Saint Bavo's, Mishawaka, Indiana

Sanctus Bavonis - - - Mishawaka - - - Indiana

Disclaimer

In this documentation of this church I am highly critical of the architectural choices of the parish in the latter part of the 20th century. While I consider the decision to remove beauty a grave wrong, it in no way reflects my opinions on present day pastorate or parishioners of this church.

 

The third and smallest Catholic church in Mishawaka, Saint Bavo's does not fit into the normal immigration categories of Irish, Polish, German, or Italian, as this church is of Flemish origin. In fact, South Bend and Mishawaka had the largest population of Flemish outside of Belgium itself. This is the only church in western hemisphere named to the saint, and one of only a few dedicated to his patronage in the world.

The church is definitely smaller in size compared to the other two churches in the city. It does however hold a localized charm to it as the church is only visible from it's respective neighborhood. The neighborhood as mentioned was mostly Flemish and used to be a very quiet and peaceful one at that. Homes were once left unlocked, businesses were served by the residents in walking distance, (The most popular being a bakery which still operates), and the church sits in the near center of the activity; clear sign of its importance to those who built it. Only recently has the neighborhood begun to take a downward turn with spikes in crime.

To the right of the church is the parochial school, now merged with the other two schools to form Mishawaka Catholic School. This school houses pre K to second grade. Between the school and the church is the rectory and adoration chapel. (Although for some reason the chapel isn't open very often.) The church itself is a gothic revival type structure with two towers on the front, one housing the baptistry and the other housing the bell tower. 

Except for the canopy over the door, the exterior has not changed since its construction in 1906. While most parishes go through several church designs with varying sizes while neighborhoods around it change, this is the same building that stood when it's founders came to worship. The same does not go for the interior as it has been renovated multiple times in the 30's, 50's, 70's, and 90's

The Baptismal font room in the rear of the church is now the sacristy. This is the first sign of the interior renovations that took place in the church. The vesting table in the center is very ornate and likely used to be wider to accommodate more vestments. Quite possibly enough for three priests. (Traditionally parishes used to have three priests as that amount was needed to celebrate a high Mass.)

The style of window is unique as having such neon colors in an old window is quite rare. The Holy Spirit as a dove is a common symbol of baptism, particularly that in the River Jordan. The ornate symbol in the middle of the window contrasts with the simple panes around it, but is classic of late 19th/early 20th century stained glass.

The Stations of the Cross seem to be modern in style, but in fact they are the originals. In the 1930's renovation, different stations were added, likely realistic in color. The original stations were rediscovered in the 70's and refinished and hung. The peeling on the border is likely a sign that the stations could use some tender, loving care again.

The narthex or foyer. The tiles and style of wood on the door is very reminiscent of the renovations of the 1970's. The narthex is however a makeshift cry room for parents with unruly children. A popular addition to churches after the Second Vatican Council, (although the council had nothing to do with their creation,) cry rooms are places, usually soundproof, that provide amenities for parents with fussy children. Thus, the liturgy is not constantly interrupted by crying children. 

As mentioned before, the wood is typical of the seventies. The glass is also likely from the same time and reflected in the glass is the window of the outer doors. That stained glass, the arch of the inner doorway, the archway above the sanctuary in wood and in white make for architectural consistency that makes spaces easier on the eyes. This may seem like such a small factor, but it makes ugly spaces not as ugly and also spaces attempting to be pretty, not as pretty. A drastic example of this is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. It was built in the 1990's and was deliberately made asymmetrical at all costs. This makes the space objectively hideous and no color scheme or decorating can change this. The only marring of symmetry is the tabernacle being put off to the side. (Jesus belongs in the center, just like in our lives!)  

The windows are like that in the sacristy/baptistry; simple panes and shapes, and then a detailed symbol of the church in the middle. I'm unsure of the circle objects above the windows, or their purpose as they are neither heating or audio related. The pews were redone in the nineties and are likely a mix of new and old. Original pew ends, but newer interiors as the angle of the seat and padding are more of the modern style.

Wreckovation is unfortunately a word that accurately describes the sanctuary. While from an aesthetic point of view, the sanctuary is not ugly by most terms, from a theological point of view the sanctuary is very disordered. The altar has been made into a square and has been brought forward into the church, the choir and organ has been taken out of the loft and put behind the altar where the tabernacle would normally reside. The tabernacle then has been put off to the side where the side altars used to reside. At the very top of the unnecessary wall is a clue to the former architectural identity of the church: The top of a gothic high altar.

The former side altar of Saint Mary is now where the tabernacle resides. The statues flanking the photos are also an accurate description of the renovation process. To the left is a realistically painted statue of the Sacred Heart while to the right is a metallic monochromatic depiction of Saint Bavo. Both are pleasant on the eyes, but they contrast sharply with each other. Simply put, the renovators of the church are trying to ignore the style in which it was built and make it their own.

