Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral
This magnificent structure began with the laying of its cornerstone in July 1816. Five years of hard work by its Bishop, Benedict Joseph Flaget, to raise enough money to begin the building had preceded this historical day in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States. St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral is the first west of the Allegheny Mountains and is listed by the U.S. Library of Congress as a national landmark possessing exceptional interest and worthy of careful preservation. Having been sufficiently completed in 1819 for services to be held, it stood in the Kentucky wilderness as a monument to the faith, toil, and zeal of the French priest, Benedict Joseph Flaget, who became the Bishop of the Diocese of Bardstown, and to the families of the area both Catholic and Protestant. It truly became a consecrated sanctuary; a work of many human hands! This historic edifice contains fine paintings and other gifts from Europe donated by Pope Leo XII, Francis I, King of the Two Sicilies, and King Louis Phillippe of France, just to name of few.
In 1775, Catholic settlers, mostly of English and Irish descent, began emigrating chiefly from Maryland to Kentucky, an outpost of the crown colony of Virginia. The first missionaries came around 1787. In 1808, the four new Catholic dioceses, created at the request of Bishop Carroll of Baltimore, included Bardstown along with Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. The new diocese of Bardstown covered almost the entire Northwest Territory, to the south including Tennessee, and as far north as Detroit.
In 1811, the founder of the Diocese, Bishop Flaget, arrived at Bardstown, traveling down the Ohio River by flatboat and overland from Louisville by wagon. He was accompanied by a group of seminarians. Bishop Flaget was able to complete a small brick church near Bardstown in 1816 named St. Thomas. Soon he was consumed with the idea of erecting a cathedral of majestic proportions. Since most of the settlers were very poor, people contributed their materials and their labor as carpenters and masons to build the cathedral. Architect and builder of the Cathedral was John Rogers of Baltimore. Bricks were baked on the grounds. Solid poplar trees cut from the wilderness were lathed in a circular pattern to form the stately columns supporting the building.
The Cathedral was consecrated in 1819, though the interior was not fully completed until 1823. When the Episcopal See was moved forty miles away to the fast growing city of Louisville in 1841, St. Joseph's changed from a Cathedral parish to a parish church with the title "Proto-Cathedral." In 1995, Bardstown was named a Titular See by the Vatican for its contributions to Catholic Church heritage in America. Once again, Bardstown, only one of three titular dioceses in the U.S., has a bishop, though in an honorary capacity.
St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral campus is adjacent to Spalding Hall and Flaget Hall of what was originally St. Joseph College, which are all on the National Historic Register.
Today, St. Joseph’s community of nearly 5,000 parishioners maintains and operates the oldest standing cathedral in the United States where worship is the heart of all we do and are. Parish Life builds community, provides faith formation, cares for the sick, and buries the deceased. We reach outside ourselves to the broader community and assist Nelson County’s less-fortunate citizens with furniture, clothing, and food. We extend a hand to the needy in our diocese, nation, and internationally. Our mission is catholic- universal.
The cache is a small magnetic container located around the front-facing entrance of the Church. You may park in the church lot. Please bring a writing utensil, and tweezers would be useful. Beware of muggles!