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Saturday, November 11, 2006

Photos of Saint Raphael Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri

Here are photos of Saint Raphael the Archangel church, in Saint Louis, Missouri, located in the southwesternmost corner of the City, in the Saint Louis Hills Estates subdivision.


Exterior view of Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri

Saint Raphael's is in the Colonial Revival style, which is most unusual for a Catholic church. Typically, one would expect this style more in a Presbyterian or Episcopalian church, reflecting a strong New England heritage. The parish dates from 1950.

According to the 2006 Status Animarum, this parish has approximately 1,936 Catholics.

Nave of Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri

The interior continues the Colonial Revival style, with much painted white wood, clear glass windows, and some flattened classical ornament. Note also the red carpeting: carpets are extremely rare in Catholic churches but is common in English-influenced churches.

This was a popular style in the United States starting from 1876, when it was introduced at the U.S. Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. It was relatively simpler than other Victorian styles, but still provided much beauty. Victorian art, beginning with the Gothic Revival, is known for its beauty and countered the efficient ugliness of the Industrial Revolution. Colonial Revival was also a patriotic style. For institutional buildings, it was largely abandoned in favor of Modernism in the mid 1950s.

The interior of the Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France is also in that style.

Sanctuary of Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri

This church has one of the largest sanctuaries I've seen, located at the center of the transept, and retains its altar rail.

Tabernacle of Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri

The tabernacle.

Baptistery of Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri

A separate baptistery is located off of the left side of the nave.

Station of the Cross at Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri, Jesus is taken down from the cross

XIIIth Station of the Cross, Jesus is taken down from the Cross.

Station of the Cross at Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri, Jesus is placed in the tomb

XIVth Station, Jesus is placed in the tomb.

view of transept, Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri

The transepts features extensive seating facing the sanctuary. For a Gothicist's commentary on this style of church, you may want to read the article, Quotes from The Symbolism of Churches.

Organ loft at Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri

An organ loft.

Statue of Saint Raphael from the Book of Tobit, from Saint Raphael Catholic Church, in Saint Louis, Missouri
The archangel Raphael figures in the Book of Tobias (or Tobit), originally found only in the Greek version of the Old Testament, and hence excluded from Protestant bibles. Recently, fragments of this book have been found in the Hebrew language.

Two other Archangel churches are located within a few miles of here, and all were built within a ten-year period: Saint Gabriel and Saint Michael.

For a couple more photos of this church click here.

Address:
6047 Bishops Place
Saint Louis, Missouri 63109


Mass Times:
Weekdays: 7:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m.
Saturday: 7:00 a.m.
Saturday (Vigil): 4:30 p.m.
Sunday: 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m.

Perpetual Help Devotion:
Tuesday: after 7:00 a.m. Mass

Confession:
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: 15 minutes before Mass
Saturday: 4:00 p.m. - 4:25 p.m.

Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament:
First Fridays: 7:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Eucharistic Adoration:
Second, Third, and Fourth Tuesdays: 7:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

3 comments:

  1. St. Raphael is my paish and your pictures of St. Raphael are beautiful. It would be nice to see a picture of it with their beautiful but simple Advent decorations.

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  2. I would agree with Michael Cross. Having a few pictures during the Christmas season would be nice.

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  3. The original St. Raphael's Church, now a hall or gym, had beautiful attributes too. Any chance of publishing pictures of it ?

    ReplyDelete