Basilica of Saint Josaphat

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Parish founded 1888; church dedicated July 21, 1901

The Basilica of Saint Josaphat in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was built by the city's Polish immigrant Catholic community, whose parish was organized in 1888 after separating from St. Stanislaus. Designed by architect Erhard Brielmaier and constructed partly from salvaged materials of a demolished Chicago federal building, the church was dedicated on July 21, 1901 by Archbishop Frederick Katzer. In 1929 Pope Pius XI elevated it to a minor basilica, the third in the United States. It serves the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Polish cathedral style with a large central dome

• •Parish organized in 1888 as an offshoot of St. Stanislaus; church dedicated July 21, 1901
• •Designed by architect Erhard Brielmaier, partly from salvaged stone of a demolished Chicago federal building
• •Designated a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1929 — the third minor basilica in the United States
• •Belongs to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
• •Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 7, 1973