Interesting…the church is Spanish style and these English Jesuits were obviously still very much influenced by their Spanish origin.
In the 16th century, Spanish Jesuits were all up and down the coast, and had tried to start missions up by the Chesapeake. “La Florida” actually encompassed territory all the way up the Hudson. However, the Jesuits didn’t have much success, possibly because they were the very first Europeans the native population had ever seen, or possibly because their style didn’t appeal.
They were recalled from Florida by their General, St. Francis Borgia, because too many of them had been killed. The Jesuits were a fairly new order and didn’t have a huge number of members, and they couldn’t afford to lose any more of what they had on missions that were not taking root.
They returned, of course, but went either further north or further west. Meanwhile, the Franciscans came in and did very well in Florida (the whole coast up to SC) , although they too had martyrs.
Hard to imagine that once upon a time the Jesuits were bold, orthodox missionaries and were the good guys. Look at them now. LGBTQ-Whatever all the way. Sigh.
Also, another factoid, it was one of Calvert’s descendants (grandson, perhaps?) who became an Anglican and led the persecution and suppression of Catholics in Maryland.
History has such unusual and unexpected turns.
When I think of the Jesuits, I think of the North American Martyrs instead of the current heretics. Brave men of faith...
I live in St. Inigoes -5 minutes from St. Mary’s City.
The Jesuits made their way up the Potomac as far as Georgetown - they had plantations in Newtowne neck - near Leonardtown and in Charles County as well - mostly grew tobacco.
Rather than a Spanish style, the church is a simplified form of the Baroque style that was popular in Europe at the time. Spanish colonial was just one expression of this simplified Baroque. But it also has to kept in mind that the present church is not the original. It is a reconstruction. The style used was their best guess. For comparison I would suggest the French colonial style used in Canada and Louisiana.