Basilica Restore the Light - History

Baltimore Basilica - Restore the Light - History

Restore the Light
Baltimore, Maryland
Case for Support for the Baltimore Basilica - 2003

Our Nation’s Most Historic Catholic Church
The history of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is at the center of the origins of the Catholic Church in America. When Pope Pius VI named John Carroll of Maryland the first Bishop of our nation in 1789, he assigned John Carroll the task of building a cathedral for our infant Church.

For this undertaking, Bishop Carroll chose Benjamin Latrobe, who was at that time charged with the design and supervision of the construction of the nation’s capitol in Washington. Latrobe has been considered one of the greatest of the 19th Century architects. He submitted a plan for the proposed cathedral during the same period that he held the post of Architect of the United States Capitol under Thomas Jefferson.

Following instructions given him by Bishop John Carroll, Latrobe designed a neo-classical cathedral in the style of the newly formed District of Columbia. It was the most extraordinary ecclesiastical building of its day. Built high on a hill in central Baltimore, the Basilica was both the symbol of the City of Baltimore and the symbol of the Catholic Church in America.

The Cathedral was dedicated on May 31, 1821, with the third archbishop, Ambrose Marechal presiding. In its original design, the interior was bathed with natural light from windows in its dome. To this day, the Church is considered Latrobe’s masterpiece and one of the finest buildings in America. The major historian of architecture, Niklaus Pevsner, calls it “the most beautiful church in North America.”

The Basilica has witnessed many of the most important events in the early history of our Church. Many Bishops were consecrated here to be pastors and apostles across the nation including the Sees where Cardinals now serve. Early Bishops of Boston and New York were consecrated at the Basilica as well as Bishops for diocesan churches from Florida to Idaho, from New England to New Mexico. The Archdiocese of Washington claimed this Church as its cathedral for a century and a half until 1940.

The Basilica is also the site of seven Provincial Councils as well as the First, Second and Third Plenary Councils in the United States. The Basilica thus played an extraordinary role in establishing Catholic education and schools in America, service to the poor, and promoting quality higher education. In May 1884, then Archbishop James Gibbons convened the first meeting of the committee to establish The Catholic University of America in the dining room of his residence, located on Charles Street, behind the Basilica.

Many important figures in the history of the church in the United States have close ties with the Basilica in addition to Bishop (later Archbishop) John Carroll. Saint Elizabeth Ann Bailey Seton, the first native-born American to be declared a saint, established a home just four blocks from the Basilica. Mother Mary Lange founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence in 1829. St. John Neumann worshiped at the Basilica on many occasions. Significantly, Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, was ordained a priest at the Basilica in 1877 by then Archbishop James Gibbons.

The Basilica still plays a significant role in the Church today. In addition to the visits from Pope John Paul II, first in 1976 as a Cardinal, and in his pastoral visit to Baltimore in 1995. More recently, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew have worshiped and spoken recently at the Basilica.

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