Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Construction began in 1920; the Great Upper Church was dedicated November 20, 1959

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic minor basilica and national shrine in Washington, D.C., dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, the principal patroness of the United States. The shrine was proposed by Bishop Thomas Joseph Shahan, rector of the Catholic University of America, who secured the support of Pope Pius X in 1913; construction began in 1920, and the Great Upper Church was dedicated on November 20, 1959. Pope John Paul II raised it to the status of minor basilica through the decree Clarum Constat Templum in 1990, and the building was finally completed with the dedication of its Trinity Dome mosaic on December 8, 2017. It is the largest Catholic church in North America and serves as the patronal church of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Neo-Byzantine and Romanesque Revival styles

• •Largest Catholic church in North America and among the ten largest churches in the world
• •Dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, the principal patroness of the United States
• •Great Upper Church dedicated November 20, 1959; construction began in 1920
• •Raised to minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1990 (decree Clarum Constat Templum)
• •Trinity Dome mosaic dedicated December 8, 2017, completing the structure