About Saint Nazianz, Wisconsin:
St. Nazianz is a small village in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, founded in 1854 as a religious colony by German immigrants.
Note: At that point in history, many German states such as Prussia, Baden, and Bavaria maintained tight control over religious life. State officials interfered with clerical appointments, theological education, and church property….hence the emigration to the U.S.A.
Father Ambrose Oschwald, a Roman Catholic priest from the Black Forest region of Baden, Germany, led about 113 immigrants seeking religious freedom. They arrived here in 1854, purchased 3,840 acres, and established a utopian-style communal settlement named after St. Gregory of Nazianzus.
The community initially operated as “The Association,” sharing property and labor. They built churches, shops, mills, and practiced various trades. Father Oschwald died in 1873. The Salvatorians (Society of the Divine Savior) later played a key role, establishing institutions like St. Ambrose Church (built 1898, now former). The village incorporated in 1956.
A major storm (a powerful microburst with high winds and large hail) struck in May 2000, causing extensive damage (estimated $122 million regionally) but no fatalities. The village recovered well and today St. Nazianz is a quiet, rural community.
The town occasionally attracts attention due to ghost stories and legends tied to its founding and abandoned seminary sites (e.g., JFK Prep), stories that have become folklore. The population was 714 in the 2020 census and estimated to be about the same today. It retains a strong Catholic heritage, with sites like St. Gregory Parish and a Byzantine Catholic monastery (Holy Resurrection Monastery) nearby.
Catholic places of interest in Saint Nazianz, Wisconsin:
Holy Resurrection Monastery: Eastern Rite Monastery in full communion with Rome.
Saint Gregory Parish: historical church in Saint Nazianz.
Traveling to Saint Nazianz, Wisconsin:
By Air: The closest regional flight hubs are Appleton International Airport (ATW) (about 55 miles northwest) and Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) in Green Bay (about 55 miles north).
By Car: St.Nazianz is located off Highway 151, the village is an easy 15-minute drive (approx. 15 miles) southwest of Manitowoc, and roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes north of Milwaukee.