St. James the Less Roman Catholic Church
Encyclopedia
St. James the Less Roman Catholic Church, also known as St. James and St. John's Roman Catholic Church, is a historic Roman Catholic church
located at Baltimore
, Maryland
, United States
. It is a High Victorian Gothic
influenced brick structure with Romanesque Revival overtones built 1865-67. It has a tall central tower and featured an ornate interior with marble sculpture and murals. The church is 184 feet long, 65 feet wide, and the ceiling is 51 feet from the floor. The steeple
, at 256 feet, is the second tallest church tower in the city. The cross surmounting the spire, is 10 feet tall. There is a peal of four bells in the tower, the largest weighing 5000 pounds, cast by McShane of Baltimore, in 1885. The tower clock was installed during the same year. The magnificent and priceless 25 foot-high Mayer windows were installed in 1891. The church is an early work of George A. Frederick
(1842-1924), a prolific and prominent architect in Baltimore who designed buildings of all types mainly in the Baltimore area. The interior features three large interior murals painted about 1886 by the German-born artist William Lamprecht and marble sculpture work by the Baltimore sculptor Joseph Martin Sudsburg. In 1966, the neighbouring parish of St. John the Evangelist
was closed, and the new parish of St. James and St. John, was formed, the congregation worshipping at St. James. The parish was dissolved around 1986, and the former St. James Church was sold to an evangelical church. Most regrettably, the church has been stripped of its windows, altars, marble communion rail, pipe organ, and other artifacts, and the church has been whitewashed, destroying its beautiful and historic murals.
St. James the Less Roman Catholic Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
located at Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a High Victorian Gothic
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
influenced brick structure with Romanesque Revival overtones built 1865-67. It has a tall central tower and featured an ornate interior with marble sculpture and murals. The church is 184 feet long, 65 feet wide, and the ceiling is 51 feet from the floor. The steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
, at 256 feet, is the second tallest church tower in the city. The cross surmounting the spire, is 10 feet tall. There is a peal of four bells in the tower, the largest weighing 5000 pounds, cast by McShane of Baltimore, in 1885. The tower clock was installed during the same year. The magnificent and priceless 25 foot-high Mayer windows were installed in 1891. The church is an early work of George A. Frederick
George A. Frederick
George Aloysius Frederick was a German-American architect with a practice in Baltimore, Maryland, where his most prominent commission was the Baltimore City Hall , awarded him when he was only twenty-one....
(1842-1924), a prolific and prominent architect in Baltimore who designed buildings of all types mainly in the Baltimore area. The interior features three large interior murals painted about 1886 by the German-born artist William Lamprecht and marble sculpture work by the Baltimore sculptor Joseph Martin Sudsburg. In 1966, the neighbouring parish of St. John the Evangelist
St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church (Baltimore, Maryland)
St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, now known as Sweet Prospect Baptist Church, is a historic Roman Catholic church located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is an 1855-1856 Italianate-influenced masonry structure that is constructed of stuccoed brick walls resting on a rubble...
was closed, and the new parish of St. James and St. John, was formed, the congregation worshipping at St. James. The parish was dissolved around 1986, and the former St. James Church was sold to an evangelical church. Most regrettably, the church has been stripped of its windows, altars, marble communion rail, pipe organ, and other artifacts, and the church has been whitewashed, destroying its beautiful and historic murals.
St. James the Less Roman Catholic Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982.
External links
- St. James the Less Roman Catholic Church, Baltimore City, including photo from 2004, at Maryland Historical Trust