February 2026.
Saint Mary, Mother of God Catholic Church (I’ll just call it St. Mary’s since that’s a mouthful) is the iconic Gothic Revival church on 3rd Street in German Village. Its tall spire, the tallest structure in German Village, is a landmark in the area, and the building is an important historic site.
St. Mary’s is located at 684 South 3rd Street in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. It is bordered by houses to the north and east, its school to the south, and 3rd Street to the west.
History
Columbus’s Catholic population was largely German, and the earliest German Catholics worshiped at Holy Cross Church downtown. As more German immigrants arrived and settled further south from downtown, they outgrew Holy Cross, found it too far away, and wanted their own parish in the German Village area. The current site was acquired in 1863, and St. Mary’s congregation was formed in 1865. At that point in time, ⅓ of the Columbus population was German.
1964 photo of the church. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
Construction on St. Mary’s church building, a Gothic Revival design by Blackburn & Koehler, began in 1866. It was completed two years later and dedicated on November 29, 1868. A rectory next door was completed in 1872. The 197-foot-tall spire is not original to the church and was not built until 1893, with its clock installed in 1894.
The school buildings in 1891. (Columbus Metropolitan Library)
St. Mary’s school opened in 1865, which was taught by nuns beginning in 1874. The current school building (on Mohawk Street, which I missed) was built in 1887 and expanded a decade later. The congregation purchased another house north of the church in 1914 for high school use, making it the first religious high school in Columbus.
The current Saint Mary School is a Modern design built in 1956. Apparently, the fancy statue of Mary meant to grace the school that was built of Carrara marble broke in half while being installed. At that time, the high school was transferred to the former elementary school, and it closed completely in 1968. The 1887 school building had various other uses thereafter and has now been converted into a residence. In 1976, the church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of German Village. A restoration in 1987 included preservation of the roof and wall artwork and ensuring ADA compliance.
The church building was struck by lightning in August 2016, and in October structural engineers endorsed a temporary closure after noticing damage to the roof trusses and brick walls. St. Mary’s used the necessary repairs as a chance to restore the entire church. Along with repairs to the structure, the work included more modern systems and restoration of the stained-glass windows and painted ceiling. It reopened on Palm Sunday in 2019.
In 2020, the parish acquired the 3rd Street School from the city of Columbus. They expanded the 1956 school building with a 10,000 square-foot addition beginning in 2022, which was completed around 2024. In 2023, the St. Ladislas parish in Reeb-Hosack and Corpus Christi Church near Southern Orchards merged with St. Mary’s due to a decline in attendance.
Photos
The facade of the church today:
Triple portals--a hallmark of Gothic cathedrals:
One of the two secondary entrances:
Its stained-glass window is very vibrant and elaborate.
The lancet window above:
The main entrance, which has a similar design but larger:
Stone cross above:
Looking up at the tower:
A view of the shaft from further away:
The large window in the center has detailed stained glass and tracery:
A nice view of the datestone set into the facade here:
Note the Christogram and German spelling of the church’s name.
Roof and spire:
Oblique view:
The belfry and clock:
The spire itself is slate, which has been restored recently.
It has an octagonal shape with four small dormer vents.
Buttressing of the southern end:
One of the stone pinnacles on the church’s corners:
The northern face of the church from Sycamore Street:
It has the classic appearance of a simple Gothic Revival church, just a single nave without aisles, transepts, or an apse.
The rectory:
This is an Italianate design and was built soon after the church was completed. It is on the school’s grounds, hence the children playing outside.
The school itself has been altered with black windows and glassy atria:
I believe this building on the north side belongs to the church, but it is modern in construction.
Lots of fun Gothic details on this one. It’s not the most elaborate church in Columbus, most of that is reserved for the interior, which I wasn’t able to see.
Sources:
Columbus Neighborhoods by Tom Betti
https://archive.org/details/cu31924012522870/page/186/mode/2up
https://stmarychurchgv.org/about/history
https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/ohio/id/14251/rec/7
https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/ohio/id/9504/rec/1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Mary,_Mother_of_God_Church_(Columbus,_Ohio)
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