The Mother Church
| The First Church of Christ, Scientist | |
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The original Mother Church (1894) and behind it the domed Mother Church Extension (1906); on the right, the brutalist Colonnade building (1972). The reflecting pool is in the foreground.
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Christian Science Center, 250 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Geographic coordinates | 42°20′40″N 71°05′06″W / 42.34443°N 71.084872°WCoordinates: 42°20′40″N 71°05′06″W / 42.34443°N 71.084872°W |
| Affiliation | Christian Science |
| Country | United States of America |
| Status | Active |
| Website | The First Church of Christ, Scientist |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Franklin I. Welch (1894) Charles Brigham (1904–1906) S.S. Beman (1904–1906) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque (Original Mother Church); Italian Renaissance (Mother Church Extension) |
| Founder | Mary Baker Eddy |
| Groundbreaking | 1893 |
| Completed | 1894 (Original Mother Church); 1906 (Mother Church Extension) |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 900 (Original Mother Church); 3,000 (Mother Church Extension) |
| Dome height (outer) | 224 ft |
The First Church of Christ, Scientist is the administrative headquarters and mother church of the Church of Christ, Scientist, also known as the Christian Science church. Christian Science was founded in the 19th century in Lynn, Massachusetts, by Mary Baker Eddy with the publication of her book Science and Health (1875).
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, is located in the 14.5-acre Christian Science Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The center is owned by the church and contains the Original Mother Church (1894); Mother Church Extension (1906); Christian Science Publishing House (1934), which houses the Mary Baker Eddy Library; Reflection Hall (1971); Administration Building (1972); and Colonnade Building (1972). There is also a reflecting pool and fountain.
In accordance with the Manual of The Mother Church, the Mother Church is the only Christian Science church to use the definite article ("the") in its title. Branch churches are named "First Church of Christ, Scientist", "Second Church of Christ, Scientist", and so on, followed by the name of the city, in the order in which they were built in that city (for example, Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago).
The Original Mother Church, designed by Franklin I. Welch, was completed in December 1894, eight years after the first Christian Science church, First Church of Christ, Scientist (Oconto, Wisconsin), was built by local women who felt they had been helped by the religion.
Although fairly large for the time, the original church, a Romanesque Revival stone structure, is often overlooked because it is dwarfed by the much larger domed Mother Church Extension. Designed to fit on a kite-shaped lot, the former features a 126-foot (38 m) steeple and an octagonal auditorium that seats 900. It is built of granite from New Hampshire, Mary Baker Eddy's home state.
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