Saint Mary In the Mountains — Attraction in Dayton

I am not what you would call a "religious" person. That's all I'll say about that. However, when visiting Virginia City, our party stopped by this amazing landmark. Being the oldest active parish in the state, there is an incredible history behind the whole building. The museum has a bevy of interesting Nevada-centric historical information, a mass of wonderful ye Olde tyme photos, and tons of literature about the site and how things came to be in the area. Seeing the stained glass and altars, the choir balcony, all the pews... I can understand why someone would come to just ogle the treats to the eye. If you get the chance, visit during the Christmas time and take in how majestic everything looks with the addition of holidays adornments and decorations. Stick around for midnight mass for the...

Beautiful Church. KNOWN AS THE "BONANZA CHURCH" BECAUSE OF THE RICH SILVER MINES OF THE LAST CENTURY, THIS MOTHER CHURCH OF THE COMSTOCK LODE TRACES ITS HISTORY TO 1858 WHEN REV. JOSEPH GALLAGHER (1821-87) OFFERED THE FIRST MASS IN NEVADA. HIS BROTHER, REV. HUGH P. GALLAGHER (1815-82), OPENED THE FIRST CATHOLIC CHURCH IN VIRGINIA CITY IN 1860. DESTROYED BY THE WINDS OF THE FOLLOWING WINTER, THIS CHURCH WAS REPLACED IN 1864 WHEN REV. PATRICK MANOGUE (1831-95) ERECTED A NEW CHURCH A BLOCK AWAY FROM HERE. THE PRESENT CHURCH, ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1868, WAS SERIOUSLY DAMAGED IN THE GREAT FIRE OF 1875 BUT REBUILT IN 1876. TODAY ST. MARY'S STANDS HERE AS A TREASURE OF THE OLD WEST AND IS NOW RECOGNIZED AS A NATIONAL CATHOLIC...

We visited Virginia City, Nevada driving from Reno. We parked and walked the wooden sidewalks on the main street. We purchased some belts at a leather shop. After seeing this church from a distance, we decided to drive to the church. My wife and I entered this beautiful Roman Catholic church and sat in the rear pew because a baptismal ceremony was in progress. We viewed the church interior and quietly left because we didn't want to disturb the ceremony. We did not expect this beautiful church in this quaint Virginia City historic...