Weingarten is an unincorporated community in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri

Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri

Sainte Genevieve County, often abbreviated Ste. Genevieve County , is a county located in East Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 17,842. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 17,720. The largest city and county seat is...

. It is located about thirteen miles southwest of Sainte Genevieve on Route 32. Weingarten was founded in 1887 and is German for ‘wine garden’. Vineyards and wineries are found nearby, and this region is known for its great beauty., Nearby is the old Cornwall Mines, which was a source of copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

, and also Hawn State Park

Hawn State Park

Hawn State Park is located near Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The park was acquired in 1955. Activities in the park include camping, fishing, picnicking, and hiking.Hawn State Park has three trails:...

.

The Catholic Church in Weingarten dates from 1872. The statue of the Virgin in the niche above the door was installed in 1903. The stonework of this little church is made up of a mixture of local stone, which appear nicely cut.

The invocation to Our Lady, Auxilium Christianorum, is found in the Litany of Loreto, and is related to the victory of the Christian fleet at the Battle of Lepanto

Battle of Lepanto

The Battle of Lepanto normally refers to the 1571 Holy League victory over the Ottoman fleet. There were also three earlier battles fought in the vicinity of Lepanto:*Battle of Naupactus in 429 BC, an Athenian victory during the Peleoponnesian War...

. Pope Pius VII

Pope Pius VII

Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...

 was imprisoned by the Emperor Napoleon: after his release, he instituted the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, in thanksgiving to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary .

According to the Archdiocese's 2009 Status Animarum, this parish has approximately 455 Catholics. According to the United States Census of the year 2000, the most common ancestries in the township around Weingarten are German, French, and Irish.

Most Reverend Robert Joseph Hermann

Robert Joseph Hermann

Robert J. Hermann, born August 12, 1934, is an American Roman Catholic Bishop: Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Titular bishop of Zerta. Hermann was appointed by Pope John Paul II on October 16, 2002, as the Auxiliary Bishop to serve the Archdiocese of Saint Louis...

, Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Louis, is from Weingarten, and attended this church.

Weingarten was the location of a large prisoner of war camp during the Second World War, with about 5000 Italian soldiers being held here. During the camp's existence, two prisoners escaped but were quickly recaptured, and five died in captivity. The prisoners were hired out to local farmers for 80 cents a day wage. Little evidence of the camp remains today: see this article for more information.

http://www.romeofthewest.com/2009/10/photos-of-our-lady-help-of-christians.html

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mostfran/military/weingarten_pow_camp.htm

http://www.weingarten-vineyard.com/

See also

• Missouri wine
  Missouri wine
  Missouri Wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Missouri. German immigrants in the early-to-mid-19th century, founded the wine industry in Missouri, resulting in its wine corridor being called the Missouri "Rhineland". Later Italian immigrants also entered wine production....