The Life of St. Josaphat
He was born John Kuncevic about 1580 in Vladimir, a village of the Lithuanian Province of Volhynia (then a part of the Polish Kingdom begun under the Jagellonian Dynasty). His parents belonged to the Eastern Rite Church of Kiev, Russia, which was then separated...more.
Timeline
1896 - Father Wilhelm Grutza, Pastor, commissions architect Erhard Brielmaier to design plans for a new church resembling St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Father Grutza purchases U.S. Post Ofiice and Customs House in Chicago. Materials shipped by 500...more.
Narrative History
The quiet, imposing, grandeur of St. Josaphat Basilica, hardly bespeaks the nearly insurmountable difficulties experienced by Founding Pastor, Rev. Wilhelm Grutza, and his architect-contractor, Mr. Erhard Brielmaier. Considering the building and its huge copper-plated dome, one cannot easily imagine the reversal of many architectural and engineering principles involved...more.
Art History
Originally the walls, pillars and ceilings were of pure white washed plaster, which
in time turned gray. The stained glass, which is magnificently preserved, is original. Many of the windows were placed in the building at the time of construction 1901-1902. The glass was imported from the Tyrolean Artists' Guild in Innsbruck, Austria. In the sanctuary west, we find the image of the Sacred Heart appearing to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. The next window...more
