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

Church of the Visitation
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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
Governing body	Private
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]

References

Further reading

• Tumminello, Pat (2012). A Mighty fortress of faith : a history of St. Mary of the Visitation Church 1861-2011. Specialty Publishing and Printing Co. pp. x,460. ISBN 9780615530611. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Church of the Visitation.

• Official website

Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama Ordinaries Bishops Joseph Gregory Vath Raymond James Boland David Edward Foley Robert Joseph Baker Churches Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Paul, Birmingham Parishes St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church, Huntsville Shrine Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Hanceville Education High schools Pope John Paul II Catholic High School, Huntsville Holy Family Cristo Rey High School, Birmingham Holy Spirit Catholic School, Tuscaloosa John Carroll Catholic High School, Birmingham Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School, McClellan Independent school St. Bernard Preparatory School, Cullman Catholicism Portal

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