St. Mary's Assumption Church (New Orleans)

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St. Mary's Assumption Church
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Location: 2030 Constance St., New Orleans, Louisiana
Coordinates: 29°55′44.75″N 90°4′29.01″W / 29.9290972, -90.074725Coordinates: 29°55′44.75″N 90°4′29.01″W / 29.9290972, -90.074725
Built/Founded: 1858
Architect: Unknown
Architectural style(s): Other
Designated as NHL: May 30, 1974[1]
Added to NRHP: August 12, 1971[2]
NRHP Reference#: 71000361
Governing body: Private

St. Mary's Assumption Church is a National Historic Landmark in New Orleans, Louisiana.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974.[1][3]

The National Park Service reports "Hurricane Katrina caused heavy rain and wind damage, and water infiltration has damaged interior plaster and ceiling."[1] In 1965, the church was heavily damaged by Hurricane Betsy, which resulted in the church being temporarily closed, and almost resulted in the church behing demolished.[4]

The church was completed in 1860, built for the swelling German Catholic immigrant population in the Lower Garden District section of the city (the church across the street, Saint Alphonsus Church, was built at the same time for the swelling Irish Catholic immigrant population in the same area).

St. Mary's Assumption is home to a shrine for Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, a German priest who came to the United States to minister to German-speaking immigrants. Fr. Seelos died while serving as the pastor at St. Mary's Assumption: after visiting and caring for the victims of yellow fever, he succumbed to the disease himself in 1867. In recognition of his virtuous life, Fr. Seelos was beautified by the Roman Catholic Church in 2000.

Best-selling novelist Anne Rice renewed her marriage vows at St. Mary's Assumption with her husband Stan. [5] In addition, Anne Rice included the church in her fictional work. For example, in The Witching Hour, two of the main characters, Rowan and Michael, were married at St. Mary's Assumption. Also, in Blood Canticle, the church is the setting of Aunt Queen's funeral. In 2005, Rice added text and pictures on her website that encouraged donations to St. Mary's Assumption to help repair the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c St. Mary's Assumption Church. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  3. ^ Paul Goeldner (January 14, 1974), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: St. Mary's Assumption ChurchPDF (393 KiB), National Park Service  and Accompanying 3 photos, exterior and interior, from 1955 and c.1964.PDF (637 KiB)
  4. ^ A History of St. Mary's Assumption Church. Jack Belsom. Retrieved on 2008-4-19.
  5. ^ The Gospel according to Anne. BookPage. Retrieved on 2008-4-19.
  6. ^ Help St. Mary's Recover from Hurricane Katrina. AnneRice.com. Retrieved on 2008-4-19.
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