At the end of the 19th century the number of Polish emigrants in Chicago increased so much that they began to settle to the north-west of the oldest district, the so-called Polish triangle. Around the mid-1990s Avondale was already inhabited by about 40 Polish families. Their delegation met with the parish priest of St. Stanislaus Kostka’s, Wincenty Barzyński, who, however, did not see the need to establish a new parish for their community. Unwilling to give up their plans, the active community members decided to turn for support to Fr. Franciszek Kolaszewski, a controversial clergyman and activist of the Polish Catholic movement. They bought a plot of land near the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Central Park, where they built a wooden church. In this situation, in order to prevent division within the Church, in November 1894 Fr. Barzyński relented and a Roman Catholic parish of St. Hyacinth (dedicated to St. Jacek Odrowąż, the patron saint of Poland) was established, under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Chicago and under the care of the Resurrectionist Congregation. Around 1920 it became the largest Polish parish in the Windy City, and its area was called Jackowo. The parish and the Basilica of St. Hyacinth still serve as an important centre of Chicago’s Polish-American community.

In 1917 the parish already comprised more than 200 families and was ready to start erecting a brick church. The area for its construction was consecrated by Father Jan Zdechlik on April 30, 1917, the cornerstone was laid on October 21, 1917, and the church was dedicated by Archbishop George Mudelein in 1921. The building was designed by Henry W. Worthmann and John G. Steinbach, who were also the authors of the Polish church of Our Lady of the Angels, erected in Chicago at the same time.

St. Hyacinth Basilica is a monumental three-nave basilica with a transept, built of red brick with elements made of light-colored stone. The church, built in a style combining elements of classical and Gothic architecture, features a unique three-tower façade, rarely met in the architectural style of the United States or the traditional architecture of Europe. It determines the easily recognizable shape of the building, which towers over the Northwest Side area.

The interior of the basilica is strikingly spacious, with a particularly impressive steel-frame dome spanning over the crossing of the nave and the transept. The dome constitutes the focal point of the rich iconographic program of the decoration of the temple, commissioned by parish priest Stefan Kowalczyk in 1930 and made by John A. Mallin Co., a company based in Chicago, led by an artist of Czech origin who was a respected creator of American temples. It was with reference to the decoration of St. Hyacinth Basilica that John A. Mallin spoke the significant and often quoted words: “As there is nothing too good for God so there is nothing too rich or too precious for God’s earthly homes, His churches”. The artist was convinced of the importance of the decoration of the temple for the spiritual experience of the community, so he made sure that parishioners found a friendly atmosphere the moment they entered the church. They are greeted by the familiar image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, and then their attention is attracted by an extensive composition in the dome, covering an area of almost three thousand square feet and containing more than 150 figures. The scene of the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted in the south, and on the opposite side is the scene of the Assumption. The composition is complemented by processions of representatives of the Triumphant and Pilgrim Church. The Evangelists, Fathers of the Church and saints are accompanied by figures associated with the Chicago parish: representatives of the Congregation of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a group of clergy with Cardinal George Mundelein and local altar servers; about 2000 parish priest Michał Osuch, Cardinal Józef Glemp and Pope John Paul II were added to the painting.

In the apse of the chancel Mallin placed the angelic hosts adoring the Most Blessed Sacrament, and below it, in golden majuscule, he wrote an acclamation – a threefold invocation of the Sanctus. The painting is optically complemented by scenes on the triumphal arch: Christ with children, and opposite Pope Pius X, who was the author of the constitution Quam singularis (1910) allowing children to receive First Communion. The Holy Father is accompanied by the clergy and Nazareth Sisters, who probably worked in St. Hyacinth’s parish and were involved in the education of children. Above the figural scenes, at the top of the wall, angels present a cartouche with the coat of arms of the Resurrectionist Congregation.

Mallin also designed the paintings, figures of angels and ornamental decorations in the naves and transept of the church, including the noteworthy representations of Polish saints (St. Stanislaus, St. Stanislaus Kostka, St. John Cantius, St. Andrew Bobola) and the image of Mary Immaculate, modeled on the popular painting of the 17th century Spanish painter Murillo.

We should also mention the painting of St. Hyacinth kneeling in front of Mary and Child Jesus, currently stored in the sacristy of the church. It was created in 1921 by sister Mary Stanisia (Monika Kurkowski) from the School Sisters of Notre Dame, on the basis of the composition of her teacher, Tadeusz Żukotyński. The painting was probably originally displayed in the main altar of St. Hyacinth Basilica.

The stained-glass windows which can be seen in the basilica were made in the early 1920s by the Munich-based Franz X. Zettler’s factory. They comprise decorative Christological scenes in ornamental frames, and medallions with busts of saints and biblical figures, placed in the windows of the main nave. Also noteworthy are the triple bronze gates in the main entrance of the church, designed by the Polish sculptor Czesław Dźwigaj. The scenes on the wings tell the story of Polish immigrants and the activity of the Resurrectionist Congregation.

Chronology

1894 - erection of St. Hyacinth parish

1917 - beginning of construction of a brick church

1921 - dedication of the church

1921 - production of stained-glass windows by Franz X. Zettler from Munich

1930-1934 - painting decoration of the church’s interior made by John A. Mallin Co.

1969 - renovation works in preparation for the 75th anniversary of the parish, installation of a new lighting

1999-2000 - restoration of the church’s interior by Conrad Schmitt Studios from Milwaukee, Wisconsin

2003 - Pope John Paul II gives the church the title of basilica minor

Text originally published in a book issued by the POLONIKA Institute.
Katarzyna Chrudzimska-Uhera, Anna Sylwia Czyż, Jacek Gołębiowski, Bartłomiej Gutowski, Polish parishes and churches in Chicago, Warszawa 2019, pp.​​​​​​​ 201-211.