| Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception | |
|---|---|
| National and Patronal Church of the United States of America | |
 View from south in 2010 | |
  Location of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception inWashington, D.C. | |
| 38°56′0″N77°0′02″W / 38.93333°N 77.00056°W /38.93333; -77.00056 | |
| Location | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Address | 400 Michigan AvenueNE |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Tradition | Roman Rite, variousEastern Catholic liturgies |
| Website | nationalshrine |
| History | |
| Status | |
| Dedication | Immaculate Conception |
| Dedicated | November 20, 1959; 65 years ago (1959-11-20) |
| Consecrated | September 23, 1920; 105 years ago (1920-09-23) |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Maginnis & Walsh |
| Architectural type | Basilica |
| Style | Byzantine Revival andRomanesque Revival |
| Groundbreaking | May 16, 1920; 105 years ago (1920-05-16) |
| Completed | December 8, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-12-08) |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Length | 459 feet (140 m)[1] |
| Width | 240 feet (73 m)[1] |
| Nave width | 157 feet (48 m)[1] |
| Height | 329 feet (100 m)[1] |
| Dome height (outer) | 237 feet (72 m)[1] |
| Dome height (inner) | 159 feet (48 m)[1] |
| Dome diameter (outer) | 108 feet (33 m)[1] |
| Dome diameter (inner) | 89 feet (27 m)[1] |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Washington |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Robert W. McElroy |
| Rector | Walter R. Rossi |
| Priests |
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| Laity | |
| Director of music |
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| Organists |
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TheBasilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is aCatholicminor basilica andnational shrine inWashington D.C. It is thelargest Catholic church building inNorth America[2] and is also thetallest habitable building in Washington, D.C.[3][4][a] Its construction ofByzantine andRomanesque Revival architecture began on 23 September 1920.
The basilica is dedicated to theBlessed Virgin Mary as theImmaculate Conception, designated as the principalPatroness accorded byPope Pius IX on February 7, 1847.[3]Pope Pius XI donated amosaic rendition of the image in 1923. It serves as the patronal church of the Catholic Church in the United States.
Pope John Paul II raised theNational Shrine to the status ofMinor Basilica via his Pontifical decreeClarum Constat Templum on October 12, 1990.[b] At the shrine,Pope Benedict XVI bestowed aGolden Rose on April 26, 2008, andPope Francis canonizedJunípero Serra on September 23, 2015.
Although the basilica is situated within the geographical boundaries of theArchdiocese of Washington, the basilica is not aparish of the archdiocese, does not have its own parish community, and the shrine's administration does not fall under the direct authority of the local Archbishop,[citation needed] but it serves adjacentCatholic University, which donated the land for its construction, and theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It also hosts numerous Masses for various organizations of the Church from across the United States. The basilica is not the cathedral of the archdiocese, as that title and honor belongs to theCathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, although numerous archdiocesan events are held at the basilica. As of 2025, the rector of the basilica is the Reverend Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, who holds aLicentiate of Canon Law.
The basilica is served by theBrookland–CUA station on theRed Line, roughly 550 yards (500 m) away.
The basilica houses 82 Marian chapels (including theOur Mother of Africa Chapel), as well as other sacred images, flanking the sides of the Great Upper Church and the Crypt Church.[5] They were designed to reflect the origins of Catholic Americans and the religious orders whose generosity erected them.
Its Greek-styled interior is crowned with numerous domes decorated inmosaics, similar to theBasilica of St. Mark in Venice, Italy, but much larger. The mosaics feature American renditions of traditional Catholic images. ArtistJan Henryk De Rosen, who presided over the shrine's iconography committee was also responsible for much of its decor, including composing the large mosaic over the northernapse.
The exterior of the basilica is 459 feet (140 m) long, 240 ft (73 m) wide, and 237 ft (72 m) tall to the top of the cross on the dome. The exterior area of the basilica is 110,158 square feet (10,234 m2).[1][6] The Trinity Dome (the main dome of the structure) is only seven feet (2.1 m) smaller than that of theU.S. Capitol. The interior area of the basilica is 76,391 sq ft (7,097 m2) for the Upper Level and Great Upper Church, and 129,910 sq ft (12,069 m2) for the Lower Level and Crypt Church, for a grand total of 206,301 sq ft (19,166 m2).[1]
The Trinity Dome of the basilica is covered in 47,000 glossLudowici shingle tiles arranged to formbiblical patterns. The blue tiles represent theVirgin Mary, the yellow is a reference to common architecture found onHebrew churches, red is symbolic ofChrist's blood, and the grey tiles are a neutral color to emphasize the patterns. Ludowici also produced theroof tiles for the tower and lower roof.[7]
The shrine was built in the style of medieval churches, relying on thick masonry walls and columns in place of structural steel and reinforced concrete. It was designed to hold 10,000 worshipers and includes modern amenities such as a basement cafeteria, hidden public address speakers to carry speech at the altar to the rear of the building, air conditioning and what was the largest radiant heating slab in the world (in 1959).[8]
There are arches outlined with iridescentPewabic Pottery tile, large ceramic medallions set in the ceiling, and fourteenStations of the Cross in the Crypt Church.[9]
In 1792John Carroll, thebishop of Baltimore and the United States's first Catholic bishop, consecrated the newly created United States under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of theImmaculate Conception. In 1846, the 6thProvincial Councils of Baltimore reiterated this episcopal choice to name the titleVirgin Mary, conceived without sin as the principal patroness of the land.Pope Pius IX formalized the decision on February 7, 1847, and it was published on July 2, 1847.
