St. Thomas Manor

Port Tobacco Village, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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St. Thomas Manor, built in 1741 near Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland, is a Georgian-style complex that serves as both a historic home and Catholic church. Known as St. Ignatius Church and Cemetery, it stands as the oldest continuously occupied Jesuit residence in the world. The site's Catholic heritage traces to 1641, when Father Andrew White, an English Jesuit missionary, established the mission settlement of Chapel Point and ministered to the Potapoco Native Americans, converting some to Catholicism. The parish itself, formally established in 1662, is the oldest continuously active Catholic parish in the American Thirteen Colonies. St. Thomas achieved further distinction in 1794 with the consecration of Bishop John Carroll, making it the first Catholic see in the United States. The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.