Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul (Prince of Peace Parish)

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Parish founded 1870s; church dedicated 1938; minor basilica 2004

The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine, grew from a parish founded in 1870-71 to serve French-Canadian immigrants working in the city's textile mills. The towering Gothic Revival church, designed by Noel Coumont and Timothy G. O'Connell, was built between 1905 and 1938 and dedicated on October 23, 1938; it is the second-largest church in New England. Pope John Paul II designated it a minor basilica in 2004 (celebrated in 2005). It serves the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and today functions as part of Prince of Peace Parish.

Gothic Revival, modeled on a European Gothic cathedral

• •Belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland (Maine), not a cathedral
• •Designated a minor basilica by the Vatican in 2004; among the few dozen U.S. minor basilicas
• •Added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 1983
• •Second-largest church in New England; built 1905-1938 for French-Canadian mill workers
• •Now operates as part of Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston