About St. Augustine · Saint Louis, Missouri
St. Augustine was a historic German national parish in north St. Louis, founded in 1874 to serve the city's growing German Catholic immigrant community. Its landmark Gothic Revival church, designed by German-trained architect Louis Wessbecher and dedicated in 1897, stood at the corner of Hebert and Lismore Streets and featured stained glass by the renowned Emil Frei Art Glass Company. After decades of vitality, the neighborhood's decline led the parish church to be sold in 1982; the building later suffered a devastating fire in March 2024. In August 2023, St. Augustine parish was canonically united with Our Lady of the Holy Cross, St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist, and St. Matthew the Apostle to form a new merged parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
- Established
- 1874
- Patron
- Saint Augustine of Hippo
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of St. Louis
Parish History
St. Augustine grew out of the massive German immigration to St. Louis in the late 19th century. Established in 1874, it became one of twenty-one German Catholic parishes in the city by 1898, serving working-class German families with liturgy, schooling, and community support in their native language.
- Founded 1874 as a German national parish
- First church completed 1875; used as church and school
- Current church cornerstone laid May 3, 1896; dedicated August 29, 1897
- Parish closed and church sold to Christ Baptist in 1982
Architecture
The 1896 church is a notable example of German Gothic Revival architecture in St. Louis, built in the hall-church form common in Germany.
- Designed by German-trained architect Louis Wessbecher
- Gothic Revival buff brick with limestone trim and buttresses
- Features Emil Frei stained glass, including windows depicting the Adoration of the Magi and St. Augustine at the seashore
- 1928 Tudor Gothic rectory designed by Henry P. Hess
Merger and Building Fire
St. Augustine parish continued as a canonical entity until 2023, when it was merged with three neighboring parishes. The original 1896 church building, no longer used by the parish, was heavily damaged by fire in 2024.
- August 2023: merged into Our Lady of the Holy Cross-St. Augustine-St. Matthew-St. Elizabeth
- March 18, 2024: original St. Augustine church building gutted by fire
- The building had been vacant and was the target of theft and vandalism prior to the fire