St. James Church Interior.
This is the first in a series of articles that will highlight places, right here in the Cleveland area that make you feel like you’re on a vacation. It turns out that far away is not so far. St. James Church, in Lakewood, Ohio is a prime example of a place that can transport you to far away lands.
St. James Church looks like it is right out of Italy, 12th century Palermo, to be exact. From the outside, this church definitely looks grand, but could be easily overlooked, especially with the large number of churches in Lakewood. The inside holds the true gem that is St. James Church.
When it was decided to build this church in Lakewood, Rev. Leahy with the architect, Edward T. P. Graham of Boston, made a grand tour of Europe, in 1924, to get ideas on how to design the church here. The church that made a major impression was the Cathedral of Monreale, which is in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy. It was built in 1174 by William III “The Good”. The exterior is loosely based on the exterior of the Cathedral of Cafilu.
Sicily was once under Islamic rule and the church had many Arab artisans working on it so you see the influence of Byzantine, Saracen or Arab and Norman decorative arts. Timothy Barrett, an architectural historian, calls it a display of “exotic medieval influences”. All of the church’s elaborate wood carving were done by The Liturgical Arts Guild, which was once a prominent group of local artists. Another point of interest is that all of the Stained Glass was done by the famed George W. Sotter Studios of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Barrett will give a tour and presentation of St. James, in Lakewood, on Sunday, September 27th at 3:00 p.m. St. James is located on the west side of Lakewood, at 17514 Detroit Ave. Mr. Barret also wrote a history of St. James Church which can be viewed by clicking here if you are interested in learning more. The church always welcomes new visitors so if you can’t make it to Mr. Barrett’s talk, you can always visit during mass: Saturdays: 5:00 PM and Sundays: 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM.
St. James is the largest church in Lakewood and has the largest parish. It also has the highest mass attendance in the cluster group. Despite all of these facts; it is slated to be closed. So the parishioners are asking for your assistance to keep this architectural treasure open. A wide variety of Federal, State and local officials have joined the cause as well. Additionally, the National Trust for Historic Spaces and Heritage Ohio has sent letters asking Bishop Lemon to reconsider preserving St. James as a living parish. He can be reached at the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, 1027 Superior Ave. Cleveland, Ohio 44114. You can also contact SaveSaintJames@gmail.com to join their Friends of Saint James group and find out more ways you can help or visit their website by clicking here.
Comments
What a great local find! Yes now bags to pack and instant great discovery!
I started law school in Cleveland - it was before the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, so that would be great to see in an article. This church is gorgeous! I liked the downtown area (I was at Cleve State) and lived near Brooklyn so, as a New Yorker at the time, I thought I was home. Cleveland has a lot to offer. Great picture and article.
Great article. The pictures are amazing. I hope St. James stays open. It would be a shame for the Cleveland area to lose this kind of architectural masterpiece.
Beautiful! Loved the slideshow. I've visited may churches, especially in Chicago where I'm from that are works of art. This is another fine example.
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