Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Complex - Detroit, MI - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

This is a very large Catholic Church built just before the Great Depression. It is in excellent shape and people come from all over to visit the famous grotto in the cemetery behind the structure.

From the State of Michigan two-sided historical marker at the church:
ASSUMPTION ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH The origins of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church can be traced to 1830, when German immigrants first arrived in Detroit. Warned away from cholera-stricken Detroit, they built a log church here in 1832, in what was then the outskirts of the city. Redemptorist missionaries served the Kirche im Wald (Church in the Woods) until it was designated a parish by Bishop Peter Paul LeFevre in 1847. It is the second-oldest parish in Detroit. Father Amandus Vandendriessche, the first full-time pastor, was assigned here in 1852 and immediately began building a permanent structure. Built of brick made on the premises, the church was completed in time for Christmas services that same year.

ASSUMPTION GROTTO To meet the needs of a growing congregation, this church was begun in 1928. Designed by the Detroit architectural firm Aloys Frank Herman, Incorporated, the limestone-faced, Neo-Gothic, basilica-plan church was dedicated on September 22, 1929. A unique feature of the church grounds is the grotto, a shrine located in the parish cemetery. Father Amandus Vandendriessche, who had served Assumption Church since 1852, visited France in 1876 and was so inspired by the shrine at Our Lady of Lourdes that he decided to create a replica at his own parish. The grotto has attracted visitors since its dedication in June 1881. The entire church complex, which consists of the church, parish house, rectory, cemetery and grotto, was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Street address: 13770 Gratiot Ave, Detroit, MI 48205 Detroit, MI USA 48205 County / Borough / Parish: Wayne County Year listed: 1991 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1875-1899, 1925-1949 Historic function: Funerary, Religion Current function: Funerary, Religion Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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