Versailles in Darke County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
St. Denis Parish - St. Valbert Cemetery
Old St. Valbert Parish
Photographed By Rev. Ronald Irick, July 16, 2018
1. On This Site Marker
Inscription.
St. Denis Parish - St. Valbert Cemetery. Old St. Valbert Parish. On this site in 1839, on 1 ½ aces, kindly donated by Nickolas Marchal, a log church 32 ft. x 40 ft. x 18 ft. high was built by he and his sons. It was to be called St. Valbert Parish.
It was the first Catholic Church in this area and directly served an area 8 miles by 10 miles.
For St. Valbert, Rev. Louis Navarron was recruited in Clermont France by Archbishop John Purcell of Cincinnati. He was to be the bishop’s delegate from 1838 to 1848. A zealous missionary, both fearless and eager, he served a territory from Greenville to Lima, Ohio.
In 1864, to be more centrally located, the parish ourchased the Baptist Church in Jacksonville - later to be named Versailles as the predominant nationality of the area was French. At that time also, the parish was re-named St. Denis in honor of the patron saint of all of France.
The site was retained as it was already a Catholic Cemetery, for St. Denis and the name unchanged for posterity reasons. This was given by a giving parishioner to preserve the heritage of the general area in 2012.
On this site in 1839, on 1 ½ aces, kindly donated by Nickolas Marchal, a
log church 32 ft. x 40 ft. x 18 ft. high was built by he and
his sons. It was to be called St. Valbert Parish.
It was the first Catholic Church in this area and directly
served an area 8 miles by 10 miles.
For St. Valbert, Rev. Louis Navarron was recruited in Clermont
France by Archbishop John Purcell of Cincinnati. He was to be
the bishop’s delegate from 1838 to 1848. A zealous missionary,
both fearless and eager, he served a territory from Greenville
to Lima, Ohio.
In 1864, to be more centrally located, the parish ourchased
the Baptist Church in Jacksonville - later to be named Versailles
as the predominant nationality of the area was French. At that
time also, the parish was re-named St. Denis in honor of the
patron saint of all of France.
The site was retained as it was already a Catholic Cemetery, for
St. Denis and the name unchanged for posterity reasons.
This was given by a giving parishioner to preserve the
heritage of the general area in 2012.
40° 14.451′ N, 84° 27.861′ W. Marker is in Versailles, Ohio, in Darke County. Marker is at the intersection of Long Road (County Route 345) and Rehmert’s Run Road, on the right when traveling west on Long Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9265 Long Road, Versailles OH 45380, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2018. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2018, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. This page has been viewed 423 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 18, 2018, by Rev. Ronald Irick of West Liberty, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.