Take a good look at St. Peter’s Pro-Cathedral on your left. Hard to believe, but this was once the center of Catholic life in Richmond-and the *oldest* Catholic church in the city, no less. The doors first opened for worshippers in the early 1800s, with a congregation that was mostly Irish American. If you were here around the Civil War, you’d find not just ornate pews and flickering candles, but a basement filled with stories the history books rarely tell.
Picture it: after the war, Richmond’s “colored Catholics”-a grand total of thirteen-gathered down in the basement. Among them, Emily Mitchell, born into slavery; Moses Marx, who drove the bishop’s buggy at twelve; and Liza Marx, shrewd enough to correct the judge reading her late mistress’s will. That’s some serious presence of mind. As the congregation grew, the diocese helped them build St. Joseph’s on Shockoe Hill-setting aside funds that, in today’s money, would have run into thousands of dollars.
St. Peter’s stands as a testament to resilience and faith, quietly holding centuries of hidden stories. When you’re ready for more drama, Richmond Theatre is just a gentle northwest walk-three minutes and you’re there.
