is the third grotto, which depicts the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion of Jesus. Rev. John A. Lemke, born in Detroit on February 10, 1866, to Polish immigrants from Prussian Poland, was baptized at St. Mary's on February 18, 1866. After graduating from Detroit College and studying at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1889 he returned to Detroit and was the first native-born Roman Catholic priest of Polish descent to be ordained in the United States. He died of illness in 1890. St. Mary's school opened in 1844 with lay teachers. The Christian Brothers began teaching male upperclassmen in 1852, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame assuming responsibility for teaching the girls and younger boys. The building was replaced in 1855 and the current building, designed by Pius Daubner, was erected in 1868. The school operated until 1966. The church, school and rectory were listed as Michigan Historic Sites in 1979 and markers were erected at all three. Architecture The church is constructed of red brick in the Romanesque style, with Venetian accents. The west façade is dominated by twin towers which frame a large rose window. The Romanesque-Venetian style was also used for the rectory and former convent. The church is long. The nave is wide and reaches a height of . A striking feature of the church interior are the ten polished granite columns that divide the main and side aisles. The columns are each cut from a single piece of granite. They were originally intended for the Michigan State Capitol building then under construction in Lansing. For unknown reasons, the columns were not used in the Capitol. The church purchased all ten for only $4,625, bringing the total construction cost to $81,210. See also Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Architecture of metropolitan Detroit Greektown Historic District References Further reading External links Old St. Marys Church Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit German-American culture in Detroit Greektown, Detroit Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Roman Catholic churches in Detroit Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Historic district contributing properties in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit 1834 establishments in Michigan Territory