St. Maurus Roman Catholic Church

St. Maurus Roman Catholic Church is a stone structure featuring a distinctive cupola-shaped spire that replaced the original steeple following the 1925 tornado. The building stands in the Biehle community of Perry County and serves as the spiritual center for the local parish population.

German Catholic immigrants established the parish in the 1850s with a log structure, later constructing the permanent stone building dedicated in May 1869. The structure endured for decades until the 1925 tornado destroyed the original spire and prompted its modern reconstruction.

The church maintains its German Catholic roots through traditional worship practices that have connected generations of believers. The community of roughly 300 parishioners continues to honor these ancestral connections in their faith life.

The church is located on Highway B in the Biehle area and welcomes visitors for worship services, with times best confirmed in advance. The setting offers good parking access and lies within easy reach of surrounding roads.

The church incorporates stone from nearby bluffs, donated along with the land by Maurus Biehle, the settler whose name the community bears. This choice of local material connects the building directly to the area's founding history.

Inception: 1870

Website: http://parishesonline.com/scripts/hostedsites/Org.asp?ID=8567

GPS coordinates: 37.60528,-89.84000

Latest update: December 14, 2025 13:04