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The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University. The shrine is the largest Catholic church building in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, and one of the largest in the world; the basilica is also the tallest habitable building in Washington, D.C. Its construction of
Byzantine Revival Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Ortho ...
and
Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...
architecture began on September 23, 1920, with renowned contractor
John McShain John McShain (December 21, 1896 – September 9, 1989) was a American building contractor known as "The Man Who Built Washington". Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants, McShain graduated from St. Joseph's Preparatory ...
and was completed on December 8, 2017, with the dedication and solemn blessing of the ''Trinity Dome'' mosaic. The basilica is the national and patronal Catholic church of the United States, honoring the
Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
as Patroness, accorded by
Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
on February 7, 1847.
Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City f ...
donated a
mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
rendition of the image in 1923. The shrine has merited several papal visits, namely the following: *
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
raised the National Shrine to the status of
Minor Basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...
on October 12, 1990. *
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...
bestowed a
Golden Rose The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection. Recipients have included churches and sanctuaries, royalty, military ...
on April 16, 2008. *
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...
canonized
Saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...
Junípero Serra Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Franciscan Missions in the Sierr ...
, O.F.M., on September 23, 2015. Although the basilica is situated within the geographical boundaries of the
Archdiocese of Washington The Archdiocese of Washington is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the District of Columbia and the counties of Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, ...
, the basilica is not a
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...
of the archdiocese, does not have its own parish community, and the shrine’s administration does not fall under the direct authority of the Archbishop, but it serves adjacent Catholic University, which donated the land for its construction, and the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...
. It also hosts numerous Masses for various organizations of the Church from across the United States. The basilica is not the
cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
of the
archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
, as that title and honor belongs to the
Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle The Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., most commonly known as St. Matthew's Cathedral, is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. As St. Matthew's Cathedral and Rectory, it has been liste ...
, although numerous archdiocesan events are held at the basilica. As of 2022, the rector of the basilica is the Reverend Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, who holds a
Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...
. The basilica is served by the Brookland–CUA station on the Red Line, roughly away.


Architecture

The basilica houses 82 Marian chapels (including the
Our Mother of Africa Chapel The Our Mother of Africa Chapel is a shrine housed in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. It was built in the 1990s after a fundraising appeal sponsored by the National Black Catholic Congress, and wa ...
), as well as other sacred images, flanking the sides of the Great Upper Church and the Crypt Church. 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 in
mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
s, 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 shrine's iconography committee was also responsible for much of its decor, including composing the large mosaic over the northern
apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...
. The exterior of the basilica is long, wide, and tall to the top of the cross on the dome. The exterior area of the basilica is . The diameter of the main dome (the ''Trinity Dome'') of the basilica is only smaller than that of the dome of the U.S. Capitol. The interior area of the basilica is for the Upper Level and Great Upper Church, and for the Lower Level and Crypt Church, for a grand total of . 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). There are arches outlined with iridescent Pewabic Pottery tile, large ceramic medallions set in the ceiling, and fourteen
Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
in the Crypt Church.


History


Patronage of the Immaculate Conception

In 1792 John Carroll, the
bishop of Baltimore The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore ( la, link=no, Archidiœcesis Baltimorensis) is the premier (or first) see of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the United States. The archdiocese comprises the City of Baltimore and nine of M ...
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 the
Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
. In 1846, the 6th Provincial Councils of Baltimore reiterated this episcopal choice to name the title ''Virgin Mary, conceived without sin'' as the principal patroness of the land.
Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...
formalized the decision on February 7, 1847, and it was published on July 2, 1847.


