Church of the Holy Cross

Church of the Holy Cross. . , Side 1: , May 1844 - Episcopalians in Uniontown and Marengo County united to form Union Parish. The parish was admitted to the Diocese of Alabama on May 2, 1845. After the donation of this site in 1847, ladies of the congregation diligently worked to raise sufficient funds for the construction of the first church. Although incomplete for many years, services were first held here in January 1848 for the black and white communicants. In 1853 Union Parish divided and the Marengo County parishioners formed St. Michael’s Parish in Faunsdale. In 1863 Church of the Holy Cross was consecrated by Bishop R.H. Wilmer. In 1900 the frame building was replaced by a brick church through the generosity of Mrs. Maria Price Davidson as a memorial to her late husband, Alexander C. Davidson. (Continued on other side). Side 2: , (Continued from other side). Architect Edwin H. Oliver of New Orleans designed the Church of the Holy Cross, reputedly inspired by a 10th-century chapel in Amiens, France. The church is regarded as a rare example in the Deep South of the Arts and Crafts style as expressed in religious architecture. The church follows a cruciform plan with a bellcote at the juncture of the cross gables. The lateral walls are reinforced by small buttresses, while shed and gable dormers enliven the roof line. Stained glass windows memorialize prominent parish families. The triple-arched chancel window above the altar is a Tiffany window designed by noted Selma artist Clara Weaver Parrish.