History

The story of the Sisters of Mercy in Savannah begins in 1842 when local priest Father Jeremiah Francis O'Neill asked the city for land to build an institution for a community of religious women. The Sisters of Mercy began 11 years earlier in 1831 in Ireland with Mother Catherine McCauley. Their passion to reach out and serve people throughout the community earned them the nickname, "The walking nuns."

The city of Savannah granted Father O'Neill a parcel of land on the outskirts of town, at the intersection of Liberty and Abercorn Streets. Bishop John England asked six Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in the Charleston area if they would come and establish an orphanage. The convent of St. Vincent de Paul, designed and built by the notable architect Charles B. Cluskey, began serving Savannah as a residence for the Sisters, an orphanage, and a school in 1845. Originally for boys and girls they taught a diverse group of students including covertly educating enslaved children.

In 1900, St. Vincent’s Academy became an all-girls school with alumna like Savannah native, Flannery O'Connor. The Sisters of Mercy also worked as nurses, serving through several Yellow Fever epidemics, and founded over 20 hospitals, schools, and orphanages throughout Georgia, many that still exist today. The building was included in the Historic American Building Survey (1933) and is listed in the Library of Congress. The building has been designated as Exceptional in the Savannah Historic Foundation Survey. The convent building is an integral part of Savannah’s National Register Historical District (National Register of Historical Places).

Today, the St. Vincent's 1845-1855 Convent building is noted as a true historic building in Savannah. As part of the St. Vincent’s Academy campus, the convent building is utilized by students and serves as a testament to the rich history and tradition of the institution and the Sisters of Mercy over the years.