Historically holy

Numerous houses of worship in state hold honor of national distinction

The Cathedral of St. Andrew, dedicated in 1881, is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock.
The Cathedral of St. Andrew, dedicated in 1881, is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock.

Declaring May as Arkansas Heritage Month, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and its parent agency, the Department of Arkansas Heritage, are urging Arkansans to "take time to reflect on the importance of their local historic sites," especially those on the National Register of Historic Places. The list includes dozens of houses of worship, in addition to other buildings and sites important to the state's heritage.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

St. Edward Catholic Church in downtown Little Rock features many stained glass windows, common in Gothic Revival architecture.

photo

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral will kick off its Insights series with a talk by author Eric Metaxas on Nov. 7

"It's a month for us and the people of the state to celebrate the heritage that exists here," said Ralph Wilcox, National Register and survey coordinator for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. "From the very earliest days of Arkansas' settlement and founding, religion was important to early settlers, so it's important to remember that heritage."

Little Rock is home to several churches on the list, including the majestic Cathedral of St. Andrew at 617 S. Louisiana St.

The cathedral's tallest tower and its spire rise to 231 feet, high above the surrounding buildings. The cathedral, built in the Gothic Revival style, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Construction of the cathedral began in 1878.

Margie Pullam, one of several docents at the cathedral who offers tours on request, said the current facility is actually the second Cathedral of St. Andrew. The first was built in 1845 at Second and Center streets, but the congregation outgrew the building. The second cathedral, designed by Little Rock architect Thomas Harding Sr., was dedicated in 1881, but the south tower and steeple weren't completed until 1887.

The church, modeled after European cathedrals, was designed in the shape of a cross and constructed using granite from Fourche Mountain, south of the city.

Pullam said the cathedral has several unique features visible from the outside, including what's known as a rose window above the church doors.

"It looks like the Star of David from the street," she said. "That goes back to the heritage and beginnings of the Christian faith, so you will see the Star of David in different places around the cathedral."

The large bronze doors feature the images of the 12 disciples of Jesus and the south tower holds a 3,300-pound bell that was once used as part of the city's fire service.

"When the telegraph system came to Little Rock, it was connected to the bell in the cathedral and, depending on how the bells were rung, it would tell the fire department or the volunteers where the fire was in Little Rock," Pullam said.

Inside, visitors can see the 14 Stations of the Cross made by German sculptor Joseph Sibbel, the intricate stenciling on the walls and ceiling and the richly colored stained glass windows.

"The windows are all beautiful to me, but the piece that really impresses me is the main altar," Pullam said. "You immediately see it when you come in the cathedral. It's a beautiful place of worship."

Pullam said the marble came from Italy and was bought for the cathedral by a Lutheran couple -- Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Hager -- who had become friends with Bishop Edward Fitzgerald.

"It's interesting to see the ecumenical aspects going on back in the 1800s," she said. "There was a huge prejudice against Catholics [at the time] so for this to happen was a really big step."

St. Edward Catholic Church

St. Edward Catholic Church started as a two-story frame building that was used as a church, school and rectory. It was completed in 1885, but just six years later the parish had grown so much that a larger church was needed. The cornerstone of the current building at 801 Sherman St. was laid in 1901, and the church was dedicated in 1905.

Father Jason Tyler, priest at St. Edward, said the interior of the church wasn't completed until 1911.

The building, which was listed on the National Register in 1982, was designed by Charles L. Thompson and features Gothic Revival architecture popular at the time, with buttresses and a prevalence of stained glass.

"That's one of our defining characteristics," Tyler said of the windows, which depict saints who would have been particularly familiar to the parishioners of what was once a German Catholic parish.

The right side of the nave features male saints, while female saints line the left side.

"I was told that's because, at the time the church was built, men all sat on one side and women on the other, so they had their role models of the faith, if you will," Tyler said.

The church, like the cathedral, is also laid out in the shape of the Latin cross. It's 140 feet long and 62 feet wide except in the transept, or arms of the cross, where it extends to 79 feet. The main altar came from Germany and is hand-carved oak with an onyx inlay.

