Christ of the Ohio, (sculpture).

Christ of the Ohio, (sculpture).

Jogerst, Herbert, d. 1993, sculptor.

Christ of the Ohio, (sculpture).

1956. Dedicated May 1, 1957.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: white portland cement with an aggregate of crushed pink stone (possibly limestone from Indiana or "Tennessee Marble," a pink limestone quarried in Tennessee); Base: cement and St. Meinrad sandstone.

Sculpture: approx. 11 ft. 4 in. x 7 ft. x 23 in.; Base: approx. 90 x 99 x 98 in. (6,200 lbs.).

(On front of base:) CHRIST/OF THE/OHIO/AD/1956

Heroic sized full-length figure of Christ standing with his arms raised and extended out at his sides. He wears a long belted robe. The sculpture stands on a shaft made of cement blocks faced with St. Meinrad sandstone. The sculpture is installed high on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River.

Religion -- New Testament -- Christ

Outdoor Sculpture -- Indiana -- Troy

Administered by Town of Troy, P. O. Box 57, Troy, Indiana 47588

Located Fulton Hill, Troy, Indiana 47588

Formerly in the collection of James, Nicholas A., Mr. & Mrs., Troy, Indiana

The sculptor, Herbert Jogerst, came to this country as a German prisoner during World War II, and was sent to Camp Breckenridge, KY in 1943. There his artistic talent caught the attention of the camp chaplain, Rev. Peter Behrman, of nearby St. Meinrad Archabbey. In 1948, unable to find work in his native Germany, Jogerst contacted Rev. Behrman who brought the sculptor back to the U.S. to create several sculptures for St. Meinrad Archabbey. While at the Archabbey Jogerst met Dr. Nicholas A. James, a devoted Catholic, who commissioned Jogerst to create "Christ of the Ohio" on the property next to Dr. James' summer home, Villa Maria, overlooking the Ohio River. Though the exact composition and sculpture technique is not known, it is thought that the sculpture is made from white portland cement and a pink stone aggregate, possibly limestone, packed on a metal armature, and then either shaped in finer detail, or packed into a mold to achieve the desired surface detail. Installed high on Fulton Hill, the sculpture has historically been used as a beacon for boats navigating a sharp bend in the Ohio River. Later the property with the sculpture was sold and eventually was purchased by the Town of Troy, Indiana. IAS files contain a copy of an article from Evansville (Indiana) Courier, Dec. 2, 1956; and copy of a May 1, 1957 press release.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Indiana survey, 1993.

SOS Assessment Award, 1999.

Evansville (IN) Courier, Dec. 2, 1956.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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