Basilica of Saint John

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Parish founded 1905; present church dedicated December 4, 1927

St. John's Parish in Des Moines, Iowa, was established in 1905, and its first Mass was celebrated that Christmas Day. The present church, designed by the Boston firm Maginnis & Walsh, was dedicated on December 4, 1927, by Bishop Thomas W. Drumm of Des Moines. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and Pope John Paul II elevated it to a minor basilica on October 4, 1989. It serves the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines.

Lombardy Romanesque (Romanesque Revival) in basilica form

• •Parish established in 1905 in the Diocese of Des Moines; present church dedicated December 4, 1927, by Bishop Thomas W. Drumm
• •Designed by Maginnis & Walsh of Boston, the same firm behind the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
• •Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 8, 1987
• •Elevated to a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II on October 4, 1989
• •Serves the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa