A place of beauty, conversion

St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is ‘the European experience in America’

St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Ky. Photo: gnagel/iStock

As the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary this summer, Catholic Digest recommends a pilgrimage to a remarkable basilica. Just a few miles across the Ohio River from Cincinnati in Covington, Kentucky, stands a true testament to God’s beauty and the human ability to create stunning architecture and art.

St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is a Gothic church dedicated in 1901. Its façade, finished in 1910, is patterned after the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Pope Pius XII bestowed the honor of “minor basilica” on the cathedral in 1953 because of “its unusual beauty.” Today it’s one of 85 minor basilicas in the United States. (The world’s four major basilicas are in Rome.)

“St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption stands as a testimony to the deep faith of the people of the Diocese of Covington who, in much more difficult times, rallied to build this tribute to the Lord and to their faith,” Bishop Roger Foys said. “It continues to stand today as that witness. It is a sign that when people have deep faith and come together they can do miraculous things.”

Stephen Enzweiler, the cathedral historian and a docent, tells the story of a man who had been away from the faith whose life was spiraling out of control. Desperate, he came into the basilica one day, sat in front of the Blessed Sacrament for a long time, and wept. After several visits, he had a reconversion experience, turned his life around, and now regularly attends Mass.

“A lot of people have conversion experiences,” Enzweiler said. “A lot of people who come to see the art say that this reminds them of Europe. And in fact, this is the European experience in America.”

The basilica features 82 stained-glass windows that were handmade at the studios of Franz Mayer & Co. in Munich. Biblical events illustrated include scenes from the infancy narratives, Jesus’ miracles, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the Conversion of St. Paul. The stained glass also depicts images of the sacraments, such as the penitent woman anointing Jesus’ feet (Penance and Reconciliation) and the wedding of Mary and St. Joseph (Matrimony).

Devotional shrines can be found throughout the basilica. Shrines are dedicated to Mary, St. Joseph, the Sacred Heart, St. Anthony, St. Patrick, and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Outside the basilica are gardens. Features here include a statue titled the Immaculate Conception and a statue of Our Lady of LaSalette.

Despite all of this, the basilica remains unfinished.

“It’s finished when God wants it to be finished, which is like the journey of faith,” Enzweiler said.

Below, Catholic Digest gives you a small sampling of the basilica’s stunning art and spiritual places.

Sources: A Short Tour of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption (Self-Guided Tour) pamphlets; CovCathedral.com, NGA.gov, and Stephen Enzweiler

On the air:

Managing Editor Paul McKibben appeared on “Driving Home the Faith with Fr. Rob Jack” on Sacred Heart Radio in Cincinnati. McKibben’s segment begins at about the 6:17 mark.

The exterior of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. The basilica has 32 gargoyles and 26 chimeras (detail BELOW). These are copied from parapets of Notre Dame in Paris. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

A closer view of the exterior of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

A close-up of the cathedral’s west façade. The tympanum (the space above the center doors) depicts Mary’s assumption into heaven, the basilica’s titular dedication. Clement Barnhorn, a local sculptor, carved the tympanum in 1914. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

A view of the altar and the stained-glass windows behind it. The green marble surface of the altar and the German oak pulpit were installed in the 1950s. To the left is the oak cathedra. A cathedral is “the official church of the bishop of a diocese. The Greek word cathedra means chair or throne; the bishop’s ‘chair’ symbolizes his teaching and governing authority” (Glossary, Catechism of the Catholic Church). Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

The basilica’s north transept window, measuring 67 feet by 24 feet. It depicts the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 that proclaimed the humanity and divinity of Jesus and that Mary is the Mother of God. [See next photo BELOW.] The upper portion of the window is Our Lady’s Coronation in heaven. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

Detail, The basilica’s north transept window, measuring 67 feet by 24 feet. It depicts the Council of Ephesus in A.D. 431 that proclaimed the humanity and divinity of Jesus and that Mary is the Mother of God. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

A stained-glass window in the basilica’s Blessed Sacrament Chapel depicting the first U.S. Eucharistic Congress. It took place in Washington in 1895. The cleric holding the monstrance is Covington Bishop Camillus P. Maes, who acquired the land to build the basilica and attended the congress. The figures in the lower left are modeled after Theodore Mayer and sons, who made the windows. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

The basilica’s apse is 54 feet in depth. The baldacchino is within the apse. The figures were sculpted in Cologne from German oak. From left to right in this image are Mary, Our Lord crucified, and St. John the Apostle. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

One of the basilica’s 14 Stations of the Cross that depict Christ’s passion and death. The mosaics were created in Venice, Italy. They are reproductions of paintings by Max Schmalzl, a Redemptorist brother from Germany. Each mosaic contains 70,000 to 80,000 enamel glass tiles with gold and mother-of-pearl highlights. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

Detail of one of the Stations of the Cross at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Ky. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

A rose window and an organ at the rear of the basilica. The rose window is 26 feet in diameter, with floral designs around a tiara. The tiara was once a formal papal ceremonial headpiece. The basilica’s other rose window also measures 26 feet in diameter. Located in the south transept, it contains the Greek letters alpha and omega, which are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. This symbolizes Christ, who is the beginning and the end. Photo: Lisa Julia Photography/Bayard, Inc.

Frank Duveneck’s murals

One of Covington’s native sons has left a piece of his artistic legacy at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.

The Blessed Sacrament Chapel features a three-panel triptych on the east wall showing three eras of worship and a mural on the west wall depicting one of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. Each work has Eucharistic themes.

Frank Duveneck (1848–1919), the son of German immigrants, painted both pieces. Duveneck studied and worked in Europe and became a world-renowned artist.

The triptych is read right to left. The far-right panel shows the sacrifice of the Old Law, the middle panel depicts Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and the last panel shows a modern Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The mural on the west wall depicts Jesus breaking bread with two disciples at Emmaus (see Luke 24).

Triptych by Frank Duveneck at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Covington, Ky. Photo: Stephen Enzweiler

Mural by Frank Duveneck of the Emmaus story in Luke 24 at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Ky. Photo: Stephen Enzweiler

To learn more:

St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is located at 1140 Madison Ave. in Covington, Kentucky, minutes from downtown Cincinnati. Tours are available. Visit CovCathedral.com for more information.