St. Rose Priory
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St. Rose Priory a Dominican Order monastery was the location of the first Catholic educational institution west of the Allegheny mountains.
The land for the priory was purchased by (then) Father Edward Dominic Fenwick, O.P. (later Bishop) in July 1806 with money received from an inheritance. He bought an existing farm west of Springfield, Kentucky. Construction began shortly thereafter, including a church, residence halls, and college. The college was named Saint Thomas of Aquin. The church was named for St. Rose.
Though not designated a cathedral, the church served in the role of a cathedral until the Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral could be built in nearby Bardstown, Kentucky. The Bardstown diocese was the first diocese west of the Allegheny mountains, with the first and only bishop, Benedict Joseph Flaget as spiritual leader of that diocese.
A convent was added about 1822, an order of the Dominicans. Later this convent moved to another location in Washington County, Kentucky and founded St. Cathrine College]].
Although Saint Thomas of Aquin College closed in 1828 the priory continued, including an education role as a seminary, novitiate, elementary and higher educational levels.
The original St. Rose church remains, though much of the old priory buildings (including the college and old novitiate) were torn down in 1978. The grounds also include one of the original cemeteries in Washington County, Kentucky. Some graves date to the early 1800's.
External links
- [History of St. Rose Priory]
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