PHOTOS: The Church Beautiful in Historic Edgewater

St. Gregory's Hall artist-in-residence Sarah Crow packed 300 years of history into Saturday's church tours of Mary, Mother of God Parish. Curious neighbors joined parishioners to learn about the histories and Marian imagery of St. Gregory the Great, Saint Ita, and St. Thomas of Canterbury churches. The three structures were all built within 11 years, starting in 1916, yet have striking differences in their designs and the beautiful artwork found inside. The event was organized in coordination with Catholic Church Tours. Don't miss the next one! 

St. Gregory the Great

The tours began at St. Gregory the Great, which was completed in 1924. At the time, this part of Edgewater was home to many people from Luxembourg. The community paid homage to Medieval Europe with this church, built in the Norman Gothic style. This references French influence on English architecture following the Norman Conquest of England. Inside, the church features magnificent woodwork and stained glass windows. The tour focused on the shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, whose image is surrounded by paintings of Marian apparitions from around the world, as well as the pieta and Marian side altar.

*St. Gregory the Great photos courtesy Joanna Stramel.

Saint Ita

 Next, the group headed to Saint Ita, which was built in 1927. The legendary  George Cardinal Mundelein specifically requested the church be built in the French Gothic design. Architect Henry J. Schlacks was tapped for the job, making Saint Ita the last of his 12 great churches built in Chicagoland. Builders hauled tons of limestone from Southern Indiana. Saint Ita's crown jewel is its incredible stained glass windows, which tell the story of Jesus, His Mother, His Church, and its saints through 200,000 individual pieces of glass. The group spent time identifying the various titles of Mary depicted in one of the stained-glass windows, all of which can be found in the Litany of Loreto.

St. Thomas of Canterbury

The tour ended at St. Thomas of Canterbury, one of the most architecturally unique churches in all of the Archdiocese of Chicago. St. Thomas of Canterbury was completed in 1916, with its red brick facade and iconic columns. The design has been described many ways - American Neoclassical, Georgian, Colonial Revival - yet the goal was clear: to show early 1900s Chicago that Catholics were just as American as everyone else. Inside, the church is a testament to the country's diversity, with shrines to martyrs from around the world. This is especially apparent in the many depictions of the Virgin Mary, from Our Lady of Fatima to the Madonna of the Baobab.