Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church

Phone: (419) 925-4775 Website Audio Tour

Mass Times: Sat. 19:30; Thurs. 07:30; Vigil of Holy Day: 01:00 Holy Day: 01:00

Parish Founded: 1847 Church Built: 1858

Architect: Unknown Architectural Style: Gothic

History: The early settlers were German immigrants and all loyal Roman Catholics. Early on they attended services at St. Rose parish, but the distance they had to walk made the establishment of their own church practical. They built a small log chapel they called Maria-Kapelle, the German name for church, parish and town. During the late summer of 1849 when the cholera plague ravaged the villages of Minster, Maria Stein and St. Rose, the people of Maria-Kapella went to their log church and prayed to St. Sebastian, the parish patron of the sick, to protect them from the cholera. Not one member of the parish died due to this plague. By 1860 the town of Marysville was laid out in lots which included many mercantile buildings, the log chapel, and the post office. When applying for a post office, the German script K and P were translated into English C and S. Since this time Kapelle, has been Cassella

In June 1886, a fire almost destroyed the church. Only the four brick walls remained. Restoration started immediately and by 1887 the exterior was completed, except for the spire. On March 17, 1889 Archbishop Elder blessed the reconstructed church.

By 1890 the interior of the church had been frescoed and new altars and windows installed. A new tower was erected. In 1912, it was decided to enlarge the church by digging a basement to the south and to erect a sacristy above it. While digging, too much ground was removed from the foundation and suddenly early one morning the entire back part caved in. This catastrophe meant more work and more money for reconstruction accomplished in 1914. In 1915, the fire-scarred outside walls were covered with stucco.