“The Cathedral of the Plains”
The "Cathedral of the Plains" is Saint Fidelis Catholic Church in Victoria, Kansas. It has seating for 1,100 people, which, at the time of it's dedication, made it the largest church west of the Mississippi River. The church is 220 feet long, 110 feet wide at the transepts and 75 feet at the nave. Its ceiling is 44 feet above the ground and the towers are 141 feet tall. Three previous churches served the community of predominately German immigrants, but the present church was begun in 1908 and completed in 1911. The exterior is constructed of large native limestone blocks weighing from 50 to 100 pounds each. The Romanesque design church contains German windows & works of art, Austrian hand carved stations of the cross, and Italian marble altar. The church is open to the public (free) from dawn to dusk. Stop by early on a Friday evening and you may be treated to the sounds of the Saint Fidelis organist rehearsing. Groups or individuals may arrange a guided tour by contacting the Parish Office at 785-735-2777. Sunday Masses are celebrated in St. Fidelis Church at 5PM on Saturday and 10:30AM on Sundays Daily Mass is celebrated at 7PM on Wednesday and 6:45AM on the other weekdays. St. Fidelis Catholic Church is not the seat for a bishop, so it is not a Cathedral. It received its nickname from William Jennings Bryan when he visited St. Fidelis in 1912.
Simply Gorgeous and incredibly close to the interstate. You will be missing a true treasure if you don't stop. So glad I did.
Absolutely beautiful! Worth the stop!
Right off 70 and worth a stop. A very beautiful church!
Reminded me a lot of a little slice of Rome in rural Kansas. Extremely beautiful, and a straight shot right down the street from the highway exit. Cannot fathom how this was built before modern technology - the marble pillars alone are massive, let alone the rest of the architecture!
Beautiful church. Definitely worth the stop!
It's definitely a beautiful cathedral, and if you are on a long trip, it's a very nice little stop. But depending on what you've seen before, it may or may not impress you. Short trip, locals are very friendly.
Amazing! The workmanship and detail is beautiful. Hard to believe there were no power tools or lifts when it was constructed, men using sheer strength, awesome. Beautiful. Definitely worth the stop!
Lovely and inspiring, gorgeous interior that filled me with a sense of awe, wonder, and reverence, truly reflective of God's grandeur. A very short stop off I70, a quiet break for just a few quick minutes from a grueling drive to put things in proper perspective.
We were running behind schedule, debated if we should make yet ANOTHER stop... and were SO glad that we did. I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Even my younger boys 10 & 11 seemed to appreciate it.
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St. Fidelis Catholic Church
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