GPS City GuideLouisvilleChrist Church Cathedral

Stop 25 of 27 · Louisville audio walking tour

Christ Church Cathedral

Louisville · 1824 · Louisville's oldest church building

What you'll hear here: about a minute of narration about Christ Church Cathedral, and how it fits Louisville, written to be listened to on the spot rather than read at home.

Christ Church Cathedral is the oldest church building in Louisville. This congregation was founded on May 31, 1822, and the original church building was completed in 1824. For its time the original 1824 building was considered a marvel of architectural beauty, and most of that original fabric stands today as the oldest church building in Louisville.

In May 1894 Christ Church became the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Kentucky, and later work enlarged the building; the original 1824 work remains the principal part of the Nave of the enlarged Christ Church Cathedral. A new Romanesque Revival facade was added in 1870, a bold layer that reshaped the church's street face. The structure's long history was federally recognized when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Stand here and imagine the congregation that began in 1822, the hands that completed the building in 1824, and the changes of 1870 and 1894 that made this both a neighborhood church and a diocesan cathedral. Notice the Romanesque Revival facade added in 1870 and the nave that still preserves most of the 1824 building.

Where it is

Coordinates
38.25194, -85.75361
Area
Louisville
Era
1824 · Louisville's oldest church building
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Three stops free. No account needed. The audio plays itself as you walk.