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42°20′40″N 71°05′06″W / 42.34443°N 71.084872°W / 42.34443; -71.084872

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts in the United States is The Mother Church and administrative headquarters of the Christian Science Church, and is located in the Christian Science Center in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston.

Designed in the 1960s by the firm of noted architect I.M. Pei, the 14-acre (57,000 m) Christian Science Plaza along Huntington Avenue includes a large administration building, a colonnade, a reflecting pool and fountain that together make it one of Boston's most visually recognizable sites and a popular tourist attraction. Another draw for tourists is the three-story tall Mapparium, a stained glass globe that visitors view from the inside and The Apiary installation by glass artist Dale Chihuly.

The Original Mother Church edifice was built in 1894. A modest gray stone structure, it is often overlooked by casual visitors as it is dwarfed by the much larger domed Mother Church Extension added in 1906 and designed by architect Charles Brigham. It boasts one of the world's largest pipe organs, built in 1952 by the Aeolian-Skinner Company of Boston. The Mary Baker Eddy Library is housed in an 11-story structure originally finished in 1934 for the Christian Science Publishing Society.

In accord with the Manual of The Mother Church, the title of the Mother Church is "The First Church of Christ, Scientist," and while its branch churches may call themselves, "First Church of Christ, Scientist," or "Second Church of Christ, Scientist," and so on, they are prohibited from using "The" in front of their names. Only The Mother Church can do so.

Gallery

References

Notes

1. Boston Globe, October 17, 2006
2. Specification
3. Mary Baker Eddy Institute: The Manual of The Mother Church, by Mary Baker Eddy, Article XXIII, Titles. Section2, p. 25 online and p. 70 in book

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External links

• Home Page of The First Church of Christ, Scientist
• Home Page of The Christian Science Publishing Society
• The Mary Baker Eddy Library
• Photos of the grounds of the Christian Science Church in Boston
• Waymarking listing for The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, MA - has images including one showing Original in front of the much larger Extension
• Photos inside of the Christian Science Church in Boston

• Back Bay, Boston
• Christian Science branch churches in Massachusetts
• Churches in Boston, Massachusetts
• Landmarks in Boston, Massachusetts
• Religious organizations based in Boston, Massachusetts