant church in the diocese, having been built in 1843. Here's a very early picture of it. It's not easy to grasp just how much of an accomplishment it was, at the time, to build anything this impressive, when all the other churches in the area were very simple frame or brick structures. Holy Angels went further, by building in stone and adding the extra Gothic detailing that was still rather rare. The first church in the United States to show Gothic influence was built, I believe, in 1807. The style was slow in spreading toward the frontiers, and the "Carpenter Gothic" was just beginning to attract notice, so this must have been quite a sight when compared to the simple Greek Revival and Georgian churches the area was used to.

Here's what it looked like in c1900. Once again, we have a lost spire. One very unusual feature is the presence of those two round windows, and particularly the way they're arranged. A single rose window, in the middle, was common, but two, side by side, is rather odd. The transom over the entrance looks like it might have been stained glass. Very interesting building.

Now, as I've said, Holy Angels is considered the oldest parish church in the diocese, but there's a problem.

This is what it looks like today. Very nice building, but not the same. Everyone I asked agreed that the original church is somewhere in there, but no one could tell me when and how the change was made, until now.

A few days ago, Kevin Hammer drew my attention to an excellent blog called Sandusky History, written by the staff of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. I left a comment asking for information and they responded quickly.

Fr. Thomas P. Lamb, pastor from 1893 to 1903, carried out an expansion project which was finished by 1902. An 35-foot addition was built in front of the church. The original tower was removed and replaced with one at the side. The 1843 church is still there, but looks completely different from the front. Holy Angels is the oldest extant parish church in the diocese, with the caveat that St. Patrick's in Providence, built I believe in 1848, is the oldest to survive in its original condition. That nakes two to be recognized.

Historical Marker at Holy Angels, Sandusky

A historical marker has been placed at Holy Angels church in Sandusky, telling the story of the oldest church structure in the Toledo Diocese.  The William G. Pomeroy Foundation provided funding.  Read more in the Sandusky Register HERE.

Holy Angels, Sandusky

Holy Angels church in Sandusky, the oldest of the three parishes in that city.  Read more about its history in previous posts -- click HERE.

Holy Angels, Sandusky

Sorry about the utility poles ...

A snippet of Holy Angels records from 1841, with the signature of Fr. Joseph P. Machebeuf, later the first bishop of Denver.

From Sandusky Bay . . .

Over at the Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay blog, some good history links:

You can read a copy of a 1922 Parish Quarterly from Sandusky St. Mary's parish HERE.

The story of Nicholas Charles Cross from Sandusky's Holy Angels parish, who joined the Xaverian Brothers, can be found HERE.

Holy Angels, Sandusky

Thanks to a regular contributor for e-mailing the pictures.

Guardian Angel Statue Returns

Holy Angels parish in Sandusky has restored its outdoor statue of a Guardian Angel and child, commissioned 100 years ago.  See the story HERE and HERE.

Joseph Projectus Machebeuf, Bishop of Denver

Bishop Machebeuf ( 1812-1889 ), a native of France, was active in the eastern part of what is now the Toledo Diocese, throughout the 1840's. He served in Tiffin, Peru, and Sandusky, where he founded Holy Angels parish.
Machebeuf was made Vicar Apostolic of Colorado, in 1868 and first Bishop of Denver, in 1887. A mountain in Colorado is named in his honor. For a biographical sketch, click HERE.

Holy Angels, Sandusky

Holy Angels, Sandusky

Window of Inspiration

A grieving father is leading an effort to restore a stained glass window of Jesus in Gethsemane at historic Holy Angels church in Sandusky.  See the story in the Sandusky Register HERE.

Gerhard Lamers, Artist

The artwork of Gerhard Lamers has not been featured previously on this blog -- this is hopefully the first step in highlighting his works.

Lamers was born in Kleve, Germany, near the Dutch border in 1871, studied at the Munich Art Academy, and started an art school in Muenster.  He first visited America in 1925 to work on the cathedral in Wheeling, WV [update: presumably as assistant to Felix Lieftuchter, source HERE, page 12].  He returned to the U.S. in 1928, and while he was associated with the many German Catholic artists of Cincinnati, his style was much different, with one writer noting that he "leans heavily on Byzantine prototypes.  His angels, saints and apostles . . . are elongated, archaic bodies, reminiscent of mosaics in Eastern European churches of the tenth and eleventh centuries."

He was quite active in Ohio and the Midwest.  Some examples include:

• The apse mural of Mother of Sorrows at Put in Bay, which can be seen HERE.  It is also featured in the first pages of the Toledo Diocese History from 2009.
• Murals at Most Pure Heart of Mary in Shelby
• Various works at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus
• The shrine of Monte Casino at St. Meinrad, Indiana.
• Holy Family church in Cincinnati (in the late 1940s)

Apparently Lamers was the subject of a retrospective exhibit at a museum in Kleve, Germany in 1980, "Der Kirchenmaler Gerhard Lamers."  (The Church Painter.)  Lamers died in 1964 in Cincinnati.  In the future, I hope to feature photos of his works.