Basilica of St. Francis Xavier (Vincennes)

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Facade of the basilica
inner space

The Basilica of St. Franz Xavier ( English Basilica St. Francis Xavier ) is a Roman Catholic church in Vincennes in the US state of Indiana . The minor basilica with the patron saint St. Franz Xavier was the cathedral of the diocese of Vincennes from 1834 to 1878 and is called The Old Cathedral by the locals . After moving the bishopric to Indianapolis in the capital of Indiana, it became a parish church again and is now part of the Evansville diocese .

history

St. Francis Xavier Parish is the oldest Catholic parish in Indiana. In 1732, the French officer Sieur de Vincennes built a fortress on the banks of the Wabash River , where French farmers and trappers settled who traded with the Piankashaw Indians. The parish goes back to the visit of a French Jesuit missionary, Father Sebastien Meurin, in 1734, the first parish church is dated to 1748.

After the defeat of the French, the place came under English administration by the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the Jesuits were expelled. In 1778 the place became part of the newly formed United States . A new church was built in 1785 and received a permanent pastor. Father Benoît-Joseph Flaget succeeded Father Girault in 1792 and founded a parish school. Father Jean-François Rivet joined them in 1795. He accepted the Indiana governor's request to open an English-language public school while his parishioners were all French-speaking.

The church dates from 1826 and the foundation stone was blessed by Father Jean-Léon Champomier. It was already built as a cathedral for the new diocese of Vincennes, created in 1834. The cathedral could be consecrated in 1841. The seat of the diocese was moved to Indianapolis in 1878 and is now in the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. The Church of St. Franz Xavier was founded in 1970 by Paul VI. raised to the rank of a minor basilica. Together with the neighboring First Library of Indiana and the presbytery, the church has been listed as a National Historic Site since 1976 .

architecture

The building is part of a classical architectural complex. The church was modeled on what was then Bardstown Cathedral . It was built with brick to a length of 35 meters and a width of 18 meters. The sides have five windows each; there is another window above the three portals on the entrance side. Three statues from 1910 greet the faithful at the entrance to the basilica: those of Joan of Arc , St. Patrick and St. Francis Xavier. A crypt was created under the altar area in which the four bishops of Vincennes are buried: Simon Bruté (1834–1839), Célestin de La Hailandière (1839–1847), Jean-Étienne Bazin (1847–1848) and Maurice de Saint- Palais (1848–1877).

In the basilica there is a fresco with the crucifixion from 1870 by Wilhelm Lamprecht, who came from the Munich Art Academy , above the altar . He also created the fresco on the right with St. Franz Xaver and the Madonna with the Child. The 1908 stained glass windows are from the Von Courts Art Glass Company in Columbus , Ohio .

Web links

Commons : Basilica of St. Franz Xaver  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ James J. Divita: Indianapolis Cathedral: A Construction History of Our Three Mother Churches . Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis (1986), Indianapolis, 9.
  2. ↑ Basilica of St. Francis Xavier (Old Cathedral) on gcatholic.org
  3. ↑ The Old Cathedral Library & Museum - Indiana's First Library (English)
  4. ↑ Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service . Accessed November 3, 2019

Coordinates: 38 ° 40 ′ 44 ″  N , 87 ° 32 ′ 3 ″  W.