St. Xavier Church – Art and Environment
From the awe-inspiring scale of the structure to the tiniest details, St. Francis Xavier Church is truly a wonderful building. No wonder that it is such a popular venue for weddings!
View a slideshow of exterior and interior photos
Read this wonderful history and virtual tour, written by a St. X Parishioner. Better yet, print it out, come to the church and use it as your guide for an in-depth tour!
A historical tour of St. Francis Xavier Church!
Growth, Tragedy and Rebirth
The present building, completed in 1861, is the third one on this site. The first Catholic church in Cincinnati, a little wooden structure built in 1819 at Liberty and Vine, was moved here on rollers in 1821. In that year Catholic churches were no longer forbidden within city limits, the city became the seat of the first Ohio diocese, later to be an archdiocese, and an era of explosive population growth began in Cincinnati. Within five years a larger brick church replaced the little wooden one.
In 1840 the bishop began plans for a new cathedral at 8th and Plum, and prevailed upon the Jesuits to accept the running of this parish. When the cathedral was completed in 1845, this church was dedicated to St. Francis Xavier. Within fifteen years the parish had grown to the point of yet another expansion. In 1859 the cornerstone for this building designed by Cincinnati architect Louis Picket was laid, and the first Mass was celebrated within its walls in 1861.
A large mid-century influx of Irish immigrants challenged the sensibilities of Cincinnati’s original German settlers. In response, St. Louis church, nearby but closer to Over the Rhine, became “the German church” and St. Xavier “the Irish church.” The 1882 St. Patrick’s Day parade departed from these steps. Three weeks later, on April 7, 1882, a devastating fire gutted the interior of the church, and destroyed the spire. Despite tremendous damage, the church was restored within a year, with the spire rebuilt by Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford. With the exception of two windows behind the main altar, the original windows survived, although some are obscured by the 20th century vestibule and choir loft. Today this elaborately decorated building, notable for its pointed arches, spires, gargoyles, finials, and many marble altars, is considered the finest example of Gothic Revival in Cincinnati.
In 1987, the interior furnishings were reconfigured to conform to changes called for by the Second Vatican Council. The marble reredos, or back, of the main altar remains, but the altar itself, the Communion rail and elaborate pulpit were removed. The new altar is closer to the congregation, and the new pulpit, or ambo, alongside it retains the wooden sculptures of the original pulpit, symbolic representations of the four Evangelists. Two Reconciliation rooms, at the rear of the church, have replaced ten confessionals. The baptismal pool was designed and built by Cincinnati potter Michael Frasca.
The Windows
The windows behind the main altar depict St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, and St. Francis Xavier, holding a crucifix as symbol of his role as patron of the missions. These windows date from the reconstruction of 1883, and are artificially lit from behind. Many small pieces of stained glass form the background for the pair of saints as well as most of the rose window above, but painted glass is used for the finer details such as faces and hands. In the center of the round window is a late-Renaissance symbol of God, the all-knowing eye surrounded by a triangle, the Trinity, and emitting rays of light which signify infinite holiness.
Stylistically different are the lancet windows, original to the 1861 building. Each window holds painted rounds depicting Christian symbols. Clockwise from the sanctuary, the first pair shows a host and chalice, representing the body and blood of Christ; and a book, on which appear the alpha and the omega, first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, signifying God as the beginning and end. The second pair shows the tablets of the Ten Commandments and the Holy Bible. In the third pair are Greek letters, IHS being the first three letters of “Jesus,” and the chi and rho which begin the word “Christ;” and again the alpha and omega, meaning that Jesus Christ, son of God, is the beginning and the end. The fourth pair of windows recalls the crucifixion. On the left are nails, hammer and pliers; on the right, in front of a Roman ax and whip, the crown of thorns drapes over a scroll marked with the monogram “INRI”, standing for “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”, the sign placed on the cross by the Romans.
The gray figures in the fifth pair of windows are two symbols of the four Evangelists. Each symbol includes wings, which are a sign of Divine Mission. The winged lion represents Mark, whose gospel emphasizes the resurrection of Christ. Legendary natural history held that lions were born dead but came to life three days later, echoing the story of Christ’s resurrection. Luke is represented by the winged ox. The ox, a sacrificial animal of the Jews, reminds us of Luke’s emphasis on the priestly and sacrificial aspects of Christ. The sixth pair of windows shows the papal tiara, the three-tiered headdress alluding to his leadership role as bishop, as final church authority, and as worldwide leader, and the keys to Heaven, given by Jesus to the first pope, St. Peter; and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, afire with love and surmounted by a crown of thorns, together with the cross, and the anchor of hope.
The next two window pairs are obscured by the vestibule and the choir loft, closed to the public, which has a magnificent Wicks organ of 39 ranks, or sets of pipes. The seventh pair of windows holds symbols of the bishopric. The mitre is the bishop’s formal liturgical headdress; the lattice-work metropolitan, indicating the leader among dioceses, signifies that this was the site of the first cathedral of this archdiocese, and the crosier, a quite elaborate version of the shepherd’s crook, recalls that the bishop is responsible for the spiritual care of his flock. The keys to Heaven acknowledge the role of the church in leading people to God.
