St. Mary of the Rosary Parish Steeple - Chewelah, WA
Posted by: 
T0SHEA
N 48° 16.571 W 117° 42.680
11U E 447221 N 5347242
This beautiful old Roman Catholic Parish can trace its roots back 128 years, to 1885.
Waymark Code: WMJNHF
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 12/09/2013
Views: 1
Organized in that year, 1885, St. Mary of the Rosary Parish began as a Jesuit mission under Jesuit missionary Father Aloysius Folchi. It continued as a mission until being taken over by the Diocese of Spokane in 1916. Before the construction of this building, the parish met in a building it had purchased and converted to a church. Today that same building is home to the American Legion, Post 54.
Let's see... large square steeple, centred in the front of the building; must be a Roman Catholic Church. Sure enough, it is. It can be seen by the foundation that the additions surrounding the steeple were added some years later, as the original foundation is rubble stone and the additions are on concrete. The treatment of the top of this steeple is quite novel. It was given a very slender octagonal spire with a very steeply pitched roof, and eight tiny dormers at the base of the roof. It wasn't until 1994 that the steeple received its striking copper spire, topped with a gilded copper cross. Ordinarily copper shingles will be allowed to oxidize in the weather, but these have been varnished to retain their brilliance. The steeple is tall enough that it remains a significant landmark in the town.
Construction of this building began in 1905 and was brought to completion in 1907, the construction being overseen by Jesuit missionary Father Balthazar Feusi. Father Feusi Was also responsible for the construction of the nearby St. Joseph Parish near Valley, Washington, which was completed two years prior to this building. Renovations were undertaken in 1964 and in 1971. In 2001 a new parish hall was added to the building, which now houses the church's offices, meeting rooms, etc.