The windows are again typical of a church on a budget. The panes surrounding the image are very plain, not that vibrant, and usually of color, albeit multiple shades. This could almost be a Protestant window if it was not for the upper part however with the spires. Protestant windows are very undecorated and simple in style. The scene in the center of the Good Shepard could be from a Protestant denomination,

Saint Bavo in his younger years was a wild, young aristocrat of Brabant. He was a soldier who led an undisciplined and disorderly life but decided to reform after hearing a sermon preached by Saint Amand on the emptiness of material things. On returning to his house he distributed his wealth to the poor, and then received the tonsure from Amand. Bavo built an abbey on his grounds and became a monk. He distributed his belongings to the poor and lived as a recluse. He lived first in a hollow tree and later in a cell in the forest by the Abbey and died there in what is today Belgium. Saint Bavo is venerated by both the Roman and Orthodox church on October 1st. Because he is so often shown with a falcon, he came to be considered the patron saint of falconry. In medieval Ghent, taxes were paid on Bavo's feast day, and it is for this reason he is often shown holding a purse or money bag.

The tabernacle is from the original high altar and the ornate woodwork and crucifix are likely of similar origin. The tabernacle has two little pews for private devotion, but then the majority of pews by it, are oriented toward the altar. This makes for confusing theology and pits the tabernacle and altar against each other unnecessarily.

The baptismal font was the biggest hint to the age of the church. The tiles, very obviously dated to the 1970's, are identical to the Concord Mall of Elkhart, Indiana. The tile unfortunately is not only a dated reminder of its era, but also that this is not meant for sacred use. Granted, they are just tiles, but they are utterly plain and devoid of religion symbolism, as is the rest of the font

The altar and pulpit appear to be the same size making the space quite dated. Altars before the 1960's are wide and generally very solid and rectangular. This was to take into consideration the use of both sides for reading the epistle and the Gospel. After the Second Vatican Council however, the readings were no longer proclaimed from opposite sides. The trend now was made to have square, smaller altars that resemble a table like the last supper. 

The biggest change to the church in it's 1970's renovation was the removal of the tabernacle and altar from the sanctuary and replacing them with the organ and choir area. The organ itself is not digital in sound, those pipes are real, and are also a modern build. This can be seen in the pipes themselves because of the façade. Pipe organs are in and of themselves very ugly instruments, in European cathedrals and churches as well in some North American churches this was solved by using several of the larger pipes and arranging them in artistically styled patterns. This does a twofold purpose of having a beautiful instrument and it disguises the uglier parts of the instrument. This organ does not have a façade of pipes as it became popular in recent decades to not have the pipes hidden and to make them as a sort of modern architectural piece. 

The stained glass in the sanctuary was quite nice. The angel to the left is Saint Michael the Archangel, with the classic symbolism of holding the spear, wearing red, and standing on the serpent. As for the angel on the right, I am unsure. The windows in the sanctuary are more detailed than the other stained glass. This is typical for most churches as the sanctuary is the most intricately detailed area in the church.

The cross and corpus are not from the original church, they are from the 1950's renovation. This renovation was by far the worst. It saw the removal of the high altar and pulpit with sea shell, a real architectural rarity nowadays.

This the the are that was once the Saint Joseph side altar and the sacristy. The wall between the side altar and sacristy has been removed, the altar itself is long gone, and the window has been modified into a multicolored modern window. The two statues of the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph are most likely from the original side altars. Note the deep blue of Mary's outer garment

Although pretty, the window does not match the style of the other windows of the church whatsoever. The other windows have faded colors around the edge and some scene of Christianity in the center. In this window, there is none of the above, the colors are richer, and it has nothing to define it as Christian.

The ceiling has a very rich wood color to it, that in older days when the pews, organ (in the loft), and floor were wood, it was probably a sight to behold. The pew orientation has also changed since the church's dedication. Originally they were all facing one direction; toward the sanctuary. This obviously was changed when the altar was brought out into the body of the church.

A window of the Nativity. A common scene to be depicted in stained glass, it is reminiscent of the times when stained glass was the primary education tool of the church. The size of the inner scene could be a hint that the window came from another church originally and was resized to fit this church later

Because the choir now sits in the sanctuary, the loft has now become overflow seating. This is an odd arrangement as if seating is an issue, why was the altar brought so far outward displacing half a dozen pews.

The window in the loft, is another classic scene from the Bible, the Agony in the Garden. This scene in the Bible takes place right after the commemoration of the Passover with Jesus and his disciples. Jesus was notorious for bucking traditions of the time but at Passover, Jesus deliberately left out the end of the Passover ceremony. At Passover, four cups are drunk from, each having their own significance, the final cup being the cup of Consummation. However, when it came time for Jesus (and in turn the rest of the disciples) to drink of the cup, Jesus abruptly leaves for the Garden of Gethsemane. While praying there "Jesus says let this cup pass from me" and above, an angel is depicted holding a cup. This is explained and fulfilled at the moment of Jesus' death on the cross as he says at his death, "It is consummated." Thus, the above angel holding the cup is a direct foreshadowing of Jesus' death.