The windows, too, are from Germany, as are the Stations of the Cross along the walls. The exterior is dominated by twin towers.

The Gothic style of the church serves a spiritual purpose, Tyler said.

"It's designed to feel like you are being pulled up to God. We see in that the magnificence and glory of God," he said.

Tyler said tours aren't offered on a regular basis but those who want an up close look can participate in the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program's "Sandwiching in History" program at the church from noon to 1 p.m. June 5. The tour is free and attendees are invited to take their lunch.

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Another cathedral in the city is also on the National Register -- Trinity Episcopal Cathedral at 310 W. 17th St.

Tours of the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas are held after the 9 and 11:15 a.m. worship services each Sunday, as well as for school groups, individuals and other groups during the week.

Michael McNeely, historian and archivist for the diocese and for the cathedral, often leads the tours. The church also has brochures to aid in self-guided tours.

The church, designed in the shape of a cross, was built in stages. When the first service was held in 1884, only the nave and the baptistry were complete. By 1892, the entire structure was finished.

"We are one of the oldest cathedrals in America in the Episcopal tradition, older than the National Cathedral," McNeely said.

During tours McNeely said he tells visitors about the unique architecture of the building -- late 19th-century English Gothic.

"It's meant to look like a Victorian interpretation of what an English village church might look like," McNeely said. "The building itself incorporates a lot of the details you would find in Gothic architecture -- the pointed arches, stained glass windows."

In keeping with the name of the church, the structure also features symbols of the Trinity, including clover leaves, fleurs-de-lis and trefoils.

"In terms of architecture, when you walk in it is a center aisle leading straight to the altar, and the baptistry is off to the left," McNeely said. "It's a motif straight from the Middle Ages when the baptistry was always close to the entrance of the church to symbolize that baptism is the entrance into Christian life."

The ceiling is wood, and designed in such a way that, when turned upside down, it symbolizes the hull of a ship.

"It's because the church is the ship we sail our lives on through the rough seas in this life," McNeely said.

The stained glass windows on the north side portray prophets who foretold the coming of the Messiah, while those on the south largely feature the apostles who went into the world to share the Gospel.

"When you look at those windows they are all moving toward the altar because it is there that Christ comes to us in the breaking of bread and [drinking of] wine," McNeely said.

Other windows feature individuals important in the history of the Anglican tradition.

The cathedral is home to the largest pipe organ in the state. It has more than 5,000 pipes, four manual keyboards and 82 ranks.

Around the State

Other houses of worship on the National Register are spread throughout the state.

In central Arkansas there's First Missionary Baptist Church on Gaines Street in Little Rock, which was placed on the list in 1983 because of its importance to the black community and for its Gothic Revival architectural style. In northeast Arkansas, there's Grace Episcopal Church in Wynne, built in 1917 in the English Parish style and the southwest part of the state is home to Mount Prospect Methodist Church in Columbia County, built in 1886 in the Greek Revival style.

There's Christ the King Church in Fort Smith, an example of Spanish Mission style, and temple Meir Chayim in McGehee, a Jewish Temple of Romanesque Revival style.

Wilcox said one of his favorites is First Presbyterian Church in Lonoke. Built in 1918, the church was designed by John Parks Almand, who was also involved in the design of Central High School in Little Rock and several other building and churches in the state.

"It's beautiful and there's a twin -- First United Methodist in Crawfordsville has the exact same design," he said.

Wilcox said the Lonoke building is indicative of many churches in the small towns of Arkansas. It's small with seating for about 150.

"But it's special because of its design," he said. "It's a great example of Tudor Revival style."

Another interesting pair are two St. Mary's Catholic churches, one in Helena and the other in Paragould. The Helena church is on the National Register, but the smaller twin in Paragould is not. The two were designed by Charles Eames.

"He went on to international notoriety and fame as an architect, mainly for his homes and for furniture in the '50s and '60s," Wilcox said. "It's interesting that this person did a couple of buildings in Arkansas, buildings that aren't really well known to people in the state."

Churches and religious sites on the National Register can be found online at arkansaspreservation.com.

Religion on 05/23/2015

Upcoming Events