The Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral is no stranger to visitors. With more than two centuries of history and a prime location on the Bourbon Trail, the minor basilica regularly welcomes tourists and pilgrims interested in learning about Kentucky’s Catholic roots.
But, this year, the proto-cathedral is expecting even more visitors. Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre designated the proto-cathedral as a pilgrimage site for the Jubilee Year — themed “Pilgrims of Hope.” It is among six pilgrimage sites in the archdiocese. Each site offers an opportunity for the faithful to receive a plenary indulgence — see the decree from Archbishop Fabre listed below.
The designation as a pilgrimage site “speaks to the longevity of the church,” said Father Randall Hubbard, pastor.
As the term proto suggests, the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral was the first cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains and first cathedral of the Diocese of Bardstown, forerunner to the Archdiocese of Louisville. It’s construction began in 1816 and it is now the oldest standing cathedral in the United States.
The cathedral “endured all of these years, and is still a vibrant parish” that supports the community, said Father Hubbard.
The parish currently hosts 57 ministries — ranging from the Bread for Life Food Pantry to multiple church choirs, said Kim Hovious, the pastoral associate of the basilica.
“We are a big part of the Bardstown community,” Hovious said.
Father Hubbard, who was assigned as pastor less than a year ago, has found the community “affirming and edifying,” he said. “They are truly salt of the earth and people of great faith.”
It’s the parishioners’ ties to the history of the parish that make it a unique pilgrimage site, Hovious said.
“We have people coming in on 100 (years old) who have been in this parish since they were baptized, and sitting in the same pew Sunday after Sunday,” she noted. “Generation on generations of families” have been parishioners at the parish, regardless of who was at the pulpit.
The parish has several parishioners who, possessing knowledge about the basilica’s history, have become docents, or tour guides for visitors, she said. Among them is Fred Hagan, whose Catholic roots in Bardstown can be traced back seven generations.
During the Jubilee Year, he’s been actively reading about the archdiocese’s history — which is intertwined with his family’s history, he said during a tour of the basilica Feb. 28.
“The people in this parish have deep roots in this community and deep roots in this parish, and a lot of love for the history and the sacredness of this church,” Hovious said.
As the two major feasts of St. Joseph, the basilica’s patron, draw near, parishioners are excited to share their love for the parish with pilgrims of the archdiocese, said Hovious. The feast of St. Joseph is on March 19 and the feast of St. Joseph the Worker is on May 1.
While there are plenty of sights to engage the senses during a visit to the proto-cathedral, Father Hubbard suggested that pilgrims “take the opportunity to allow yourself to become quiet.”
He hopes that pilgrims may be filled with hope through their visit to the historic proto-cathedral, he said.
“We’re happy that they are able to — in this jubilee year — come to one of the churches in our diocese that has given us hope for 200-plus years,” he said.
Pilgrims may choose to spend time in adoration, held Monday through Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. in the west chapel of the proto-cathedral.
Tours are available to pilgrims weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or Saturdays by request. Jubilee candles are available for sale in the parish office. For more information regarding hours and Mass times, visit stjosephbasilica.org.
Other archdiocesan pilgrimage sites include the Cathedral of the Assumption and the Shrine of St. Martin of Tours in Louisville, the Church of St. Augustine in Lebanon, Ky., the Church of St. Helen in Glasgow, Ky. and Holy Cross Church in Loretto, Ky.
For those able to make the pilgrimage, the following are suggestions of “things to see” during a visit:
- The basilica’s exterior
“The bricks were hand-formed out of Kentucky red clay,” said Hovious. At the time of construction, the Christians in the area “came together to build,” she said, noting that Protestants in the area helped with construction. The 10 commandments, which can be viewed on either side of the exterior, paid homage to them, she said.
It is also likely that enslaved individuals were involved in the building’s construction.
- The cornerstone
As pilgrims enter or exit the basilica, they may notice the cornerstone — made of native limestone — which was laid in 1816, when construction began on the cathedral.
“It is reported that when this cathedral was built, it was the second largest building in the United States after the Capitol Building,” said Hovious.
The cornerstone was rediscovered in 1989 during a remodeling of the building’s porch.
- The altar rails and altar stone
During the pastorate of Father C. J. O’Connell, who served the parish from 1879 to 1920, the original altar stone was replaced by a carved wooden altar. The altar stone was lowered underneath the floor, and remained there until 1978, when it was dug up and restored.
The high altar now contains the original altar stone.
The marble altar rail was installed in 1908. When the proto-cathedral received the basilica designation in 2001, sections of the altar rail were moved closer to the high altar, and a section of the rail was constructed for the main altar, said Hagan.
- Signs of a basilica
When the church was named a minor basilica in 2001, it received special items from the Vatican that signify its status as a minor basilica. These include an umbraculum, which looks like a red and gold umbrella, and the tintinnabulum, or bell.
“The umbraculum and bells have never been opened and never been rung, and they will only ever be utilized when the pope visits,” Hovious said.
“When the pope visits, we will ring our bell and open our umbraculum. You don’t ever close your umbraculum tightly — you keep it in a relaxed state, so that you’re always ready for the Holy Father to visit,” she said.
- Historic tabernacle and bishop’s seat
The copper tabernacle was donated by France’s King Charles X in 1824.
“The tabernacle and our seat are both original and have been there since the beginning,” when Bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget, the first bishop of the Diocese of Bardstown, constructed the church, said Hovious.
- Poplar tree column
Only the most observant visitors may notice that the base of one of the proto-cathedral’s columns reveals a Kentucky poplar tree, the wood used for the basilica’s columns, said Hovious.
The base of one column has a glass side where a visitor can see the wood, bearing marks of tools used in the construction of the columns. The poplar tree was commonly used in construction because it is termite resistant, Hovious added.
- European art
The large paintings on the walls of the proto-cathedral were the first of their kind in Kentucky, said Hovious. At the time, “the ability for people to see beautiful works of art wasn’t accessible,” she noted.
Bishop Flaget “appealed to some of his friends in the monarchies in Europe for gifts, donations,” in hopes that the art would encourage visitors to the proto-cathedral, Hovious said.
One painting — the Flaying of St. Bartholomew, a piece painted in Naples in 1650 by Mattea Preti — often captures the attention of visitors because it is “a little brighter” than the others in the basilica that have darkened with age, Hovious said. The painting was on loan for many years at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles and underwent restoration, she noted.
Visitors may also be surprised to learn that several of the paintings — including the Flaying of St. Bartholomew — were stolen in 1952, said Hovious. They were cut from their frames, and so the frames hung empty until the paintings — otherwise undamaged — were recovered in New York and Chicago.
- Modern paintings
On the basilica’s ceiling is a painting of St. Joseph, the proto-cathedral’s patron, and images of the 12 disciples are painted on the building’s interior arches. The instrument used for their martyrdom is to the left of each disciple’s image.
These saints were depicted by local Bardstown artist, Jim Cantrell in 1985.
The paintings were inspired by parishioners and others in the Bardstown community, Hovious said.
“They are familiar faces to us,” bearing resemblance to parishioners who sit in the pews, she said. “I love that he used our friends and our neighbors as his inspiration,” which poses the questions, “‘Can you see yourself in the saints? Can you see others in the saints?,’ ” she said.
Tim Tomes, archivist of the Archdiocese of Louisville, contributed to this story. “Basilica of St. Joseph Proto Cathedral” by Dixie Hibbs was used as a source.
A decree from Archbishop Fabre, states the following:
