Name: Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Address: 6400 Minnesota Avenue
Architectural Firm/Architect: Aloysius Gillick
Designation: City Landmark, National Register of Historic Places,
History:
This convent is the oldest religious institution in Carondelet, dating from 1839 when the sisters came to St. Louis at the invitation of Bishop Rosati. Schools were established in Carondelet and Cahokia, although the latter one was abandoned following damage by the great flood of 1844. At Carondelet, the school was held in a log cabin, with lessons for girls between the ages of 6 and 18.
After 1839, the sisters were paid $375 annually by the school commissioners to instruct the children. This arrangement ended in 1851, when the public school system was established.
The first brick building was erected in 1841 on land donated by Bryan Mullanphy. Part of this structure was destroyed by fire in 1858; other buildings were subsequently built for the academy and convent.
In 1860, the convent was made the national Motherhouse of the Order. The courtyard of the convent, with its freestanding clock tower, was completely enclosed by 1885. An unusual feature of the chapel is the placement of the Stations of the Cross in decorative medallions beneath the clerestory.
St. Joseph´s Academy was operated at Carondelet until 1926, when it removed to the new Fontbonne College campus in Clayton.
People
Gillick, Aloysius
Rosati, Rev. Joseph
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