St. Alphonsus Church

Description:

• The interior of this church is probably the most beautiful of any church in the city, right up there with some of the lusher ones in Italy. The Irish built St. Alphonsus Church in 1855 because they refused to worship at St. Mary's with their German-speaking neighbors. The gallery, columns, and sharply curving staircases that lead to balconies where the paint and plaster are peeling off in chunks are spooky and atmospheric. That's probably why portions of Anne Rice's The Witching Hour take place here. The church no longer holds Mass. Ironically, when St. Mary's was restored, St. Alphonsus was closed, and the congregation moved across the street. Hopes for similar restoration here are high but may have to be put off some; the church's exterior didn't fare that well in the storm. Dramatically, the downriver bell tower was blown across the street, while the upriver one was moved 15 degrees. It also lost several stained-glass windows and ultimately incurred over half a million dollars in damage. Currently, the church operates an Arts and Cultural Center, which includes an Irish Art museum. You can tour the still fabulous-looking interior and the museum with a self-guided audiotape, or take the tour conducted by Anne Rice's raconteur cousin, Billy Murphy, an option we highly recommend. Tour times are more than contingent these days (Tues, Thurs, and Sat as we went to press), so call for information.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010