Mother of God Roman Catholic Church (Covington, Kentucky) facts for kids
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Mother Of God Roman Catholic Church
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Location | 119 W. 6th St., Covington, Kentucky |
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| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1869 |
| Architect | Walter & Stewart William Walter, of Cincinnati and Wm. Stewart of Covington, Kentucky. 1865-1870 |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| Part of | Mutter Gottes Historic District (ID80004499) |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000813 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 24, 1973 |
| Designated CP | May 29, 1980 |
The Mother of God Parish (German: Mutter Gottes Kirche) is a beautiful parish church in Covington, Kentucky. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington. You can find it at 119 West 6th Street. Its full name is The Assumption of Mary, Mother of God, Parish.
This church is very old and important. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This means it is a special historical building. It is also part of the Mutter Gottes Historic District, which was listed in 1980.
Contents
A Look at the Church's Design
This historic church has two tall towers. They are built in a style called renaissance. Inside, you can see amazing paintings called murals. These murals were created by a famous artist named Johann Schmitt. He was an early teacher of another artist, Frank Duveneck. Frank Duveneck was even baptized in this very church in 1848!
Building the First Church
In the spring of 1842, the German people who attended the church bought some land. It was at the corner of 6th and Washington streets. They started building a new church there. Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget from the Diocese of Louisville laid the first stone on April 14, 1842.
The church was officially opened on October 10, 1842, by the same bishop. This first church was made of brick. It was about 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. Later, in 1851, extra parts called transepts were added to the building.
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A Bigger and Better Church
By the late 1860s, the church was getting too small. It was less than 30 years old but already very crowded! So, people started planning a new, larger Mother of God Church.
The old church building was taken down. Construction began on the new church. It was designed in a style called Italian Renaissance Revival. The plans were made by Walter & Stewart from Cincinnati. People said this new building would be the biggest and best in Covington at that time.
The first stone for the new church was placed on July 3, 1870. The building was officially opened on September 10, 1871. The new Mother of God Church had a large entrance area called a portico. It was held up by four large columns. It also had two big towers and a central dome. On top of the dome was a small tower called a cupola. In 1875, a wonderful Koehnken Organ was put in the church's balcony.
Special Additions and Celebrations
In 1891, the church celebrated its 25th anniversary. This is called a Silver Jubilee. To get ready for this big event, the inside of the church was completely updated.
New things added included five large murals by Johann Schmitt. There were also new altars made of wood, hand-carved by the Schroder Brothers from Cincinnati. Two beautiful stained glass windows were brought in from Mayer & Company in Munich, Germany.
Challenges and Rebuilding
On March 10, 1986, a strong tornado hit Covington. It damaged the cupola on top of Mother of God Church. The church community quickly worked together to fix it.
However, while repairs were happening, welders accidentally started a fire in the dome. Even with these problems, the building was restored. It was made to look just like it did in 1890. The repairs cost over a million dollars!
In 1984, the parish school joined with other local schools. These were St John School, St Ann School, and Sts Boniface And James School. They formed a new school called Prince Of Peace Academy, located at St John.
See also
Read about this church in Spanish: Mother of God Church (Covington) for kids
