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{{short description|Historic church in Ohio, United States}}
{{Infobox NRHP
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Holy Cross Church, Rectory and School
| name = Holy Cross Church, Rectory and School
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type =
| image = Holy Cross Church (Columbus, Ohio) - winter.jpg
| image = Holy Cross Church (Columbus, Ohio) - winter.jpg
| image_size = 180
| image_size = 220
| caption = View of the church building from E. Rich St. in Columbus
| caption =
| location = 212 S. 5th St., [[Columbus, Ohio]]
| location = 212 S. 5th St., [[Columbus, Ohio]]
| coordinates = {{coord|39.9585|-82.9931|region:US-OH_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|39.9585|-82.9931|region:US-OH_type:landmark|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
Line 10: Line 11:
| map_caption = Interactive map highlighting the church's location
| map_caption = Interactive map highlighting the church's location
| built = 1848
| built = 1848
| architect = Cornelius Jacobs; George H. Maetzel
| architect = Cornelius Jacobs; [[George H. Maetzel]]
| architecture = Gothic Revival
| architecture = Gothic Revival
| added = April 26, 1979
| added = April 26, 1979
| area = {{convert|0.5|acre}}
| area = {{convert|0.5|acre}}
| refnum = 79001837<ref name=nris>{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| refnum = 79001837<ref name=nris>{{NRISref|version=2010a|refnum=79001837}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988334 | title=Ohio SP Holy Cross Church, Rectory and School | series=File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Ohio, 1964 - 2013 }}</ref>
}}
}}


'''Holy Cross Church, Rectory and School''' is a historic church and home to an active [[Parish (Catholic Church)|parish]] in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus]]. It is located in the Discovery District neighborhood of [[Columbus, Ohio]] at 212 S. 5th Street. The “Mother Church of Columbus”,<ref name="A history from the parish website">{{cite web|title=A Brief History of Holy Cross Church |url=http://www.holycrosscatholic.com/pages/history.shtml}}</ref> Holy Cross Church is a [[Gothic Revival]] church building that was constructed in 1848 making it the oldest [[Christianity|Christian]] church building in Columbus.<ref name="2008_CT_article">{{cite web|last=Puet|first=Tim|title=Holy Cross Parish is small but busy|url=http://www.colsdioc.org/Portals/0/Departments/CTO/Documents/2008/September%2014%202008.pdf}}</ref> It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1979.
'''Holy Cross Church''' is a historic church and home to an active [[Parish (Catholic Church)|parish]] in the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus]] located in the [[Discovery District (Columbus, Ohio)|Discovery District]] neighborhood of [[Columbus, Ohio]]. The [[Gothic Revival]] building was completed in 1848 and is the oldest church in Columbus.<ref>{{Cite web |last=https://news.wosu.org/people/deepti-hossain |date=2018-04-04 |title=Curious Cbus: What's The History Of Catholics In Columbus? |url=https://news.wosu.org/news/2018-04-04/curious-cbus-whats-the-history-of-catholics-in-columbus |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=WOSU News |language=en}}</ref> The church, along with the school and rectory also on the property, was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1979.<ref name="2008_CT_article">{{cite web|last=Puet|first=Tim|title=Holy Cross Parish is small but busy|url=http://www.colsdioc.org/Portals/0/Departments/CTO/Documents/2008/September%2014%202008.pdf}}</ref> The parish was suppressed and its territory absorbed by [[St. Joseph Cathedral (Columbus, Ohio)|St. Joseph Cathedral]] in 2023, but remains open for public Masses.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Diocese announces suppression of St. Ladislas, Corpus Christi, Holy Cross parishes |url=https://catholictimescolumbus.org/news/the-catholic-times/diocese-announces-suppression-of-st-ladislas-corpus-christi-holy-cross-parishes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418135520/https://catholictimescolumbus.org/news/the-catholic-times/diocese-announces-suppression-of-st-ladislas-corpus-christi-holy-cross-parishes |archive-date=18 April 2023 |access-date=18 April 2023 |website=Catholic Times of Columbus}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=26 March 2023 |title=March 26 2023 Bulletin Holy Cross Church |url=https://holycrosscolumbus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Holy-Cross-3-26.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418194318/https://holycrosscolumbus.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Holy-Cross-3-26.pdf |archive-date=18 April 2023 |access-date=18 April 2023 |website=Holy Cross Catholic Church, Columbus}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[File:Holy Cross Catholic Church (C-bus, OH), exterior, detail, statue of Christ, Follow Me.jpg|left|thumb|Statue of [[Christ]] on the ''[[Via Dolorosa]]'' on the church exterior]]
[[File:Holy Cross Catholic Church (C-bus, OH), exterior, detail, statue of Christ, Follow Me.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Statue of [[Christ]] on the ''[[Via Dolorosa]]'' on the church exterior]]
During the early 1800s, the first Catholics in Columbus were visited only occasionally by traveling priests of the [[Dominican order]]. When Father Thomas Martin, [[Dominican Order|OP]] visited Columbus in May 1833, a group of five local landowners (Samuel and Margaret Crosby, Nathaniel and Caroline Medbury, and Phoebe Otis) met with him and proposed to gift property at Fifth and Walnut streets to the [[Catholic Church]] provided that a church building be constructed and in use within five years’ time. That building, [[Saint Remigius]] Church, was dedicated on April 29, 1838.
During the early 1800s, the first Catholics in Columbus were visited only occasionally by traveling priests of the [[Dominican order|Dominican Order]]. When Father Thomas Martin, [[Dominican Order|OP]] visited Columbus on May 15, 1833, a group of five local landowners (Samuel and Margaret Crosby, Nathaniel and Caroline Medbury, and Phoebe Otis) met with him and proposed to gift property at Fifth and Walnut streets to the [[Catholic Church]] provided that a church building be constructed and in use within five years’ time. That building, [[Saint Remigius]] Church, was dedicated on April 29, 1838.


