Mission from God: Saving the frescoes at historic St. Ignatius church

If you walk through the doors of the Catholic mission in St. Ignatius, you will find yourself looking up.

Above the two dozen pews, lit by an eastern light filtered through tall stained-glass windows, are the 110 year-old frescoes.

Looking down at you are depictions of Mary, Jesus, and St. Francis painted in the classical style. The Catholic Stations of the Cross, the church’s narrative of the last days of Jesus Christ, are positioned in between the windows toward the front, near the altar. All told, 58 frescoes of varying size and shape adorn the walls.

Brother Joseph Carignano began work on the paintings in 1903. Over the next 14 months, he labored with his brushes. He hailed from the Turin Province of Northern Italy, where he left when he was 20 years old. So the story goes, his work was interrupted only by smoke and forest fires of the time. Upon completion, he affirmed his reputation as a humble artist; he left no signature on any of the paintings.

The church itself has a storied history in the Mission Valley.

Built in 1891, the church’s current location in St. Ignatius is the result of some trial and error. The Jesuits who set up the mission, led by Father De Smet, arrived in Montana in 1841, and set up St. Mary’s mission, near Stevensville in the Bitterroot.

After St. Mary’s was established, De Smet and the Jesuits set their sights on expansion. A place near the Clark Fork River was chosen, but the land’s soil was deemed unsuitable in 1854. 

By 1855, Tribal leaders and U.S. officials signed the Treaty of Hell Gate, which ceded to the U.S. the majority of their lands west of the continental divide, and set aside land which was later named the Flathead Reservation. It was then Pend d’Orielle Chief Alexander met with De Smet and suggested a different site, upon hearing they were struggling to find a suitable spot to build.

Father Andrew Maddock, of the Society of Jesuits, and the mission’s current leader, often tells the story that the brought church to its current place in St. Ignatius:

“Chief Alexander said, ‘I’ll show you a better place.’”

The Jesuits were taken land that was at the time used for hunting. It was also quiet, and the soil was adequate to build a church on. The Pend d’Orielle leaders granted permission to the Jesuits to establish their mission in exchange for building a school that would welcome tribal members to learn the English language. The mission was formally established in 1864. Jesuit brothers built a log cabin on the site.

Building the church was another matter. It took many years to break ground.

The mission was built as part of a network of churches out of Missoula’s St. Francis Xavier, and going into the 1880s, the Federal government found itself “prosperous,” Maddock said.

“One million bricks were ordered,” Maddock said. “At a cost of $5,500.”

Maddock entered the Jesuit order in 1961, and was ordained as a priest in 1985. He has served the St. Ignatius mission for over 20 years, after coming over from Wash. State. He cites a variety of reasons for entering the priesthood, but mostly out of the kindness of two Jesuit priest at the high school he attended in Tacoma.

Maddock says that the Apostle Paul is one example from the Bible to follow.

“Paul dealing with his people,” he said. “The spread of the church, driven by Jesus and his call.” Maddock also recalls the life of Peter as a source of inspiration. Both men were put to death for their beliefs. Peter, as good and true as the Bible remembers him, still humbled himself, Maddock says. “Peter was hung upside down. He said, ‘I’ve denied the Lord.’”

Maddock believes the St. Ignatius mission, which has stood for 124 years, needs a little work to keep it around for more years. Recent months have exposed foundation weaknesses. The frescoes are being damaged in places.

Much attention has been drawn to the church’s frescoes, and the beautiful art on its walls and ceilings. Maddock said although it’s difficult to believe, Brother Joseph Carignano had no formal art training.

The church foundation has shifted over the years, causing the frescoes to pull away from the wall in certain spots. Two particular paintings, the one of Mary and the one of Joseph holding an infant Jesus, have sustained cracks. Recently reported by the Missoulian, the church might get some help thanks to the staff of Senator Jon Tester. The Evergreene Architectural Arts of New York and Chicago’s restoration project manager, Terry VanderWell was in Helena when he was informed about the frescoes’ condition.

Last week two conservators visited the church and placed Japanese linen over some of the cracks, and took samples back to evaluate what type of restoration is needed.

Maddock said the church is looking to raise money for the potentially expensive work. “We’re looking at options,” he said. “It takes money to make money. Money we don’t have.”

The mission should be informed in a couple of weeks, once the results come in. Then Maddock, parishioners, and visitors will have an answer.

But for Father Maddock, he thinks it has already been settled:

“God wants this place to stay open."