Tradition of worship: A look at some of the historic churches in Southeast Missouri

St. Mary's of the Barrens Catholic Church

1811 W. St. Joseph St., Perryville, Mo.

This church started as log cabin and was replaced by the current structure, built in 1837 and modeled after the Motherhouse chapel in Rome, Italy, Monte Citroio. The church's Italian design features paintings, unique side altars, and art on the walls and ceilings.

Old St. Vincent's Chapel

131 S. Main St., Cape Girardeau

Just north of downtown Cape Girardeau, Old St. Vincent's chapel is an architectural materpiece with Renaissance Gothic and Roman influences. It's known for its unique art, including lifelike statues, three-dimensional stations of the cross and more than 100 plaster "masks," or faces of morality, beneath the arches and over the windows. The church is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays May through September.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Highway 25, south of Gordonville

This church was organized in 1865 by German immigrants, and the church seal and bell remain in German in remembrance of the church's heritage. The church is perhaps best known for its bell tower with a white cross on top, which can be seen for miles along Highway 25. Inside you'll find an altar with a figure of Christ in the center, an elevated pulpit and a pipe organ.

Zion United Methodist Church

3652 Highway Z, Gordonville

This hilltop church is another reflection of German heritage and architecture, with its exquisite woodwork, curved communion rail and 19th century rural church building style. A small cemetery remains behind the church.

Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum

75 Church St., Altenburg, Mo.

The Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum complex was built in 2005, but its history dates back to the 1839 Lutheran immigration from Germany to Perry County, Missouri. The original 1845 church building is open during museum hours (daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and tours of the nearby 1867 Trinity Church are also available. This church still has its original altar, pulpit and baptismal front. The crucifix on the altar was made in Germany and brought with the German immigrants. Trinity also has a gold and silver chalice made in 1707 and given as a gift. The building itself is made of giant sandstone blocks hauled in by oxen.

Old McKendree Chapel

4080 Bainbridge Road, Jackson

Old McKendree Chapel, built in 1819, is thought to be one of the oldest Protestant churches west of the Mississippi River. It hosted Missouri Annual Conferences in 1819, 1821, 1825 and 1831, including Methodist churches from Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri and part of Indiana. McKendree has not been an organized church since 1890, but it's been fully restored and is open every day during daylight hours. Across the road is the church cemetery with original headstones.

Guardian Angel Catholic Church

604 Church St., Oran, Mo.

This church formed in 1893, but its current brick structure was built in 1917. The church features stained-glass windows, an impressive sanctuary, hidden alcoves for prayer, and statues of various saints. Even the ceiling is a masterpiece, with paintings representing Christ, God and the guardian angels. The altar is white marble with a scene of the last supper at the base. All this is in contrast to the simple wooden pews.

Sources: General Commission on Archives and History, United Methodist Church; altenburgmuseum.org; visitcape.com; various church websites; Southeast Missourian file stories