Louisville, Kentucky

===Religion===

{{Main|Religion in Louisville, Kentucky}}
{{See also|Religion in Kentucky}}
[[File:Cathedral Assumption Louisville.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Cathedral of the Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky)|Cathedral of the Assumption]]]]

Louisville hosts religious institutions of various faiths, including [[Christianity]], [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Sikhism]] and the [[Baháʼí Faith]].

The 135,421 [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] Louisvillians are part of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville|Archdiocese of Louisville]], covering 24 counties in central Kentucky, and consisting of 121 parishes and missions spread over {{convert|8124|sqmi|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archlou.org/history/statistics/ |title=Data on Catholic residents from the Archdiocese of Louisville |publisher=Archlou.org |access-date=July 28, 2009 |archive-date=October 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020183412/http://www.archlou.org/history/statistics/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Cathedral of the Assumption (Louisville, Kentucky)|Cathedral of the Assumption]] in downtown Louisville is the seat of the Archdiocese of Louisville. [[Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani|Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey]], the monastic home of Catholic writer [[Thomas Merton]], is in nearby [[Bardstown, Kentucky]], and also in the archdiocese. Most of Louisville's Roman Catholic population is of German descent, the result of large-scale 19th-century immigration.

[[Bellarmine University]] and [[Spalding University]] in Louisville are affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

One in three Louisvillians is [[Southern Baptist]], belonging to one of 147 local congregations.<ref>Data on Baptist Population from LRA website [http://www.lrba.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=20083&PID=430832 Long Run Baptist Association] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201181541/http://www.lrba.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=20083&PID=430832 |date=February 1, 2015 }}</ref> This denomination increased in number when large numbers of people moved into Louisville in the early 20th century from rural Kentucky and [[Tennessee]] to work in the city's factories; some of these migrants also formed [[Holiness movement|Holiness]] and [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal churches]] and [[Churches of Christ]].

[[History of the Germans in Louisville|German immigrants]] in the 19th century brought not only a large Catholic population, but also the [[Lutheran]] and [[Evangelical Synod of North America|Evangelical]] faiths, which are represented today in Louisville by the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]], the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]], and the [[United Church of Christ]], respectively.

The largest [[Methodism|Methodist]] Church in [[Kentucky]], Christ Church United Methodist, is located in Louisville, and the city has boasted a large Methodist population since the cities founding.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://ccum.net/about/|access-date=March 30, 2021|website=Christ Church United Methodist|language=en|archive-date=May 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501145016/https://ccum.net/about/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The city is home to two [[megachurch]]es. [[Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, Kentucky)|Southeast Christian Church]], with its main campus in [[Middletown, Kentucky|Middletown]] and three others in the surrounding region, is, {{as of|2013|lc=y}}, the seventh-largest church in the United States.<ref name="Outreach">{{cite journal |title=2013 Outreach 100 Largest Churches in America |url=http://omag-eszuskq0bptlfh8awbb.stackpathdns.com/2013-outreach-100-largest-churches-america.html |journal=[[Outreach (magazine)|Outreach]] |date=September 16, 2014 |access-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316025338/http://omag-eszuskq0bptlfh8awbb.stackpathdns.com/2013-outreach-100-largest-churches-america.html |url-status=live }}</ref> St. Stephen Church<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ssclive.org/ |title=St. Stephen Church |access-date=October 21, 2013 |archive-date=October 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022012344/http://ssclive.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> is the 38th largest in the US,<ref name="Outreach" /> and has the largest African American congregation in Kentucky.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Katayama|first1=Devin|title=Former Pastor Files Discrimination Suit Against St. Stephen Baptist Church|url=http://archives.wfpl.org/2012/01/03/former-pastor-files-discrimination-suit-against-st-stephen-baptist-church/|access-date=March 15, 2017|publisher=[[WFPL]]|date=January 3, 2012|archive-date=March 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113213/http://archives.wfpl.org/2012/01/03/former-pastor-files-discrimination-suit-against-st-stephen-baptist-church/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The city is home to several religious institutions: the [[Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]], [[Louisville Bible College]], [[Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary]], and the denominational headquarters of the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]].

