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History
 
Church

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The present Church was built in 1798 by Fr. Charles Sewall, S.J., and is dedicated to God and to St. Ignatius Loyola.

The bricks of the Church, house, and chapel are laid in an attractive Flemish Bond, with a header in between each of the two stretches which was a style most popular in colonial days.

On December 27, 1866, a disastrous fire occurred, destroying the interior of the Church, chapel, and Manor. Irreplaceable losses at this time were the Church records and other historic documents. The baptism book begun in 1862 was saved. The walls stood firmly and the interiors were restored in 1867-68. Some Church furnishings saved during the fire include the Church doors, a carved wooden crucifix, and the tabernacle. Former slaves are said to have carried the tabernacle from the burning Church. The old wooden tabernacle is of mahogany from Santo Domingo and the sewing within it was done by the Carmelites before 1830.

The interior of the Church has colonial iron railings on the balconies. The colonial chandelier is hand worked and was especially made for St. Ignatius. The baptistry was added in 1963 during a general restoration directed by Fr. A. Robert Thoman, S.J. The vestibule contains an old mission altar found in a private home near Welcome, Maryland. Also in the vestibule is a large marble statue of St. Ignatius Loyola, which was a gift to St. Ignatius Parish from the Jesuits in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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St Ignatius Church/St Thomas Manor | 8855 Chapel Point Rd | Port Tobacco, MD 20677 | (301)934-8245