Welcome to the Virtual Tour!
This tour can be walked in real life on real sidewalks as well as on the web on this computer-generated sidewalk. Just follow the directions below. Remember to follow directions for leaving each church as if you're exiting through the main door.
Of course, if you're fortunate enough to own a palm-top computer, you can take the virtual and real-life tours simultaneously.
If you plan to walk the tour, wear comfortable shoes and set aside one or two days to see everything.
Note: This Web site does not specifically endorse any of the houses of worship featured herein or any theologies espoused by them. Neither is this Web site endorsed, sponsored, or in any way affiliated with any of the houses of worship featured (Although the author is a member of the Episcopal Church, he is not a member of any of the Episcopal parishes featured herein). Several of the featured houses of worship maintain their own Web pages, and are linked below. These are their property and the author of this page takes no credit or responsibility for them.
All the buildings on this tour are active houses of worship. Some are open to the public for tours, some are not. If a building is open and you are allowed to walk around, please maintain a respectful quiet for those who may be praying--after all, that is why these buildings exist. All the houses of worship in the tour are open for their own kind of services each Sunday.
Former church buildings, such as the Old South Meeting House, that operate as museums are not included here. Churches that lack historical significance or are located at too great a distance from the rest of the tour (such as the historically significant Holy Cross Cathedral [Roman Catholic], which is located in the South End, about a mile from the nearest church on the tour) are also not included.
Each house of worship on the tour can trace its building and/or congregation back at least 100 years.
For a map showing where each building is located, click on the street address and you will be taken to the Yahoo! Maps Page. Just enter the street address exactly as it appears and Boston MA and voilą! A map from our good friends at Yahoo!
Note: addresses given as a juncture of two streets will lead to "no exact address found". Just zoom in and you'll get the exact location.
(193 Salem Street) Where else would one begin a tour of the historic churches of Boston, than at the most famous of them all. Boston's oldest church building, it was built in the 1720s as the second Anglican church in Boston (King's Chapel opened in 1688). Its greatest fame, of course, was achieved in 1775 when the sexton of the church hung two lanterns in the tower to alert Paul Revere, waiting in Charlestown across the Harbour, that the British would be attacking by sea. This was immortalised in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride". In addition to being Boston's oldest church building, and its oldest Episcopal congregation, it has the city's oldest continuously-used pulpit. Open daily for tours.
Turn left out of Christ Church and take a left onto Prince Street to...
St. Leonard Church
(Prince Street & Hanover Street) This Roman Catholic Church was the first church in New England built by Italian immigrants. Its congregation includes many descendants of its founding parishioners. The Romanesque structure includes a very interesting rose window above the entrance. Open daily for prayer.
St. Stephen's Church (401 Hanover Street) Another Roman Catholic church, St. Stephen's was designed by famed Federalist-era architect Charles Bullfinch, the designer of the Massachusetts State House. Originally a Congregational church, it was the only Bullfinch church to survive the Boston fire of 1872. The interior has been restored to resemble its original design while still accommodating Roman Catholic liturgy.Open daily for tours and prayer.
King's Chapel (Tremont Street & School Street) King's Chapel was Boston's first Anglican church in 1688 and became North America's first Unitarian congregation a century later. Its Sunday worship uses a modified form of the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer (1662) with all references to the Trinity removed. The building, the second King's Chapel was actually built around the original structure. Adjacent is the King's Chapel Burial Ground. King's Chapel is open daily for tours. Turn left out of King's Chapel and walk half a block to...
Tremont Temple (88 Tremont Street)
Photo not available. Turn left out of Tremont Temple and continue down Tremont Street to... (138 Tremont Street) The Mother Church of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, St. Paul's was founded in 1819 as the first post-Revolutionary War Episcopal church in Boston. It became the cathedral of the diocese in 1912. It is the only cathedral church in the Anglican Communion built in Greek Revival style. Above the beautiful Ionic columns at the entrance, was to have been a carving of St. Paul preaching before King Agrippa, which, sadly, was never added. Open daily for prayer. Copyright © MCMXCVIII-MMIII by John A. Merullo
The following directions may be a little off due to construction on the "Big Dig" (this is one of those things that's hard to keep track of when you live 1800 miles away).
Turn left out of St. Stephen's onto Hanover Street. Walk under the Expressway and bear left towards Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Continue along the perimeter of the Marketplace to City Hall Plaza. Walk up the stairs to the Plaza and walk across to Tremont Street. Take a left on Tremont Street and walk a block and a half to... 
Originally a theatre, Tremont Temple was the first racially integrated church in the United States. It is home to several Baptist congregations, worshipping in several languages. Not usually open for tours.