[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] maintains a [[Temple (LDS Church)|temple]] in suburban [[Crestwood, Kentucky|Crestwood]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/louisville-kentucky-temple|title=Louisville Kentucky Temple|website=ChurchofJesusChrist.org|access-date=October 3, 2018|archive-date=November 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106012919/https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/details/louisville-kentucky-temple?lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Jew]]ish population of around 14,200 in the metro area<ref>{{cite web|url=https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/esploro/outputs/report/9924154070301921/filesAndLinks?index=0|title=2021–22 Study of Jewish Louisville|access-date=April 12, 2023|archive-date=April 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412055649/https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/esploro/outputs/report/9924154070301921/filesAndLinks?index=0|url-status=live}}</ref> is served by five [[synagogue]]s. Most Jewish families emigrated from [[Eastern Europe]] at the start of the 20th century; around 800 [[History of the Jews in the Soviet Union|Soviet Jews]] have moved to Louisville since 1991.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Courier-Journal]] |title=Some synagogues eye broader styles of worship |date=September 28, 2003 |author=Smith, Peter}}</ref> Jewish immigrants founded Jewish Hospital in what was once the center of the city's Jewish district. From 2005 to 2012, Jewish Hospital merged with two Kentucky-based Catholic [[health system|healthcare system]]s to form [[KentuckyOne Health]], which later in 2012 announced a partnership with the [[University of Louisville]] Hospital. A significant focal point for Louisville's Jewish community is located near [[Bowman Field (Kentucky)|Bowman Field]], where there are two Orthodox synagogues (including [[Anshei Sfard (Louisville, Kentucky)|Anshei Sfard]], founded in 1893), the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family and Career Services, and an affordable housing complex.

Since 1996, every May, the Festival of Faiths,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.festivaloffaiths.org/|title=Festival of Faiths|access-date=August 26, 2016|archive-date=September 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912001845/http://festivaloffaiths.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> a five-day national [[Interfaith dialogue|interfaith]] gathering, is held featuring music, poetry, film, art and dialogue with internationally renowned spiritual leaders, thinkers and practitioners. The festival is organized by the Center for Interfaith Relations<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centerforinterfaithrelations.org/|title=Center for Interfaith Relations|access-date=August 26, 2016|archive-date=October 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001182757/http://centerforinterfaithrelations.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> and is held at [[Actors Theatre of Louisville]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Blumberg|first1=Antonia|title=Interfaith Leaders Gather To Promote Peace in the Heart of the Christian South|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/festival-of-faiths-louisville_us_572ce9b2e4b096e9f09151d4|access-date=August 26, 2016|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=May 6, 2016|archive-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918122057/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/festival-of-faiths-louisville_us_572ce9b2e4b096e9f09151d4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Ethan|title=Festival of Faiths: A Q&A with the director of Louisville's 'Sundance of Sacred'|url=http://www.leoweekly.com/2015/05/festival-of-faiths-a-qa-with-the-director-of-louisvilles-sundance-of-sacred/|access-date=August 26, 2016|work=[[LEO Weekly]]|date=May 9, 2015|archive-date=May 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510074852/http://www.leoweekly.com/2015/05/festival-of-faiths-a-qa-with-the-director-of-louisvilles-sundance-of-sacred/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Louisville first welcomed the [[Baháʼí Faith]] in 1920. The [[Spiritual Assembly]] of the Baháʼí of Louisville was formed in 1944 when their community reached the required amount of nine adult Baháʼís. The first Baháʼí center opened in Louisville in 1967 in [[Crescent Hill, Louisville|Crescent Hill]]. When the community outgrew the space in 1985, it was sold and another center opened in [[Buechel, Louisville|Buechel]] in 1998.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The encyclopedia of Louisville|date=2001|publisher=University Press of Kentucky |editor-last1=Kleber |editor-first1=John E. |editor-last2=Kinsman |editor-first2=Mary Jean |editor-last3=Clark |editor-first3=Thomas D. |editor-last4=Yater |editor-first4=George E.|isbn=9780813149745|location=Lexington|oclc=900344482}}</ref>