COVINGTON, Ky. — Covington is renaming two blocks after the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, which as home to St. Mary’s Parish is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington.
"Cathedral Square" will refer to the area between 11th Street and M.L. King Jr. Boulevard/12th Street and Scott Boulevard and the CSX Transportation railroad tracks, following an order passed by the Covington Board of Commissioners Tuesday night. The name is meant to capture the "history, significance, and distinctiveness" of the area, according to a press release from the city.
While the Basilica serves as the centerpiece, Cathedral Square also includes the 79-year-old Covington Latin School; the Cathedral Lyceum, which houses the Diocesan offices; the Parish Office of the Cathedral; and St. Mary’s Park.
The technically unfinished Basilica includes a 67-foot by 24-foot stained glass window, 32 gargoyles and 26 chimeras, an interior modeled after the Abbey church of St. Denis, and a façade modeled after Notre Dame Cathedral.
Ground broke on the Basilica in 1894 with stop-and-start construction ending in 1915. There are only four "major" basilicas in the world, all located in Rome, but the Covington church is one of 89 "minor" basilicas in the United States. In 1953, it was the eighth to receive the status. The city's neighbors in Cincinnati became home to the 89th "minor" basilica when St. Peter in Chains Cathedral earned the status in June 2020.
For an inside look at the Cathedral, a virtual tour is available online.
Haeli Spears is a digital producer with Spectrum News 1 Kentucky. She is a University of Louisville graduate who started her career with Spectrum News in May, 2020.