St. Adalbert Church in Chicago, line of colums [Polish parishes and churches in Chicago]

The references to the Vatican basilica, common among the Catholic churches, may have represented the parishioners’ intention to emphasize their religious individuality in the melting pot of immigrant denominations. In this respect, the Church of St. Adalbert is somewhat unique with its very direct reference to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The similarity of the interior
is striking at first glance, but on careful consideration this is undoubtedly a more modest project, in terms of both structure and decoration. Even though the marbles were specially selected and imported from Italy, the reduction of the aisles and differences in decoration make the dissimilarity quite pronounced.