5 Awe-inspiring Catholic sites not to miss in Kentucky

Known as the “Holy Land” for generations of Catholic families, Kentucky is an unexpected bastion of Catholic faith in the Bible Belt. 

The Catholic faith came to Kentucky relatively late, but grew quickly there. In the late 1700s, Catholic families from Maryland moved to Kentucky in large groups called “leagues,” seeking religious freedom that was being denied them. 

These frontier Catholics were “an iron race of pioneers” who moved to Kentucky to safeguard their faith for their children. The first Catholics, who arrived in 1775, included Jane Coomes, Kentucky’s first teacher, and George Hart, the first doctor. 

When a league of 60 families from Maryland settled in Marion County in 1785, they built the first Catholic church west of the Allegheny Mountains in 1792, a log chapel called Holy Cross. These early setters left their mark: Even today, the three counties of Marion, Nelson, and Washington have significant Catholic populations and are known as “The Kentucky Holy Land.”

As their numbers grew, Pope Pius VII decided to make a new diocese in 1808 with the see at Bardstown. The first bishop, Benedict J. Flaget, took on the monumental task of overseeing this “mega-diocese” covering all the land from the Great Lakes to the Deep South and from the Allegheny Mountains to the Mississippi River. Today that same region is divided into more than 40 dioceses, including Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Detroit.

Special thanks to Tim Tomes of the Archdiocese of Louisville Archives, who contributed much helpful information to this article.

Note: Always check current visiting hours and Mass schedules before planning your trip, as times may vary seasonally.

Designed by Irish-born architect William Keely, and completed in 1852, the Cathedral of the Assumption is the fourth oldest public building in the city of Louisville and the third oldest Catholic cathedral in the United States in continuous use. It is the mother church for the Archdiocese of Louisville, America’s oldest inland diocese.

With roots dating to 1805 when Catholics of the city first gathered, the Cathedral clergy, staff, and community partners continue to serve the needs of the faithful through worship, music, spiritual formation, and hospitality. For nearly the past 100 years, lunch has been served daily to anyone suffering from hunger or need, a tradition that continues today.

With support collected from people of all faiths in and around the city of Bardstown, construction on the cathedral, designed by Baltimore’s John Rogers, began in 1816 and the first Mass was held in 1819. 

A literal “cathedral in the wilderness” at the time, it was the first cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains. Bishop Benedict J. Flaget erected it as the seat of his diocesan territory, covering what is today the area of 10 states. 

The new cathedral was decorated with gifts of paintings from the Vatican, European royalty, and houses of worship. The Cathedral had a horrifying act of theft in 1952 when some of these paintings were ripped from their frames and stolen, but thankfully were recovered the following year. 

In 2001, the proto-cathedral was elevated to a minor basilica. While it is no longer a diocesan see, the basilica is a beautiful landmark, a beloved house of worship to a thriving congregation, and a proud witness to the faith and history of Kentucky’s early Catholics. 

This monumental cathedral was built in 1895 to replace an earlier 1834 frame church. Two different architects contributed to its Bedford limestone design. Detroit architect Leon Coquard designed the sanctuary, inspired by Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral. Then local architect David Davis designed the western façade along Madison Avenue. 

The cathedral is known for having the world’s largest handmade church stained glass window in the north transept. For many years the Cathedral Basilica was considered unfinished since two previously planned towers remained unbuilt, but recently 24 statues were installed in the niches at the cathedral’s main entrance, completing an original design.

Like many cathedrals, Christ the King began as a small parish church, built in 1945, on land originally owned by statesman Henry Clay. Over the years, as the parish and school community grew, a much larger edifice was needed. 

Conceived from plans originally designed 20 years earlier by Cincinnati architect Edward J. Schulte, Christ the King was completed in 1967. The pastor at the time dreamed big and began referring to the new church as a cathedral from the time he began planning it in 1960. But it was not until 1988 that the Diocese of Lexington was established, and Christ the King indeed became a cathedral. Today it serves not only the city of Lexington but also the Bluegrass and Appalachian regions of Kentucky. 

The beginnings of St. Stephen Cathedral can be traced to the early Kentucky missionaries who worked hard to bring Kentuckians the Catholic faith. 

The Catholic community of St. Stephen was first established in Owensboro in 1839. The parish, like the city, grew around a bend of the Ohio River.

This river city’s growth eventually led to the construction of the present, third church that was completed in 1926. The artisans who designed it foresaw that one day it would be a cathedral, and built a Romanesque masterpiece.

Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, Gethsemani

The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani is a Trappist monastery, home to monks who are Cistercians of the Strict Observance. It is the Proto-Abbey of the New World, the motherhouse of all Trappist and Trappistine monasteries in the United States.

Located in the Kentucky Holy Land, just south of the Bourbon Capital of the World, Bardstown, members of the Trappist community arrived late in 1848 just in time to celebrate Christmas in their new home. “Gethsemani,” as it was named by the Sisters of Loretto who previously owned the land, became an abbey in 1851.

While elements of the early abbey church’s Neo-Gothic style can still be found, the Abbey was transformed after Vatican II with a simple, bright, pure, and no-fuss style that spoke of the monk’s way of life. 

Visitors are welcome to attend church services and walk the nature trails on the 1,500-acre  grounds. The monks have a Welcome Center and offer retreats to the public.

Don’t miss ordering from Gethsemani Farms. Besides being known as the home of spiritual writer Thomas Merton, the monks are masters in the art of fudge and fruitcake making that they sell to support themselves.