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A statue of Saint Scholastica at the St Meinrad Archabbey in Spencer County, Indiana. Scholastica, is a saint of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion. Born in Italy, she was the twin sister of Saint Benedict. She is considered the patron saint of Benedictine nuns, compulsive children, and not surprisingly, education.
The Saint Scholastica statue was created by Herbert Jogerst, a German prisoner of war during World War II. Incarcerated at Camp Breckenridge (Morganfield, Kentucky) in 1943, Jogerst returned to Germany in 1948, but had a difficult time after the war finding work. Having gotten to know the chaplin at Camp Breckenridge, Herbert reached out. The chaplin, impressed by his work was able to arrange the commission of several statues for St. Meinrad Archabbey, that today stand above the entrance to the Archabbey’s church. In addition to the St. Scholastica statue, they include statues of St. Benedict and the Lady of Einsiedeln Statue with Christ Child, also known as the Black Madonna. Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland is the founding monastery of St Meinrad.
Also worth nothing, the Christ of the Ohio statue which stands above the Ohio River 14 miles south St. Meinrad, was commissioned while Herbert was working at St. Meinrad, by a visiting doctor who wanted a statue for his home. That statue was eventually purchased by the City of Troy, Indiana, when the doctor’s home went up for sale. The Christ of the Ohio Statue was dedicated May 1, 1957. Herbert Jogerst died in 1993.
