St. Mary's Catholic Church, Indianapolis

Saint Mary's Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic, built in the Gothic Revival style modeled after the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was established in 1858 as Saint Marienkirche to serve the growing population of German Catholics who were making their home in Indianapolis.

The Reverend Peter Leonard Brandt arrived from Vincennes, Indiana, in 1856 to establish a congregation among the German Catholics of Indianapolis. Saint Mary's was their first church, completed in 1858. Priests conducted services in latin and sermons in German and retained Old World traditions. After the neighborhood become commercial, the congregation purchased property at New Jersey Street and Vermont Street. That is where they built the present church, which was under construction from 1910 to 1912.

Architect Hermann Gaul, a native of Cologne, Germany, designed the church. Gargoyles decorate the façade of the church at the entry portal and towers. On the north side, a stained-glass window depicts Saint Boniface, the saint who converted the Germans to Christianity. On the south side, another window depicts Saint Henry, the “church builder.” The interior has many statues and a apse with skylights.