St. Mary Catholic Church, Catholic church building in Wilmington Historic District, United States.
St. Mary Catholic Church is a Catholic church building in the Mediterranean Revival style with Spanish Baroque elements, featuring high arched doorways, brick tile construction, and twin bell towers flanking the front facade. The structure combines these architectural approaches to create a distinctive appearance in the historic district.
Ground was broken on May 20, 1908, and the cornerstone was laid by vicar apostolic Leo Michael Haid. Rafael Guastavino designed the church but died in February 1908, so his son Rafael Guastavino Jr. carried the work forward. The first service was held on December 17, 1911, and Cardinal James Gibbons dedicated the building as St. Mary Pro-Cathedral on April 12, 1912. It lost pro-cathedral status in 1924 when the Diocese of Raleigh was created.
The parish began in 1845 under Bishop Ignatius Reynolds, and the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy opened a Catholic school in 1869 at James Gibbons's invitation. Inside, a terra-cotta frieze depicting the apostles runs through the church, made by the Guastavino firm, which also designed the altars.
The church stands at the corner of South Fifth Avenue and Ann Street, not on South 4th Street. It is an active parish of the Diocese of Raleigh, so visits should avoid Mass times. Side entrances added in the 1950s supplement the main portal between the two towers.
The entire structure was built without wooden beams, steel supports, or nails, instead using an innovative system of interlocking brick tiles. This construction method was extraordinary for its time and often goes unnoticed by visitors today.
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