On Sunday, September 20 at 5 p.m., attend a brief unlocking ceremony and explore the chapel at Historic St. Mary's City!In 1704, Maryland Governor Seymour ordered the sheriff to lock the Roman Catholic brick chapel at St. Mary's City and see that it was never again used for worship. With that action, the colony’s experiment in religious freedom ended.
On Sunday, September 20, 305 years after the original chapel was sealed, St. Mary's County Sheriff Timothy Cameron will unlock the massive oak and pine doors of the reconstructed chapel. The reconstruction stands as a symbol of liberty of conscience and separation of church and state, which were practiced in 17th-century Maryland far in advance of the laws and practices in other New World colonies.
The reconstructed chapel, which was rebuilt on its original foundation, is architecturally complete but not yet furnished. It will be open to the public during museum hours as finishing allows. An interpretive pavilion will be open to the public in summer 2010.
For more information, contact Historic St. Mary's City at 800-SMC-1634 or 240-895-4990 or visit http://www.stmaryscity.org/.
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