The St. Aloysius Catholic ChurchThis is the name of the church according to the information board attached to the building is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

parish in the

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroug ...

, located at 209-217 West 132nd Street between

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard Seventh Avenue – co-named Fashion Avenue in the Garment District and known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park – is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is sout ...

and

Frederick Douglass Boulevard Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...

in the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

neighborhood of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It was built in 1902-04 and was designed by William W. Renwick – the nephew of

James Renwick Jr. James Renwick Jr. (born November 11, 1818, Bloomingdale, in Upper Manhattan, New York City – June 23, 1895, New York City) was an American architect in the 19th century. ''The Encyclopedia of American Architecture'' calls him "one of the most ...

– in the Italian Gothic Revival style. p.203 It has been called a "little-known treasure"., p.188 The church was designated a

New York City Landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

on January 30, 2007.Shockley, Ja
"St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church Designation Report"

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

(January 30, 2007)

History and description

The St. Aloysius congregation was established in 1899 and has been staffed by the

Jesuit Fathers The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, of which Saint

Aloysius Gonzaga Aloysius de Gonzaga ( it, Luigi Gonzaga; 9 March 156821 June 1591) was an Italian aristocrat who became a member of the Society of Jesus. While still a student at the Roman College, he died as a result of caring for the victims of a serious epid ...

was himself a member.Remigius Lafort, S.T.D., Censor,
The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X. Volume 3: The Province of Baltimore and the Province of New York, Section 1: Comprising the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, Buffalo and Ogdensburg Together with some Supplementary Articles on Religious Communities of Women.
'. (New York City: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914), p.310. The congregation was originally primarily German, Irish and Italian immigrants and their families. The current congregation is primarily African American, and

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

is utilized in the services. The brick church designed by Renwick has an "usually intricate facade, with colorful bands of red brick,

celadon ''Celadon'' () is a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that was ...

glazed bricks and polychrome terra cotta," creating "an evocative and delicate facade." Sculpted reliefs on the depict Christ, the Holy Family and two angels. The overall design compares favorably to Renwick's

All Saints Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...

on East 129th Street, and may have been inspired by Renwick's travels in Italy before joining his uncle's firm. p.540

Gallery

File:Saint Aloysius Gonzaga's Church, New York, New York.jpg, In 1914 File:St. Aloysius Catholic Church 209 West 132nd Street entrance.jpg, Entrance File:St. Aloysius Catholic Church 209 West 132nd Street top.jpg, Top File:St. Aloysius Catholic Church circular window detail.jpg, Circular window detail File:St. Aloysius Catholic Church top right of facade.jpg, Top right of facade File:St. Aloysius Catholic Church sculptural detail above circular window.jpg, Relief sculpture detail

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Aloysius Gonzaga's Church, New York City Roman Catholic churches in Manhattan Hamilton Heights, Manhattan Roman Catholic churches completed in 1902 School buildings completed in 1940 New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan Religious organizations established in 1899 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States African-American Roman Catholic churches

History and description

Gallery

See also

References

External links