The gray figures of the eighth pair of windows face each other in their respective rounds, as if in recognition of their positions as first and last of the Gospels. Matthew’s winged man refers to his gospel emphasizing the Incarnation, the humanity of Christ. John’s gospel is represented by the eagle, a sign of the Resurrection, and also an acknowledgment of John’s mystical contemplation of Christ’s divine nature. The ninth pair show Christ’s cross and crown, his Resurrection a triumph over death; and the pelican, which, according to legend, pierced its breast to feed its young, as Christ gave His life for us.
The tenth pair of windows belong to Mary. Her symbol, a rose, indicates her freedom from Original Sin. This recalls the legend that the rose grew, free of thorns, in Paradise, until the fall of Adam and Eve. At that point, it descended to earth and acquired its thorns to remind man of his sins. “Ave Maria” was the angel’s greeting when he came to ask her to be the mother of God. Her heart, in the adjoining window, is pierced by the seven sorrows she faced as Jesus’ mother. They are the prophecy of Simeon predicting her sufferings, the flight into Egypt, the loss of young Jesus in the temple, facing him along the Way of the Cross, his crucifixion, receiving his dead body into her arms, and the burial of her son. In the eleventh pair is the dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit, along with the Easter lamb, sign of Jesus as the appropriately innocent and pure sacrificial victim. In the twelfth pair of windows, lightning marks the moment of Christ’s death on the cross, while the cloth, no longer holding the corpse of Jesus, whips in the wind; the monstrance displays the consecrated host, showing Christ’s continuing presence.
The Mural
The mural was painted in 1924 by Cincinnati artist Charles C. Svendsen. The left two sections depict influential Jesuits gathered around St. Ignatius, who looks upward to see the Lord blessing this assembly of Jesuits. Faintly visible is the cross, which Ignatius embraced in his missionary work. From the far left are Claude de la Columbiere, also represented at a side altar, and Joseph Pignatelli, with a book, who kept the order intact during its suppression, 1773-1814. In the larger grouping, clockwise from lower left are Francis Borgia, third Superior General and former Spanish prime minister; Robert Bellarmine in cardinal robes, a brilliant 16th and 17th century theologian; Peter Faber, the first Jesuit ordained a priest; St. Ignatius; and Francis Jerome, Italian street preacher credited with promoting monthly Communion. Stanislaus Kostka, Aloysius Gonzaga and John Berchmans, the “boy saints”, are represented in another side altar, inspiration for the young men who studied in this parish.
In the large section to the right, Mary blesses Jesuit missionaries, while behind her the shoreline indicates the distant lands these missionaries would seek. The central figure is Francis Xavier, raising his arms over two kneeling figures who represent the thousands he baptized. Also kneeling is Alphonsus Rodriguez, patron of Jesuit Brothers, those not seeking to be ordained priests. Standing left to right are Peter de Smet, a missionary to the Native Americans in western North America; Peter Claver, who served slaves in South America; John Francis Regis, his staff topped by a cross, a preacher in rural 17th century France; Edmund Campion, with a palm, covert minister to 17th century English; Isaac Jogues, missionary to Native Americans in what is now New York and Canada; and Peter Canisuis, apostle of Germany following the Reformation. Finally, Robert Southwell, with a palm, another secret missionary to Queen Elizabeth I’s England, is next to Andrew Bobola, missionary to eastern Europe.
The Statues
The marble statues of the reredos, all saints from the murals, are, left to right, Peter Canisius, Ignatius Loyola, Robert Bellarmine, and Alphonsus Rodriguez, with St. Francis Xavier above. The far left side altar holds the tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, the adoring angels and hanging lamp moved here from the sanctuary in 1987. Above the tabernacle is a mosaic of the seal of the Jesuits: rays surrounding the “IHS”, cross, and three nails.
The diagonal altar to the right, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, emphasizes a God who loves rather than a God who judges, as presented in visions to Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th century French Visitation nun. Her statue is to the right, and to the left, Claude Columbiere, her spiritual director and supporter. The altar frontal shows Jesus appearing to Margaret Mary.
The other diagonal altar is dedicated to the “boy saints,” their youth, purity and holiness shown by lilies and crown on the frontal. In the center Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of youth, died at 23 while still a scholastic. John Berchmans, on the left, was also a scholastic at his death at age 19. Stanislaus Kostka died at age 18 as a novice in the Society. The last altar is a shrine to Mary, here surrounded with lilies, the votive candles in front representing the prayers of those who light them.
There is no record of statues being in the two empty niches. Of those lining the church interior, clockwise from the side door and handicap access are Joseph, Mary’s spouse and patron saint of workers; Isaac Jogues, his mutilated hands a sign of his torture and martyrdom; Patrick, patron of Ireland; Therese of Lisieux, “the Little Flower;” a painting of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, the patroness of the Americas; and the wooden Pieta, Mary holding her dead son, carved by artists in the Austrian town of St. Ulrich, renowned for its outstanding woodcraft.
The Way of the Cross, fourteen reliefs along the walls, recalls Jesus’ suffering and death. Outside the door, in the right vestibule is Anthony, patron of miracles. In the left, the large crucifix, survivor of the fire, commemorates the parish missions of 1877 and 1878.
