"Cathedral of the Country", St. Mary’s Church – Beaverville, Illinois
Completed in 1910, St. Mary’s Church is the only Catholic Church in Beaverville, Illinois. In fact, it is the only church in town.
The church is rich in French Canadian heritage and have an interesting past. The legend of the founding of St. Marie says that thirty-two families from the area of Montreal, Canada, mostly newlywed or single came up the St. Lawrence River in search of farmland on the prairie. They traveled across the Great Lakes and stopped at Fort Dearborn (Chicago). Then they pushed south through the swamps and frontier until they reached what is now Beaverville. The group consisted of families with names such as Fortin, Dionne, Boudreau, Benoit, Nourie, LaFond, and at least six Arseneau families. They settled here because of the good land and the many creeks.
About the architect…
St. Mary’s was the second of eight churches designed by Chicago architect Joseph Molitor. Molitor’s career in Chicago was brief for there is currently no evidence of any other commissions after 1915. Speculation is he died during the flu epidemic. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that Molitor is among the best Catholic church architects Chicago had to offer in the early 20th century. He used a blend of Romanesque and Renaissance Revival styles with trace elements by Byzantine and Baroque, representing late 19th century and early 20th century American religious architecture. Moreover, it appears that the St. Mary’s commission sparked the greatest "creative burst" of Molitor’s career which left an indelible mark on Chicago’s great religious architecture.
About the window’s of St. Mary’s…
St. Mary’s Church contains an exceptional set of stained glass windows which depict the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An uncommon feature of these windows is their elaborate use of opalescent glass. This glass is masterfully matched for color and texture. The high level of compositional skill using the opalescent glass and the paintings depicted in St. Mary’s windows is rare in the Midwest. They are a hybrid between the Munich style made famous by Mayer, Zettle and TGA and the finest of American craftsmanship represented by Tiffany Studios of New York. These windows are so very important because only a small number of this hybrid have survived in this quality and quantity.
Location: 308 St. Charles St, Beaverville (the only church in town) Not all maps have Beaverville on them, but the church is located about 100 miles south of Chicago. It is located 4 miles north of Illinois Route 52; 8 miles west of the Indiana / Illinois state line and 16 miles east of Interstate 57 exist 293 at Ashkum.
Masses
Saturday evening… 5:30 p.m.
Sunday morning …. 8:00 a.m.
Tues., Wed., Fri. …8:00 a.m.
Weekday Mass is held in the
chapel.
Phone: (815) 435-2432
Related posts:
I was rained on a farm between St. Anne and Beaverville. My Grandparents and Great Grandparents farmed south of the rail road tracks on the Morocco road. The first farm sets on the south side of the road, still standing today or at least up to my last trip by in 2007. My father was raise on that farm till about 13 than moved west of Papineau to the Baron Hill Farm. My great and grandparents are buried in the church Cemetery alone with many Aunts and Uncles. There was a private girl’s school that was attached to the Church up until about the early sixties. Many Chicago families sent daughters to be educated by the Nuns in Beaverville. The town was first called St. Marye’s but chanced it name as mail got mixed up with a town by the same name in Indiana. Prior to the draining of the great Kankakee lake area just ten miles to the east after the Civil War this area was full of Beavers and other wild life that lived on the edge and in the waters of the large lake. Not much of a town left. Of course the church still stands in all it beauty, Small business that support farming and few new homes remain. It was never a large town but it was the center of the farming area in the late 1880’s up until the end of the sixties as travel became much easier business and better employment was available in Watseka and Kankakee.
I resided in Beaverville, Il from June 14, 1970 to June 6, 1979 after
completing high school in Donovan, Il. My mother died in a fatal
car crash along the Beaverville Slab a mile south of town on April 6, 1978.
My youngest sibling was born September 4, 1974 at Riverside Hospital
in Kankakee. The eery coincidence was the people who own the house before us
lost thier son Donny Rupp in a very similar car accident in the same vicinity a few years before we bought the house. He had just returned from Vietnam. Beaverville was
small then as it is now but the people made a great place to raise children.
It wasn’t until I was in Montreal, CN in 1998 I realized the beaver was the
national animal of Canada and thus the name of my boyhood town where
I received the most of my formal education. It was a great place to be during the
be all you can be 70s. I will be ever grateful for my education in Beaverville.
I passed through this small town recently while on some business in the area. Being a city person, I often pass quickly through small towns such as Beaverville. Coming into the town though and seeing this beautiful building in the distance caught my attention. I had to stop and look in the beautiful church. It is a gem and I hope that it can remain for a long time to come. The town looks to be struggling though, and being off the beaten path, I hope others see this beautiful house of worship and appreciate the beauty and faith a structure like that brings out. I have not been to mass in a while, but returned on the following Saturday for mass just to feel the presence the church. I was not disappointed and the mass was wonderful. I just wish it was closer to the city so more people could appreciate it. If you live in the area, you are very lucky!