Measuring at just 55 feet long and 30 feet wide, Saint Remigius Church was planned as a temporary place of worship that would later be turned into a school. The pastors at Saint Remigius also served the Catholics in neighboring cities in addition to the parish's own primarily German congregation.
Measuring at just 55 feet long and 30 feet wide, Saint Remigius Church was planned as a temporary place of worship that would later be turned into a school. The pastors at Saint Remigius also served the Catholics in neighboring cities in addition to the parish's own primarily German congregation.


Father William Schonat became the first resident priest in 1843. By then, the growing Catholic population in Columbus necessitated a larger church building. At Father Schonat's request, the parish was renamed “Holy Cross”. The present structure was completed in 1848, just as Irish immigrants began to arrive in Columbus to escape the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]]. This influx of migrants eventually split off to form [[Saint Patrick Church (Columbus, Ohio)|Saint Patrick Church]], though they continued to share Holy Cross while the new church was being built.<ref name="2008 Catholic Times article">{{cite web|last=Puet|first=Tim|title=Holy Cross: 175 Years Serving the City |url=http://www.colsdioc.org/Portals/0/Departments/CTO/Documents/2008/September%2014%202008.pdf}}</ref>
Father William Schonat became the first resident priest in 1843, the same year the first rectory at the site was finished.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Clarke |first=D.A. |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924012522870/page/2/mode/2up |title=Diocese of Columbus : the history of fifty years, 1868-1918 |publisher=Diocese of Columbus |year=1918 |location=Columbus |pages=173 |language=en}}</ref> By then, the growing Catholic population in Columbus necessitated a larger church building. At [[Henry Damian Juncker|Father Juncker]]'s request, the parish was renamed “Holy Cross”. The present structure was completed and consecrated by bishop [[John Baptist Purcell|John Purcell]] on January 16, 1848,<ref name=":1" /> just as Irish immigrants began to arrive in Columbus to escape the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]]. This influx of migrants eventually split off to form [[Saint Patrick Church (Columbus, Ohio)|Saint Patrick Church]], though they continued to share Holy Cross while the new church was being built.<ref name="2008 Catholic Times article">{{cite web|last=Puet|first=Tim|title=Holy Cross: 175 Years Serving the City |url=http://www.colsdioc.org/Portals/0/Departments/CTO/Documents/2008/September%2014%202008.pdf}}</ref>

A frame school for the parish - the first parochial school in Columbus - was built in 1843, and initially staffed by lay teachers. In 1856, Fr. Casper Borgess, the pastor of the church, brought [[Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur]] from Cincinnati to teach, the first religious women to teach in the city.<ref name=":1" /> Beginning in 1872, the boys of the parish were taught by [[Society of Mary (Marianists)|Marianist]] brothers from Dayton.<ref name=":1" />

A fire in June 1877 burned most of the high altar and caused $20,000 of damage. Following repairs, bishop [[Augustus Toebbe]] of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington|Diocese of Covington]] rededicated the church in 1880.<ref name=":1" />

