Saint Augustine Church is an early Catholic church built in 1844 in New Diggings, Wisconsin, during the area's lead-mining boom. The building was designed by pioneer priest and amateur architect Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, and survives unchanged from that early era.
Carlo Gaetano Samuele Mazzuchelli was born in Milan, Italy in 1806. He entered the Dominican Order, came to America at age 22, and became a priest in 1830. Father Mazzuchelli served for five years in Upper Michigan and northern Wisconsin, then moved to the lead region, where he served as missionary and priest to many far-flung miners and settlers. Mazzuchelli established more than 35 parishes and designed buildings for 20 to 25 of them.
Saint Augustine parish was founded in 1835. The current building was constructed in 1844, designed by Father Mazzuchelli himself. The priest mixed styles in ways that a trained architect might not have, but the result is pleasing. Richard Perrin writes, "This building...is one of the genuine architectural gems in the state of Wisconsin...an important element of Wisconsin's cultural legacy."
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The church is a small wooden structure on a limestone foundation. A number of historical artifacts, such as account books, records, letters, and other materials are preserved in the archives at Sinsinawa Mound in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.