St. Edward Catholic Church, Elmdale, MN

St. Edward's is a quaint, small town church built in 1920 and has several subtle touches that greatly add to the overall effect of the building.

I'm a big fan of the art deco light fixtures!


Though the paint scheme is rather plain, vivid colors do abound in this church - note especially the angel reliefs around the tabernacle and the art glass windows.

Interestingly, the Elmdale Lutheran Church, now apparently abandoned, sits just across the yard from St. Edward's. It was built one year earlier in 1919. I do wonder what the relationship (if any) was like between these two churches in their heydays. I'll occasionally see when two "competing" churches are in such close proximity, there will be somewhat of a competition to see who can build bigger and better, however this does not seem the case here in Elmdale. I would put the two building on roughly the same plane.

I am very aware of the changes in rural demographics, however, it's still a shame to see these religious and cultural icons languish.