Assumption Roman Catholic Church/Assumption Grotto Church Complex
Posted by: 
S5280ft
N 42° 25.694 W 082° 58.903
17T E 336980 N 4699226
Located on the east side of Gratiot Avenue, between Seymour (Six Mile) and Mapleridge Streets. Ample parking inside the complex.
Waymark Code: WMYAP
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 11/11/2006
Views: 37
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.
Parking nearby?: yes
D/T ratings: 
Registered Site #: Local Site #1764
Historical Date: Not listed
Historical Name: Not listed
Description: Not listed
website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:Take a photo of your GPS at the marker. We'd prefer a photo of you with your GPS, but we realize that sometimes that's just not possible or preferable.
Also include a bit about your visit to the marker.
NEW: Instructions for logging Missing Marker Visits.
If the Marker is missing, but still listed here, you must provide a photo of you at the actual item historically honored. (This should be the waymark's "default" image). Indicate in your log that you took your photo at the Historical Location instead of the marker, because the marker was missing. Please also still include a bit about your visit to the site.