St. Peter in Chains Cathedral at 8th and Plum Streets is considered a gem of Cincinnati architecture. At the time of its consecration in 1845, St. Peter was the second permanent cathedral in the United States. Planning began shortly after Bishop John Purcell arrived in Cincinnati in 1838 and bought the land for the cathedral for $24,000, a considerable amount for the time.
The total cost of the neoclassical design by Henry Walter came to $120,000. In 1938, when Archbishop John McNicholas transferred the location of the Archdiocese to St. Monica’s in Fairview, St. Peter’s became neglected, and many feared that it would be razed. But in 1951, these fears were allayed when Archbishop Karl J. Alter transferred the Archdiocese back to St. Peter in Chains.
In 1957 the cathedral underwent a $3 million expansion and renovation overseen by German—American architect Edward J. Schulte, and was appointed with “Stations of the Cross” by Karl Zimmerman, as well as German mosaics. Today, St. Peter in Chains hosts some of Cincinnati’s most prestigious choral events, such as 2009’s concert of the Vienna Boys’ Choir.
St. Peter in Chains Cathedral
Photo by: Laura Laugle
Bibliographical Sources:
The Bicentennial Guide to Greater Cincinnati: A Portrait of Two Hundred Years, by Geoffrey J. Giglierano, Deborah A. Overmeyer, with Frederic L. Propas, The Cincinnati Historical Society, 1988, page 73
