Holy Cross Monastery and Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Holy Cross Monastery and Church
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| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| Architect | John Foley |
| Architectural style | Neo-romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002078 |
| Added to NRHP | September 13, 1978 |
| Monastery information | |
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| Full name | Monastery of the Holy Cross |
| Order | Passionists |
| Established | 1873 |
| Disestablished | 1977 |
| Diocese | Cincinnati |
| Controlled churches | Church of the Holy Cross |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | The Rev. Father Guido Matassi, C.P. |
| Architecture | |
| Functional Status | closed |
| Architect | Louis Piket & Sons |
| Style | Italian Renaissance Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1843 (observatory), September 1899 (new monastery) |
| Completion date | June 1901 |
The Holy Cross Monastery and Church is a historic group of buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 13, 1978. This means it's an important place worth protecting because of its history.
Contents
Building the Holy Cross Monastery
From 1873 to 1977, the Holy Cross Monastery was a Roman Catholic monastery. It was located on top of Mt. Adams in Cincinnati. The monastery also served a church parish with the same name.
The monastery was started by a group called the Passionists. They came to Mt. Adams in 1871. John Baptist Purcell, who was the Archbishop of Cincinnati, invited them. Their first job was to manage Immaculata Church, which had been built in 1860.
Finding a New Home for the Passionists
The first Passionist leader at Immaculata Parish was Father Guido Matassi. He quickly realized the church's living quarters were too small. The Passionists needed more space for their semi-monastic community.
Luckily, a building nearby became available. It used to be the Mitchel Observatory. This observatory was closing because of pollution from nearby factories.
The land for the observatory had a special rule. It had to go back to the original owner's family. Father Matassi wanted to buy the property. However, the family asked for a very high price.
Help from Sarah Peter
A woman named Sarah Peter helped the Passionists. She was the daughter of an early Governor of Ohio. She was also a well-known Catholic convert. With her help, the city of Cincinnati bought the property from the family.
In 1873, Father Matassi signed a 99-year lease with the city. This gave the Passionists the building and land on Mt. Adams. They then remodeled the building and added a third floor.
The Church and Monastery Buildings
The first Church of the Holy Cross was made of wood. It was built next to the monastery in 1873. This church mainly served Irish immigrants in the area.
In 1895, the wooden church was replaced. A much larger and stronger church building was constructed.
A New Monastery Building
In 1899, the monastery building itself was found to be unsafe. So, a new monastery was built in the same spot. This new building was officially opened on June 9, 1901.
Changes at the Monastery
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, many changes happened in the Catholic Church. This was partly due to a big meeting called Vatican II.
The way many Catholic religious groups were run also became more democratic. This included the Holy Cross Monastery.
The Monastery Closes
By the mid-1970s, the Passionist community at Holy Cross faced challenges. Fewer new people were joining the group. The leaders of the Passionists decided to close the monastery in 1977. The building was sold two years later.
The Holy Cross Parish then joined with Immaculata Parish. This other church was also on Mt. Adams. The combined church is now known as Holy Cross-Immaculata.
