Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral

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The inside of the Neo-Classical Greek Revival Cathedral

This, the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, is a Greek revival structure located at 8th and Plum Streets in downtown Cincinnati. Saint Peter in Chains was begun with the laying of its cornerstone on 20 May 1841, under the direction of then-bishop---later archbishop---John Baptist Purcell, and formally dedicated on 2 November 1845. Its striking single spire, which soars to two-hundred and twenty feet above street level, was the tallest man-made structure in the city for many decades, and is constructed of pure white limestone.

The first Saint Perer's was located at Sixth and Sycamore Street, in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was dedicated on December 17, 1826, which is now the site of St. Francis Xavier Church and became the seat of the First Bishop.

The large stone angels that were on each side of the main altar were created by Odoardo Fantacchiotti in the late 1840's. They now grace the Cincinnati Art Museum's Cincinnati wing. They were among the first European sculptures to come to Cincinnati.[1]

The interior of Saint Peter in Chains is distinctly unique among Roman Catholic cathedrals in America, with its Greek-themed mosaics depicting the Stations of the Cross, its ornate Corinthian columns and its massive bronze doors.

Saint Peter in Chains was, from 1938 until 1957, replaced as Archdiocesan cathedral in favor of the more modern Saint Monica's in Clifton Heights, north of downtown, however, under Archbishop Karl Joseph Alter's far-sighted urban-renewal program, the church underwent significant restoration and expansion in the mid-1950s, and on 3 November 1957, amid much celebration and fanfare, was re-dedicated a cathedral. Today Saint Peter in Chains is home to a thriving and diverse faith community, with parishioners attending Mass there from throughout Greater Cincinnati and beyond. In 1977 the cathedral hosted a visit from Polish Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, who the following year became Pope John Paul II. To date more than two-dozen Roman Catholic bishops have been consecrated within its walls, and the cathedral is a popular venue for weddings, as well as the annual ordination of the Archdiocese’s priests and deacons.