Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches
Name Patron Date Location County
1 Botkins Elementary School N/A 1921 Botkins : Main St. 40°28′8.8″N 84°10′57.5″W / 40.469111°N 84.182639°W / 40.469111 ; -84.182639 ( Botkins Elementary School ) Shelby
2 Cassella Catholic Church and Rectory Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1858 Marion Township : State Route 119 in Cassella 40°24′24″N 84°33′3″W / 40.40667°N 84.55083°W / 40.40667 ; -84.55083 ( Cassella Catholic Church and Rectory ) Mercer
3 Chickasaw School and Rectory N/A 1904 Chickasaw : Maple St. 40°26′10″N 84°29′35″W / 40.43611°N 84.49306°W / 40.43611 ; -84.49306 ( Chickasaw School and Rectory ) Mercer
4 Holy Trinity Catholic Church Complex Holy Trinity 1899 Coldwater : E. Main and 2nd Sts . 40°28′49″N 84°37′42″W / 40.48028°N 84.62833°W / 40.48028 ; -84.62833 ( Coldwater Catholic Church Complex ) Mercer
5 Egypt Catholic Church and Rectory St. Joseph 1887 Jackson Township : junction of Minster-Egypt Rd . and State Route 364 at Egypt 40°23′5″N 84°26′4″W / 40.38472°N 84.43444°W / 40.38472 ; -84.43444 ( Egypt Catholic Church and Rectory ) Auglaize
6 Glynwood Catholic Church St. Patrick 1883 Moulton Township : 6 miles northeast of St. Marys on Glynwood Rd . in Glynwood 40°34′59″N 84°19′5″W / 40.58306°N 84.31806°W / 40.58306 ; -84.31806 ( Glynwood Catholic Church ) Auglaize
7 Gruenwald Convent N/A 1854 Marion Township : 0.5 miles south of Cassella 40°24′1″N 84°33′3″W / 40.40028°N 84.55083°W / 40.40028 ; -84.55083 ( Gruenwald Convent ) Mercer
8 Holy Family Catholic Church Holy Family 1866 Wayne Township : State Route 185 at Frenchtown 40°14′46″N 84°31′25″W / 40.24611°N 84.52361°W / 40.24611 ; -84.52361 ( Holy Family Catholic Church ) Darke
9 Holy Rosary Catholic Church Holy Rosary 1867 St. Marys : junction of E. Spring and S. Pine Sts . 40°32′42″N 84°22′58″W / 40.54500°N 84.38278°W / 40.54500 ; -84.38278 ( Holy Rosary Catholic Church ) Auglaize
10 Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Complex Immaculate Conception 1903 Celina : Anthony and Walnut Sts . 40°33′7″N 84°34′22″W / 40.55194°N 84.57278°W / 40.55194 ; -84.57278 ( Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Complex ) Mercer
11 Immaculate Conception Rectory at Botkins Immaculate Conception 1887 Botkins : 116 N. Mill St. 40°28′9.6″N 84°10′57.8″W / 40.469333°N 84.182722°W / 40.469333 ; -84.182722 ( Immaculate Conception Rectory at Botkins ) Shelby
12 Maria Stein Catholic Church and Rectory St. John the Baptist 1889 Marion Township : St. John 's Rd . and State Route 119 in Maria Stein 40°24′29″N 84°28′22″W / 40.40806°N 84.47278°W / 40.40806 ; -84.47278 ( Maria Stein Catholic Church and Rectory ) Mercer
13 Maria Stein Convent N/A 1846 Marion Township : St. John 's and Rolfes Rd . in Maria Stein 40°24′57″N 84°28′34″W / 40.41583°N 84.47611°W / 40.41583 ; -84.47611 ( Maria Stein Convent ) Mercer
14 Minster Elementary School N/A 1904 Minster : Lincoln St. 40°23′42″N 84°22′44″W / 40.39500°N 84.37889°W / 40.39500 ; -84.37889 ( Minster Elementary School ) Auglaize
15 Philothea Catholic Church and Priest House St. Mary 1871 Butler Township : Philothea Rd & Tangeman Rd in Philothea , between St. Henry and Coldwater 40°27′3″N 84°39′18″W / 40.45083°N 84.65500°W / 40.45083 ; -84.65500 ( Philothea Catholic Church and Priest House ) Mercer
16 Sacred Heart of Jesus Rectory Sacred Heart of Jesus 1911 Van Buren Township : State Routes 29 and 119 at McCartyville 40°23′42.4″N 84°15′16.6″W / 40.395111°N 84.254611°W / 40.395111 ; -84.254611 ( Sacred Heart of Jesus Rectory ) Shelby
17 St. Aloysius Catholic Church St. Aloysius 1875 Marion Township : U.S. Route 127 and State Route 274 , west of Carthagena 40°26′11″N 84°34′12″W / 40.43639°N 84.57000°W / 40.43639 ; -84.57000 ( St. Aloysius Catholic Church ) Mercer
18 St. Anthony Catholic Church , Padua St. Anthony 1869 Washington Township : State Route 49 and St. Anthony Rd . in Padua 40°30′32″N 84°47′7″W / 40.50889°N 84.78528°W / 40.50889 ; -84.78528 ( St. Anthony Catholic Church , Padua ) Mercer
19 St. Augustine Catholic Church St. Augustine 1848 Minster : N. Hanover St. 40°23′40″N 84°22′47″W / 40.39444°N 84.37972°W / 40.39444 ; -84.37972 ( St. Augustine Catholic Church ) Auglaize
20 St. Bernard Catholic Church and Rectory St. Bernard 1906 Burkettsville : Main St. 40°21′8″N 84°38′45″W / 40.35222°N 84.64583°W / 40.35222 ; -84.64583 ( St. Bernard Catholic Church and Rectory ) Mercer
Historic buildings
Map all coordinates using : OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as : KML · GPX In 1976 , many churches in the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches were added to the National Register of Historic Places , along with a small number of church-related buildings . These buildings are detailed in the chart below ; each is listed under the name by which it appears on the Register .
The Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches is a rural region in the western part of the U.S. state of Ohio, centered near Maria Stein in Mercer County. Its name is derived from the dense concentration of large Catholic churches that dominate the area's architecture. These and other buildings were constructed by the Society of the Most Precious Blood under the oversight of the missionary priest Francis de Sales Brunner. Under his leadership, the Society founded many churches and schools in the region, as well as several seminaries. The earliest buildings from the mid-19th century were mostly small wooden or simple brick structures. Most of these were replaced in later construction periods; only two from this generation are still in use as churches. Many of the massive Gothic revival churches that remain today were built in the late 19th century and early 20th century by Anton DeCurtins or his descendants. The churches of the region have changed little since the early 20th century, and only one new parish has been established since 1925.