Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral |
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Façade of Proto-Cathedral
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Town or city | Bardstown, Kentucky |
| Country | United States |
| Completed | 1823 |
| Client | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | John Rogers of Baltimore. |
The Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral is a Catholic church located in Bardstown, Kentucky. It's a very special church because it was the first main church, or "cathedral," for the area that is now the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville. The word "proto-cathedral" means it was the original cathedral for a church region before that region's main church moved to a new city. When it was a cathedral, its leader was Benedict Joseph Flaget, the first bishop of Bardstown.
Contents
Building a Special Church
Work on the church began on July 16, 1816. The people building it used materials they found nearby. The person who designed and built the church was John Rogers from Baltimore. By 1819, the church was ready enough for religious services to begin. The inside of the church was fully finished by 1823.
Many of the beautiful paintings and decorations inside were gifts. Some came from important people like Pope Leo XII and King Louis-Philippe of France. The King of France even sent paintings by famous artists like Murillo and Van Dyke. He also sent special religious clothes, called vestments, that his queen and her court had embroidered by hand.
Amazing Artworks
Here are some of the paintings that King Louis-Philippe of France gave to the church:
- The Crucifixion, by Phillippe Van Bree
- Descent of the Holy Ghost, by Van Eyck
- The Winged St. Mark, by Van Dyck
- St. Peter in Chains, by Van Dyck
- St. John the Baptist, by Van Dyck
- The Coronation in Heaven of the Mother of God, by Murillo
- The Annunciation, by Van Eyck
- Teaching the Boys, by an unknown artist
The Missing Paintings
On November 12, 1952, nine of these paintings went missing from the church. People entered the church at night and cut the paintings from their frames. The missing paintings included "The ... of St. Bartholomew," "The Coronation," "The Descent of the Holy Ghost," "St. Anne," "The Blessed Virgin," and four Stations of the Cross.
The paintings were found in April 1953. Four were discovered rolled up in a car in Chicago. Five others had been bought by someone in New York. Luckily, the paintings were still in good condition. The paintings were returned to the church in 1957 and put back on display in 1958.
Another Important Painting
Another important painting in the church is The Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew by Mattia Preti. It was painted around 1650 in Naples, Italy. In the early 1800s, King Francis I of the Two Sicilies gave this painting as a gift to the Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral.
Over the years, the painting needed a lot of care. It was sent to the Getty Center for special study and restoration. After two years of careful work, the painting's original beauty and quality were brought back. It was returned to Bardstown in August 2002. This was just in time for the church to be honored as a "Basilica."
Why This Church is Important
The Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral holds a special place in history. It was the very first Catholic Cathedral built west of the Allegheny Mountains. This made it a very important center for the Catholic Church in the early United States.
Because of its historical value, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 9, 1974. Later, on June 3, 1976, the listing was expanded to include nearby buildings like Spalding Hall and Flaget Hall. These buildings were originally part of St. Joseph College.
For many years, the exact spot of the church's first cornerstone was unknown. But in 1980, during some restoration work, the cornerstone was found!
On July 18, 2001, Pope John Paul II gave the church a special honor. He named it a "minor basilica." This is a title given to churches that are very important for their history or spiritual significance. An umbraculum, a special umbrella-like canopy, was then placed near the altar to show this honor.
A Leader for Change: Daniel Rudd
One of the most famous people connected to this church is Daniel Rudd. He was born into slavery in Bardstown, Kentucky, on August 7, 1854. Daniel and his 11 brothers and sisters were all baptized in the Catholic Church.
Daniel Rudd became a Catholic journalist and a leader for civil rights. He believed that newspapers could help bring about positive change for African Americans. In 1885, he started his own Catholic newspaper called the Ohio Tribune. Later, he changed its name to the American Catholic Tribune. This newspaper was the first national Catholic newspaper owned and run by an African American.
Rudd believed that the Catholic Church could help bring equality and social justice for African Americans. He moved his newspaper company to Cincinnati, where he wrote articles about issues like segregation and discrimination. His main message was: "The Catholic Church alone can break the color line. Our people should help her to do it."
The First Diocese in the West
The area around Bardstown became an "Episcopal See" (a region led by a bishop) on April 8, 1808. This made it the first inland diocese in the United States. Before this, the main Catholic region in the U.S. was the Diocese of Baltimore. But then, Baltimore was divided into several new dioceses, including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Bardstown.
In 1841, the main church of the Bardstown diocese moved to Louisville. St. Joseph's was no longer the main cathedral. Instead, St. Louis Church in Louisville became the new cathedral. This is why St. Joseph's is called the "proto" or first cathedral. The Diocese of Louisville was later made an "Archdiocese" in 1939, which is an even larger church region.
In 1995, the church was honored again when retired Bishop Charles G. Maloney was named the "Titular Bishop of Bardstown." This means he held the title of bishop for the historic Bardstown diocese. Bishop Maloney passed away in 2006, and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas took on the title.
See also
In Spanish: Basílica de San José (Bardstown) para niños
