Basilica of St. Lawrence

About the Basilica

The Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence the Deacon & Martyr sits in the heart of downtown Asheville and is the only Catholic basilica in western North Carolina. It is a parish church of the Diocese of Charlotte and the spiritual home of about 1,200 families, while also serving as a major architectural pilgrimage — drawing more than 100,000 visitors a year from across the United States and abroad. Worship is offered in both English and Spanish, with weekday Masses, weekend Masses, reconciliation, and Eucharistic adoration rounding out the liturgical life.

History

The parish's history is inseparable from the life of architect Rafael Guastavino. He came to the North Carolina mountains in the 1890s to work on the Biltmore House, fell in love with the area, and bought land near Black Mountain where he built a home and tile kilns. In October 1903 he presented drawings for a new St. Lawrence Catholic Church, donated his design, and gave the tiles his company produced. Construction began in 1905 and the church was completed in 1909. Guastavino died of pneumonia in 1908 and is interred in the basilica's Marian Chapel. Pope John Paul II elevated the church to a minor basilica in 1993, and the National Park Service declared it of 'National Significance' in 2010.

• 1903: Guastavino presents drawings for a new St. Lawrence Church
• 1905: Construction begins
• 1908: Rafael Guastavino Moreno dies; buried later in the basilica
• 1909: Basilica substantially completed by Rafael Guastavino Esposito
• 1978: Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (#78001933)
• 1993: Elevated to a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II
• 2010: National Park Service declaration of 'National Significance'
• 2020s: Major restoration campaign launched; Hurricane Helene adds damage in 2024
• 2024: Receives $750,000 'Save America's Treasures' grant

Architecture & Art

The basilica is a textbook example of Spanish Renaissance Revival executed entirely in Guastavino tile and masonry. There are no wood or steel beams anywhere in the building; massive stone foundations, solid brick walls, tile-and-mortar vaulting, terrazzo floors, and a copper-clad tile roof make the structure practically fireproof. The crowning feature is a 58-by-82-foot self-supporting elliptical dome, inspired by the Royal Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken in Valencia and widely cited as the largest of its kind in North America.

• Style: Spanish Renaissance Revival
• Architects: Rafael Guastavino Moreno and Richard Sharp Smith (R. S. Smith)
• Construction: 1905–1909, completed by Rafael Guastavino Esposito
• Stonemason: Samuel I. Bean
• Sculptor (stone angel): Frederick B. Miles
• Stained glass: many windows produced in Munich, Germany
• Marian Chapel contains the crypt of Rafael Guastavino
• Two front chapels finished in polychrome tile by Guastavino Esposito

Mass, Sacraments & Devotions

Weekend Masses are celebrated Saturday at 5:00 PM (Vigil) and Sunday at 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM in English, with a 4:00 PM Mass in Spanish. Weekday Masses and a full reconciliation and adoration schedule are posted on the parish website; during the current restoration the basilica is closed Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and daily Mass is celebrated at 5:30 PM. Confession is heard on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays from 8:30 to 9:30 AM, with Saturday 3:30–4:30 PM and by appointment in the regular schedule. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament runs daily from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with Saturday morning Benediction.

• Saturday Vigil Mass: 5:00 PM
• Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM (English), 12:00 PM (English), 4:00 PM (Spanish)
• Daily Mass: Mon–Fri 5:30 PM during restoration
• Confession: 1st & 3rd Saturdays 8:30–9:30 AM; Saturdays 3:30–4:30 PM by appointment
• Adoration: daily 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Benediction Saturdays 8:00 AM

Music Ministry

The parish's Música (Music) ministry serves both English- and Spanish-language liturgies, drawing on the universal treasury of Catholic sacred music to evangelize, build community, and celebrate the parish's cultural diversity. The program frames music-making as stewardship of time, talent, and treasure — sharing one's musical gifts as an act of self-giving on a par with financial giving. Through choir, cantors, and congregational singing, the music ministry seeks to enrich the spiritual life of the parish and unite the assembly in worship.

• Bilingual choirs serving English and Spanish Masses
• Cantors and congregational singing
• Music framed as stewardship of time, talent, and treasure

Outreach & Social Justice

The Community Ministry Commission is the parish's social-justice arm, grounded in Catholic social teaching and the Gospel call to serve 'the least of these.' The parish's Shelter and Street Meals Ministry, supported in part by the Western Carolina Community Foundation and Catholic Relief Services and by parishioner contributions, serves roughly 9,800 individual meals a year to the sheltered and homeless poor of Asheville — work that is 'about much more than food,' according to the parish, because the dignity and respect with which meals are served are equally essential.

• Rescue Mission Breakfast Team — roughly 80 hot breakfasts twice monthly at the Western Carolina Rescue Mission
• Veterans Shelter Meals Teams — two meals per month for ~180 residents of Veterans Restoration Quarters
• St. Lawrence Street Meals Team — 70 bag lunches packed and distributed every Wednesday
• Parish Pastoral Council coordinating community ministry
• Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court #412

Tours & Visiting

Self-guided and guided tours are a core part of the basilica's ministry. The free self-guided brochure 'The Art & Architecture of the Basilica of Saint Lawrence, D.M.' is available in the side vestibule and as a download. Docent-led tours can be scheduled through the parish office. During the current restoration, regular self-guided visiting hours are Monday 11:00 AM–12:00 PM, Tuesday through Thursday 11:00 AM–1:00 PM and 3:00–5:00 PM; the basilica is closed Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM and is otherwise open for weekend Masses. Visitors from 49 states and 35 countries have signed the parish guest book.

• Self-guided brochure available in the vestibule and online
• Docent-led guided tours by appointment
• Self-guided hours: Mon 11–12; Tue/Wed/Thu 11–1 and 3–5
• Free admission; donations appreciated

Preservation & Restoration

More than a century of mountain weather has taken a toll: water leaks, falling masonry from mortar failure, and a copper-clad dome that has reached the end of its life. Hurricane Helene in late September 2024 added to the damage. The parish, in partnership with the nonprofit Basilica Preservation Fund and the Diocese of Charlotte, has mounted a campaign estimated at $23 million over roughly ten years, with the most urgent first phase (exterior masonry, stormwater drainage, and cornice work) budgeted at about $6.5 million. The parish has raised more than $3 million and the preservation fund has secured more than $1 million in additional grants and donations, anchored by a $750,000 'Save America's Treasures' grant announced by the National Park Service on August 20, 2024. John G. Waite Associates of New York City is serving as preservation architect, and a Historic Structure Report was completed in 2020 by the firm of architect Joe Oppermann.

• Hurricane Helene (Sept 2024) worsened existing damage
• Total restoration estimated at $23 million over ~10 years
• Phase 1 budget: ~$6.5 million
• Parish has raised $3+ million; Preservation Fund has raised $1+ million more
• $750,000 Save America's Treasures grant (NPS, Aug. 20, 2024)
• Preservation architect: John G. Waite Associates, NYC

Parish Office & Practical Info

The parish office is at 97 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801, and is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Parishioners and visitors can submit requests for Mass intentions, appointments, and parish registration online through the parish website, with staff following up by phone or email. The basilica is currently closed Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM for restoration; visitors are asked to respect posted tour times and any other events happening in the church.

• Address: 97 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801
• Phone: (828) 252-6042
• Office hours: Tuesday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Online forms for Mass intentions, appointments, and registration