Old St. Ferdinand Shrine

BELFOR restores the convent, church, rectory, and school house of Old St. Ferdinand Shrine in Missouri after record rainfall caused water damage.

Old St. Ferdinand Shrine is a historic shrine and campus dating from the early 1800s in Missouri. The Shrine is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is managed by the nonprofit, Friends of Old St. Ferdinand Shrine. The Shrine and historic site consists of four buildings on their original locations: the 1819 convent, 1821 church, 1840 rectory, and 1888 schoolhouse. Today, the buildings are used for historic tours, religious pilgrimages and special events. Artifacts from virtually every era in Old St. Ferdinand’s history are on display in the museum and throughout the buildings.

HOPE FLOATS

In July 2022, record rainfall fell in the St. Louis area and flooded the convent, church, rectory, and school house with almost 3 feet of water. The following are excerpts written by the nonprofit about the restoration project:

July 26, 2022

We were able to get into the buildings around 3:00 p.m. today. About 3′ of water got into the convent, shrine, and rectory. We had about 2′ in the school house. We have some damage, but our insurance has already been out. We are going to start scheduling appointments for repairs, clean-up and restoration starting this week. As always, thank you to our community and everyone pitching in. We were able to get the first layer of dirt out of the school house and off the buildings and parking lot.

July 28, 2022

The electricity is still turned off until the wires that were submerged in water can be replaced. Generators, fans, and dehumidifiers were delivered last night to get the buildings dried out. Once this is complete, the needed repairs will begin and we will all sleep better knowing the artifacts, artwork, and relics housed in the buildings are in a stable and dry environment. We are so happy to report that all of the exterior items (picnic tables, benches, and whiskey barrels) that floated away have been recovered.