Built 1907 (1907) Opened 1907 Architectural style Chicago school Added to NRHP 5 September 1985 | NRHP Reference # 85001996 Area 9,300 m² Function Church | |
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Location Main St. between 7th and 8th Sts., Browerville, Minnesota Similar Church of St Mary Help of C, St Joseph's Church, Church of St Mary, Assumption Chapel, Cathedral of Saint Mary | ||
Church of St. Joseph-Catholic (Christ the King Catholic Church) is a historic church on Main Street between 7th and 8th Streets in Browerville, Minnesota. The church was built by Polish immigrants who came to America as part of a migration movement between the American Civil War and World War I. Polish immigrants established their parish churches as the centers of life in their communities and resented outside interference. The Polish community had split from the German congregation in 1895 in a dispute over the financing of a school built in 1890. Construction began on the church in 1907 and was completed in 1909.
The exterior has a 70 feet (21 m)-tall tower, topped with a drum surrounded by eight columns, with an onion dome and cross on the very top. The tower has an emblem of an eagle, a Polish national symbol. It has a Gethsemane rock grotto designed by award-winning sculptor Joseph Kiselewski, and a Black Madonna, a traditional Polish cultural object.
The parish eventually merged with the German parish in 1980, after declining membership. The combined parish was named Christ the King. The building was added to the National Register in 1985.