Cincy is a city full of unique attractions and steeped in Catholic history. The metro area, which includes northern Kentucky, has two stunning basilicas, a lovely shrine to St. Anthony, the relics of a first century Roman martyr, and two museums that bring to life the stories of the first book of the Bible.
Downtown Cincinnati
The downtown is a great place to begin exploring all that Cincinnati has to offer. Across the street from City Hall is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains. At the time the Cathedral was built in the late 1840s, the bishop (and later archbishop) was responsible for the entire state of Ohio as well as the neighboring Michigan Territory.
The sanctuary is framed by an ornate golden mosaic of Christ seated on the throne providing the keys to the kingdom to St. Peter; at the time of its construction, this was the largest mosaic in the United States, spanning 40 feet wide and 35 feet high. Its striking single spire rises 220 feet above street level and it was the tallest manmade structure in the city at the time. The interior is lined with imposing Corinthian columns, massive bronze doors, and Greek themed murals recounting the Stations of the Cross.
The basilica also houses notable works of art, including a full size replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta, a missal stand that belonged to the private chaplain of Queen Isabella of Spain (the priest who convinced the Queen to authorize Columbus’ journey to the New World) and a processional cross with a golden corpus that belonged to a Florentine prince and was handcrafted by the most famous goldsmith in history.
Once your visit to the Basilica is complete, take time to explore some of the other unique downtown attractions. Little known is that Cincinnati was the birthplace of professional firefighting and a short walk from the Basilica is the Cincinnati Fire Museum; a restored firehouse complete with vintage firefighting equipment, a safety village for kids to explore and even a real fire pole that they can slide down. From there, head to the Cincinnati river front which is home to the stadiums for the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds, as well as the not to be missed Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. Nearby is the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, with exhibits recalling the central role this city played in the passage of African Americans from slavery to freedom as they crossed the Ohio River.
Over the Rhine
The Over-the-Rhine neighborhood – which was once filled with German breweries and pork packers – is home to the nation’s largest collection of 19th century Italianate architecture and a number of popular shops, cafes and restaurants, including Findlay Market, the oldest continuously operating open air market in Ohio in 1855. One of the best spots in the neighborhood is Washington Park, an expansive green space with splashpads for the kids, a castle themed play area and a gorgeous view of the Music Hall. The Music Hall is home of the ballet and Cincinnati Symphony.
A short ten minute walk from Washington Park along East 13th Street is Old St. Mary’s Church. Old St. Mary’s is the oldest house of worship still standing in Cincinnati. It was established by German immigrants in 1840 and the cornerstone was laid on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1841. Shortly thereafter the relics of St. Martura, a first century Christian martyr, were solemnly brought from the catacombs of Rome to the church and enshrined in the high altar, where they remain to this day and can be viewed by the faithful. Pope St. Leo XIII granted the altar “privileged,” status meaning that requiem masses for souls in purgatory could gain a plenary indulgence. The church’s sanctuary is crowned by a 15 foot painting of Our Lady (there are actually three paintings that are rotated throughout the church year) and several Marian shrines line the nave. Today, it is home to the Oratory community with mass regularly offered in the extraordinary form.
Another important church in the Over the Rhine neighborhood is St. Francis Seraph. It is built over the site of the very first Catholic church to be built in Cincinnati and was the ninth German parish in the city to be given to the care of the Franciscan Friars of the Austrian Tyrol that had been brought over to the city by the Archbishop. In addition to the old world architecture, the church also has a replica of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Before leaving the neighborhood, be sure to take time to sample some of the foods that Cincinnati is famous for, whether it is stopping at a chili parlor for Cincinnati chili (chili served with spaghetti, chopped onions, Mediterranean spices, and shredded cheese) or for old fashioned donuts at Holtman’s Donut Shop.
Mt. Adams
Mt. Adams is one of the oldest neighborhoods. It is the home of the Cincinnati Art Museum, widely recognized as one of the best art museums for families in the U.S. and the hilltop neighborhood also offers wonderful vistas over the city.
Atop Mt. Adam is Holy Cross-Immaculata Church, arguably the most fascinating church in the city. At a time in the mid nineteenth century when individual Catholics had to raise funds to build churches in their neighborhoods, this church was financed largely by the personal funds of Archbishop Purcell himself. The Archbishop was a tireless recruiter of German speaking priests to come to the burgeoning Cincinnati diocese and made seven separate trips to Europe to bring religious orders across the ocean to minister in the diocese. On one of those trips in 1843, he was almost killed at sea and made a pledge to Our Lady that if he survived the storm, he would build an offering to Mary on a prominent point in Cincinnati. Upon his return he fulfilled that promise and bought the land and stone used to build this church. The project was completed in 1860 and the interior is a stunning tribute to Our Lady, including seven oil paintings commissioned from a local artist lining the sanctuary and nave.
