The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a prominent Latin Rite Roman Catholic basilica, honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the principal Patroness of the USA. The shrine is the largest Catholic church in the United States, the twenty-first-largest church building in the world, and the tallest building in Washington, D.C. An estimated one million pilgrims from around the country and the world visit the basilica each year. Construction of this church, notable for its Neo-Byzantine architecture, began in 1920 under Philadelphian contractor John McShain. It opened unfinished in 1959. The shrine has merited several papal visits, by Pope John Paul II who designated the National Shrine as a Minor Basilica in October 12, 1990 and Pope Benedict XVI, who bestowed the honor of a Golden Rose to the basilica. The Basilica does not have its own parish community, but it serves the adjacent University, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (located down the street), and hosts numerous Holy Masses for various organizations of the Church from across the United States. The Basilica houses 70 chapels honoring Mary and reflecting the origins of the Catholic immigrants and religious orders whose generosity erected them. Its Greek-styled interior is crowned with numerous domes decorated in mosaics, similar to the Basilica of St. Mark in Venice, Italy, but much larger. The mosaics feature American renditions of traditional Catholic images. Artist Jan Henryk De Rosen, who presided over the shrines iconography committee was also responsible for much of its decor, including composing the large mosaic over the northern apse.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 01:25:34 +0000
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