St. Augustine's Catholic Church (Minster, Ohio) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
St. Augustine Catholic Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Exterior of the church
Location in Ohio Show map of Ohio Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	N. Hanover St., Minster, Ohio
Area	Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1848
Architect	Anton Goehr
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
MPS	Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio TR
NRHP reference No.	79003457
Added to NRHP	July 26, 1979

St. Augustine's Catholic Church is a beautiful old church in Minster, Ohio, United States. It was built in 1848. This church is famous for its Gothic Revival architecture style. This means it looks like the grand churches built in Europe many centuries ago.

The church is in a part of western Ohio called the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches." This area has many churches with tall steeples topped with crosses. In 1874, the church got its two tall, pointed towers, called spires. These spires were designed by an architect named Anton Goehr.

For many years, St. Augustine's was a very important church. It was one of three "mother churches" for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. This group helped serve Catholic communities in the area. St. Augustine's is the only one of these three original mother churches still standing today. Many other churches from the 1800s are gone. Only St. Augustine's and St. John's are still used as regular parish churches.

On July 26, 1979, St. Augustine's Catholic Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical sites in the United States. Today, St. Augustine's works with St. Joseph's Church in nearby Egypt, Ohio. Together, they form the Minster Cluster within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Inside St. Augustine's Church

The inside of St. Augustine's Church is just as amazing as the outside. It has many beautiful artworks. These include colorful stained glass windows and detailed paintings on the ceiling.

Stained Glass Windows

Stained glass window of St. Augustine

The church has many stained glass windows. These windows show pictures of Christ and different saints. When the sun shines through them, they fill the church with colorful light.

Some of the people shown in the windows include:

• St. Augustine (who the church is named after)
• St. Gaspar del Bufalo
• St. John Bosco
• St. John the Evangelist
• St. Rose of Lima
• Jesus as the Good Shepherd

Ceiling Frescos

Ceiling fresco of the Resurrection of Jesus

The ceiling of the church is covered with amazing paintings called frescos. These paintings tell stories from the life of Christ. They also show a beautiful scene of Heaven.

Some of the scenes painted on the ceiling are:

• The Trinity and the Communion of Saints (a picture of God and all the saints together)
• The Adoration of the shepherds (when shepherds visited baby Jesus)
• The Annunciation (when an angel told Mary she would have Jesus)
• The Agony in the Garden (Jesus praying before his crucifixion)
• The Crucifixion of Jesus (Jesus on the cross)
• The Entombment of Jesus (Jesus being placed in the tomb)
• The Resurrection of Jesus (Jesus rising from the dead)