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St. Benedict the African Roman Catholic Church

Address: 6559 S. Stewart Ave. Chicago, IL 60621.

Completed: 1989

Architects: Belli & Belli

Stained Glass Windows – by David Lee Csicsko.

From the Open House Chicago website..
Five parishes were consolidated into St. Benedict the African in the 1980s. Unlike most Catholic churches in Chicago, which were built by European immigrants, St. Benedict was designed specifically with and for its predominantly African American community. The result is a Modernist church—named for a slave in 16th-century Italy who followed Francis of Assisi—that takes inspiration from the form of traditional African huts. The round nave is surmounted by a soaring arched wooden ceiling, and ample light floods in around the perimeter to sustain lush vegetation. The interior features hand-carved wooden furniture and sculpture, contemporary stained glass, a 200-pound hand-woven tapestry and other original artwork. The church’s full-immersion stone baptismal pool holds 10,000 gallons of water, making it one of the nation’s largest.

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At the entrance are the words..
There is a sweet sweet spirit in this place.

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Baptismal Pool
The church’s full-immersion stone baptismal pool holds 10,000 gallons of water, making it one of the nation’s largest.

 

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RELATED LINKS

Places of Worship: Churches & more.. click here..
Places of Worship: Temples & more.. click here..
Open House Chicago [OHC].. click here..

Photo Gallery / Church Art and Architecture.. click here..

Home: Public Art in Chicago.. click here..

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