BishopThomas Joseph Shahan, the fourthrector of theCatholic University of America inWashington, D.C., proposed the construction of a nationalshrine to commemorate the Immaculate Conception in the country's capital. Bishop Shahan took his appeal toPope Pius X on August 15, 1913.[10]
Shahan received the pope's enthusiastic support and personal contribution of US$400 (US$11,681 in 2022, adjusted for inflation).[citation needed] Shahan returned to the United States and persuaded the board of trustees of The Catholic University of America to donate land at the southwest corner of the campus for his shrine.
In January 1914, Shahan published the first issue ofSalve Regina, a newsletter meant to stir enthusiasm for his project. He wrote that the shrine would be a "monument of love and gratitude, a great hymn in stone as perfect as the art of man can make it and as holy as the intentions of its builders could wish it to be." His newsletter was circulated to dioceses throughout the country and financial donations began to pour into Washington. In 1915, Shahan appointed Father Bernard McKenna ofPhiladelphia as first director of the national shrine. Shahan oversaw the construction of the shrine until his death on March 9, 1932. His are the only remains interred at the basilica.
By 1919, Shahan and McKenna chose architectural drawings by theBoston firm ofMaginnis & Walsh for construction of the national shrine. Initially, they considered a traditionalNeo-Gothic architectural style, but Shahan opted instead for a Byzantine Revival–Romanesque Revival design.[11] On May 16, 1920,ArchbishopGiovanni Bonzano,Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, celebrated Mass and blessed the site of the future National Shrine. On September 23, 1920,CardinalJames Gibbons,archbishop of Baltimore, blessed the foundation stone. More than 10,000 people attended the Mass, including ambassadors, government officials, and military officers. On April 20, 1924, the first public mass ever offered at the shrine was held in the unfinished Crypt Church. In 1932, the death of Bishop Shahan and theGreat Depression halted the construction above the completed Crypt Church level. The beginning of American involvement inWorld War II stalled plans even further, and construction was not resumed until 1954.
After the war, in 1953, American bishops under the leadership ofJohn Noll, archbishopad personam ofFort Wayne, andPatrick O'Boyle, archbishop of Washington, pledged to raise the funds necessary to complete the Great Upper Church of the national shrine. On November 15, 1954, work was resumed on building the shrine, and on November 20, 1959, thousands of Catholics gathered with the bishops for the dedication of the Great Upper Church.
Since 1968, thePapal Tiara ofPope Paul VI has been on display inside the Crypt Church.[12] On October 12, 1990, Pope John Paul II raised the national shrine to the status of a minor basilica. Thepapal bull was signed and notarized by CardinalAgostino Casaroli. It is the 36th designated basilica within the United States.
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In August 2006, work was completed on amosaic covering the Redemption Dome in the Great Upper Church. Following its completion in the summer of 2007, the Incarnation Dome was blessed on November 17, 2007.[13] A small chapel on the Crypt Church level honoringOur Lady of La Vang (Vietnam) was completed in 2006.[14]
In 2008, during his trip to the United States,Pope Benedict XVI bestowed theGolden Rose upon the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.[15]
In June 2011, a new chapel dedicated toOur Lady of Lebanon was erected within the basilica, commemorating the fidelity of theMaronite Church and itsfaithful. A mosaic ofSaint Maroun and theCrucifixion was copied from the 6th-centuryRabbula Gospels manuscript, and was donated byCardinalDonald Wuerl. The chapel was formally consecrated by Maronite BishopGregory J. Mansour on September 23, 2011.[16]
On January 26, 2013, the basilica held a televised thanksgiving Mass and enshrined two first classrelics of AmericansKateri Tekakwitha andMarianne Cope, who were both canonized October 20, 2012.[17]
Pope Francis visited the shrine on September 23, 2015, and celebrated a Mass for the canonization of Saint Junípero Serra, O.F.M., on the mall of the Catholic University of America. The altar,ambo, and chair used for this Mass match the existing marble in the basilica. After the Mass, the papal altar was placed in front of theHigh Altar, and is now used as the altar in the Great Upper Church.[18]
On February 20, 2016, the basilica was the site of the funeral Mass of US Supreme Court JusticeAntonin Scalia at which his son Fr. Paul Scalia was the celebrant.[19]
The final architectural element was completed with the installation of the 24 tons ofVenetian glass in the centralTrinity Dome, one of the largestmosaics of its kind in the world. On December 8, 2017, theFeast of the Immaculate Conception, the dome was dedicated and solemnly blessed by Cardinal Donald Wuerl.[20]
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| Preceded by | Tallest Building in Washington, D.C. 1959–present 100m | Succeeded by None |
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