The Cathedral of the Assumption is a Catholic cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Louisville. As of 2025, it is the seat of Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, and the Very Reverend Frederick W. Klotter serves as rector.

History

St. Louis Church

The first Catholics arrived in present-day Kentucky in the 1770s from the Province of Maryland. They set up communities around Bardstown and its surrounding counties. Reverend Stephen Badin, the first priest ordained in the United States, periodically visited these communities while traveling west of the Alleghany Mountains.

Pope Pius VII in 1808 erected the Diocese of Bardstown, the only diocese in the interior of the United States. At that time, the diocese included most of Kentucky along with the future states of Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. The pope named Reverend Benedict Joseph Flaget as the first bishop of Bardstown.

In 1811, a small group of Catholics in Louisville formed Saint Louis Parish at 10th and Main Streets. The parish received its first resident pastor, Reverend Philip Hosten, in 1821. Hosten died one year later during an outbreak of yellow fever. By 1830, the parish had constructed a larger Saint Louis Church south of the Ohio River on Fifth Street. Over the coming decade, as the population grew in the American Midwest, the Vatican started subdividing the Diocese of Bardstown into other dioceses.

The cornerstone for the new cathedral was laid in 1849. Flaget died in February 1850, leaving it to his successor, Bishop Martin John Spalding, to complete the project. On October 3, 1852, the new cathedral was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Cathedral of the Assumption.

The Cathedral of the Assumption was nearly destroyed during Bloody Monday, a major anti-Catholic riot in August 1855. Members of the nativist Know Nothing Party attacked Irish and German immigrants, mainly Catholics, throughout Louisville, killing 22 of them. The rioters threatened to burn the cathedral, believing that it was hiding firearms in its basement. However, Louisville Mayor John Barbee, himself a Know-Nothing member, inspected the cathedral and said there were no weapons.

Louisville in December 1937 was ravaged by the Ohio River flood of 1937; during this disaster, the cathedral was opened as a shelter for those who had been displaced. Renovation began in 1988 with the removal of sections of the cathedral spire, along with the finial and cross. In June 1991, after 100 years of disuse, the restored cathedral undercroft was reopened. In February 1993, renovation on the main cathedral space began, lasting for nearly two years. The cathedral was rededicated in May 1994, with a completely renovated cathedral space. That same month, Archbishop Kelly moved into the cathedral rectory, making him the first bishop to live in Downtown Louisville in 120 years.

In June 1998, the cathedral spire and bell tower were completely renovated. In November 2000, the Cathedral of the Assumption and St. Louis of France Cathedral Parish in Jérémie, Haiti, formed a sister parish relationship. In May 2005, renovations began on the cathedral school building, which now houses the cathedral parish office.

Building

The cathedral complex houses the main cathedral building, with a eucharistic chapel in the rear, as well as the cathedral undercroft and St. Louis Hall, the Sandefur Dining Room for the homeless, the Patterson Education Center, the cathedral school building (housing the parish offices), and the rectory.thumb|192x192px|Altar, Cathedral of the Assumption (2006)|alt=

Altar

The altar incorporates a base of gray marble and a red granite table like the granite of the Baptismal pool. The gray marble was taken from the original high altar, which was removed from the back of the sanctuary in the renovation following Vatican II.

Baptistry

The baptistry is composed of pink granite and bronze metal; materials recycled from the original communion rail were used in the wall surrounded the baptism pool. The baptistry is located near the cathedral entrance to remind worshippers entering the building of their own baptisms.thumb|184x184px|[[baptism|Baptistry, Cathedral of the Assumption (2006)]]

Bell tower

The bell tower for cathedral is high; when constructed in 1858, it was the tallest steeple in North America. It contains two small bells and one large bell. The large bell was a gift from Archbishop Pelagio Antonio de Labastida y Dávalos of the Archdiocese of Mexico City.

Cathedra and ambo

thumb|298x298px|[[Cathedra, Cathedral of the Assumption (2006)|alt=]]

The cathedra is located behind the altar, is the official chair of the archbishop. It is an ancient symbol of the tradition and authority of the bishop in the life of the Church. The cathedra represents his three main offices of teaching, sanctifying and governing. The cathedra is upholstered in red suede, with the archdiocesan coat of arms on its back. The symbols on the coat of arms include:

  • The fleur de lis, representing Louisville's French heritage
  • A crozier
  • A Star of David, an early symbol of the Virgin Mary
  • A stockade and water flowing downward, representing Fort Nelson and the Ohio River
  • Arrowheads representing the native peoples in this area

The window was removed from the sanctuary in 1912 and installed in the bell tower., had been moved to the front of the tower, with a new Assumption window replacing it. In 1994, the archdiocese removed the window and hired the Conrad Schmitt Studios in New Berlin, Wisconsin, to restore it. The Coronation Window was then reinstalled in its former location in the sanctuary.

The blue ceiling contains 8,000 gold leaf pointed stars. The ceiling ribs are gray and ivory, outlined in gold leaf. Two wooden engravings, or bosses, are located on the ceiling.

  • One boss has the letters IHS, a Greek abbrieviation for Jesus Christ.
  • The second boss reads Virgo Maria, Virgin Mary in Latin. The nave walls are faux finished to resemble limestone blocks. The floor is white oak tongue-in-groove planking.

The center section of the loft railing is original, featuring small pointed arches with a reproduction of the design on the side sections. The gallery was originally divided into two sections, one for children, the other for enslaved people.

State ID Voucher Program

Volunteers assists clients in obtaining state IDs, which they need for admittance to homeless shelters, job applications and other assistance.

Pet Food Pantry

Distributes donated pet food to individuals with pets who are visiting the Sandefur Dining Hall.

The cathedral choirs have made three European tours, most recently in 2004 touring England and Ireland, singing at Killarney Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, and St. Martin-in-the-Fields under the direction of Dr. Phillip Brisson, director of music for the cathedral. The choirs have recorded two compact disks, and a third disk of their most recent international tour repertoire is in the planning stage. The cathedral choirs have also performed many times with the Louisville Orchestra.