The church was designed by the architectural firm of
Worthmann & Steinbach who built many of the magnificent
Polish Cathedrals in Chicago. The church structure—a red-brick edifice in the
classical revival style—has an ornate interior of
Baroque influence.
Groundbreaking occurred on April 30, 1917, and the
cornerstone was laid on October 21, 1917. Completion of the building was delayed for years by financial and construction difficulties, with the first
Mass celebrated in the structure not taking place until August 7, 1921. Official dedication occurred on October 16, 1921, with
Archbishop Cardinal George W. Mundelein presiding. St. Hyacinth's recognizable three-towered façade is rarely seen in American
church architecture as well as the Baroque period that its style is modeled on. The
church bells are a product of the McShoe Bell Foundry of Baltimore, Maryland were blessed and placed in the
steeples in April 1924. St. Hyacinth's bears a striking similarity to
St. Mary of the Angels, which was designed by the same architects at about the same time and use the same combination of
stone, glazed
terra-cotta and
brick. Also like at St. Mary of the Angels, much of the church's interior was decorated by
John A. Mallin, who decorated many other churches in Illinois, with two years of planning and another two years to execute the project. St. Hyacinth's is also home to the masterworks of such renowned painters as
Tadeusz Żukotyński and
Mary Stanisia. Beginning in the mid-1990s, and taking almost a decade, the interior was renewed thoroughly, much of the mural work being performed by
Conrad Schmitt Studios of
Wisconsin. The
stained glass windows have been identified as prepared by Meyer Co. of Munich, Germany, and some by the Zettler Co. of New York were installed in 1921. The church's
organ is a mid-sized
Kilgen organ (of
St. Louis, Missouri) with 34 ranks was likewise installed in the church in 1921. The
Stations of the Cross were likely assembled in Austria in the 1830s. A number of statues are found within the basilica's interior. A
bas-relief of Saint Hyacinth hangs above the main altar, as well as full statues of
Saint Peter and
Saint Paul. Figures of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and the
Blessed Mother (Immaculate Conception) are found at lesser side altars, along with a figure of
Our Lady of Sorrows as a
Pietà in the church's eastern
alcove. Additionally, sculptures of
Saint Joseph,
Saint Ann, the
Infant of Prague,
Saint Maximilian Kolbe,
Saint Francis of Assisi,
Saint Anthony of Padua,
Saint Barbara and
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux are spread throughout the sanctuary. The large saucer
dome which hangs over the church's crossing has a gigantic
mural covering some with over 150 figures, depicting
saints,
clergy and
laity. A large
icon of
Our Lady of Częstochowa that was brought in from Poland occupies the shrine in the basilica's western
transept. The icon, which had been blessed by
Pope John Paul II, is crowned in keeping with
Roman Catholic tradition, with the Virgin Mary's crown measuring nearly a foot long while the
Infant Jesus's crown being slightly smaller in size, each one bookended by bas-relief sculpted angels. Both crowns were crafted by Adam and Kathy Karbownik who melted down the gold and set the gemstones in them, while the jewelry used in the crowns was donated by thousands of parishioners with the gold alone weighed in at ten pounds Three pairs of monumental
bronze doors were hung along the main entrance at the basilica's northern end by famed Polish sculptor
Czesław Dźwigaj, well known for also casting the monument of
Christ the King in
Cicero in front of
the church of St. Mary of Częstochowa as well as the
Tolerance Monument that was unveiled in
Jerusalem. Monuments to Pope John Paul II, and Father
Jerzy Popiełuszko, as well as a memorial to parishioners who served in the
Blue Army during World War I can be found in the neighboring 'Garden of Memory'. ==Center of Chicago's Polonia==