|
Church Exterior
Church Face
|
Well set back from busy Fort Thomas Avenue, Saint Thomas church immediately draws
the eye with its tall bell tower (campanile) that bears an 11-foot bronze Celtic
cross (top left). On the face of the building are numerous signs and symbols of
our Catholic faith. Look from the pinnacle downward and you will see Our Lady and
Saint John attending Jesus crucified (top right); the Greek letters chi and rho for
Christ (top right, bottom of image); our patron Thomas the Apostle, clutching the
spear of his martyrdom (lower left); the many-hued rose window’s stone tracery (lower
right); and a series of carved, recessed arches framing the main entry’s bronze-fitted
double doors. Above the doors, Christ welcomes us, holding His cross and offering His
blessing, flanked by the Greek letters alpha and omega, which – as the first and last
letters of the Greek alphabet – signify that God is the beginning and end of all
things (bottom). “I am Alpha and Omega, says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who
is to come” (Rev. 1:8).
|
|
|
|
Main Portal Arch
|
Carved along the outermost arch of the main portal are the symbols of the 12 apostles.
From the lower left we see: keys for Peter; saw, Simon; sword, Jude; fish, Philip; purses,
Matthew; knife, Bartholomew. From bottom right: shell, James the Greater; spear and cross,
Thomas; X cross, Andrew; cup and serpent, John; spear and book, James the Less; boat, the
intrepid voyager Paul. An inner arch is carved with the cross, anchor, and heart denoting,
respectively, the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Trefoils for the Trinity
and ornate scrollwork further embellish the main entryway.
|
|
Side Entries
|
The side entries along East Villa Place likewise bear symbols. Above the side door to
the front vestibule (narthex), birds of paradise, representing eternal life, face the
cross. This is similar to the design on the alter rail gates (below left). The campanile
entry repeats the alpha and omega, along with a cross encircled (below right). Circles,
which have no beginning or end, symbolize eternity; their flawless symmetry also suggests
perfection.
|
|
Monsignor Herbert Hillenmeyer Garden
|
The Monsignor Herbert Hillenmeyer garden was dedicated in 1998, a gift of the Hillenmeyer
family of Lexington. Its centerpiece, a bell dated 1903 (below), came from the parish’s
first church, formerly at the corner of Grand Avenue and Tremont. Monsignor’s green thumb
was famous, and Father Albert Ruschman has recently excavated and restored the terraced
gardens behind the rectory that Monsignor tended during his 43 years as pastor of Saint
Thomas.
|
|
|
|