There are two popular regional traditions associated with this church. When the church was being built, Archbishop Purcell asked the locals living below the construction to climb up to the site in prayer for success of the project. This climbing the stairs to the top of Mt. Adams soon became an annual tradition. Starting in 1875, each year on Good Friday, between 8,000-10,000 people ascend the 96 steps in prayer or song as a form of devotional to recall the suffering and Passion of our Lord. The tradition continues to this day.
There is another fun and quirky tradition associated with this parish. Inside, you will find a larger than life statue of St. Patrick. This belonged to the sister parish a few blocks away which catered to the Irish population, but was closed in the 1970s. A few parishioners “stole” the statue from the Irish church just before it was closed down, loaded it in a pick up and brought it to Immaculata parish. This event is commemorated annually through a parade organized by the Ancient Order of Hiberians – complete with bagpipes – where they “steal” the statue from the parish, load it into a pick up truck, and drive around the Mt. Adams neighborhood. Then following mass, they go to the neighborhood pub to celebrate. This usually occurs second Sunday of February.
Beyond the downtown core
A trip along the Interstate 75 outside of the downtown core will bring you to some of Cincinnati’s other unique attractions, including the American Sign Museum with its collection of vintage and neon signs; the Cincinnati Union Terminal – the historic train station that houses three separate museums including the children’s museum and nature and science museum; and the ever popular Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
About three miles from the American Sign Museum is the National Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua and Friary, which the Franciscans established in 1887. It is a short two minute drive from Mt. Airy Forest, the largest park in the city. The site once formed part of the Underground railroad and early in the twentieth century, St. Katherine Drexel came here and successfully convinced the provincial to send friars to minister to the Navajo Indians in the southwest. The main attraction at the shrine is the first class relic of St. Anthony which is available for veneration at the back of the chapel, in front of a photo mural containing 21 images of the life of St. Anthony. The shrine grounds are also impressive, with a smaller outdoor votive chapel and various statues for contemplation across the grounds.
Covington and northern Kentucky
From Cincinnati you can walk across the suspension bridge high above the Ohio River to cross into downtown Covington, Kentucky. The Roebling Suspension Bridge, built in 1867, is actually older than the more famous Brooklyn Bridge. From here, you can embark on a journey across one of the great religious centers of America.
In Covington itself, take time to stroll through Mainstrasse Village, which has the appearance of a storybook German village, with its one hundred foot bell tower (mechanical figures of the Pied Piper and children pop out of the tower) and the photographic Goose Girl Fountain. At the restaurants in the village, you can sample hand crafted pizza, beer cheese, and German pretzels.
Further along Madison Avenue into the Madison District is the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. If you are going to visit one church in the Cincinnati region, this is the one. The exterior facade is a replica of the great cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, complete with the three portals and gargoyles. The interior is modeled on the interior of the Abbey of St. Denis and its 82 stained glass windows from Munich bring alive the New Testament with series on the life of the Child Jesus, the conversion of St. Paul and some of Christ’s most famous parables. The stations of the cross that line the walls are in the mosaic style; commissioned in Venice, with each containing between 70,000-80,000 pieces of glass enamel. There are beautiful side chapels throughout the cathedral, including a special chapel to the Blessed Sacrament, as well as a quaint garden behind the church.
One of the highlights of a visit to the Basilica is the opportunity to pray before the exposed relics of many great saints of the church at the St. Paul Relic Shrine. Located under the Basilica’s baldacchino, it contains over 300 relics. Included in the reliquary are Pope St. John Paul II, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Bl. Solanus Casey, Bl. Stanley Rother, Bl. Miguel Pro, Bl. Carlo Acutis, St. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Damien of Molokai, St. Oscar Romero, St. Katharine Drexel, Bl. Anna Maria Taigi, Bl. Clelia Merloni, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, St. Edith Stein, and the last Hapsburg Emperor and Catholic hero, Blessed Karl of Austria.
From Covington, it is a short drive to the Creation Museum and the life size re-creation of Noah’s Ark.
At the Creation Museum, located in Petersburg about 30 minutes from Covington, you can walk through a life size re-creation of the Garden of Eden, one of the best preserved Allosaurus skeletons (“ebenezer”), and instructive exhibits with rock and fossil exhibits to tell the story of the Great Flood and subsequent events in the early history of the world, and a new exhibit on Israel at the time of Jesus. The museum also boasts a botanical garden, three acre lake, waterfalls and trails; Eden Animal exhibit (zoo), and stargazer planetarium; and an outdoor zip line course. Kids ten and under are free.
In Williamstown, about 40 minutes from Covington, is the Ark Encounter. This is a full size replica of Noah’s Ark, built according to the specifications in the Bible. The interior is fully re-created Ark, with exhibits on the life of Noah, the Flood, the pre-flood world, lifelike sculpted animals. There is also a lovely timber restaurant on-site, as well as a small zoo.
Clearly, there is no shortage of options for a fun filled Catholic adventure through Cincinnati and northern Kentucky!
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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