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St. Monica Roman Catholic Church has served as a place of worship for the Catholic community of Fairview Heights in Cincinnati since the creation of the parish in 1911. As the name would suggest, the church was dedicated in honor of St. Monica, the patron saint of wives and abuse victims and mother to St. Augustine. The church, now named the St. Monica-St. George Parish Newman Center, will be hereto referred to as the St. Monica Church since the switch to the new name is relatively recent in the parish's history, and therefore most sources still refer to the construction using the original name. While the physical building is impressive, perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the St. Monica Roman Catholic Church is not the structure itself, but rather the multiple works of art that collectively make the church both aesthetically pleasing and historically significant. The edifice features sculpture by Clement J. Barnhorn (1857-1935), painting by Carl Zimmerman (1900-1985), and stained glass by the firm F.X. Zettler, in addition to a multitude of smaller works. Although the parish was formed in 1911, services were held in a temporary building until the current St. Monica structure was designed in 1926 by Edward J. Schulte (1890-1975) of the architectural firm Crowe and Schulte. The new church cost a total of $250,000, a sum that was paid entirely by parishioners. Originally, the fathers of the nearby parish of St. George opposed having another Catholic church built in such close proximity, but the community's readiness to finance the new place of worship shows the importance of Catholicism in Cincinnati at the time, especially in the middle-class Fairview Heights neighborhood. Schulte's design was completed in 1927 and the church was dedicated in December of 1928. While the funding by the parishioners is significant to the St. Monica community, even more important is the role that the church played in the history of Cincinnati. In 1938, just ten years after the dedication, St. Monica became the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Whereas the Archdiocese had been previously housed in the church of St. Peter in Chains, the official title of Cathedral was moved to St. Monica as a result of the declining conditions of downtown. According to an article that appeared in the Cincinnati Times Star, the Archbishop John T. McNicholas appeared for the installation and Mons. Matthias Heyker, reading the apostolic brief, stated, "Since the Church of St. Peter in Chains, which until now has been the Metropolitan Church of Cincinnati, owing to the changed conditions of the neighborhood has been less frequented by the faithful, the Apostolic See has been asked that the Metropolitan Church be transferred to the Church of St. Monica, which, because of its location, size and ornamentation, is very well suited." As Heyker's statement suggests, the aesthetical appeal of the building played a large role in receiving the honor of Archdiocese Cathedral. St. Monica remained the official cathedral until 1957, when, in an ironic turn of events, the title was returned back to St. Peter in Chains after a renovation and modernization orchestrated by Schulte.The exterior of St. Monica is made of a smooth, grayish limestone and the main facade is adorned with sculpture, rather than an entry way. Schulte's design is most often considered Early Christian architecture, although it does incorporate Byzantine and Romanesque elements. The basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Ravenna, Italy, served as Schulte's inspiration for both the inner apse mural and the building structure, though St. Monica differs in the placement of both the entrances and the bell tower. When viewing the facade of St. Monica from the intersection of Fairview Avenue and West McMillan Street (Fig. 1), the eyes are drawn almost immediately to the large, rose stained glass window. Above the circular window is a statue of the church's namesake, St. Monica, and in niches in the upper corners of the facade rest stone figures of the four Evangelists. Directly below the stained glass window is a bas-relief crucifixion scene in which the central Christ figure is accompanied by women on the left, or northern side, while men occupy the space to his right on the southern side. Even to this day St. Monica parishioners refer to the northern side of the building as "St. Mary's side" and the southern wall as "St. Joseph's side," as a result of the respectively named chapels built on either side of the main structure. All of the sculptural features, including an image of Madonna on St. Mary's chapel, were created by Cincinnati artist Clement J. Barnhorn with the assistance of some of his students. Barnhorn, a Cincinnati native who taught at the Cincinnati Art Academy, has works scattered throughout the city. One of his most notable works is Memorial to Elizabeth Boott Duveneck (1891) located in the Cincinnati Art Museum, which was a collaborative effort between himself and Frank Duveneck (1848-1919) to commemorate the death of the renowned painter's wife. While Barnhorn's St. Monica works may be lesser known, they were certainly celebrated and admired upon their creation. Around 1930, Barnhorn was awarded the Samuel B. and Rosa F. Sachs Memorial Prize for his pieces on the exterior. According to an article that appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer in early 1930, the prize was to be given to a Cincinnati resident who "has accomplished the most outstanding achievement during the year in the field of art, music, science, literature, education, medicine, sculpture, architecture or research." With such an array of possible fields and accomplishments from which the memorial prize could have been selected, Barnhorn's victory is especially impressive. In the article, Cincinnati Mayor Murray Seasongood (1878-1973) praised Barnhorn's St. Monica sculptures as the "crowning work at the zenith of his power as an ecclesiastical sculptor...