National Shrine of the Little Flower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See also the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower in San Antonio, Texas
National Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church in Royal Oak, Michigan is a Catholic Church completed in two stages, from 1931 to 1936, and funded by the proceeds of the radio ministry of the controversial Father Charles Coughlin. It stands at the northeast corner of Twelve Mile Road and Woodward Avenue.
Named in honor of Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the church was built with a square tower called the Charity Crucifixion Tower, narthex, and an innovative octagonal sanctuary with the pulpit in the center. Coughlin performed his radio broadcasts from the tower.
The architect was Henry J. McGill, from the New York firm of McGill and Hamlin. The main building is granite and limestone, with elaborate interior sculptural work by Corrado Parducci and hand-painted murals by Beatrice Wilczynski. It seats three thousand. The limestone Art Deco tower, which was built first and completed in 1931, features dramatic integrated figural sculpture by Rene Paul Chambellan, including a large figure of Christ on the cross.
In 1998 the United States Bishops' Conference declared the site a National Shrine, according to the church's web site one of only five in the country.
