St. Sebastian's Catholic Church (Sebastian, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
St. Sebastian's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Marion Township
, Mercer County
, Ohio
, United States
. Located in the unincorporated community
of Sebastian
, it is the home of an active congregation and has been declared a historic site
because of its well-preserved early twentieth-century Gothic Revival architecture
.
and St. John the Baptist
parishes. By the end of the following year, its members constructed a church building that would serve the parish for twenty-five years; a frame
structure, it was built under the direction of an African American
man named Coratus. This structure served the parish until a replacement brick church was completed in October 1879; a rectangle measuring 45 feet (13.7 m) by 85 feet (25.9 m), it cost $4,000 to build and was considered by some to be the finest church in Mercer County. Anton DeCurtins
was instrumental in this building's history: he designed it, added its pipe organ
, and expanded it in 1894.
Some of the parish's members lived in the village of Chickasaw
, nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) to the southeast. During the 1890s, movements grew among the Chickasaw members for the creation of a separate parish; they built a parish hall
in 1894 and succeeded in having it declared a chapel of ease
in the following year. Unrest between the Catholics of Chickasaw and the parish's other members culminated with the destruction of the church: on January 12, 1903, soon after many of the Chickasaw parishioners separated from St. Sebastian's, the church and its contents were burned to the ground. In the aftermath of the fire, an investigation was conducted under the supervision of Archbishop Elder
. Although the fire was deemed suspicious, a separate parish
was created in Chickasaw as a result of the fire, while St. Sebastian parish began the construction of a new church in 1904; it remains standing today.
Since its creation, St. Sebastian's has been ministered to by priests of the Society of the Precious Blood
. Today, St. Sebastian's remains an active parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
. It is part of the Marion Catholic Community cluster, along with Precious Blood
parish in Chickasaw
, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin parish
in Cassella
, St. Rose parish
in St. Rose, and St. John the Baptist parish
in Maria Stein
. The entire cluster is a part of the St. Marys Deanery
.
) for the walls, and slate
s for the roof. The entire building is a very tall structure; its vertical features are highlighted by elements such as the sandstone trim
on the buttress
es. Although the building is only one story
high, it includes a tall steeple
with a belfry
and topped with a four-sided spire
. Worshippers enter the building through a doorway in the tower's base; the transom
features tracery
crowned with sandstone. Inside, the church is equipped with a basement, while its most impressive feature is a vaulted
ceiling decorated with multiple High Gothic Revival reredos
. A rectangle 113 feet (34.4 m) long and 52 feet (15.8 m) wide, the church was built on the site of the previous structure.
Architectural historians have divided the Precious Blood-related churches of western Ohio into four generations. St. Sebastian's is typical of the churches of the third generation, which are generally Gothic Revival
structures with a single central tower. It is one of six extant churches from this period that were designed by the DeCurtins family.
s and equipped with verandas
. Two of its most elaborate features are a heavily ornamented entrance, decorated with stained glass
and multiple transoms, and a central rose window
that illuminates the second floor. Its foundation is built of ashlar
, and its walls are laid in a stretcher bond, like those of the church. Although the rectory remains in a condition similar to the time of its construction, it has been expanded; a single room and a garage have been attached to its southern end, between the old part of the house and the rear of the church.
Some areas of lesser-used land border the church. A parish cemetery
is located nearby, while the distance between the front door and Sebastian Road is lined with small trees. The community of Sebastian is very small, causing the church to appear almost as if it were alone in the countryside. Among the few nearby buildings is an old house located adjacent to the church property's eastern boundary; it is believed to have been built during the 1850s as a general store
.
program, the Ohio Historic Inventory, in 1977. This architectural survey ranked both the church and the rectory in good condition without any significant threats to their historic integrity, and the church was deemed eligible for addition to the National Register of Historic Places
. Both buildings were listed together on the Register in 1979, along with over thirty other properties in far western Ohio related to the Society of the Precious Blood. Many of these buildings were churches or rectories, including at least one building owned by each of the six parishes in the Marion Catholic Community. The tall Gothic Revival architecture of many churches in this part of far western Ohio has become the namesake of this region, which is nicknamed the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches
."
Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio
Marion Township is one of the fourteen townships of Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,969 people in the township, 2,605 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, Mercer County
Mercer County, Ohio
Mercer County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. Its county seat is Celina and is named for Hugh Mercer, an officer in the American Revolutionary War.The Celina Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Mercer County.-Geography:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located in the unincorporated community
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of Sebastian
Sebastian, Ohio
Sebastian is an unincorporated community in northern Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Its elevation is 932 feet , and it is located at...
, it is the home of an active congregation and has been declared a historic site
Historic site
A historic site is an official location where pieces of political, military or social history have been preserved. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have recognized with the official national historic site status...
because of its well-preserved early twentieth-century Gothic Revival architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
.
Parish history
Dedicated to third-century martyr Saint Sebastian, the parish was established in 1852 from territory that had been part of St. RoseSt. Rose's Catholic Church (St. Rose, Ohio)
St. Rose's Catholic Church is a historic Catholic church in St. Rose, an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States.-Parish history:Catholics near the community of St...
and St. John the Baptist
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (Maria Stein, Ohio)
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Located in the unincorporated community of Maria Stein, it is the home of an active congregation and has been recognized as a historic site because of its well-preserved...
parishes. By the end of the following year, its members constructed a church building that would serve the parish for twenty-five years; a frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
structure, it was built under the direction of an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
man named Coratus. This structure served the parish until a replacement brick church was completed in October 1879; a rectangle measuring 45 feet (13.7 m) by 85 feet (25.9 m), it cost $4,000 to build and was considered by some to be the finest church in Mercer County. Anton DeCurtins
DeCurtins
The DeCurtins family, sometimes written De Curtins, were involved in Midwestern U.S. church architecture. Anton De Curtins was a Swiss immigrant who lived in Carthagena, Ohio and designed several Gothic architecture churches in Mercer County, Ohio, as well as rectories, schools and residences...
was instrumental in this building's history: he designed it, added its pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, and expanded it in 1894.
Some of the parish's members lived in the village of Chickasaw
Chickasaw, Ohio
Chickasaw is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 364 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chickasaw is located at ....
, nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) to the southeast. During the 1890s, movements grew among the Chickasaw members for the creation of a separate parish; they built a parish hall
Church hall
A church hall is a room or building associated with a church, general for community and charitable use . It is normally located near the church, typically in smaller and village communities. Activities in the hall are not necessarily religious, but are typically an important part of local community...
in 1894 and succeeded in having it declared a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
in the following year. Unrest between the Catholics of Chickasaw and the parish's other members culminated with the destruction of the church: on January 12, 1903, soon after many of the Chickasaw parishioners separated from St. Sebastian's, the church and its contents were burned to the ground. In the aftermath of the fire, an investigation was conducted under the supervision of Archbishop Elder
William Henry Elder
William Henry Elder was a U.S. archbishop. He served as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Natchez from 1857 to 1880 and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cincinnati between 1883 and 1904.-Early life and education:...
. Although the fire was deemed suspicious, a separate parish
Precious Blood Catholic Church (Chickasaw, Ohio)
Precious Blood Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Chickasaw, Ohio, United States. Erected in 1903 and still an active parish, the church historically owned two buildings constructed in its early years that have been designated as historic sites....
was created in Chickasaw as a result of the fire, while St. Sebastian parish began the construction of a new church in 1904; it remains standing today.
Since its creation, St. Sebastian's has been ministered to by priests of the Society of the Precious Blood
Missionaries of the Precious Blood
The Missionaries of the Precious Blood form a community of priests and brothers within the Latin Church, one of the 23 sui iuris churches which make up the universal Catholic Church. The Society was founded by Saint Gaspar del Bufalo in 1815...
. Today, St. Sebastian's remains an active parish of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati covers the southwest region of the U.S. state of Ohio, including the greater Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan areas. The Archbishop of Cincinnati is Most Rev...
. It is part of the Marion Catholic Community cluster, along with Precious Blood
Precious Blood Catholic Church (Chickasaw, Ohio)
Precious Blood Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Chickasaw, Ohio, United States. Erected in 1903 and still an active parish, the church historically owned two buildings constructed in its early years that have been designated as historic sites....
parish in Chickasaw
Chickasaw, Ohio
Chickasaw is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 364 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Chickasaw is located at ....
, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin parish
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church is a historic Catholic church in Cassella, an unincorporated community in Mercer County, Ohio, United States...
in Cassella
Cassella, Ohio
Cassella is an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Located at , it lies at an elevation of 955 feet...
, St. Rose parish
St. Rose's Catholic Church (St. Rose, Ohio)
St. Rose's Catholic Church is a historic Catholic church in St. Rose, an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States.-Parish history:Catholics near the community of St...
in St. Rose, and St. John the Baptist parish
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (Maria Stein, Ohio)
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Located in the unincorporated community of Maria Stein, it is the home of an active congregation and has been recognized as a historic site because of its well-preserved...
in Maria Stein
Maria Stein, Ohio
Maria Stein is an unincorporated community in central Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The community and the Maria Stein Convent lie at the center of the area known as the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches, where a missionary priest, Father Francis de Sales Brunner,...
. The entire cluster is a part of the St. Marys Deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
.
Architecture
Andrew DeCurtins, Anton's son, was chosen as the architect for the new structure; he employed stone for the foundation, pressed brick (laid in a stretcher bondBrickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
) for the walls, and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
s for the roof. The entire building is a very tall structure; its vertical features are highlighted by elements such as the sandstone trim
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
on the buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. Although the building is only one story
Storey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
high, it includes a tall steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
with a belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
and topped with a four-sided spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
. Worshippers enter the building through a doorway in the tower's base; the transom
Transom (architectural)
In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...
features tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
crowned with sandstone. Inside, the church is equipped with a basement, while its most impressive feature is a vaulted
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
ceiling decorated with multiple High Gothic Revival reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
. A rectangle 113 feet (34.4 m) long and 52 feet (15.8 m) wide, the church was built on the site of the previous structure.
Architectural historians have divided the Precious Blood-related churches of western Ohio into four generations. St. Sebastian's is typical of the churches of the third generation, which are generally Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
structures with a single central tower. It is one of six extant churches from this period that were designed by the DeCurtins family.
Surrounding areas
During the early years of the twentieth century, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati required each parish to construct a rectory for its parish priest. St. Sebastian's Church arranged for the building of a rectory in 1905; it cost approximately $4,000. Like the church, this rectory was designed by the DeCurtins family. A two-story brick house, it is typical of period rectories in its region; like St. Sebastian's, these structures are typically rectangles with hip roofHip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
s and equipped with verandas
Verandah
A veranda or verandah is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
. Two of its most elaborate features are a heavily ornamented entrance, decorated with stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
and multiple transoms, and a central rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
that illuminates the second floor. Its foundation is built of ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
, and its walls are laid in a stretcher bond, like those of the church. Although the rectory remains in a condition similar to the time of its construction, it has been expanded; a single room and a garage have been attached to its southern end, between the old part of the house and the rear of the church.
Some areas of lesser-used land border the church. A parish cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
is located nearby, while the distance between the front door and Sebastian Road is lined with small trees. The community of Sebastian is very small, causing the church to appear almost as if it were alone in the countryside. Among the few nearby buildings is an old house located adjacent to the church property's eastern boundary; it is believed to have been built during the 1850s as a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
.
Recognition
St. Sebastian's Church was recorded by a historic preservationHistoric preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
program, the Ohio Historic Inventory, in 1977. This architectural survey ranked both the church and the rectory in good condition without any significant threats to their historic integrity, and the church was deemed eligible for addition to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Both buildings were listed together on the Register in 1979, along with over thirty other properties in far western Ohio related to the Society of the Precious Blood. Many of these buildings were churches or rectories, including at least one building owned by each of the six parishes in the Marion Catholic Community. The tall Gothic Revival architecture of many churches in this part of far western Ohio has become the namesake of this region, which is nicknamed the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches
Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches
The Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches is a rural region in the western part of the U.S. state of Ohio, centered near Maria Stein in Mercer County. Its name is derived from the dense concentration of large Catholic churches that dominate the area's architecture...
."