St. Mary's Church, Albany

St. Mary's Church, Albany

St. Mary's traces its heritage to the earliest days of Catholic missionary work in the New World. After formally becoming a church late in the 18th century, it went through two buildings in the 19th century to accommodate a population swelled by immigration before the construction of the current building. Built in 1867, it is the third church to house the oldest Catholic congregation not only in the city but in all of upstate New York. In 1977 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it is also a contributing property to the Downtown Albany Historic District, listed on the Register several years later.

The church is a two-and-a-half-story, three-by-six-bay brick structure built in an Italian Romanesque Revival style, with marble trim on a cut bluestone foundation, gradually exposed towards the rear by the slope of the underlying land. The middle bay on the west (front) facade projects slightly, forming the lower stages of the 175-foot (53 m) bell tower. The top of church's bell-tower features an angel of judgment. Atop the main block is a steeply pitched gabled roof. A five-section semicircular apse is attached to the rear. The church's interior is done in a combination of the Mannerist and French Gothic styles, in contrast to its exterior. Upon completion of the tower in 1894, the church was wired, making it the first church in Albany to have electric lighting. In 1912 the original stained glass windows were replaced. Saints depicted on windows and also sculptures of pastors and different saints can be seen inside the church. Above the altar there is a high dome, decorated with different religious pictures.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Albany. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

St. Mary's Church on Map

Sight Name: St. Mary's Church
Sight Location: Albany, USA (See walking tours in Albany)
Sight Type: Religious

Walking Tours in Albany, New York

Create Your Own Walk in Albany

Create Your Own Walk in Albany

Creating your own self-guided walk in Albany is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Albany Introduction Walking Tour

Albany Introduction Walking Tour

Albany is a small city, but with many notably beautiful and interesting places to discover. This tour you will guide you to the most famous places in Albany, where you can learn more about the United States' history, politics, economics, arts and culture.

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles