Oertel Art, Oertel Diary, & Church Tours

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Saint James has been served by twenty-seven rectors during its history, among whom is listed the Reverend Johannes A. Oertel, renowned Christian artist. In May, 1936, the Vestry of Saint James Episcopal Church, Lenoir, gratefully accepted a gift of eighteen works of art by the former rector, from his son, J. Freidrich Oertel.

About the Artist...
Born November 3, 1823 in Furth, Bavaria, Johannes Oertel first studied to be a priest, but at the urging of his clergymen, studied painting and engraving in Munich under J.M. Enzin-Muller. He emigrated to the United States in 1848 with his art master, settling in Newark, N.J. where he met and married Julia Adelaide Torrey. He spent his life trying to better the conditions of humanity and was ordained to the diaconate in 1867 under the canons for restricted deacons.

In the summer of 1868, while visiting his brother in the Catskill Mountains, Oertel met an art student, Miss Laura Norwood, from Lenoir, N.C. Miss Norwood's story of the impoverished conditions of her town and her people, combined with her descriptions of the beauty of Western North Carolina, convinced Oertel to come here to help the people and the struggling church of Saint James. In 1869 he set out with his wife, three children and his parents.  While attempting to raise money for the community among his northern friends, he ministered to the church, set up a school for girls in the rectory, and studied to be ordained as a priest. At the same time, he continued "earning" his living as a painter. Oertel was ordained a priest in 1871 and served Saint James and other churches for more than twenty years. After his retirement in 1895, he proceeded with his ambition to paint a series of pictures illustrating the Redemption, as well as many other paintings on religious subjects. He spent his remaining years in Vienna, Virginia and died there on December 9, 1909, leaving a heritage of wonderful religious art.

Thanks to assistance from the St. James Archives Committee, Ethan Lindsay has created a website about the Oertel art collection at St. James.  This website is intended to increase appreciation and understanding of this art collection. Please click here to see more detailed information about Rev. Oertel and his work.

St. James' History

JOHANNES ADAM SIMON OERTEL:
Diary 1868 – 1883

When the Archives Committee acquired the Oertel diary, we thought it would be interesting to read more about the priest and artist whose paintings, stained glass, carvings and reredos define the ambience of our church and parish house.

We made a hard copy of the diary and soon discovered the difficulty of reading the handwritten document. A lack of punctuation, coupled with the
loss of clarity through the copying process, made it clear that transcribing the diary was necessary. Little did we know the process would take more than a year to complete! The use of a magnifying glass, dictionary, internet searches, and locating someone who could translate old-style German were all part of the equation.

The end result is a document which affords the reader a glimpse into the life of the rector, artist and man, fraught with hardships, frustration and periods of melancholy, yet full of faith and trust in God.   We are pleased to make this diary available at the link below

oertel_diary.pdf
File Size:	1895 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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St. James offers tours of the art of
Johannes Adam Simon Oertel (former Rector)
to groups or individuals by appointment:

Year Round
Monday-Thursday from 8:00am - 5:00pm

for more information or to schedule a guided or self-guided tour contact the
Church Office at 828-754-3712.

Tours are free of charge.
Designated donations to St. James Art Fund are greatly appreciated.  
All monies are used for the restoration and preservation of the art displayed in
St. James Church and the surrounding buildings.