St. Mary’s of the Barrens takes its name from the prairie early settlers could not plow; instead, they turned to the loamy soil of the bottomlands along the river to farm. Established in 1818, the church also served alongside the oldest seminary west of the Mississippi. The Vincentians have long been associated with the church and seminary.
The original church has seen expansions and reconstruction, and various additions, including the campanile throughout the Twentieth Century.
Today, it is the National Shrine of the Miraculous Medal. We’ll look at the interior of the church tomorrow.
Below you can see much of the compound, which grew to a large complex; many of the buildings have been torn down or altered.
The wood frame seminary building was constructed in 1834 and was demolished in the early Twentieth Century.
The building below, part of the seminary, is one of the few buildings still standing.
The seminary is now closed.
The original log cabin seminary of Bishop Rosati is preserved under a structure seen below and dates to around 1825.
The church is gorgeous. Stained glass windows, are beautiful. Some marble is from Italy and I read it was modeled after a duomo . The land was donated by an ancestor. The medals are tucked into family keepsakes- in my purses and suitcases. Masses are dedicated in memory of family members and for special requests. Thank you.