Road Trip Around Montana- St. Ignatius
Author: Brenda Phillips
Road Trip around Montana – St Ignatius
Brenda Phillips
Our trip home from Whitefish also took us past St Ignatius. I have heard talk about the Mission at St Ignatius so we had to stop.
The St Ignatius Mission church is open from 9 am to 5 pm seven days a week for self-guided tours. It is on the Flathead Indian reservation with the Misson Mountains in the background. The site consists of four buildings: the 1891 church, the original 1854 log church and residence, the 1864 Providence Sister’s residence and the 1960 Rectory. The church was started in 1891 and built of bricks made from local clay & materials. It took 2 years to complete. The interior has 58 hand-painted murals that were painted by Brother Joseph Carianano over a period of 14 months. Joseph was not a trained artist but did these paintings after his regular work day, at the Mission as a cook and handyman. The paintings show scenes from Hebrew scripture, the New Testament, and the lives of the local saints. The Mission was listed as a historical site in 1972.
The peaceful spirit and sheer beauty of this structure have me in awe. The love that must have gone into caring for this building over the last 130 years to keep it so well preserved is unimaginable. The stained-glass windows let in the natural light to showcase this treasure. I don’t know of the symbolism of the Catholic religion but this building is a true work of art.
In this fast-paced world, we are always hurrying somewhere. In order to see some of the best Montana western treasures we need to learn to venture off the highway. Brenda and Kurt Phillips are from Townsend and enjoy visiting Montana's scenic and historic sites.
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PhotoCredit: Photo Credits: Brenda Phillips
Image 1 Caption: St Ignatius Church built 1891
Photo Credits: Brenda Phillips
Image 2 Caption: Hand carved alter at St Ignatius Church
Photo Credits: Brenda Phillips
Image 3 Caption: Murals on the ceiling at St Ignatius Church
Photo Credits: Brenda Phillips
Image 4 Caption: Murals at St Ignatius Church
Photo Credits: Brenda Phillips
Image 5 Caption: One of the many stained-glass windows in the church.
Photo Credits: Brenda Phillips
