St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church (Huntsville, Alabama)

Church of the Visitation

The church in December 2009
Location 222 N. Jefferson St., Huntsville, Alabama
Coordinates 34°43′58″N 86°35′14″W / 34.73278°N 86.58722°W / 34.73278; -86.58722Coordinates: 34°43′58″N 86°35′14″W / 34.73278°N 86.58722°W / 34.73278; -86.58722
Area 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built 1877 (1877)
Architectural style Romanesque
MPS Downtown Huntsville MRA
NRHP Reference # 80000705[1]
Added to NRHP September 22, 1980

St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church is a historic church in Huntsville, Alabama. The oldest Catholic church in North Alabama, construction began in 1861 but was interrupted by the Civil War and completed in 1877.

Description

St. Mary Church was built of limestone in a Romanesque Revival style. The façade is framed by two hexagonal towers; the spire of the north tower houses the bell, and is raised six feet (1.8 meters) above the south tower. The large central double entrance doors and smaller flanking doors are topped by an arched wooden infill panel. All openings on the façade are topped with projecting round stone arches, with the keystones and imposts projecting further. A stone belt course runs half-way up the front. Pilasters climb between the central and side doors and terminate about 5 feet (1.5 m) above the gable roof in a shallow gable wall. Crosses adorn this wall and the two towers. A semi-hexagonal apse is a later addition to the rear of the building.[2] The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]

Patrick McCauley, the editor from 1966 to 1994 of The Huntsville Times, was a former president of the church council.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (July 9, 2010). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  2. ↑ Bayer, Linda (May 31, 1979). "Church of the Visitation" (PDF). Historic Resources of Downtown Huntsville. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014. See also: "Accompanying photos" (PDF). Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  3. ↑ Emily Featherston (May 5, 2015). "Patrick Earl McCauley". Alabama Press Association. Retrieved May 17, 2015.

Further reading

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