The Basilica Shrine of St. Mary is a

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 ...

in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

located in Wilmington,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, in the Diocese of Raleigh. It was included as a contributing property in the

Wilmington Historic District The Wilmington Historic District is a national historic district located at Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina. The district encompasses 875 contributing buildings 38 contributing sites, and 3 contributing structures in the histori ...

on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1974.

Architecture

Its historic main church is of the

Spanish Baroque The arts of the Spanish Baroque include: *Spanish Baroque painting *Spanish Baroque architecture ** Spanish Baroque ephemeral architecture *Spanish Baroque literature **''Culteranismo'' **''Conceptismo'' * Spanish Baroque art ** Bodegón **Tenebri ...

style. It was designed by Spanish architect

Rafael Guastavino Rafael Guastavino Moreno (; March 1, 1842 February 1, 1908) was a Spanish building engineer and builder who immigrated to the United States in 1881; his career for the next three decades was based in New York City. Based on the Catalan vault, ...

, who is known for his work on the Biltmore Estate, Basilica of St. Lawrence, and

Duke Chapel Duke University Chapel is a chapel located at the center of the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, United States. It is an ecumenical Christian chapel and the center of religion at Duke, and has connections to the United Method ...

. The church was constructed without wooden or steel beams and without nails, instead using brick tile.

School

The Basilica Shrine of St. Mary also hosts the St. Mary Catholic School. The school hosts children from grades kindergarten to eighth grade. The school was founded by the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1869 under the request of Bishop

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 ...

. The school was named ''Academy of the Incarnation''. Another school, for poor girls, called ''St. Peter's Parochial School for Girls'' was also created. These schools were later closed.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basilica Shrine of Saint Mary Wilmington, North Carolina Baroque Revival architecture in the United States Basilica churches in North Carolina Spanish Revival architecture in the United States Church buildings with domes Churches in Wilmington, North Carolina Roman Catholic cathedrals in North Carolina Former cathedrals in the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh Shrines to the Virgin Mary Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Historic district contributing properties in North Carolina

Architecture

School

See also

References

External links