Known locally as "The Hidden Gem", St. Mary's Catholic Church is truly that. Tucked away on a little side street (Mulberry St.), a block away from Town Hall, it would be easy to miss. Officially dedicated in 1794 by Rev. Rowland Broomhead, it is the oldest Catholic Church in Manchester. At the time of its dedication, this was the poorest quarter of the city. Documents indicate that there previously was a collegiate church on this site , in 1422 under Henry V. However, it was desolved in the mid-1500's by Edward VI. Shortly after Edward's death, his half-sister, Mary I refounded the church. During the reformation, the church fell out of Papal control and its parish was moved to Manchester Cathedral. Then , in 1794, the rector of St. Chad's purchased a piece of land on Mulberry street and had the current church built. Following some sloppy renovations in 1832, the roof of the church collapsed. It took 16 years to fully rebuild the church . While the exterior of the church is rather plain, with its red brick facade, the interior is adorned with elaborate Victorian carvings, marble altars, and exceptional paintings. This is a beautiful church and well worth hunting for it. "The Hidden Gem", St. Mary's Catholic Church on Mulberry Street. The exquisitely carved marble high altar. Workmenship of the main altar's statues is unbelievable. Dedicated to St. Mary, the Lady Chapel sits next to the main altar. Again, the marble carvings are exquisite. Everything in this church is dedicated to St. Mary, even the stained glass windows. Because the church is located in a somewhat dark side street, this beautiful ceiling window was created to bring light into the church.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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