=== Suppression and Merger with St. Joseph Cathedral ===
Citing "demographic changes... a decline in the number of registered parishioners, a decline in Mass attendance, decline in offertory revenue, and the shortage of priests..."<ref name=":0" />, bishop [[Earl K. Fernandes|Earl Fernandes]] suppressed the parish and merged its territory with that of [[St. Joseph Cathedral (Columbus, Ohio)|St. Joseph Cathedral]] on April 5, 2023. Holy Cross will continue to serve as a site of worship.<ref name=":2" />


==Exterior==
==Exterior==
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==Interior==
==Interior==
[[File:Holy Cross Catholic Church (Columbus, Ohio) - interior, sanctuary decorated for Laetare Sunday.jpg|left|thumb|Church sanctuary decorated for [[Laetare Sunday]]]]
[[File:Holy Cross Catholic Church (Columbus, Ohio) - interior, sanctuary decorated for Laetare Sunday.jpg|thumb|Church sanctuary decorated for [[Laetare Sunday]]]]
Many murals adorn the church interior. Two murals near the sanctuary depict [[Helena (empress)|Saint Helena]] finding the [[True Cross]] and the presentation of the True Cross to [[Pope Sylvester I|Pope Saint Sylvester]]. Other murals along the sides of the [[nave]] include the [[Annunciation]], the [[Nativity of Jesus]], the [[Finding in the Temple]] of the [[Child Jesus]], the [[Resurrection of Jesus]], and the [[Ascension of Jesus]].
The many frescoes in the church were painted in the summer of 1884 for $4200.<ref name=":1" /> Two murals near the sanctuary depict [[Helena (empress)|Saint Helena]] finding the [[True Cross]] and the presentation of the True Cross to [[Pope Sylvester I|Pope Saint Sylvester]]. Other murals along the sides of the [[nave]] include the [[Annunciation]], the [[Nativity of Jesus]], the [[Finding in the Temple]] of the [[Child Jesus]], the [[Resurrection of Jesus]], and the [[Ascension of Jesus]].


The two manual, six rank pipe organ was built by [[Page Organ Company]] in 1928. It was installed in the Fayette Theater ([[Washington Court House, Ohio]]) before it was moved to Holy Family Church in [[Franklinton, Ohio]] in 1947. The organ was moved to Holy Cross in 1981.<ref name="Pipe organ profile">{{cite web|title= Pipe organ profile – Holy Cross Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio |url= http://www.n8rrb.com/pipeorgans/holycrosscc/ }}</ref>
The two manual, six rank pipe organ was built by [[Page Organ Company]] in 1928. It was installed in the Fayette Theater ([[Washington Court House, Ohio]]) before it was moved to Holy Family Church in [[Franklinton, Ohio]] in 1947. The organ was moved to Holy Cross in 1981.<ref name="Pipe organ profile">{{cite web|title= Pipe organ profile – Holy Cross Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio |url= http://www.n8rrb.com/pipeorgans/holycrosscc/ }}</ref>
Line 44: Line 52:


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category|Holy Cross Catholic Church (Columbus, Ohio)}}
* [http://holycrosscatholic.com/ Official website]
* [http://holycrosscatholic.com/ Official website]


{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{commons category|Holy Cross Catholic Church (Columbus, Ohio)}}
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus}}


[[Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio]]
[[Category:Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Ohio]]
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[[Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1848]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1848]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Buildings in downtown Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Downtown Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 20:36, 11 February 2024

Holy Cross Church, Rectory and School
Map
Interactive map highlighting the church's location
Location212 S. 5th St., Columbus, Ohio
Coordinates39°57′31″N 82°59′35″W / 39.9585°N 82.9931°W / 39.9585; -82.9931
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1848
ArchitectCornelius Jacobs; George H. Maetzel
Architectural styleGothic Revival
NRHP reference No.79001837[1][2]
Added to NRHPApril 26, 1979

Holy Cross Church is a historic church and home to an active parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus located in the Discovery District neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The Gothic Revival building was completed in 1848 and is the oldest church in Columbus.[3] The church, along with the school and rectory also on the property, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[4] The parish was suppressed and its territory absorbed by St. Joseph Cathedral in 2023, but remains open for public Masses.[5][6]

History

[edit]
Statue of Christ on the Via Dolorosa on the church exterior

During the early 1800s, the first Catholics in Columbus were visited only occasionally by traveling priests of the Dominican Order. When Father Thomas Martin, OP visited Columbus on May 15, 1833, a group of five local landowners (Samuel and Margaret Crosby, Nathaniel and Caroline Medbury, and Phoebe Otis) met with him and proposed to gift property at Fifth and Walnut streets to the Catholic Church provided that a church building be constructed and in use within five years’ time. That building, Saint Remigius Church, was dedicated on April 29, 1838.

