St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church and Howard-Flaget House is a historic Roman Catholic church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 and home located at Bardstown

Bardstown, Kentucky

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,700 people, 4,712 households, and 2,949 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,113 housing units at an average density of...

, Nelson County

Nelson County, Kentucky

Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 43,437. Its county seat is Bardstown. The county is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...

, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

. The church is a brick, cross-shaped plan with a round apse

Apse

In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...

. It was designed by Baltimore architect Maximilian Godefroy

Maximilian Godefroy

Maximilian Godefroy was an architect born about 1770 in France. During the French Revolution he fought on the Royalist side, was imprisoned in the fortress of Bellegarde, then released about 1805 and allowed to come to the United States. He later relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, where became an...

 and built 1813-1816. It closely resembles Godefroy's earlier St. Mary's Seminary Chapel

St. Mary's Seminary Chapel

St. Mary's Seminary Chapel, located at 600 North Paca Street in Baltimore, Maryland, is the oldest Neo-Gothic style church in the United States. It was built from 1806 through 1808 by French architect Maximilian Godefroy for the Sulpician priests of St. Mary's Seminary. Godefroy claimed that his...

 in Baltimore, another Sulpician church. St. Thomas is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Kentucky and considered "The Cradle of Catholicism in Kentucky."

St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church and Howard-Flaget House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1976.

External links

• St. Thomas Catholic Church, U.S. Route 31 East, Bardstown vicinity, Nelson County, KY: 7 drawings and 5 photos at Historic American Building Survey
• Saint Thomas Parish website