Bardstown, KENTUCKY - Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral

Kentucky has celebrated 200 years of faith-filled history of the Catholic Church. In 1808 as the young nation grew and developed, allowance needed to be made for the growth of population and the pastoral needs of Catholics. That year the large territory served by the sole diocese, located in Baltimore, was divided to form four new diocese: Bardstown, Boston, New York and Philadelphia. St. Joseph Cathedral was dedicated in 1819 in Bardstown . The first work was the excavation by hand and the foundation stone work was deep, with a pyramid shape, the widest part at the bottom of the excavation and is five or more feet in depth and likely about five or six feet wide at the bottom of each wall. The materials were all quarried and made in the area. Since central Kentucky was filled with enormous trees: poplars, various oaks, maples, pines and cedars, straight and clear poplar logs were chosen to provide the eight columns that carry the vast majority of the roof load. They have cut away floor and outer surface of a column so that you can see the size of these timbers . The structure rises more than 60 feet and then a steeple to more than 140 feet high. A width of 64 feet and length of 120 feet required some of the longest timbers of any structure ever built in the country. Lighting the interior was limited to candles, gas lights and natural light from the sun. The hanging oil chandeliers found in the 1900 photograph lighted the nave of the church where the pews were, but candles were the only available light for the sanctuary. The oil chandeliers were later turned upside down and converted to electric. Most services were conducted during hours of daylight, in part because of limited lighting. Therefore, the original windows were white glass and were later changed to colored glass as they remain today. An enormous selection of gifts was presented to those returning to Europe seeking investments and furnishings for the new cathedral in the wilderness of a brand new nation. Large paintings adorn the massive walls of the cathedral, gifts from benefactors in France. Included in these are the Flaying of Saint Bartholomew by Preti , The Crucifixion by Van Bree , and several others by Draghi of Genoa, Italy painted in the 1600's. In 1952 thieves broke into the cathedral, and cut away several of the paintings, transported them to Chicago and sold them to an art dealer. The FBI investigated and about six years later the paintings were found, returned to the cathedral, and the thieves were tried, convicted and sentenced to prison. The paintings were located just as they were being prepared for shipment to a buyer in Europe. In recent years, a gallery in California had a painting by one of these artists and wanted to compare the two to be sure of their authenticity. So St. Joseph's painting was carefully shipped to California and in the process the gallery there also had it cleaned before they returned it to Kentucky. This was a VERY expensive project, thus it is the only painting that has been cleaned. It does make it appear a little lighter than the other paintings gracing these walls. The present organ is a pipe organ with a two manual console , electronically connected to the valves that play the approximately 3900 pipes. Built by Kilgen and others, it was installed in 1942. The center of a Catholic church is always the altar of sacrifice. A simple stone slab was the first altar used in this cathedral. Weighing more than 4000 pounds, and about 12 feet in length,this altar top likely was drug into place while the roofing was not yet installed and perhaps before all of the walls were up. During the pastorate of O'Connell from 1879 to 1920, a carved wooden altar likely a product of craftsmen in Germany , was in-stalled in the sanctuary replacing the original stone altar table. The original stone altar table was rotated and then deposited beneath the floor, where it remained until 1978. A marble communion railing was put in place and ornate confessionals were installed, closing major access to the calefactories. These statues were sent over from Europe also. This painting in the center of the ceiling and paintings on the upper walls above the columns were painted later by American artists. We were so fortunate to have a tour guide to ourselves as we were the only ones touring at this time. She grew up an raised her family in this church so she was very knowledgeable. It was an enjoyable tour. Next we move on into Ohio Amish country before returning to our hometown and family.