Basilica of St Joseph Proto-Cathedral

For 208 and years the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral has served the faithful of Nelson County Kentucky.  It is the original cathedral of the Archdiocese of Louisville, originally erected as the Diocese of Bardstown. St. Joseph is the first Catholic Cathedral west of the Allegheny Mountains and home to paintings by artists such as Flemish masters Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) and Jan Van Eyck (1390-1441) and Spanish painter Bartolome Murillo (1617-1682). Pope Leo XII (1760-1829), Francis I, king of the Two Sicilies (1777-1820), and King Louis Phillippe I of France (1773-1850) were among those who donated the art to this cathedral. Recognized by St. John Paul II as a Basilica in 2001, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and referred to by the Library of Congress as “as a national landmark possessing exceptional interest and worthy of careful preservation.”.  With a history this deep and sacred, the responsibility of caring for and preserving this church is no small thing. 

In March 2025, we were surprised to discover that a 200-year-old brace beam in our bell tower had collapsed due to rotting from water damage, which precipitated our inability to ring our church bell to call people to worship or celebration.  We engaged a local construction firm to begin an investigation and evaluation of our bell tower at a cost of $150,000.  The resulting report showed that other beams were compromised and bullet holes in the copper roofing.  The good news is the permanent scaffolding installed to do the evaluation also stabilized the bell tower. 

The construction company brought in an engineering firm to develop a plan to repair the bell tower and allow for tolling the bell again.  The repair plan involves installation of metal support beams, new louvres with exterior drainage, and sealing the bullet holes.  The cost of this project is $350,000.  

We are hoping to have the repairs completed in time for us to joyfully toll our bell welcoming the birth of our Savior at Christmas 2025.  

We need your help to defray this extraordinary expense and allow us the use of our bell again.

#iGiveCatholic gives us the opportunity to do that! #iGiveCatholic gives donors an opportunity to help protect and preserve this valuable part of Kentucky Holy Land history!