Written by Deborah Burst
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January 2010. Hallowed Halls: The history of these monuments to the power of belief.
Deep inside the walls of our historic worship places dwells the power of faith and loyalty, an impermeable bond and spirit stronger than any brick and mortar. Although many stand in awe of their stately beauty, few may know the fascinating history of these monuments to the power of belief.
Baton Rouge, The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church
In the early twentieth century, Italian Americans in Baton Rouge formed the Sacred Heart of Jesus church. Father Dominic Blasco, a Sicilian immigrant, was appointed Pastor of the newly formed Sacred Heart Parish on December 23, 1928. Like a good shepherd, Blasco filled the pews preaching God’s word in their native language and began to build a new church inspired by cathedral designs from throughout Europe and the United States.
Part of the planning phase included a visit to St. Meinrad church in Indiana, where Reverend Dom Gregory deWit, a Holland born Benedictine monk who came to the United States in 1938, displayed his inaugural artwork in America. Impressed with his European flair, Blasco invited deWit to decorate Sacred Heart’s church to further strengthen and define the Italian influence. Unlike anything in Europe, deWit found an ecclesiastical canvas of freedom, an opportunity to influence, educate and build a legacy.
Inside the sanctuary, deWit’s Pantocrator (The Christ Triumphant) fills the apse mural with a Byzantine mosaic of Christ raising his left hand, accented by long bony fingers and an ominous stare with prominent Sicilian type features of olive skin, deep eyes and high cheekbones.
At the time of the dedication in April of 1942, deWit’s work brought controversy, but in spite of the growing objections, he finished fourteen murals and fourteen Stations of the Cross and a wooden crucifix.
St. Martinville, St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church
Rev. Jean Francois de Civrey, a Franciscan monk, accompanied the early Acadian exiles to St. Martinville in 1765 and established the first and oldest church parish in Southwest Louisiana, St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church. Resting near Bayou Teche in St. Martinville, the church began in 1773 as a small wood frame, and in 1837 the parish built a simple rectangle shape church with brick exterior covered in plaster. Due to delays in delivering materials via the waters of Bayou Teche, the church was not completed until seven years later in 1844. In its linear form, the church lacked an apse and outer transepts, and due to money shortages it took thirty years before the church gained the traditional cross-shaped design it has today.
After a recent renovation, St. Martin boasts a stunning glow with a creamy beige exterior accented by starch white columns and clay-colored lines. Original pews and statues remain. Doric columns run through the cypress cage-style pews separating the nave from the side aisles. Holding center stage, the original baptismal font, thought to be a gift from France, is an exquisite ornamental marble design and still serves its parishioners. And a sentimental favorite, every afternoon the sun splashes shards of colored light on the transept floor. Many parishioners recall days of their youth sitting on the floor playing with the bright blocks of color.
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