St. Patrick's Church is in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Waterbury. Like most of Waterbury's neighborhoods, Brooklyn was virtually a self-sustaining community with its own stores, two churches, taverns, bakeries, factories, and schools.
Photo: View northeast of façade and west elevation. (Tod Bryant)
As early as the 1860s, Irish immigrants began settling in Brooklyn, followed by the Polish and Lithuanians in the 1890s. St. Patrick's was founded in the area where new Irish immigrants lived and was Waterbury's second Catholic church.
"History of Brooklyn." GreaterWaterbury.com.
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St. Patrick's Church faces east toward Charles Street. It has a steeply pitched gable roof over the nave and shed roofs over the aisles, with stained glass clerestories above. The main entrance is up a stone staircase to a set of three doors of the same size leading into the nave. The doors are recessed behind three pointed arches. The stone porch extends into three tall triangles above each door. There is a large stained glass window above the doorway.
Buttresses topped by pinnacles and finials separate the nave and the aisle and the end of the southern aisle. An unfinished square tower sits on the northern end of the façade; its two stories rise to the base of the clerestory windows. The apse ends in a semi-octagonal roof. Along each aisle are narrow stained glass windows that depict events in the life of St. Patrick.
The five stained glass windows above the main altar depict St. Patrick's baptism, first communion, confirmation, ordination and consecration as Archbishop of Ireland.The windows lining the nave trace St. Patrick's life in Ireland from his capture by Irish raiders to his death. These windows also include the sacred Lay Lorica (the Faed Fiada or Deer's Cry) in Gaelic.
The church is in a residential area on a one-sided street that abuts a highway. Directly across from the church is a row of trees.
Date(s): Built 1881 Style(s): Gothic Revival Historic Use: Church Present Use: Church
Accessibility:
Exterior visible from public road.
Interior accessible (during services ).
CT Irish-American
Heritage Trail
640 Arrowhead Drive
Orange, CT 06477
The Irish experience has had a profound impact on Connecticut's past, and its narrative spans all periods of the state's history and touches every one of its eight counties and 169 towns.
