Holy Angels Church
https://www.holyangelscatholicchurchglobe.org/
201 SOUTH BROAD ST., GLOBE AZ 85501 | 928-425-3137
Located in Globe, Arizona, at Broad Street, Holy Angels is a Church built in 1916 and recognized for its architecture and stained glass. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and continues as a Diocese of Tucson active Roman Catholic parish.
Many of Globe’s first pioneers were Mexican and Irish Roman Catholics, whose spiritual needs were served by priests based in Solomnville or Florence. In 1901, the Diocese of Tucson bought a site for the Sacred Heart Church construction, and four years later, a parish was consecrated.
In October 1915, Virgil Genevrier (French-born priest) was assigned to the parish. Very educated and well-traveled, Virgil arrived in Globe by way of Cairo, Egypt; East Orange, New Jersey; and Puebla, Mexico. Energetic and strong-willed, Virgil quickly determined that the Sacred Heart facilitator needed to be more adequate for the city locals and embarked on an ambitious campaign to raise funds to create new facilities.
Virgil recruited James S. Pigott of Newark to design what he had already decided would be a Romanesque Revival Church. James had already designed several buildings for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, including parochial schools and churches.
Romanesque Revival churches were unusual in the state of Arizona. James S. Pivot may have introduced some Mission Revival elements to integrate the building into its southwestern setting.
Dedicated to the Holy Angels of Heaven, the church construction began in September 1916, with Virgil Genevrier and congregation member Albert Altewis as general contractors. Inside this Romanesque-style church, Renaissance Revival details are found throughout the structure, especially in the Italian-built faux marble altar.
The minimalist yet elegant space is enriched with a recessed confessional, carved wood fixtures, a marble and onyx baptismal font (which was donated in 1915 by Mexican-American parishioners), and many more beautiful features. Holy Angels Church is the only known example of Frei’s senior work in Arizona