"Virginia City is home to a number of beautiful churches reflective of the late 19th century culture. One such church is St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church, arguably the most prominent historical structure and institution in Virginia City. St. Mary’s in the Mountains Catholic Church, Nevada’s oldest Catholic Church, is open to welcome visitors every day. Having been preserved during and since the Great Fire of 1875, this is the “Mother of all Catholic churches in Nevada.” It was built by the 6’4” “Paddy” Manogue, who ministered to the hard-working Irish-Catholic miners for almost 20 years and then became the first Bishop of Sacramento, California. Enjoy a free tour of the museum and wine cellar, and join us for Mass (Saturday 4:00 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m.) in this beautiful House of God. Numerous church artifacts and photographs are on display, and St. Mary’s also has an extensive gift shop that supports the small parish and restoration project." (
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"St. Mary’s in the Mountains
A Brief History
The first Catholic Church in Nevada was built by Father Hugh Gallagher in Virginia City in 1860. A wooden edifice, it collapsed in heavy winds the first winter.
The first brick church was built on the current site in 1868, under the direction of Father Patrick Manogue, only to survive a few years before burning along with the majority of Virginia City in the “Great Fire” of October 1875. Started in “Crazy Kate’s” Boarding House on “A” Street, the heavy winds soon blew the embers down the mountainside eventually reaching St. Mary’s. The church interior was gutted, although some of the fixtures and statues were saved from the fire.
This was the height of the “Big Bonanza” on the Comstock Lode, and St. Mary’s was re-built in a manner even grander then before. Much of the interior you see today dates from 1876. Housed in our belfry is a 2,264 lb. bell with a 100 lb. clapper. This magnificent bell survived the fire and we still ring it on occasion to this day.
The wooden arches and pews in the church were made from Northern California redwood with white pine moldings. The pews (complete with doors) were once rented to the citizens of Virginia City, with the more prominent townsfolk sitting in the front pews!
Throughout the years, St. Mary’s in the Mountains has endured many hardships. The choir loft was removed by a group of monks (Cistercians who had formed an artistic group called the Damascus Foundation), and fixtures were removed in an effort to modernize the church. The townsfolk of Virginia City protested and the monks were here but a short time (1957-1959).
In 2009 a massive restoration and retrofit program was undertaken at our church. The choir loft and staircases have been restored and this beautiful church has been returned to much of her former glory. Grants from the National Park Service, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and hundreds of private donations from our “Friends of St. Mary’s” paid for much of the project, but the parish still has a debt of more than one million dollars.
We’ve entered a new historical era in St. Mary’s history. The doors of our newly restored church are open to receive pilgrims every day and our Roman Catholic Museum is a magnificent tribute to the Catholic Faith on the Comstock.
St. Mary’s in the Mountains would not be able to keep these blessed doors open if it were not for the pilgrims that visit us in all seasons, from all regions of the globe, sharing their prayers and prosperity. Please join us when you are in Virginia City. Say a prayer and light a candle in this beautiful House of God, your presence here is most appreciated." (
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Father Hugh Gallagher built Virginia City's first Catholic church shortly after his arrival in 1860, but a strong wind blew the humble building down within two years. Father Patrick Manogue built its successor, known as St. Mary in the Mountains Church, shortly after he arrived on the Comstock in 1862. Bishop Eugene O'Connell dedicated the simple structure on July 17, 1864, a block south of where the current structure stands.
Manogue's Catholic church remained in use until 1870, when the growing population necessitated the construction of a larger building. Irish immigrants arrived in Virginia City by the thousands until they and their children represented a third of the population. Together with various other Catholics, they provided both the need and the source of revenue for a larger building.
Manogue completed the construction of a larger brick structure on the corner of E and Taylor Streets, which Bishop O'Connell dedicated on November 20, 1870. The spire of the church measured 127 feet, six inches from the ground to the top of the cross. Its Gothic style interior was built of wood and plaster with carvings colored in white and gold. The twenty-one-foot-tall altar was imported from France and weighed 6,700 pounds. It was fronted with figures of the Twelve Apostles among carved pillars and scrolls. Local papers reported the church bell as being the largest in the region—it weighed 2,264 pounds and held a 100-pound clapper. The bell was rung for the first time on October 23, 1870 at six o'clock in the morning when the church formally opened for service.
Most of this structure was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1875. The St. Mary in the Mountains Church that stands today was rebuilt on the ruins of the former church, and dedicated by Bishop O'Connell on September 16, 1877. That church incorporated the lower walls of its predecessor, but the spire was raised twelve feet, six inches higher than the previous one. Other changes included structural reinforcements to prevent damage from earthquakes and high winds. A pipe was added to spray water over the roof in case of fire. The interior of the church was reconstructed with a choir loft and galleries built into the sides. A Gothic style wooden altar replaced the previous one of plaster or stone. Gas lighting illuminated ornate redwood rafters and a sky-blue ceiling, supported by robust wooden columns. The Daughters of Charity made needlepoint pictures for the walls which were also adorned with Old World paintings.
The end of the boom days of the Comstock took its toll on the church, and its maintenance was largely neglected from 1897 until the mid-twentieth century. Worse, a group of so-called "mad monks" took over management in 1957 and soon stripped the church of most of its choir loft and ornate interiors because they were "too worldly." Not only did this destroy art that was created in large part by master European craftsmen, it destabilized the structure, making it prone to earthquake devastation. Nevertheless, a devoted congregation remains, which is dedicated to the preservation of one of Nevada's most photographed historic buildings. In December of 2008, the members obtained a $500,000 Save America's Treasures grant from the National Parks Service to help stabilize and restore the building. Private donations and foundation grants were being sought to pay for the rest of the planned $1.9 million project. Work began in early 2009." (
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