St. Mary's Catholic Church (Indianapolis, Indiana)

St. Mary's Catholic Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Front and side of the church
Location	317 N. New Jersey St., Indianapolis, Indiana
Area	less than one acre
Built	1910
Architect	Hermann Gaul
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.	77000020
Added to NRHP	November 9, 1977

St. Mary's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic church in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is built in the Gothic Revival style modeled after the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church was established in 1858 as St. Marienkirche to serve the growing population of German Catholics who were making their home in Indianapolis.

History

The Reverend Peter Leonard Brandt arrived from Vincennes, Indiana, in 1856 to establish a congregation among the German Catholics of Indianapolis. St. Mary's was their first church, completed in 1858. Priests conducted services in latin and sermons in German and retained Old World traditions. After the neighborhood become commercial, the congregation purchased property at New Jersey Street and Vermont Street. That is where they built the present church, which was under construction from 1910 to 1912. Architect Hermann Gaul, a native of Cologne, Germany, designed the church. The design Gaul used for St. Marienkirche was inspired by the Cologne Cathedral.

Architecture

Gargoyles decorate the façade of the church at the entry portal and towers. On the north side, a stained-glass window depicts St. Boniface, the saint who converted the Germans to Christianity. On the south side, another window depicts St. Henry, the “church builder.” The interior has many statues and a apse with skylights.

See also

• Lockerbie Square Historic District

External links

• St. Mary's Catholic Church from Indianapolis, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary