The cornerstone of Old St. Mary's Church was laid in 1841 by Father John Martin Henni and the community of recent German immigrants that settled in the area then known as Over-the-Rhine. As the parish was strapped for money, the women of the town baked the bricks in their home ovens while the men hewed trees for the massive beams that still adorn the church's ceiling.
Visitors today will see a stunning exterior of various architectural styles that include Greek Revival, Baroque, Romanesque, and Gothic, hints of each displayed in the pilasters, entablature, round windows, and quatrefoil openings of the church. The rich, gold-embellished interior is just as impressive with its fifteen-foot-high paintings of the Virgin Mary and the beautiful Bavarian-style stained glass windows.
The altar features the relics of a female martyr that were discovered in 1844 in the Roman catacombs and brought to the church by its first pastor. The church, which is the oldest in Cincinnati, offers free guided tours, as well as weekly masses in Latin, German, and English.
