Mary on The Hill

You see her everywhere on the Hill in St. Louis. She graces front lawns and backyards. She stands perched atop a bakery and, in another location, watches over the parking lot of an antique market. Grottos decorated with tufts of vibrant flowers and carefully arranged landscaping often surround her.

For generations, families in this historic Italian neighborhood have expressed their deep faith by displaying statues of Mary, the Blessed Mother, outside their homes. In Mary on the Hill, longtim...