“Gee, this would make a beautiful place for the saints.” That’s how All Saints Way began. It started roughly 25 years ago. Today, All Saints Way is one of Boston’s most unusual places. It is located in an alley between 4 and 8 Battery Street in Boston’s North End.
Peter Baldassari built and maintains this incredible little folk-shrine. He calls All Saints Way a shrine. But that term feels somehow inadequate. You could also describe All Saints Way as an impromptu hall of fame of holiness. It is part outsider-art project and part testament to Baldassari’s personal piety.
Baldassari has been collecting trinkets and mementos depicting the saints since he was a child. Now, his collection has grown into a street side shrine. It displays the canonized. You can see photos, statues, prayer cards, and more. They fill an alley.
The unimposing black door leads to the brick-walled sanctuary. Above it, a “featured” saint is displayed. It is usually the newly divined. Visitors come from all over the world to see Baldassari’s holy collection. Many strangers and neighbors contribute to the exhibit.
Baldassari occasionally offers tours if he’s around. He swaps out the seasonal decorations. You can see a lot of it from the street. If it’s open, there’s a special shrine to a featured saint. For each and every holiday Baldassari puts up a different display around the saints.
Christmas is where the shrine shines brightest. Baldassari always wants to do Christmas big. He remembers when he was a newsboy walking the streets. It was Christmas time. The windows in the North End were lit. Amongst the canonized collection stands countless lights and a full nativity scene.
Baldassari has a system. He schedules himself. He does not want anyone to help him. It is his thing. It’ll take longer to do it with someone here than just him.
Baldassari is a double throwback. He is a lifelong North Ender whose old neighborhood is vanishing. He is also a deeply religious man whose faith is absolute.
All Saints Way is a personal project on private property. Baldassari has been known to give quick tours. A good portion of the collection is visible from the street, even if the gate is locked.
The plan is to keep All Saints Way open to the public as long as he’s physically able. When you see it gone, then you know something happened to him.