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 an old and beautiful church in Minster, Ohio, United States. It was built in 1848. The church has a special look called Gothic Revival architecture. This style makes it look like churches from long ago in Europe.

Minster is in a part of western Ohio known as the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches." This name comes from the many churches with cross-shaped spires. In 1874, the church got 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 people in the area. St. Augustine's is the only one of these three original churches still standing today.

Many churches were built in this area in the mid-1800s. But only a few are still used as churches today. St. Augustine's and St. John's Church are two of them.

On July 26, 1979, St. Augustine's Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a special historic building. It was part of a group called "Cross-Tipped Churches of Ohio." Today, St. Augustine's and St. Joseph's Church in nearby Egypt work together. They are part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Exploring the Church's Interior

The inside of St. Augustine's Church is full of amazing art. You can see many colorful stained glass windows. These windows show pictures of Christ and different saints.

Beautiful Stained Glass Windows

The stained glass windows tell stories and show important figures. Here are some of the people you can see:

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

Amazing Ceiling Frescos

The ceiling fresco showing the Resurrection of Jesus

The church ceiling is also covered in beautiful paintings called frescos. These paintings show important moments from the life of Christ. They also show a scene of Heaven.

Here are some of the scenes you can find on the ceiling:

• The Trinity and the Communion of Saints (a picture of God and all the saints)
• 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)

Images for kids

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  Stained glass window of St. Augustine