Immaculata Church
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Immaculata, or Immaculata Church, is a Roman Catholic
church atop Mt. Adams, a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio
. The Church is located at 30 Guido Street. The church commemorates the Immaculate Conception
and serves the Holy Cross–Immaculata Parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
. Located at 30 Guido Street, it allows a breathtaking view of the Ohio River
below from one of the highest points in Cincinnati.
, for the German
congregation in the city's Mt. Adams neighborhood. Archbishop John Baptist Purcell
decided to build the church while praying during a severe storm at sea. He promised God that if he survived, he would build a church on the city's highest point.
The nearby Holy Cross parish primarily served Irish immigrants. When the Holy Cross monastery closed in 1977, the parishioners joined with Immaculata to become the Holy Cross–Immaculata parish. The Mt. Adams Preservation Association raised enough funds to commission the restoration of seven paintings by Johann Schmitt. The paintings were mounted over the main altar and side altars between 1863 and 1870. http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/kade/springer/Ch4/ch4_p2.html A painted scroll stretches above the main altar across a depiction of the Immaculate Conception. In German
, it reads:
On December 29, 1978, the Immaculate Conception Church, School, and Rectory was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
. The school and rectory have since been closed.
In August 2005, workmen began chipping out bricks and glass block where a rose window once stood. The original had been lost in a storm. The new window came from Saint Bonaventure Church, which was closed and torn down in 2003. Fr. Neiheisel and Holy Cross Immaculata pastoral assistant Bill Frantz salvaged a colorful, round, stained-glass rose window that had stood over the altar. Neiheisel then raised $44,000 to have the window reinforced, enlarged with an 18-inch ring of additional glass, and ultimately set into the Holy Cross-Immaculata wall behind a layer of strong, protective glass. http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4828.0
the faithful ascend 85 steps to the church's front door from the neighborhood below while praying the Rosary
. An additional 65 steps start at the base of Mt. Adams, with a pedestrian bridge over Columbia Parkway
connecting the two paths. The steps were originally made of wood, but in 1911, the City of Cincinnati helped the church build concrete steps.
Each year in February members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians
knock on the church door and ask permission to remove the statue of St. Patrick. The Priest invokes the intercession
of St. Patrick. With bagpipes
leading the way the six foot statue of St. Patrick leaves the church and starts his Mini Parade through Mt. Adams.
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
church atop Mt. Adams, a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. The Church is located at 30 Guido Street. The church commemorates the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
and serves the Holy Cross–Immaculata Parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati covers the southwest region of the U.S. state of Ohio, including the greater Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan areas. The Archbishop of Cincinnati is Most Rev...
. Located at 30 Guido Street, it allows a breathtaking view of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
below from one of the highest points in Cincinnati.
History
The church was built in 1859, just before the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, for the German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
congregation in the city's Mt. Adams neighborhood. Archbishop John Baptist Purcell
John Baptist Purcell
John Baptist Purcell was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cincinnati from 1833 until his death in 1883, and was elevated to the rank of Archbishop in 1850.-Biography:...
decided to build the church while praying during a severe storm at sea. He promised God that if he survived, he would build a church on the city's highest point.
The nearby Holy Cross parish primarily served Irish immigrants. When the Holy Cross monastery closed in 1977, the parishioners joined with Immaculata to become the Holy Cross–Immaculata parish. The Mt. Adams Preservation Association raised enough funds to commission the restoration of seven paintings by Johann Schmitt. The paintings were mounted over the main altar and side altars between 1863 and 1870. http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/kade/springer/Ch4/ch4_p2.html A painted scroll stretches above the main altar across a depiction of the Immaculate Conception. In German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, it reads:
- O Maria, ohne Suende empfangen, bitte fuer die Bekehrung dieses Landes, Amerika.
- (O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for the conversion of this country, America.)
On December 29, 1978, the Immaculate Conception Church, School, and Rectory was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The school and rectory have since been closed.
In August 2005, workmen began chipping out bricks and glass block where a rose window once stood. The original had been lost in a storm. The new window came from Saint Bonaventure Church, which was closed and torn down in 2003. Fr. Neiheisel and Holy Cross Immaculata pastoral assistant Bill Frantz salvaged a colorful, round, stained-glass rose window that had stood over the altar. Neiheisel then raised $44,000 to have the window reinforced, enlarged with an 18-inch ring of additional glass, and ultimately set into the Holy Cross-Immaculata wall behind a layer of strong, protective glass. http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4828.0
Traditions
The Immaculata Church has served since 1860 as a pilgrimage church, where on Good FridayGood Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
the faithful ascend 85 steps to the church's front door from the neighborhood below while praying the Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
. An additional 65 steps start at the base of Mt. Adams, with a pedestrian bridge over Columbia Parkway
Columbia Parkway
Columbia Parkway is an expressway/parkway extending from Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio to the Village of Fairfax, and serving as US-50 on Cincinnati's east side. It was constructed in the Art Deco architectural style in 1938 as part of the New Deal...
connecting the two paths. The steps were originally made of wood, but in 1911, the City of Cincinnati helped the church build concrete steps.
Each year in February members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians
Ancient Order of Hibernians
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be Catholic and either Irish born or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in New York City in 1836...
knock on the church door and ask permission to remove the statue of St. Patrick. The Priest invokes the intercession
Intercession
Intercession is the act of interceding between two parties. In both Christian and Islamic religious usage, it is a prayer to God on behalf of others....
of St. Patrick. With bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
leading the way the six foot statue of St. Patrick leaves the church and starts his Mini Parade through Mt. Adams.
