St. Leonard Church

St. Leonard of Port Maurice Church sits at the corner of Hanover and Prince Streets, identifiable by its Romanesque Revival architecture and the Peace Garden located alongside it. Founded in eighteen seventy-three, it was the first Roman Catholic church in New England built by Italian immigrants. At the time, the growing Italian population in the North End often faced restrictions when trying to worship in existing local parishes, leading Archbishop John Williams to invite Franciscan friars to minister specifically to them.