Status: Active, Catholic

Founded: 1851
Built: 1919

219 Fayette Street
Conshohocken, PA 19428

http://archphila.org/parishes/8250.htm

http://www.stmatthewparish.com/

You know what the Project likes best? Finding hidden gems. Diamonds in the rough. The kind of churches that you never seen coming, yet turn out to be really, really cool. With some churches, you just know they’re going to be special. But others, well, you never suspect them until they come out of nowhere and sock you in the mouth.

That’s the case with Conshohocken’s St. Matthew, a church (and area) the Project very nearly glossed over. On a last-second whim I decided to altar my plans and come here. The result? BAM!! (Damn, that smarts.)

St. Matthew is a great church. It’s cruciform gothic construction is, inside, shockingly reminiscent of St. Bridget and Incarnation of Our Lord. Ornamentally, it falls somewhere between those two; more than Bridget, less than Inky. It utilizes a grey, white and rose color scheme, complete with fantastic marble and mural work in the sanctuary.

What’s really unique here is that, unlike either of those two churches, it actually has two sets of stained glass windows: the large main set on top of the nave and in the transept, and a smaller set lining the bottom of the nave. Two sets of windows are not unusual; many churches, for example, have a main set and a clerestory set. But here, the main windows are on the top, where clerestories usually go. And the smaller set is much larger than your average clerestory windows.

LOOK FOR IT: The stations of the cross, which are actually made of stone. Yeah, stone. First time we’ve seen that.

It has solid size and good ornamentation. All in all, a really nice package.

Size Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Ornamentation: 8.5 out of 10

Overall Design Rating: 8.5 out of 10 crosses

Someone I used to know, a Conshohocken native, once opined that “Conshy is 20 minutes from everywhere.” It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but surprisingly true. Conshohocken has a central location that’s easily served by 76, 476, Ridge Avenue, Germantown Pike and SEPTA’s R6 line. All of the above are fine ways to get there—except, of course, for 76. Always stay clear of that evil highway.

As I mentioned above, the area is good, and the church even has cool diagonal parking spaces along the one side. You can’t get any more convenient than that!

Safety Rating: 9.5 out of 10 tire irons

St. Matthew doesn’t use their front doors. It’s true—all entry takes place via the side ones. I don’t know specifically why they’ve barred the doors and removed the handles, but it’s really an odd thing to see.

The only other time we’ve seen that was at our friend St. Martin de Porres. For obvious reasons, I just thought the doors broke and they couldn’t afford to fix them. St. Matthew, what’s your excuse?