Church of the Madonna | |
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| Location | Hoefley's Lane,Fort Lee, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates | 40°51′37″N73°58′44″W / 40.86028°N 73.97889°W /40.86028; -73.97889 |
| Built | 1854 |
| Built by | Henry James Anderson |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001145[1] |
| NJRHP No. | 488[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 8, 1976 |
| Designated NJRHP | September 18, 1975 |
TheChurch of the Madonna is aCatholic church located on Hoefley's Lane in the borough ofFort Lee inBergen County, New Jersey, United States.[3] It was documented by theHistoric American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1939.[4] TheGothic Revival style church was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on April 8, 1976, for its significance in architecture and religion.[5]
The land upon which Madonna Church now stands was part of one of the first grants bordering theNew Jersey Palisades. Given to Samuel Moore by British Army Major John Berry in 1726, this land remained in the Moore family's possession until 1829. As county records indicate, Jacob Riley purchased it and started construction on the chapel, which was subsequently completed by Henry James Anderson in 1854.[5] A few years later, arectory was erected at the rear of the church.
ReverendJohn Joseph Hughes, the firstArchbishop of New York, appointed Father A. Cauvin pastor of the Fort Lee Mission in 1851, a position which Father Cauvin held until 1859 when he delegated his work to an assistant, Reverend Annelli. This decade saw theCatholics fromHackensack andLodi gather weekly at Fort Lee forHoly Mass and spiritual instruction.
The most important individual in the young church's history was alayman, Henry James Anderson, whose remains lie beneath the church's floor with his wife and son. While seeing to the church's completion, Anderson, a convert to Catholicism, served as a surgeon and as professor of astronomy and mathematics atColumbia College inNew York City. His energy and persistence won Madonna her first resident priest, Father Cauvin. The author of various scientific tracts, Anderson died suddenly while gathering information for one of these in Hindustan during exploration of theHimalayas, October 19, 1875.
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