[The figures] give the facade a tremendous vigor and dignity--a bold contrast to the elusiveness of the Miracle Group, which under the different effects of light seem to come and go like a vision." Expanding on the words of Mayor Seasongood, the outer works are substantial while standing alone, so the figures as a collection contribute a great deal to the beauty of the building. Although the exterior is award-winning, the interior of St. Monica Church is not to be missed. In addition to the works of Barnhorn, the building's central worship space is also praised for its elaborate ornamentation. Upon entering at the rear of the church, the eyes are almost overwhelmed with lavish art in the form of stenciling, paintings, tiling, and massive amounts of stained glass (Fig. 2). In the main aisle, the dark, wooden pews lead the eyes forward to the marble altar that is framed by a bronze canopy. Both the canopy and surrounding grillework is speculated to be the design of Barnhorn as well. The semi-circular area that houses the altar is illuminated by seven elongated stained glass windows (Fig. 3). The windows extend on either side of the pews on both the upper level and in smaller columns on the lower level. Beneath the upper windows, marble pillars frame the wooden seating creating rows of arches perpendicular to the benches that also serve to lead the eye forward. Above the arches are the stencil designs added in 1936 by Charles Seyffer that feature both floral patterns and Greek letters. The colors of the stenciling were intended to compliment the apse mural. Directly on either side of the seating, the lower walls are lined with wood paneling beneath a band of patterned tiles. All of these features contribute to the extravagant design, but the most noteworthy aspects of the interior are undoubtedly the apse mural and the stained glass windows. The apse mural (Fig. 4), painted on the semi-circular dome above the altar, is the work of Carl Zimmerman. The painter is also responsible for the circular portraits of Biblical figures that line the upper level. Though not a Cincinnati native, Zimmerman both studied and taught at the Cincinnati Art Academy around the time he painted the mural at St. Monica in 1936. The background of the piece is gold leaf, but the painted scene features a depiction of God the Father and God the Son, both twelve feet in height, beneath a dove that represents the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is surrounded by angels as well as earthly elements. The anonymous author of a brochure on the art of St. Monica once proclaimed, "Mr. Zimmerman has created a masterpiece of wall painting in the dome and the piers between the windows of the sanctuary...He has soared to great heights and the humble layman like myself will experience a feeling of exaltation on beholding it." Although it is doubtful that the source is an impartial observer, the apse mural is often praised as one of the remarkable works of the building, and therefore has contributed a great deal to the overall aesthetic of the church.Another notable feature of St. Monica Church, serving both the interior and exterior designs, is the stained glass by the Munich firm F.X. Zettler. The large, elongated windows that line the upper walls above the seating area depict the twelve Apostles as well as St. Monica and St. Augustine (Fig. 5), with the exception of the seven works surrounding the altar that represent the Crucifixion and the Eucharist (Fig. 6). The smaller pieces that sit adjacent to the pews are similar in shape to their larger counterparts and illustrate the life of St. Monica. The works are impressive both in sheer magnitude and the atmosphere that the series creates. In total there are well over thirty stained glass windows that, on sunny days, reflect the gold in Zimmerman's work and beautifully illuminate the otherwise dim interior, inspiring a feeling of awe and humility. The glass pieces, in addition to the stenciling and paintings, make use of vivid blues, reds, and greens, resembling Byzantine mosaics. Each window can stand alone as artwork, but the pieces function best when viewed in series. The entire collection of stained glass collaborates with Barnhorn's sculptures externally and the various inner paintings to create the splendid atmosphere of the building. The St. Monica Roman Catholic Church merged with the St. George parish in 1993 to form what is presently the St. Monica-St. George Parish Newman Center. The building now serves as a place of worship for the Catholic community of Clifton, especially University of Cincinnati Students, and has developed a Campus Ministry as well. While the parish history is perhaps only important to parishioners, the most considerable attribute of the St. Monica Church remains the assortment of art forms that have collectively made the building a piece of art in itself. In addition to being award-winning, these pieces were a large factor in the church's installation as the Cincinnati Archdiocesan Cathedral, an accomplishment that is no small feat in the Catholic community. Although the title has been since moved St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, the splendor of St. Monica Church remains. One might argue that most places of worship are visually appealing and that beauty alone does not define the importance of the church, but truly the value of St. Monica Church is derived from the successful assembly of multiple art forms. An anonymous source wrote about the structure, "Crowning one of the hills of Cincinnati, it is also a crowning glory, for the architect has brought under his direction all that is the best in sculpture, painting, and decoration to co-ordinate the various arts and crafts into a successful ensemble." Hence, in the neighborhood of Fairview Heights in Cincinnati, this church continues to stand as both a shrine to St. Monica and as a collection of art. (Fig. 1) Edward Shulte, St. Monica Roman Catholic Church (exterior), 1927, 328 West McMillan Street, Fairview Heights-483577707780 ................
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