The Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches is a rural region in the western part of the U.S. state of Ohio, centered near Maria Stein in Mercer County. Its name is derived from the dense concentration of large Catholic churches that dominate the area's architecture. These and other buildings were constructed by the Society of the Most Precious Blood under the oversight of the missionary priest Francis de Sales Brunner. Under his leadership, the Society founded many churches and schools in the region, as well as several seminaries.
The earliest buildings from the mid-19th century were mostly small wooden or simple brick structures. Most of these were replaced in later construction periods; only two from this generation are still in use as churches.
Many of the massive Gothic revival churches that remain today were built in the late 19th century and early 20th century by Anton DeCurtins or his descendants. The churches of the region have changed little since the early 20th century, and only one new parish has been established since 1925. [1]
In 1976, many churches in the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches were added to the National Register of Historic Places, along with a small number of church-related buildings. These buildings are detailed in the chart below; each is listed under the name by which it appears on the Register.
St. Augustine's Catholic Church is a historic Gothic Revival-style Roman Catholic church building located on North Hanover Street in Minster, Ohio, United States. Located in the region of western Ohio known as the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches," the church was built in 1848. In 1874, the building was modified with the construction of twin Gothic spires designed by Anton Goehr.
St. Patrick's Church is an historic Roman Catholic church in Glynwood, an unincorporated community in Moulton Township, Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. Located north of U.S. Route 33 between St. Marys and Wapakoneta, the church was built in 1883 in the Gothic Revival style. It is one of many large Catholic churches in a region of rural western Ohio known as the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches," which was settled by primarily Catholic immigrants during the nineteenth century.
St. Anthony's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Padua, an unincorporated community in Washington Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Built in the late nineteenth century, it remains the home of a functioning congregation, and it has been recognized as a historically significant building because of its architecture.
Holy Family Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Wayne Township, Darke County, Ohio, United States. Located in the unincorporated community of Frenchtown, it houses an active congregation, and it has been accorded historic site status because of its well-preserved Gothic Revival architecture.
St. Patrick's Catholic Church was a Roman Catholic church in northwestern Shelby County, Ohio, United States. Located in the southwestern corner of Van Buren Township, the church sat at the intersection of Hoying and Wright-Puthoff Roads in the unincorporated community of St. Patrick.
St. Remy's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Russia, Ohio, United States. Built in 1890, it continues to house an active parish, and it has been recognized as a historic site because of its architecture.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Egypt, Ohio, United States. Built in 1887, this church is home to a small Catholic parish, and it has been declared a historic site because of its well-preserved Gothic Revival architecture.
Holy Rosary Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish on the east side of St. Marys, Ohio, United States. Established in 1852, the church has been recognized for its historic 1860s church building, which was demolished amid a period of growth in the 1970s and replaced with a modernist structure.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Wapakoneta, Ohio, United States. Built in 1910, this church is home to an active Catholic parish, and it has been declared a historic site because of its well-preserved Romanesque Revival architecture.
St. Louis Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in North Star, Ohio, United States. Constructed in the early twentieth century, it is one of the newest churches in a heavily Catholic region of far western Ohio, but it has been recognized as a historic site because of its unique architecture.
St. Nicholas Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Osgood, Ohio, United States. Built in the first years of the 20th century, it houses one of the newest parishes in a heavily Catholic region of far western Ohio, but it has been recognized as a historic site for its architecture.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Botkins, Ohio, United States. Erected in 1865, the parish owns a complex of buildings constructed in a wide range of years, including two that have been designated as historic sites.
Precious Blood Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Chickasaw, Ohio, United States. Erected in 1903 and still an active parish, the church historically owned two buildings constructed in its early years that have been designated as historic sites.
St. Sebastian's Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Located in the unincorporated community of Sebastian, it is the home of an active congregation and has been declared a historic site because of its well-preserved early twentieth-century Gothic Revival architecture.
The Gruenwald Convent is a historic former Roman Catholic convent in the far western part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of the small community of Cassella in Mercer County, the convent was built in 1854. It is one of six convents that were built by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in this portion of Ohio and in adjacent portions of far eastern Indiana, and one of only two that remain without significant alterations.
St. Aloysius Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic church in Carthagena, an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Built in the late nineteenth century, it remains the home of an active parish, and it has been designated a historic site because of its well-preserved architecture.
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church is a historic Catholic church in Cassella, an unincorporated community in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. One of several Catholic churches in Marion Township, it has been designated a historic site because of its well-preserved nineteenth-century architecture.
Cassella is an unincorporated community in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. Located at 40°24′22″N84°33′8″W, it lies at an elevation of 955 feet (291 m). Situated at the intersection of State Route 119 and Cassella-Montezuma Road in western Marion Township, it lies in the headwaters of Beaver Creek to the south of the city of Celina, the county seat of Mercer County. Other nearby communities include Maria Stein, 3 miles (4.8 km) to the east, Carthagena, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north, and St. Henry, 4 miles (6.4 km) to the west.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Celina, Ohio, United States. Founded later than many other Catholic parishes in the heavily Catholic region of western Ohio, it owns a complex of buildings constructed in the early 20th century that have been designated historic sites because of their architecture. Leading among them is its massive church, built in the Romanesque Revival style just 43 years after the first Catholic moved into the city: it has been called northwestern Ohio's grandest church building.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in McCartyville, Ohio, United States. Founded in the late nineteenth century, it remains an active parish to the present day. Its rectory, which was built in the early twentieth century, has been designated a historic site.
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