Update: This is in fact the old St. John’s Episcopal Church, and it originally possessed a very tall spire over twice as tall as the current tower on the right. The Society of St. Pius is still canonically in a state of flux with the Roman Catholic hierarchy as of 2018.
Officially, in Church doctrine this is a chapel, but in form it is a church. Like many of the houses of worship in the older part of the city, this building needed a new use when the density of the surrounding area declined, and is now operated by the Society of St. Pius. You can read about it here.
It’s a great example of English Gothic Revival, which is rare this deep in the city. Normally I see expression of the French or German, or even before that, the Neoclassical of George I. Barnett.
And it is a survivor, just barely getting demolished for the Truman Parkway and the nearby housing projects.
The back of the church features a truncated choir that ends at the transepts, with a diminutive pentagonal apse. I like it, and it is in great condition.
Most interesting are these engaged buttresses which do not terminate in the ground, but rather return to the wall before the cut stone foundation courses.
Chris, I may be mistaken, but I believe this was built as St. John Episcopal Church, then the congregation moved to a new church on Arsenal in Tower Grove. I don’t know what the original building was used for until the early 1980’s when Metropolitan Community Church took over as a LBGT Church, until it’s current use
David, you’re exactly right, it was a St. John’s Episcopal in 1909, according to fire insurance maps in 1909. Interesting that the current Catholic institution did not reuse a former Catholic church but rather acquired this building. Perhaps it was the perfect size and condition for their uses.
The Society of St. Pius X is a schismatic group and is not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church.
There’s no way that the Archdiocese would ever sell one of its former buildings to this group.
It looks like relations have thawed a bit, with the bishops’ excommunications having been lifted, but yes, the Society of Pius X is not a fully accepted Roman Catholic religious organization:
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2018/11/26/doctrine-remains-problem-in-relations-sspx-affirms-after-vatican-meeting/.
Interesting what I discover photographing random historic church buildings in St. Louis.
From stltoday.com:
In 1997, church bought and restored current building, which was built in 1871 as an Episcopal church, later used by Ruthenian Greek Catholics and then by Protestant and non-denominational groups.
It would appear that the sale in 1997 was not made between the somewhat reactionary but official Archdiocese and the schismatic (and reactionary) SSPX.
I had the pleasure of visiting with a priest at the rectory and church in the 1970s when the Ruthenian Catholic congregation. He had taught at my high school and provided an interesting glimpse into the structures, as well as a non-Roman-rite group additional to that at St. Raymond.
This church is not fully accepted because it says the Traditional Latin Mass and the Conciliar church is trying to stop this but more and more churches are starting to have Latin Masses thanks to SSPX
Thank you for the information on this historic Lafayette Church as well as the historical facts that SSPX is not schismatic,i.e., Pope Benedict’s moto proprio and Pope Francis granting priests the Church’s blessing for communion and weddings. We celebrate the Latin Mass because it is the tradition that has kept the church together for two thousand years and away from the modern problems the church faces today. Come visit and see that traditional faith is what we celebrate not just saying the Mass in Latin.
To give the full rundown of who used the building:
1870-1907: St. John’s Episcopal Church
1907-1984: St. Mary’s Assumption Ruthenian Catholic Church (later renamed St. Mary’s Assumption Ukrainian Catholic Church)
1984-1997: Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis
1997-present: St. Mary’s Assumption Roman Catholic Church (Society of St. Pius X)
A lot of later sources claim the Ruthenians bought the building in 1910, but older sources give the date as 1907. (For instance, a 1942 St. Louis Register article talks about the parish celebrating its 35th anniversary.) One source i have states that the first Liturgy celebrated there was for the Feast of the Assumption in 1907, hence the parish’s name.
It’s possible some other group owned the building at some point in the 1984-1997 range, but the story I’ve heard is that it was sold directly by the Metropolitan Community Church to the Society of St. Pius X.
The church was finished in 1872. Two years before the Eads Bridge. The matching tabernacle used by the Ukrainian Rite church was removed and is in storage at the new St. Mary’s Assumption Ukrainian in South County.
I been to this church :
St. Mary’s Assumption Roman Catholic Church ect. I was a baby and I was Baptist here and it’s a wonderful church I so blessed to be at this church I have my Church family there and My bestie I don’t wanna say her name.