St. Francis Xavier, Newtown

I had such high hopes for St. Francis Xavier in St. Mary's County. The pictures made it look so interesting, but the reality was disappointing. 

This small brick church was erected in 1766, or 1731, if you're reading the church's sign. A confessional was added in 1816. Like many of the other early churches I have visited, there are brick additions on either end, with these being completed in 1767. 

Interestingly, the two sections are not symmetrical, although they are similar. The west elevation is the entrance and the east is the altar. In between is a simple wood building with a barrel-vault ceiling. 

Sadly, most of the windows in the church have been replaced with ghastly vinyl windows with fake divided lights. It's pretty shocking that this church was not restored in an architecturally correct manner. 

The interior of the church was open when I arrived and it was quite charming. Another barrel-vaulted ceiling and a triple row of enclosed pews - one on either side and a row down the center. 

Local lore has it that St. Francis is the oldest Catholic church in the English colonies. It seems to be owned by the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.

At some point, the brick on the church was painted white, but it's now back to plain brick. 

Also on the property is the Newtown Manor House.

Jesuit activity begins in St. Mary's in the 1640's and in 1649, they established a smaller church about a half-mile from this one. In 1668, the Jesuits purchased the acreage covering all of Newtown Neck. The combination of St. Francis Xavier Church and the Newtown Manor House properties is an example of a self-contained Jesuit community made self-supporting by the surrounding 700-acre farm. This type of community was prevalent in the eighteenth century. 

The income from the farm supported the Jesuits and their activities. The actual farm work was usually done by tenants and overseers. This tradition has continued to the present day.

Sadly, the house is in horrible shape. Neither of the porches still exist,

and the windows are basically boarded up. You can still see the shadow of an early gambrel roof-line in the brick-work on the house. It was changed to the current configuration with a slight jerkin-head in 1816.

I am glad I made the trip to visit St. Francis, but was sad to see its current condition.

Link to Medusa.