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HISTORY
Our Lady of Victories
Church was built in the style of the French Renaissance. Its architect,
Patrick Keely, designed dozens of churches in the Greater Boston area,
including the Cathedral of the Holy Gross on Washington Street.
Originally, Our Lady of Victories Church was the dream of
French-speaking Fr. Leon Bouland, who hoped to create a great French
parish to include a sumptuous church, a school, and a social center.
Eventually, Fr. Bouland was appointed the first Monsignor of the Boston
Archdiocese, but in early I883 left for Europe before the church was
dedicated.
Today, the church is still officially a French National Church, even
though no services are conducted in French.
The Marist Fathers arrived in the United States in 1880. Fr.
Louis Touche,s.m..was the first Marist Pastor of Our Lady of
Victories with a chapel on Freeman place, near the
State House. In 1885 the Marists bought the land on Isabella
Street and in 1886 dedicated this church. where
they still serve today.
The 14 large stained-glass windows on either side of the nave depict
the life of Our Lady. They were designed
by F. X. Zeittler of Munich, Germany. On either side of the
sanctuary are two windows from Chartres, France designed by
artist Lorin Pinx. The central window, depicting Our Lady of
Victories is by Zeittler.
The main altar, made of marble, was a present of Louis P. Ober, of Lock
Ober Restaurant fame, in I892, and the side altars honor the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and Our Lady, Patroness of the Church. .
In 1917, the Rev. Joseph Marie Sollier, s.m. added a
plaster ceiling over the wooden one to give the
church a Gothic style. He built a large entablature.
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