Some things stay on my to-do list for a long time because they are far away or expensive or have very restricted access. Others have none of these issues but still hang around because, I’m guessing, they don’t really fire up my curiosity. Apparently, the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is in that latter category. It is about twenty miles from my current residence and some places I’ve lived have been even closer, it is free, and is usually open to visitors from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday. I have heard about the place and how stunning it is for decades but Thursday was the first time I’ve been inside. It was, in fact, the first time I’ve stopped to look at the outside. Not sufficiently curious I suppose. It is not a duplicate or even an attempted replica of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. There are many similarities but there are also differences. The most common phrase used when describing the Kentucky church’s connection to the church in France is “inspired by”. Make that “heavily inspired by”.
Construction started in 1895 and was suspended, they say, in 1915. I doubt anyone is too surprised to hear that the place has not really been frozen since then. Installation of the numerous, immense, and famous stained-glass windows occurred before, during, and after World War I. Most of the fantastic wood carving was done after World War II. Twenty-four statues of saints were added to the front of the building in 2021. At least one news article said that the cathedral was now complete as the statues were the final piece of what Bishop Camillus Paul Maes, who got this whole project rolling, envisioned. I had no idea whom I was photographing but have since found a spotter’s guide that identifies the fellows in the photo as Pope Pius X, Patrick, Benedict, and Joseph.
Perhaps the single most eye-catching thing in a building filled with eye-catchers is the stained-glass window in the north transept. At 67 feet tall and 24 feet wide, calling it the Great Window is certainly justified. It is the largest in the western hemisphere and second largest in the world. It depicts the Council of Ephesus held in 431 AD. It is even pretty impressive from the other side.
The south transept holds the 1932 Wicks pipe organ and a 26-foot rose window. I’ve included a better view of the organ and a different view of the window. It looks pretty good on the outside too.
The Chapel of St. Joseph contains some of the carved wood I mentioned and there is more behind the Sanctuary.
A bit farther beyond the Sanctuary is the St. Paul Relic Shrine. Most of the relics are centuries old, of course, but the shrine itself was dedicated in August of 2021 so is quite new. Some of the reliquaries are even newer. The reliquary holding the carpal bones of St Paul the Apostle is one of two described as “recently commissioned ” in an article dated March 4, 2023.
In theory, I could have stayed until 3:00 but an award ceremony for students from Covington Latin School was scheduled for 2:00, and as the hour approached a small but increasing number of pews became occupied. I find taking pictures inside an active church to always be a bit uncomfortable and doing it with an audience even more so. With more haste than was truly necessary, I snapped photos of the 1859 Schwab organ, the Duveneck murals, and one of the Stations of the Cross mosaics, signed the guest book, and exited the building just as the bulk of the students were starting up the ramp to the door.
As I headed to my car, I realized that I had not photographed one thing that I had intended to. Not long after I entered the cathedral I had a wonderful conversation with a volunteer named Roger. As we talked about modern additions like the wood carvings and the new statues on the front of the building, he pointed out a painting hanging near the Duveneck murals and told me that it was 500 (or maybe 400) years old but had been hanging there for just a couple of months. I eyed it from afar but forgot it when I was in the area. I also missed photographing the oft-mentioned gargoyles atop the building. That was not an oversight. The terra cotta figures were removed early last year and will be replaced by new ones cast the old-fashioned way. There was a ceremony when the saint statues were added so maybe there will be one when the gargoyles return. If there is, I might attend. I probably would not have attended the one for the statues even if I’d known about it. As Billy Joel sort of said, “I’d rather laugh with the gargoyles than cry with the saints”.