Christ Church Cathedral

Founded in 1796, Christ Church Cathedral is the oldest Episcopal church in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A small frame building stood on the present site where The Rev. James Moore became the first rector as well as the first president of Transylvania University. Seven years later, in 1803, a proper church building of brick replaced the small frame house and in 1809 the parish was formally organized.

The present building is the fourth to occupy the site and was erected in 1848. Additions and renovations across two centuries have preserved the historic structure and the church itself is relatively unchanged. The last additions to the parish and educational facilities were made in 2000. The history of the church is evident as you view the fine grisaille windows as well as the stained glass windows, the marble altar and many other memorials throughout the chancel and nave.

Christ Church first became a cathedral in 1897 and remained so until 1944 when then bishop, The Rt. Rev. H.P. Almon Abbott, made the decision to discontinue the designation of Christ Church as the cathedral of the diocese. In 1989, under the episcopacy of The Rt. Rev. Don A. Wimberly, Christ Church was returned to Cathedral status and remains so today.

More information on the history of Christ Church Cathedral may be picked up at our Welcome Center, or by calling the church at 254-4497.