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 a block south of where the current structure stands.
Irish immigrants arrived in Virginia City by the thousands until they represented a third of the population. The growing population necessitated construction of a larger church in 1870.
Father 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 included a twenty-one-foot-tall altar was imported from France. Local papers reported the church bell as being the largest in the region weighing 2,264 pounds.
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 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. Other changes included structural reinforcements to prevent damage from earthquakes and high winds. 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. The Cistercians 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. Online Nevada
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