St. Mary's recalls 12th-century Gothic cathedrals of Europe
Anyone who has built a tower with a child's blocks knows that eventually the blocks topple.
So why don't the granite block walls of St. Mary's Church in Lawrence tumble down? Because St. Mary's is built in the manner of the 12th century Gothic cathedrals in Europe, with pointed arches. Each side of these arches leans against the other side. Together they hold each other up, becoming the frame for the church. The space in the outside walls between the arches becomes windows, filled with stained glass. The space inside below the vaulting - the arches that carry the roof - becomes the sanctuary.
The point where the arch starts curving is the 'springing point', and because it carries the pressure of the stones above it, needs support. The stone buttresses - those stone ribs between the windows and at the corners that stick out - are that support. Each stone column, or buttress, pushes against an arch and keep it stable.
Even the little towers on the buttresses - which you can see to the left on the front of the church - add weight to help keep the arches in place.
Look for St. Mary's as you cross the Merrimack into Lawrence. It sits in honor on the hill above the city, as do the Gothic cathedrals in Europe, like Chartres and Cologne. Built because the parish had outgrown the Church of the Immaculate Conception, it was started in 1866 and dedicated, to the boom of cannons, in June, 1871.
Its cross, now newly restored along with its steeple, rises 235 feet above the ground.
Stop and go in. You will see the stained glass windows from the inside and the magnificent space created by those granite blocks leaning against one another.
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