Measuring at just 55 feet long and 30 feet wide, Saint Remigius Church was planned as a temporary place of worship that would later be turned into a school. The pastors at Saint Remigius also served the Catholics in neighboring cities in addition to the parish's own primarily German congregation.

Father William Schonat became the first resident priest in 1843, the same year the first rectory at the site was finished.[7] By then, the growing Catholic population in Columbus necessitated a larger church building. At Father Juncker's request, the parish was renamed “Holy Cross”. The present structure was completed and consecrated by bishop John Purcell on January 16, 1848,[7] just as Irish immigrants began to arrive in Columbus to escape the Great Famine. This influx of migrants eventually split off to form Saint Patrick Church, though they continued to share Holy Cross while the new church was being built.[8]

A frame school for the parish - the first parochial school in Columbus - was built in 1843, and initially staffed by lay teachers. In 1856, Fr. Casper Borgess, the pastor of the church, brought Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur from Cincinnati to teach, the first religious women to teach in the city.[7] Beginning in 1872, the boys of the parish were taught by Marianist brothers from Dayton.[7]

A fire in June 1877 burned most of the high altar and caused $20,000 of damage. Following repairs, bishop Augustus Toebbe of the Diocese of Covington rededicated the church in 1880.[7]

Suppression and Merger with St. Joseph Cathedral

[edit]

Citing "demographic changes... a decline in the number of registered parishioners, a decline in Mass attendance, decline in offertory revenue, and the shortage of priests..."[5], bishop Earl Fernandes suppressed the parish and merged its territory with that of St. Joseph Cathedral on April 5, 2023. Holy Cross will continue to serve as a site of worship.[6]

Exterior

[edit]

The property is located on 0.165 acres at the corner of South 5th and East Rich Streets in Columbus.[9] The church is constructed of over 800,000 bricks. It features a prominent statue of Jesus on the Via Dolorosa with the inscription “Follow Me”, and clock tower with a steeple and belfry. The “Follow Me” statue covers an inscription that reads “God forbid that I should glory, but in the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me and I to the world”, a quote from the Epistle to the Galatians.[10]

The rectory and the school were built of brick in 1861 and 1871, respectively.[11]

Interior

[edit]
Church sanctuary decorated for Laetare Sunday

The many frescoes in the church were painted in the summer of 1884 for $4200.[7] Two murals near the sanctuary depict Saint Helena finding the True Cross and the presentation of the True Cross to Pope Saint Sylvester. Other murals along the sides of the nave include the Annunciation, the Nativity of Jesus, the Finding in the Temple of the Child Jesus, the Resurrection of Jesus, and the Ascension of Jesus.

The two manual, six rank pipe organ was built by Page Organ Company in 1928. It was installed in the Fayette Theater (Washington Court House, Ohio) before it was moved to Holy Family Church in Franklinton, Ohio in 1947. The organ was moved to Holy Cross in 1981.[12]

The Munich-style stained glass windows were created by Zettler Studios. The windows were stored on a German dock during World War I until they were finally shipped to Columbus after the war.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register Information System – (#79001837)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Ohio SP Holy Cross Church, Rectory and School. File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Ohio, 1964 - 2013.
  3. ^ https://news.wosu.org/people/deepti-hossain (2018-04-04). "Curious Cbus: What's The History Of Catholics In Columbus?". WOSU News. Retrieved 2023-07-28. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  4. ^ Puet, Tim. "Holy Cross Parish is small but busy" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b "Diocese announces suppression of St. Ladislas, Corpus Christi, Holy Cross parishes". Catholic Times of Columbus. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b "March 26 2023 Bulletin Holy Cross Church" (PDF). Holy Cross Catholic Church, Columbus. 26 March 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Clarke, D.A. (1918). Diocese of Columbus : the history of fifty years, 1868-1918. Columbus: Diocese of Columbus. p. 173.
  8. ^ Puet, Tim. "Holy Cross: 175 Years Serving the City" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Parcel ID 010-035108-00".
  10. ^ "A Brief History of Holy Cross Church".
  11. ^ a b Puet, Tim. "Holy Cross: 175 Years Serving the City". Archived from the original on 2013-12-28. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
  12. ^ "Pipe organ profile – Holy Cross Catholic Church, Columbus, Ohio".
[edit]
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