Parish History | The Church Building | Tour of the Church

Welcome to St. Cecilia Church!

We welcome you to our house of worship, where we have gathered for over 100 years. We are blessed with a beautiful building that was built by people of faith who wanted a permanent monument to the Lord in the midst of their community. We hope you enjoy your visit and take a few moments for personal prayer while you are visiting our church. We are glad you came!

Parish History

The parish of St. Cecilia was founded to serve an area where populations from the old rival French towns of St. Louis (founded 1764) and Carondelet (founded 1767) were beginning to converge.  The ground is part of the old Carondelet Commons, which can still be traced in the streets bounded by Meramec on the north and Morganford on the west which run at an oblique angle to the surrounding streets.  The state names of the north-south streets are carried down from St. Louis Commons, but the east-west streets follow the 1832 plan of Carondelet.  After World War I, bungalows and two-family flats rapidly filled the remaining vacant lots of this neighborhood, and in 1926, the cornerstone for the present church was laid.

St. Cecilia Parish was organized by Archbishop John Glennon on August 4, 1906, with Father Bernard Benten as the founding pastor.  It was begun to serve the needs of the growing population of an area that had been part of the common fields of the city of Carondelet and was being developed.  The first Mass was offered on September 2, 1906 at the St. Joseph’s Boys Home. The cornerstone of the first church was laid on May 19, 1907, and the church was blessed on January 1, 1908.  This combination church and school was located on the site of the present parking lot on Eichelberger at Louisiana, and was razed after the new school was completed.

The Church Building

In a city full of magnificent churches, St. Cecilia Church is regarded as one of the finest.

The architecture is Romanesque, characterized by rounded arches. The church is constructed of brick with stone trim, and its twin though uneven steeples are a landmark, with their golden crosses.  The façade and spires suggest a Gothic influence on the exterior. The church was designed by architect Henry P. Hess and built by Charles C. Kloster.  Hess also designed the Rosati-Kain High School, the old Christian Brothers College High School building on Clayton Road (now owned by the Lutheran Concordia Seminary), the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, All Saints in University City, Immaculate Conception in Maplewood, as well as other churches. Hess' firm is now known as LePique & Orne Architects, which still does work for the Archdiocese. The design of this church was inspired by the nearby Saint Anthony of Padua parish.  This was a mixed German and Irish parish at its founding. It now is one of seven archdiocesan parishes that has a Hispanic ministry.  The architect  Henry P. Hess (1884-1957), whose career was devoted primarily to Catholic schools and churches.  Born to a family of builders, Hess trained in a series of St. Louis architectural offices.  After three years with the respected school designer William B. Ittner, he started his own firm about 1916, just in time to participate in Archbishop Glennon’s extensive program of parochial school construction.  Among Hess’s better known school designs are Rosati-Kain on Lindell next to the Cathedral Basilica, the Tudor-Revival Christian Brothers College on Clayton Road, and the Neoclassical McBride High (now King Junior High) on North Kingshighway.  Perhaps his finest work was the present Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Shrewsbury, whose 1931 tower is a landmark on Watson Road

The groundbreaking for the church was January 26, 1926 and the cornerstone was laid on Pentecost Sunday, May 23, 1926. The first Mass was said on Sunday, October 2, 1927, just a few days after the devastating 1927 tornado damaged large portions of the city.

The most striking features of the interior are the sanctuary mosaics and the stained glass windows, which were executed by Emil Frei, Sr. (1869-1942); his descendants still run Emil Frei Associates, and have worked locally and nationally. Mosaics are by the Ravenna Mosaic Company, which also did the interior of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.  The Munich immigrant Emil Frei was responsible at St. Cecilia’s for both the windows and the mosaics.  His firms, Emil Frei Art Glass Company and Ravenna Mosaic, Inc., worked out of the same building on South Grand at that time.  The eclectic interior has ribbed vaults in the nave and cross vaults in the aisles; Byzantine capitals top the green scagliola columns and respond as consoles in the aisles.  The unusual painted interlace patterns on the spandrels above the arcades center on symbols of the apostles.  The detailed nave windows illustrate scenes from the life of the Virgin and the childhood of Jesus.  The transept windows are exceptional.  On the south the participants in the Creation gather for a group portrait, surmounted by the classes of the heavenly host - angels, archangels, powers, virtues, dominations, thrones, seraphim and cherubim - while on the north the Crucifixion is topped by angels holding instruments of the Passion.  The side chapels are dedicated to Sts. Mary and Joseph, while St. Anthony of Padua stands in the south transept.  The mosaic-encrusted sanctuary (Protestants would say the chancel) shows Abraham twice: in the sacrifice of Isaac on the south wall and with the priest Melchizedek on the north.  The apse depicts the legendary St. Cecilia, patron saint of music, holding her pipe organ and venerated by two angels, and she appears a second time in the statue over the front door.  The decoration follows the pattern of the great cathedrals, which used artistic features to impart the truths of faith.  

Tour of the Church

Sanctuary | Side Altars | Nave | Rear

In the following sections, you will learn about the different parts of the Church, and you can click on any of the picture thumbnails to view a larger picture and a description of the contents of the picture.  Mosaic of Saint Cecilia, a Roman martyr (beheaded ca. A.D. 117) holding a small pipe organ. Cecilia is patroness of church music.

