St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption

St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, Kenton County

Front entrance to the cathedral.  Construction of the cathedral began in
1894 and ended in 1915 with the cathedral incomplete.  It remains
largely unfinished even today.

The original St. Mary's Church, the first Roman Catholic church in Covington,
opened in 1837.

This cathedral is one of 35 basilicas in the United States.  A cathedral may be elevated to the status of basilica
because of its "antiquity, dignity, historical importance, or significance as a center of worship."  Pope Pius XII
elevated St. Mary's to a basilica in 1953.

The cathedral contains 82 stained glass windows, one of which measures 24 feet by 67 feet and is one of the
 largest stained glass windows in the world.  The windows were all handmade in Munich, Germany.

There are two rose windows in the cathedral.  Each measures 26 feet in diameter.

The historic Matthias Schwab Organ (1859).  In 1975, when nearby St. Joseph's
 Church closed and it's parish combined with St. Mary's, this organ was hand-
carried pipe-by-pipe to the cathedral and re-assembled.  This is the main organ
(of three) in the church, and when all three are played together 4,576 pipes
echo throughout the cathedral.

On the rooftop, 26 gargoyles stand guard over the cathedral.  They were each hand carved in  Italy.  The
gargoyles symbolically protect the church from evil and practically help divert rainwater.

This little fellow is located in the cathedral gardens.

Notice the shape of the dove in the garden gate.

This copper bird feeder is one of the biggest I've ever seen!

My information came from the cathedral's website where you can find out much more about this Kentucky treasure.