The Beginning Of My Journey In
The Land Of The Cross Tipped Churches
I was searching the Internet looking for photo opportunities in the area when I came across the Ohio Scenic Byway -- The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches in my own back yard. It's hard not to notice the large number of cross tipped spires that dot the landscape when driving the countryside in my part of Ohio. I always wondered what was the story behind all these churches and never dreamed that finding the answer would lead to me taking pictures and blogging my journey along the way.
The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches is a large group of Catholic Churches most of which are of Roman Gothic structure within a 25 mile radius of The Shrine of the Holy Relics. Their history and how they all came into being is a fascinating story of faith and human determination. You can go to the Marion Community "Land of the Cross Tipped Churches" for a detailed description of each church and their history.
The churches and their related buildings and rectories were put on the National Registry of Historical Places in the 1970's due to the the dedicated work of Mary Ann Brown and Mary Niekamp. See - National Register Of Historic Places Nomination Form for more information. Thanks to these two women and their hard work this unique Ohio treasure is now a recognized historical landmark.
I started my journey with the intent of just getting a postcard image of the churches along State Route 119. That all changed when the church secretary for St. Rose invited me inside for a closer look. Once inside I was struck with awe at the beauty in architecture and decor. I knew then that I had found what I was looking for.
As I began touring and taking pictures of the churches, I started accumulating a lot of images. It seemed like such a waste to have all these pictures and not share them. When I discussed this with a coworker they suggested that it might make for an interesting blog. I had never blogged before so it was a new concept for me. I took his advice and created this blog to document my journey and photos.
Welcome to The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches.
I hope you enjoy your visit.
Russ Martin (AKA Steeple Chaser)
2 comments:
June marks the official 5th year of my blogging the churches. My very first post June 1, 2008 unfortunately was deleted in error and lost. I was new to blogging and still learning the ropes when I hit the wrong key. So in celebration of my 5 year anniversary and the revamp of the blog. I have created this Featured Post to serve as an introduction to the blog and a replacement for my lost first post.
Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing them. I went to several of these churches with my grandparents and now I'm a steeple chaser too. This site gives me some great inspiration.
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