Visitors to downtown Louisville often stop on the Fifth Street sidewalk in front of the Cathedral of the Assumption. They take a moment to look up at the spire, read the historic plaques, view the statue of Mother Catherine Spalding and take photos, said Father Frederick W. Klotter, pastor of the cathedral.
Watching visitors “marvel” at the cathedral’s beauty and history is one of his joys as pastor, Father Klotter said in a recent interview. As tourists conclude their weekend visit to the city with Sunday Mass, he likes to chat with them, he said.
“I wish that more of our own citizens could see Louisville through the eyes of our tourists because they have a real appreciation of some of the beautiful things that we have down here.”
— Father Frederick W. Klotter
“I wish that more of our own citizens could see Louisville through the eyes of our tourists because they have a real appreciation of some of the beautiful things that we have down here,” he said.
The Jubilee Year 2025 provides an additional incentive to visit the historic cathedral, located at 433 South Fifth Street. Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre has designated the cathedral as a pilgrimage site for the Jubilee Year. In announcing the Holy Year, the late Pope Francis called Catholics to be renewed as “Pilgrims of Hope.”
The cathedral is one of six pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of Louisville. Each site offers an opportunity for the faithful to receive a plenary indulgence. (See the decree from Archbishop Fabre listed below.)
The Cathedral of the Assumption was completed in 1852, but its roots reach deeper into the past.
The Diocese of Louisville, forerunner to the archdiocese, was established in 1808 at the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Ky. In 1841, the seat of the diocese was moved to Louisville, to what was then St. Louis Church. (The diocese became an archdiocese in 1937.)
St. Louis parish can be traced to 1805, when the congregation received regular visits from Father Stephen T. Badin, the first priest ordained in the United States. In 1811, the first St. Louis Church was built on Tenth Street.
In 1830, a new St. Louis Church was constructed on Fifth Street — the current site of the cathedral. In 1831, Mother Catherine Spalding began Presentation Academy in the basement of the church.
Under the pastoral care of Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget, who is buried in the cathedral’s undercroft alongside Bishop Peter Joseph LaVialle, the present cathedral building began construction around the old St. Louis Church in 1849, and was dedicated in 1852.
Architect William Keely designed the cathedral in an American Gothic style. In 1858, following a fire, the steeple was rebuilt by architect Henry Whitestone to a height of 287 feet, and was considered the tallest spire in the country at the time.
Since its construction, the cathedral building has undergone three significant renovations — in 1912, 1972 and, most recently, in 1994.
Over the years, the cathedral has played a role in some of the challenges Louisville has faced. In 1855, during the Bloody Monday riots, the cathedral was searched for ammunition by the mayor to avoid the threat of a siege.
During the Civil War, the cathedral hosted a memorial Mass for fallen soldiers from both sides. During the First World War, the pastor Father Patrick Malachy Joseph Rock conducted a survey and found that about 700 individuals stopped in the church for prayer each day.
In the historic 1937 flood, the cathedral — untouched by the waters — housed and fed survivors. In the 1930s, the cathedral began serving daily lunches to those in need, a ministry that continues to be one of the cathedral’s biggest ministries.
The original St. Louis Church and the cathedral have welcomed a range of distinguished visitors, including St. Mother Theodore Guerin, Thomas Merton, Servant of God Dorothy Day, the 14th Dalai Lama, Muhammed Ali, the nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre and King Charles III and Queen Camilla (who were, at the time, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall).
Catholics of the Archdiocese of Louisville have plenty of opportunities to visit the cathedral during its many archdiocesan liturgies — such as the Red Mass for those in the legal profession, the Chrism Mass and the Mass of Thanksgiving for couples celebrating milestone anniversaries.
The feast of the Assumption, August 15, is also worth considering for a visit, said Father Klotter.
He noted that Catholics are invited to make the journey to the cathedral as pilgrims, which requires intentionality.
“Intentionality is important — to realize that you’re coming into the mother church of the archdiocese,” he said.
