The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-04-19
THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH.
st. Francis De sales Church.

JNoAo 'OOhVu iOi " diu W tne Tune W0t
II they could have new church edifice
70 place Of the one in which they have VIC
shipped so long. The subject has be,
r agitated from time to time until no,
under the direction of the Rev. ].
Michaud, the pastor, the great work b.
h been initiated. George H. Guernse
g the well known architect, of Montpelie
j is engaged on plans for Church th
/ when completed will probably be as fiji
. as any, if not the finest, in the State.
!. The editice is to be located on Mai
: street. in the westernly portion of an
overlooking the village of Bennington
The material will probably be blue lint
=. stone, like that to be used in the Bel
nington Battle monument, the body {
the Church being rock-faced, while a
the trimmings are 10 be fine-hammereC
The roof is to be sli-ted, and the ridge
crested with terra-cotta, the design q
the structure being purely Gothic.
The entire size of the Church is l56 b
6S feet. The entire length of Chur h
chapel and house on Main St., is 224 feet
The east front of the Church is so feet
From the plans it is apparent tina
when standing in front Of the Church
at the east end, the structure will b.
most imposing. At the left hand corner
a tower 1873 feet square IS to project a
an angle of forty-.tive degrees with tn,
body of the Church, having at each cor,
ner heavy buttress four feet square
These buttresses are to extend to the TOT
of the bell house, 96 feet, and are to bt
surmounted with turrets ending in hand
somely carved finals. Above the bell
house Is to be an octagonal square 10 feet
high, finished by cross seven feet high
This will make the entire height of the
spire from the ground to the top of the
cross 173 feet, some 80 feet higher than
the spire Of Bethany church" at Mont.
pelier. The Dollhouse is to be open, the
windows being six feet wide by 10 feet
high, with stone balustrades. Above
each of these windows 10 to be a sharp
gable, surmOInted by a small cross
On four sides of the spire are to be
windows measuring ten feet in height,
Through the tower is to be an entrance
to II vestibule 16 by 60 feet. The main
entrance is to be in the center of the
front, opening into the same vestibule,
while third entrance ia to 0e in q wing
at the right, where the stairs leading to
the gallery are to be erected, Over the
centr i door there is to be rose window
10 feet in dlamete with stone tracery.
On each side of the main entrance there
is to be buttress extending above the
roof-line and terminating In turret.
Four windows ten feet high light the
gallery, and similar window ia TO dis
pei the darkness of the stairway. The
front gable is to be II feet above the
ground, and ornamented with cross
five feet high. On each side of the
Church there are to be five windows 5
feet wide and II feet high, besides two
transept gable windows II feet wide and
IA feet high, with stone tracery. On
each side of the transeps there are heavy
buttresses extending above the roof line,
and ending IN handsome finals. In the
point of the gable there is to a hooded
niche for statue. Three windows 81
feet wide by 81 feet high, with Gothic
heads, are to admit light to the chancpl,
and in the extreme points of the main
gables ale also to be Gothic headed win
dows six feet wide. All the windows
are to be of the richest designs in stained
and cathedral glass.
AT the west end of the Church, and
partly in the rear, the plan shows
chapel % by 4S feet, lighted by four win
hows four feet wide and two seven feet
wide and seventeen feet high. Con.
nected with the chapel is to be the resi-
dence of the'Prfest. The latter building
is to be As by 81 feet, containing six
rooms on both the first and second
nonrs While broad pi-
azzas will add much TO the beauty and
comfort of the residence.
The plan of the interior of the Church
shows 1t to be in its main portion l4O
from the main entrance to end of chan
Gel, and go feet wide, while in the tran
sept gables it is Ga feet wide. The side
walls are 2S feet high, and from the
floor to the center of the roof, which is
tob finished to the ridgp,is s. feet There
are to be no columns to intercept the
We" OF the congregation, but the roof is
to be finished in open timber trus.es with
Gothic arches, the spaces being filled
with tracery. The ceiling between the
trusses is to be finished on the rafters
giving 1t an elegant app arance. The
main audience room is to haye a seating
capacity OF 024, while the gallery. after
allowing space for the organ, will add
room for ~ more, making the full ca
pacity OF the Church little over 000
An aisle is to seperate the pews from
the wall, and three other aisles are to
seperate the several rows of pews from
one another.
The audience rooms of the Church and
OF the chapel are to be connected by
corridor, from which is to open a toilet
room for ladies. and in which is to be
the rear entrance to the Church The
chancel Is to be entered from the chapel
through a robing room. The residence
OF the Priest is to be connected with the
chapel by side entrance, 30 that the |
officiating clergyman can pass from his
house to the altar in the Church without
going out doors.
Mr.. Guernsey, with an assistant, is
working steadily at tie plans for these
church buildings, and expects to have
them in readiness by the time the ground
is in condition to begin work. Rev.
Father Michaud will have no cause 10
regret the selection of tt is design.
when the Church is finished it will be
commodlous and inviting within, while
its exterior will be attractive as well as
imposing IL Argus and Patriot,
The above from the Argus and Patriot,
gives good idea Of The grand building
the parish of st. Frances De Sales is
about to build in town. Our readers
have been led to believe that cathedral
structure has been contemplated and
this description fully carries out the
plan contemplated. The lot is a spa
cious one but. is hardly large enough,
and undoubtedly will be added to in
time. The Rev. Father Michaud Is to
be congratulated upon his project, and |
we trust he will be as well supported IN
it later on as he is at this time, and no
doubt such will be the case.
SUICIDE.