chapel of st. anthony padua

On a weekend trip through eastern Iowa in the fall to enjoy leaf color, be sure to visit St, Anthony Padua near Festina. This along with the Bily Clock Museum will not take a lot of your time but are well worth the experience. The story of the chapel is as amazing as the stacks of registers showing the names of people from around the world who have visited here. Looking these over is worth the time too.

While this is a bit difficult to find, it is worth a short visit. This is a chapel in the Catholic style repleat with stained glass windows and altar. The seating capacity is 8 thus leading to the billing of being the smallest church in the world. This is a family owned chapel, cemetary, and founding family log cabin. A river runs along one boundary of the site. This is a nice location for contemplation and relaxation. The chapel was built starting in 1885 on the location of an earlier church known as Old Mission.

Johann Gaertner who was born October 16, 1793 and died on June 27, 1887, served under Napoleon Bonaparte at the battles of Moscow and Waterloo. His safe return home resulted in the fulfillment of family members' promise to erect a chapel to honor God. While I have visited this chapel on several occasions, my visit on 7/13/2013 provided me with the opportunity to visit with a family descendant who was visiting from Louisianan. The chapel has been deemed the world's smallest church and was erected in 1885. Johann and many of his family members are buried outside the in the well maintained churchyard. The original statues that adorn the alter continue to withstand the test of time and a visit always brings with it a humble appreciation for the hard working and devout Christian families that made up the heartland in its early years. This is a site not to be missed by anyone regardless of faith to enjoy yesteryear preserved in an honorable tradition.