The Secret Marys of Lawrenceville

statue of Mary in front window of row house — Our Lady of the Heavenly Skies. Front window Mary, lower Lawrenceville

Long in the shadow of her uphill, Mary-loving sister neighborhood, Lawrenceville may be seen as but an also-ran in the adoration of The Blessed Virgin. Bloomfield has such an overabundance of public Marys that we’ve reported on it not once, but on two separate occasions–and are well aware we’re still missing so many quality Marys in the tiny backyards we’ve not (yet!) been invited into. [A note to those with secret/hidden Marys, wanting a portrait: call me!]

In Lawrenceville, the Mary-obsessed blogger must put away the soft shoes and put on the gum shoes as locating The Mother of All Mothers is more back-alley, debatably-sleazy, detective work than the more casual sidewalk tourism one enjoys in other locales. Mary is well-acquainted with the ‘Ville–and in no small number, mind you–but is usually only found in repose. She peeps shyly from street-facing windows, prays in flower pots, and takes cover in backyard grottoes. She’s coyly turned-away among the bric-a-brac of an overloaded front porch and (almost!) out-of-view but for a neck stretched over fences and hedges. In one case, a tiny Mary stands guard over a grave marker at, yes, St. Mary Cemetery.

To Mary with her arms outstretched and forgiving, a kindly face welcoming to all in her presence, we salute you! We’ve all had a rough year and can use your grace now more than ever.

statue of Mary in a flower planter — Flower planter Mary

statue of Mary and frog figurine in backyard — Mary and frog

statue of Mary leaning against stone foundation of house — Foundation Mary

statue of Mary in front window of house — Window Mary

statues of Mary, an angel, and other religious figure on pedestals in back garden — Pedestal Mary and friends

gravestone with added statue of Mary — Grave marker Mary

front porch with multiple statues — Porch Marys (and friends)

statue of Mary embedded in concrete in flower pot — Concrete shoes Mary

statue of Mary on cinderblocks in backyard — Up-on-blocks Mary

statue of Mary in homemade grotto, Pittsburgh, PA — Alley-facing Mary

statue of Mary in grotto located in residential backyard — Backyard Mary

statue of Jesus in backyard of row house — Blessing of the green grass [Note: *probably* Jesus with that gesture, but we’re going to count it]

statue of Mary painted silver — Mary of the berries, Chez Orbit

A note on the photographs: Pittsburgh Orbit takes pride in its quality of image, but the necessity of observing our neighbors’ private spaces and therefore zooming in–often from great distance–resulted in a number of grainy, not-ideally-composed photos. Hopefully, however, this fact adds evidence to the narrative that searching out Marys in Lawrenceville is no easy task.