Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains

1826 to 1900 In 1826, five years after Pope Pius VII erected the Diocese of Cincinnati, Bishop Edward Fenwick dedicated the first St. Peter's Cathedral in Cincinnati. It was located at what is now St. Francis Xavier Church. By the 1840s, the massive growth of the Catholic population in Southern Ohio had rendered St. Peter's obsolete. In December 1840, Bishop John Baptist Purcell purchased a lot on Plum Street in Cincinnati for a new cathedral. He laid the cornerstone for the new cathedral in May 1841. In 1855, the archdiocese completed the front portico of the cathedral and added gas lighting to the building. After the American entry into World War I in April 1917, the archdiocese arranged a retreat at the cathedral for 600 men who had enlisted in the U.S. Army. A memorial service was held at the cathedral in December 1963 for US President John F. Kennedy, who had been assassinated in Dallas, Texas, the previous month. A similar service was held in April 1968 for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, that month. In June 1974, Mother Teresa visited the cathedral to receive the Peace Prize from the North American Federation of the Third Order of St. Francis.In 1976, the cathedral hosted Polish Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, who two years later was elected Pope John Paul II. == Architecture ==

Exterior St. Peter in Chains has a single spire made of white limestone that rises above street level. For many decades, the spire made the basilica the tallest structure in Cincinnati. The columns on the front portico are high, symbolizing the number of years in Jesus' life. The first tower bells were dedicated in 1851. The next year, the archdiocese installed a clock that would play music using the bells every three hours. It was replaced in 1930. Twelve Dutch bells were added to the tower in 1957 and the entire system was refurbished in 2010. Interior A massive mosaic fills the apse at the rear wall of the sanctuary. Composed of Venetian glass, the mosaic is high and wide. It was created by the German artist Anton Wendling. The mosaics show a young Christ sitting on a throne, his right hand giving a blessing. At his feet is the Apostle Peter, receiving the keys of authority from Christ's left hand. There are two scenes at the bottom of the mosaic. One scene shows the Apostle Paul visiting Peter in prison in Rome, the other scene showing an angel unchaining Peter. The cathedral flooring is a dark green marble, with white marble designs. The marble all originated from Italy, replacing the original oak flooring. The Corinthian columns around the altar are made of a French blue marble. == Artworks ==

• A replica of Michelangelo's Pieta is located in the baptistery. It was purchased for the cathedral by its benefactors. • The cathedral owns a missal stand from 15th or 16th century Spain. It belonged to Cardinal Ximenes de Cisneros, private chaplain to Queen Isabella I of Castile. It is made of oak with ivory inserts. • A processional cross use by the cathedral is fitted with a corpus, or figure, of Christ that was made by the Italian goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini in the 16th century. • The walls of the nave contain a series of murals depicting the stations of the cross. These were painted by the American artist Carl Zimmerman. ==See also==