basilica of st joseph proto-cathedral

They weren't giving tours when we were there. It's not the most elaborate Catholic church on the inside but the size is quite impressive.

This is another place built in early american history times. They have a person inside telling you about the place and answering any questions you might have. A neat place to visit.

Went to mass at this cathedral one Sunday morning. Built in 1800's and contains paintings donated by King Louis. Worth several million dollars today. In the 60's they were valued at $900,000. The acoustics were not that good however. Echoing everywhere. The church is beautiful and worth the stop.

Our tour guide was very nice but at times he was a little hard to understand, it's the only thing that kept me from rating this excellent. It was very interesting to hear about the history of this cathedral and the movement of the catholic church. It's worth taking the time to see and you just make a donation of your choice at the end of the tour.

If you are visiting Bardstown don't miss an opportunity to tour the Basilica. It is a beautiful, old and historic church with many gorgeous windows and interesting artifacts. Try to take the tour given by one of the members and it will make your visit more memorable. If you are interested in Bourbon history, visit the Bourbon Museum out in back of the church.

A lovely tour by a member of the church. She knows so much about the history of the church movement in the area. The art work in the sanctuary is priceless.

First cathedral built west of the appellation mountains. The lady that gave us the tour was very informative, and answered all our questions. When you are done walk behind the church, there is a building to your right with stained windows. It is a bourbon museum. Very interesting.

The four of us stopped in right before it was time to close the door. The sweetest lady gave us so much information about the church. It is definitely worth seeing.

I visit a good number of architectural and historical sites, and this one was quite thr surprise since I'd never heard of it and I live close by. I never knew Bardstown had such historical significance and to find it so close and hear how such a grand place came to be was pretty awesome. Loved it!

We were trying to kill 30 minutes before the next distillery tour and the cathedral was close by. We parked the car in the parking lot of the adjacent Catholic school. I was surprised that Bardstown was so important back then on parr with NY, Boston, and Philadelphia to warrant a cathedral. I was also surprised that Protestants contributed financially to build a Catholic cathedral. It was the first cathedral west of Allegheny. The exterior was nice, but the interior seemed rather plain. Maybe I am just jaded after having seen hundreds of grand churches/cathedrals in Italy, Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary.

Stopped in for a visit on Saturday. There was a lovely gal there who told us all about the history of the church and of the surrounding area.

There are no churches in the US as ornate, fancy, or with the history of the churches in Europe, but this one is worth a stop.First cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains when the cornerstone was put down in the 1800's. Large scale given the location and time it was built.It has served as both a catholic and protestant church. The load bearing construction is mostly yellow poplar beams. One column has an exposed base so you can see this firsthand.Many famous folks visited here and there are some 17th century paintings about.No charge. There was a nice lady there the day we visited who was willing to show us around and answer all questions. Except, she did not know what the relic(s) are that make this a basilica. No clues in the information inside were found. Hmmm.......If this review is helpful then please indicate so below.

Beautiful cathedral with a wonderful history. We received a short but informative tour from a pleasant lady.

The church is very well preserved, but it was disappointing that there were no docents to offer any additional insights into facility besides the information in the small pamphlet at the entrance. The doors were literally wide open when I stopped just after lunch, so no issues with gatekeepers preventing me from accessing it. I understand that it's an active church, so it's not likely to have paid staff giving tours but I would've enjoyed the experience more if I could have heard more about the building's history and its significance.

Even if you don't have religious inklings, you can't help but be enthralled by the sheer beauty of this cathedral. From paintings on the walls that are hundreds of years old, to paintings in the ceiling that were modeled after Bardstown residents, the beauty and detail here is captivating. The pillars that hold this cathedral up are actual trees that existed on the property. There is one pillar that has a glass case around the base so you can see the actual tree. Peaceful, artistic and interesting, this is worth any amount of time you want to spend here.