About the Saints Center - History
Historic All Saints Church, built from 1908-1910 in the Byzantine and Romanesque style with an Italian Baroque interior, served the Catholic parish in the Stuart area. It was once voted the "most beautiful church in Iowa" by the readers of The Des Moines Register. In 1995, an arsonist set the church on fire, claiming to "take the heart and soul out of a small town." However, this act did not succeed. After the parish constructed a new church at a different location, the community came together to restore the historic All Saints Church as a community cultural center. Today, it also serves as a unique wedding venue in Iowa.
For More Information:
Please visit www.restoreallsaints.org for the All Saints Church history and its restoration.
The Learning Museum
The museum located in Historic All Saints, once a Catholic church with a rich All Saints Church history, offers a self-guided video tour on interactive kiosks that explain the world's religions in a non-promotional, unbiased format. You’ll learn about Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Indigenous, Chinese Traditional, and even Non-Religions. Throughout your learning experience, the Saints Center doesn’t ask you to endorse anyone’s faith but hopes you will respect the richness and diversity of human faith and people’s religious freedom. We believe that studying religion opens your mind to the world’s many rituals and traditions, giving new meaning to why we are here. You become a scholar of the world.
The concept of the Learning Museum for Religious Tolerance sprang from the fate that befell the once Catholic church after an arsonist, filled with hate for the Catholic church and an intolerance for religion, set the building on fire in 1995. This community cultural center offers educational programming, and the museum and conference center are available for private tolerance training and meetings.
The Learning Museum is a perfect setting and format for educating students of all ages. Additionally, it serves as a unique wedding venue in Iowa. Contact us about bringing your group to the museum for a unique classroom experience in what was once the victim of a hate crime.