For those able to make the pilgrimage, following are some “things to see” during a visit:
- The baptismal font
The current baptistry — found at the entrance of the church — is constructed of pink granite and bronze and includes the original baptismal font. Marble from the original Communion rail surrounds the baptismal pool.
- The historic window
The historic “Coronation of the Virgin” window is one of the oldest and largest hand-painted glass windows in the country. The 38-foot high and nine-foot wide window hung in the original cathedral until the renovation in 1912, when it was replaced by a window depicting Mary’s Assumption. It was stored in the bell tower until the 1994 renovation, when it was returned to its original location.
- The four paintings
Four large oil portraits hang in the front of the church. The paintings — gifted to Bishop Flaget by Pope Gregory XVI — were displayed at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in 1825, when their subjects were beatified. St. Angelo of Acri — the subject of one of the paintings — was canonized in 2017.
- The ceiling fresco
The large mural above the altar depicts Mary’s Assumption into heaven. The fresco, which covers a 10-by-10-foot area, dates to 1852. It was painted over in 1964 during a repair of the ceiling. In the 1994 renovation, it was restored.
- The altar and candlesticks
The altar includes a base of gray marble from the original high altar. The plaque depicting a sacrificial lamb — on the front of the altar — is believed to have belonged to Bishop Flaget. The bronze candlesticks around the altar are original to the church and were used on the high altar.
- The cathedra (bishop’s chair)
The more than 150-year-old cathedra is situated behind the altar, facing the people. The cathedra is the seat of the bishop, and is placed in the cathedral of a diocese.
Its current upholstery features a marshalled coat of arms incorporating the diocese’s coat of arms and Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre’s personal arms.
- The Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross, painted on canvas, are original to the cathedral. They were replaced and stored in a cellar underneath the church in 1912, but were rediscovered during an excavation for the undercroft.
- The vaulted ceiling and walls
The cathedral’s vaulted ceiling contains more than 8,000 hand-stenciled, six-pointed stars. The walls are faux-painted to create the appearance of limestone.
- The gallery
The gallery is original to the cathedral. The center of the loft contains a pipe organ built by the Steiner-Reck Company of Louisville in 1983. The side gallery was once a separate space where enslaved individuals attended Mass.
- The Eucharistic Chapel
The Eucharistic Chapel, located behind the sanctuary, can be accessed through the wooden doors to the right of the sanctuary.
In the hallway to the chapel is a sculpture titled “The Cross of the Millennium.” The artistic piece, composed of clear acrylic resin, is a replica of a piece presented to St. John Paul II by the artist, Frederick Hart. It is on loan from Mark Fischer.
The chapel contains the cathedral’s tabernacle, where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. The bronze tabernacle was designed by Louisville artist Raymond Graf, who incorporated white marble from the original high altar into the design.
- Statue of Mother Catherine Spalding
A life-size bronze statue of Mother Catherine Spalding, designed by Louisville artist Raymond Graf, greets visitors to the cathedral on the front sidewalk. Mother Catherine, the co-founder of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, began Presentation Academy in 1831 in the undercroft of what was then the St. Louis Church basement. In 1832, following a cholera outbreak, she cared for orphaned children, as depicted in the statue.
The cathedral is typically locked outside of Mass times. To view the Mass schedule, visit cathedraloftheassumption.org. The Archdiocese of Louisville History Center, located across from the cathedral at 424 South Fifth Street, is open most Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Guided tours of the cathedral and history center can be scheduled by calling the office at 582-2971. A free audio guide can be found on the cathedral’s website: cathedraloftheassumption.org/history/audio-tour.
Other archdiocesan pilgrimage sites include the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours in Louisville, the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Ky.; the Church of St. Augustine in Lebanon, Ky., Holy Cross Church in Loretto, Ky. and the Church of St. Helen in Glasgow, Ky.
This is the third in a series featuring the archdiocesan pilgrimage sites for the 2025 Jubilee Year. Tim Tomes, archivist of the Archdiocese of Louisville, contributed to this story. Sources also include “Hallowed Ground” by Father Clyde Crews and The Record archives.
