Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches
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.
Image: Site of the Botkins Elementary School
Image: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Parish church from east
Image: Precious Blood Rectory in Chickasaw front and southern side
Image: Holy Trinity Church in Coldwater, front and western side
Maria Stein is a census-designated place in central Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The community and the Maria Stein Convent lie at the center of the area known as the Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches, where a missionary priest, Father Francis de Sales Brunner, established a number of parishes for German Catholics.
19th-century farm house in Maria Stein
St. John's Church in Maria Stein, one of the many "cross-tipped" steeples in Mercer County
Matthias Gast House