Sanctuary

In the sanctuary of the Church, you will notice a beautiful baldacchino (the large structure over the altar) with the words "Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus" (Latin for "Holy Holy Holy"). This reminds us of the prime importance of the Altar and Tabernacle—this is the part of the Church in which the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered, where Jesus literally comes to earth to be with us in the Body and Blood of the Eucharist. Because of this, the area is exquisitely decorated with all the finest artwork and dignity. A few things to note especially:

• The four angels on the top of the baldacchino. These angels represent the fact that Heaven and Earth are joined together in praise at the Lord's altar. Their trumpets blast forth praise and adoration for the Lord of Heaven and Earth.
• The reredos (the structure behind the main altar) includes beautiful statues of Mary and John, the mother of Jesus and the only Apostle of the Twelve with enough strength to follow Jesus all the way up Calvary and stand beside Him at the Cross.
• The two stained glass windows in the sanctuary (on either side of the baldacchino) depict the of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
• Behind the Baldacchino is the inscription "Te Deum Laudamus, Te Dominum Confitemur, Te Martyrum Candidatus Laudat Exercitus," which means "We praise you, God, we acknowledge you as Lord, we, the white-robed army of martyrs, praise you!"
• There are a variety of beautiful mosaics in the sanctuary, made from many thousands of small colored stone tiles. Two of the images include Saint Cecilia and two candle-bearing angels and the Biblical scene of Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac. These mosaics were crafted by the same skilled artisans (the Ravenna Mosaic Company) who later designed and installed the hundreds of mosaics in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis in Midtown.

Side Altars

The left side-altar, dedicated to Mary, is decorated with a two beautiful depictions of Mary, as the Mother of Perpetual Help and as Mother of Jesus. Surrounding the altar are statues of St. Francis of Assisi (on the left) and Saint Cecilia (on the right). In front of the side altar is the Church's baptismal font and baptismal candle. During the Easter season, the Easter candle is lit to remind people of the presence of the Risen Christ in the Church.

The right side-altar, dedicated to Joseph, contains images of Joseph with Jesus, and is often used to display seasonal devotional displays (such as the nativity crèche or the Dia de los Muertos decorations). As with the Marian altar, there are mosaics, a stained glass window, and some statues.

The altar rail, a prominent marble rail running the length of the first step into the sanctuary, serves to display the boundary between the sanctuary area (where the sacrifice is offered) and the 'nave' (the area where the people sit) of the Church. The faithful seated in the nave are invited to approach the sanctuary at the most sacred time of Mass, when they will receive Holy Communion, inviting Jesus into their very bodies. You may notice St. Cecilia's altar rail is decorated with Irish-themed clovers! Also, attached to the altar rail is the lectern, where the Gospel and other Scripture readings are given from. The lectern includes symbols of the four evangelists (see below for more information on the symbols).

Nave

The two large Stained Glass windows in the narthex of the church (where the sanctuary meets the nave) depict the story of creation (the left, or South, window) and Jesus' high priesthood (the right, or North, window). More on the two windows can be found by clicking on the pictures and reading their descriptions.

Also in the narthex of the Church are the symbols of the four evangelists—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

• Matthew is represented by a Winged Man, because his gospel begins with the lineage of Jesus, from David to Joseph, the Father of Jesus.
• Mark is represented by a Winged Lion because of the bold and strong style his gospel is written. The wings represent the proclamation of the Resurrected Jesus.
• Luke is represented by an Ox because of his readiness to accomplish the work of the Lord, and because of the sacrificial nature of this animal (related to Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross as depicted by Luke).
• John is represented by an Eagle because his narrative 'soars' to the Heavens in it's beautiful and lofty depiction of the events of Jesus' life.

The other stained glass windows throughout the nave of the Church depict various saints and scenes from the lives of Jesus and Mary. On the East side of Church, the story of the events leading up to and including the birth of Jesus are depicted in scenes of the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, and the Adoration of the Magi. On the West side of Church, the story of Jesus' childhood and Mary's Assumption and Coronation are depicted. One unique window depicts Jesus childhood, training under Joseph the carpenter, with Mary mending a garment.

St. Cecilia's Stations of the Cross depict Jesus' journey from Pilate's judgment seat to his burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The Stations are carved wooden reliefs, painted with beautiful detail, and they wrap around the entire nave of the Church.

Where the walls are not covered in beautiful stained glass, you will notice paintings of all the Twelve Apostles' names and the symbols associated with the Apostles. Click on one of the images to see an explanation of the Apostles names and the symbol associated with each Apostle.

Rear of Church

In the rear of the Church, above the nave, is the choir loft, in which St. Cecilia's powerful and beautiful pipe organ is located (complete with 23 ranks of pipes, and a huge blower to fill over 1500 pipes with air!). Above the Choir loft is a stunning rose window, using stained glass in the form of a flower to depict many different saints around a central image of the Holy Spirit.

On the ground level of rear of the Church, you can see the St. Cecilia's two wooden confessionals, where the Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated. A beautiful statue of Saint Therese of Lisieux (the 'Little Flower') adorns the rear corner of the Church, along with three stained glass windows over doorways leading to the foyer. The inscription 'Go in peace,' hearkening the concluding words of Mass, is found above the doors. Click on the above images for more information.

Above you can see one of the paintings in the nave of the Church, a detail of a mosaic in the sanctuary, and two cherub angels decorating the columns in St. Cecilia's. There are so many more small details that have not been mentioned on this page—as time goes on, more may be added. However, we encourage you to come and visit our beautiful Church and see all these works of art for yourself!

Notes: 

• A special thank you to the Gruhala Family—Carl, Joan and Robert—for supplying much of the historical information about St. Cecilia Parish.
• Also thanks to the Symbols in Christian Art & Architecture website for information on some of the artwork.
• Notes by Esley Hamilton and Philip Barnes, The Saint Louis Chamber Chorus Home Page:  www.chamberchorus.org