Construction (20th Century)

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
Thomas Joseph Shahan, the fourth rector of The Catholic University of America in Washington, proposed the construction of a national
shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...
to commemorate the Immaculate Conception in the country's capital. Bishop Shahan took his appeal to
Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of ...
on August 15, 1913. Shahan received the pope's enthusiastic support and personal contribution of US$400 (US$11,681 in 2022, adjusted for inflation). 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 of ''Salve 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 of Philadelphia 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/national shrine. By 1919, Shahan and McKenna chose architectural drawings by the
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
firm of Maginnis & Walsh for construction of the national shrine. Initially, they considered a traditional
Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
architectural style, but Shahan opted instead for a Byzantine Revival–Romanesque Revival design. On May 16, 1920,
Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
Giovanni Bonzano Giovanni Vincenzo Cardinal Bonzano PIME (27 September 1867 – 26 November 1927) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Delegate to United States from 1912 to 1922, and was elevated to the cardinalate in ...
, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, celebrated Mass and blessed the site of the future National Shrine. On September 23, 1920,
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...
, 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 the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
halted the construction above the completed Crypt Church level. The beginning of American involvement in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
stalled plans even further, and construction was not resumed until 1954. After the war, in 1953, American bishops under the leadership of John Noll, archbishop ''ad personam'' of
Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Cens ...
, and Patrick 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, the
Papal Tiara The papal tiara is a crown (headgear), crown that was worn by popes of the Catholic Church from as early as the 8th century to the mid-20th. It was last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963 and only at the beginning of his reign. The name "tiara" refe ...
of
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
has been on display inside the Crypt Church. On October 12, 1990, Pope John Paul II raised the national shrine to the status of a minor basilica. The papal bull was signed and notarized by Cardinal
Agostino Casaroli Agostino Casaroli (24 November 1914 – 9 June 1998) was an Italian Catholic priest and diplomat for the Holy See, who became Cardinal Secretary of State. He was the most important figure behind the Vatican's efforts to deal with the persecutio ...
. It is the 36th designated basilica within the United States.


Completion (21st Century)

In August 2006, work was completed on a
mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
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. A small chapel on the Crypt Church level honoring
Our Lady of La Vang Our Lady of La Vang ( vi, Đức Mẹ La Vang) refers to a reported Marian apparition at a time when Catholics were persecuted and killed in Vietnam. The Shrine of our Lady of La Vang (Basilica of Our Lady of La Vang) is situated in what is t ...
(Vietnam) was completed in 2006. In 2008, during his trip to the United States,
Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...
bestowed the
Golden Rose The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection. Recipients have included churches and sanctuaries, royalty, military ...
upon the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. In June 2011, a new chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon was erected within the basilica, commemorating the fidelity of the
Maronite The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the lar ...
Church and its faithful. A mosaic of
Saint Maroun Maron, also called Maroun or Maro ( syr, ܡܪܘܢ, '; ar, مارون; la, Maron; grc-gre, Μάρων), was a 4th-century Syrian Syriac Christian hermit monk in the Taurus Mountains whose followers, after his death, founded a religious Christ ...
and the
Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...
was copied from the 6th-century ''Rabboula'' Maronite manuscript, and was donated by
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **'' Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **'' Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, t ...
Donald Wuerl Donald William Wuerl (born November 12, 1940) is an American prelate, a cardinal, of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2018. He was elevated by Pope John Paul II to serve as auxiliary bishop of S ...
. The chapel was formally consecrated by Maronite Bishop Gregory J. Mansour on September 23, 2011. On January 26, 2013, the basilica held a televised thanksgiving Mass and enshrined two first class
relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
s of Americans
Kateri Tekakwitha Kateri Tekakwitha ( in Mohawk), given the name Tekakwitha, baptized as Catherine and informally known as Lily of the Mohawks (1656 – April 17, 1680), is a Catholic saint and virgin who was an Algonquin– Mohawk. Born in the Mohawk village ...
and Marianne Cope, who were both canonized October 20, 2012.
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...
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 the
High Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...
, and is now used as the altar in the Great Upper Church. On February 20, 2016, the basilica was the site of the funeral Mass of US Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...
at which his son Fr. Paul Scalia was the celebrant. The final architectural element was completed with the installation of the 24 tons of Venetian glass in the central ''Trinity Dome'', one of the largest
mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
s of its kind in the world. On December 8, 2017, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the dome was dedicated and solemnly blessed by Cardinal Donald Wuerl.


