St. Francis de Sales Church, Cincinnati

 I took a trip to Southwest Ohio last weekend and decided to go to mass at one of the best preserved churches in Cincinnati: St. Francis de Sales. I also had to take photos after mass.

A pretty cool fact is that St. Francis de Sales is home of the largest casted bell in the U.S. nicknamed "Big Joe."

The main facade. Absolutely incredible. This is the design of Francis G. Himpler, who also designed St. Joseph Oratory in Detroit, MI.

The bell tower was recently refurbished and looks much better than scaffolding 

The main entrance.

The bell tower entrance.

Inside, the church looks magnificent. Interestingly, none of the peeps have kneelers because there is no kneeling during mass. Still really interesting.

The side aisle and clerestory. 

The balcony and organ. I tried to get up in the balcony, but the door was locked. The organ console and choir are located next to the altar, so the balcony never gets used. This is probably the only problem with the church along with the empty wall.

A closer look at the front doors and windows around it.

The church still has their original ambo. They don't use it, just like many other churches; they have a different one.

The confessionals are very ornate. On the right is the organ console.

These are the probably the most decorated stations I have ever seen. Seriously, why are they so beautiful?

At the back of the church were 2 statues. The bottom image statue is St. Francis de Sales.

The Blessed Virgin Mary altar

And the Sacred Heart altar.

Lastly is the apse and the high altar. One of the best altars I've ever seen