The First Church of Christ, Scientist (Boston, Massachusetts)

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States is The Mother Church and administrative headquarters of the Christian Science Church and is located in the Christian Science Center in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston.

Designed in the 1960s by the firm of renowned architect I.M. Pei, the 14-acre Christian Science Plaza along Huntington Avenue includes a reflecting pool and fountain that make it one of Boston's most visually recognizable sites and a popular tourist attraction. [ [http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/10/17/church_looking_to_redevelop/?p1=MEWell_Pos2 "Boston Globe", October 17, 2006] ]

Another draw for tourists is the three-story tall Mapparium, a stained glass globe that visitors view from the inside.

Official name

Per the Manual of The Mother Church, the legal title of the Mother Church is "The First Church of Christ, Scientist," and while its branch church may call themselves, First Church of Christ, Scientist, or Second Church of Christ, Scientist, etc., they are prohibited from using "The' in front of their names. Only The Mother Church can do so. [ [http://www.mbeinstitute.org/CManual/ChurchManual.pdf Mary Baker Eddy Institute: The Manual of The Mother Church, by Mary Baker Eddy, Article XXIII, Titles. Section2, p. 25 online and p. 70 in book] ]

History

The Original Mother Church edifice was built in 1894. A modest gray stone structure, it is often overlooked by casual visitors as it is dwarfed by the much larger domed Mother Church Extension added in 1906. It boasts one of the world's largest pipe organs, built in 1952 by the Aeolian-Skinner Company of Boston ( [ftp://ftp.wu-wien.ac.at/pub/earlym-l/organs/aeolian-skinner.mother-church.boston.ma.us.1952 Specification] ). The "Mary Baker Eddy Library" is housed in an 11-story structure originally finished in 1934 for the Christian Science Publishing Society.

The present plaza was constructed in the 1970s to include a large administration building, a colonnade, a reflecting pool and a fountain. This was designed by Araldo A. Cossutta, then a partner in Pei's firm.

Image gallery

References

External links

* [http://www.tfccs.com/ Home Page of The First Church of Christ, Scientist]
* [http://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/ Mary Baker Eddy Library]
* [http://ben-yosef.com/pics/autumnlight/ Photos of the grounds of the Christian Science Church in Boston]
* [http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM39WE Waymarking listing for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, MA - has images including one showing Original in front of the much larger Extension]