Priests of the Basilica

* Walter R. RossiRector * Vito A. BuonannoDirector of Pilgrimages * Ismael N. AyalaDirector of Liturgy * Raymond A. LebrunSpiritual Director


Staff of the Basilica

* Daniel MacGregorComptroller and CFO * Geraldine M. RohlingArchivist/Curator Emerita * Peter J. LatonaDirector of Music * Benjamin LaPrarieAssociate Director of Music * Andrew VuAssociate Organist * Robert GroganCarillonneur and Organist Emeritus * Dee SteelDirector of Visitor Services * Jacquelyn HayesDirector of Communications * Amy MaloneyNational Shrine Shops Manager * Valencia Yvonne CampDirector of Special Events and Operations Manager


Gallery


Exterior

File:Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception from atop Washington Mnt.jpg, The basilica viewed from atop the
Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and ...
File:Basilique du Sanctuaire National de l'Immaculée Conception-2.jpg, The liturgical east end of the basilica File:Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.jpg, The basilica viewed from the side File:Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C LCCN2011636428.tif, Detail of the dome File:Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington DC (172660639).jpg, Bell tower File:Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C LCCN2011636423.tif, The basilica under lighting


Interior

File:Sanctuary of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C LCCN2011635564.tif, View of the basilica's Great Upper Church nave File:Basilica National Shrine Immaculate Conception DC 26.JPG, View of the basilica's Crypt Church nave File:Stained-glass window at the National Shrine for the Immaculate Conception at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C LCCN2011634622.tif, Stained glass window in the basilica File:Bishop'sVestingAltar.JPG, Bishop's vesting altar in the Great Upper Church sacristy File:Basilica National Shrine Immaculate Conception DC 25.JPG, The
papal tiara The papal tiara is a crown (headgear), crown that was worn by popes of the Catholic Church from as early as the 8th century to the mid-20th. It was last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963 and only at the beginning of his reign. The name "tiara" refe ...
of
Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
File:NationalShrineOfTheImmaculateConceptionGoldenRose.jpg, Golden Rose bestowed by Pope Benedict XVI


See also

* Mary, Protector of Faith Sculpture in Mary's Garden * Top Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the United States *
Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family The Ukrainian Catholic National Shrine of the Holy Family is a Catholic church located near University Heights, Washington, D. C. The shrine is part of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, a ''sui iuris'' Eastern Catholic church in communion w ...
* List of basilicas * List of the Roman Catholic cathedrals of the United States *
List of the Roman Catholic dioceses of the United States This is the list of the Catholic dioceses and archdioceses of the United States which includes both the dioceses of the Latin Church, which employ the Roman Rite and other Latin liturgical rites, and various other dioceses, primarily the eparchi ...
* List of tallest domes *
Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in AmericaG. Martin Moeller Jr"S15 Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America".''AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington''. Part 3. JHU Press, 2012. p. 290-91. is a Franciscan complex at 14th an ...
*
Architecture of Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, has a unique and diverse architectural history. Encompassing government, monumental, commercial, and residential buildings, D.C. is home to some of the country's most famous and popular structur ...


References


Further reading

*


External links

* *
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: Photo Gallery by The Catholic Photographer


* ttp://www.stainedglassphotography.com/Basilica%20of%20the%20National%20Shrine/album/index.html www.stainedglassphotography.comnbsp;– images of the artwork in the Basilica {{Authority control 1961 establishments in Washington, D.C. 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Bell towers in the United States Brookland (Washington, D.C.) Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Carillons Church buildings with domes Historic American Buildings Survey in Washington, D.C. Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Roman Catholic churches completed in 1961 Roman Catholic churches completed in 2017 Immaculate Conception, Basilica of the National Shrine of the