St. Anne's Church and Parish Complex

History

St. Anne Shrine is a historic local landmark located at the intersection of South Main and Middle streets in Fall River, Massachusetts. Until 2018, it was a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River. In addition to the church, the complex also includes the former Dominican Order monastery, as well as the former Dominican Academy, which was constructed in 1894. The great upper church was formally dedicated on July 4, 1906 and closed November 25, 2018. The Lower Crypt Church shrine reopened on July 4, 2019, but the upper part of the church remains closed for restoration and renovation.

The church was designed by Canadian architect Napoléon Bourassa in the Romanesque Revival style. Construction began in 1891, and was supervised by Fall River architect Louis G. Destremps. Work began on the upper church on July 17, 1902. The building, which is constructed of blue marble from Proctor, Vermont, measures 277 feet long by 122 wide, with steeples 160 feet high.

The exterior was completed in June 1904 and the new church was formally dedicated on July 4, 1906.

The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The official nomination form is linked under Sources.