Academy of Sacred Heart - Round House - St. Charles, Missouri
Posted by: BruceS
N 38° 47.213 W 090° 28.821
15S E 718849 N 4296142
Octagonal building, circa 1855, with an interesting history located on the grounds of The Academy of Sacred Heart in St. Charles, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WM185H
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 02/19/2007
Views: 72
"This little shrine, actually octogonal in shape, was built in the early 1850s to honor Our Lady of the Pillar (in thanksgiving for preservation from a fire that threatened to take the convent). When Mother Duchesne's body -- three years in the grave --was exhumed and found to be miraculously intact, it was removed and laid to rest in this structure. Through the years, the floor construction evolved to its present state. The inscribed marble plate that covers the tomb was added in 1911 and later modified to cite the Beatification in 1940. In 1951 the Beata's remains were removed to be placed in the large Shrine on this property. The "Round House" was abandoned then but never ceased to be a cherished landmark on this campus. We are grateful to the many who have contributed to its restoration efforts, which were completed in 1994." ~ text of placard in building.
Mother Philippine Duchesne was was canonized as Saint Philippine, the fourth American saint, on July 3rd, 1988, by Pope John Paul II. For a more complete history of this building and The Shrine of St. Philippine Duchesne see Shrine of
St. Philippine Duchesne and
A History of the
Round House at the Academy of the Sacred Heart.