First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, on Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, is the Mother Church of the Christian Science faith and the administrative headquarters of the denomination. It is best known for its domed church buildings, the wide I.M. Pei plaza around them and the Mapparium, a glass globe you walk through from the inside.

The story behind it

Mary Baker Eddy published Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures in 1875. In 1879 she founded the Church of Christ, Scientist, building a faith around that text as a commentary on the King James Bible. Boston became the movement's home, and the Mother Church grew into the centre of the denomination.

The site you see today is a campus rather than a single building. The older church buildings stand beside a large modern plaza designed by the architect I.M. Pei, who is also known for the Grand Louvre in Paris. The complex also houses the Mapparium, a stained-glass globe several stories high. Visitors view it from within, and because the map is seen from the inside, the countries read correctly.

What to look for

• The large domed church and its stonework rise above the plaza, so step back to take in the full outline before you look at the details.
• The plaza itself is a deliberate piece of design by I.M. Pei, with open space, water and the church buildings framing the view.
• The reflecting pool is a good place to see the church buildings mirrored in the water on a calm day.
• The Mapparium's stained-glass globe is the most unusual sight on the site, a world map you stand inside rather than look at from outside.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 20 to 30 minutes to walk around the plaza and look at the buildings from outside, and more if you plan to visit the Mapparium.
• Check current opening hours and access before you go, as visits inside the church buildings and the Mapparium can change.
• Soft morning or late afternoon light is kinder to the stone and the water than the middle of the day.
• The plaza is on Massachusetts Avenue, so it combines easily with a longer walk through the surrounding streets.

See it on a quest

The Boston Strangler: A Detective’s Hunt passes this landmark as one stop on a longer walking route through the area. The app tells you about each place as you reach it, and you solve a puzzle in what is in front of you, so you look at the church and the plaza more closely than a quick photo allows. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group. You can start whenever suits you, with no guide and no group to join.