St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church

St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church is an historic former church building at 51 Main Street in Lisbon Falls, Maine. The church was designed in 1923 by Lewiston architects Gibbs & Pulsifer, and is an imposing example of neo-Gothic architecture for a relatively small community. It is also the only known church in Maine with association to the Slovak immigrant community. It was dedicated in 1926 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[1] It is presently home to the Maine Art Glass Studio.

St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church
St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church is located in Maine
St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church
St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church is located in the United States
St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church
Location51 Main St. Lisbon Falls, Maine
Coordinates43°59′57″N 70°3′31″W / 43.99917°N 70.05861°W / 43.99917; -70.05861
Built1926 (1926)
ArchitectGibbs & Pulsifer
Architectural styleGothic Revival
NRHP reference No.77000061[1]
Added to NRHPMay 26, 1977

Description and history

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The former St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church is located in the village of Lisbon Falls, at the southeast corner of Main Street (Maine State Route 125) and High Street. It is a large rectangular brick building. with a gabled roof. The front facade is flanked by squat square towers with buttress-style projecting pilasters at the corners. The center of the facade has a large Gothic arch, in which there are two entrances, each also set in arches, with a circle-in-cross design above. Atop the large arch is a wagon-wheel rose window, and the gable above is crested by a cross.[2]

The Slovak community in Lisbon Falls was former in the 1890s, when a group migrated there from New Jersey in search of work at the Worumbo Mill, and formed a tightly knit social group. Alienated from other well-established cultural groups, they formed their own Catholic organization, and raised funds to build this church, which was completed in 1923. It was formally accepted into the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in 1936.[2] The building now houses a studio of glass artists.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ a b "NRHP nomination for St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-04.
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