St.
Anthony's Church
256 N. Ohio
Construction on the two-story
brick St. Anthony's church began in 1902, on the site of
the old wooden frontier church, St. Boniface. Work was
completed on the church in 1905. Called the "German Church,"
it is considered the oldest Catholic church in Wichita.
This late Victorian styled
structure makes use of rounded or Roman arches, and
carries on the heritage of the German Romanesque design peculiar to
Northern Europe. The stained glass windows, with inscriptions,
most in German, were designed in Germany, shipped in pieces
and assembled in Wichita.
The eclectic wooden
steeple/tower centered on the front has a distinctive Moorish
character. The church bell tower served as a landmark for early pilots
who flew over Wichita. The interior of the church remains in
a near original state.
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