St. Francis Seraph Church

The first Catholic church in the Greater Cincinnati area, Christ Church, was built on the site of St. Francis Seraph in 1819. Because of the anti-Catholic sentiment that existed in the city and troughout the country, the church was located north of Central Parkway where land was cheap and where there were no city taxes. When Edward Fenwick became bishop, he directed the relocation of the original church in 1822 to the current site of St. Xavier Church at Sixth and Sycamore, and St. Francis Seraph Church was constructed at the original location. Since Christ Church included a cemetery, many of those interred were relocated to other cemeteries, but some families saw it as an honor to have the graves of their ancestors placed under the new church. The crypt is located under the alter of the new church.

Current OwnerThe Franciscan Friars of the Province of St. John the Baptist

Unique FeaturesThe sanctuary is a "hall" type church with no height variation between the central and side aisles. Consequently, the church has very high windows and is flooded with daylight. McLaughlin mixed styles in the design of the church using Itanianate towers juxtaposed against a French rose window. The sanctuary houses unique art that traces its history. A painting in a nave is a replica of one in Tyrol, Austria where the Franciscans who founded the church originally lived. A painting of St. Francis of Assisi, the namesake of the church, was restored and shows St Francis' vision of a Seraphic angel. Paintings by Johann Schmitt, a Kentucky artist whose religious themed paintings were popular in this area, also adorn the walls. The Stations of the Cross originally hung in St Paul's Church and were relocated to St Francis Seraph when that church wa decommissioned.

Public AccessThe sanctuary is open to the public daily from 9am to 5 pm

Resourceshttp://www.sfsparish.org/

Original OwnerFranciscans Friars who emmigrated from Austria

Completion DateDecember 18, 1859 (dedication)

Original FunctionCatholic church serving the German speaking community of Cincinnati

StyleGerman Romanesque

ArchitectJames W. McLaughlin

1 W. Liberty Cincinnati, OH

Renovation History

1905 & 1906 : An apse was added to the church around 1905, and the building was reclad in glazed brick in 1906.

Over its many decades, this parish church has sought to meet not only the spiritual needs of its people but also the social and physical ones as well. In 1859, the Franciscans established St. Francis Seraph School. A soup kitchen opened in the 1980s to meet the needs of parishioners and neighbors. The parish was also responsible for the following: Sarah Center, a women's enrichment program, a parish nurse program, a lunch bag program for day laborers, a financial assistance program, and a hospitality center for homeless people.

ArchitectSamuel Hannaford (1925)